The team at No Fly Cruises has been busy researching some of the prettiest no fly cruise ports that are relatively easy to visit from the UK.
These are ports that just look so good, you can’t put the camera down. In fact you’ll end up with so many photos of them you won’t know what to do with them all. So, we present the 5 prettiest no fly cruise ports, in no particular order. Some are well-known, others less likely to appear on your standard no fly cruise itineraries but all are gorgeous!
1). Tobermory, the Isle of Mull
Tobermory is the capital of the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides and is certainly a very familiar picture with its pretty little painted cottages that face the harbour. It is located on the east coast of Mishnish near the northern entrance of the Sound of Mull and is well-known to younger children and their parents as the fictional home of BBC TV show ‘Balamory’. Picture-postcard is the best way to describe Tobermory with it’s busy harbour that is always full with fishing boats, yachts, ferries and of course, the occasional no fly cruise ship, too! Romantic, charming and pretty, it’s made the list.
Best cruise line to visit Tobermory? In our view it’s Hebridean. Most ships will simply sail past Tobermory for a quick look but Hebridean Princess goes alongside and the Scottish charm is seamless between vessel and port with this line too >> Visit Hebridean’s website
2). Portofino, Italy
Portofino is one of those places that you probably recognise from travel photos, even if you don’t know it by name. Portofino is a fishing village on the Italian Riviera coastline and with it’s striking rows of pastel-coloured houses, it could almost be the Italian Tobermory! Portofino is an elegant port with cultural interests too, but you’ll need to tender from anchor as you can’t go alongside here, unless you happen to own one of the many super-yachts you’ll see tied up in the pretty harbour, and it’s always fun guessing who the owners may be (or cheating by using a ship tracker app to find out).
Portofino to us is not a common destination for no fly cruises but SAGA has several voyages next year on their beautiful all balcony ship Spirit of Adventure. >> View this voyage with SAGA Cruises
3). Santorini, The Greek Islands
We think this is probably the most popular of our top 5 and certainly the most photographed. Santorini is beyond recognisable as a cruise destination and you’ll often see two or three ships at once in the bay. Quintessentially Greek whitewashed buildings dot the stunning panoramas on this volcanic island which is famed for the ‘ultimate Aegean sunsets’. However, Santorini is small and you really want to try and visit when there is only one ship in town, preferably a small ship, so that the crowds are minimal. However, being a true cruise bucket-list destination, it’s not always easy to find the right cruise especially one that avoids having to fly.
P&O Cruises have a sailing in 2021 that will take you to Santorini and other places in Greece over 19 nights departing from Southampton >> View P&O Cruises website
4). Flåm, Norwegian Fjords
When you are focusing on pretty, you have to head to the Norwegian Fjords. Arguably some of these ports could fill the whole top 5 alone. It almost feels as if the word picturesque was invented just to describe the village of Flåm, stunning landscapes, colourful buildings and the lush surroundings of the truly majestic fjords of Norway. Situated the head of Aurlandsfjorden and alongside Sognefjord, Flåm is a true central point in everything epic and stunning about Norway.
Cunard offer many no fly sailings that will visit Flåm >> Visit Cunard’s UK website
5). Fowey, Cornwall
At No Fly we absolutely LOVE Cornwall and everything about it. There is a magic in the air, on the beaches and through the charming villages that is hard to explain. That’s why we had to have a Cornish port on the list and perhaps the prettiest has to be Fowey.
Fowey is well known for its gorgeous estuary, narrow streets and ties to Daphne Du Maurier. However, what makes Fowey so special is that your ship will anchor right in the estuary between Fowey and equally picturesque Polperro. Delivering dual-aspect views to be marvelled over. This is Cornwall at its prettiest and there just happens to be a cruise berth thrown in!
We did some searching and the only line we could see confirmed for 2021 on a no fly cruise is Hurtigruten. >> Visit Hurtigruten UK’s website for more