Top 5 Accessible Cruises from Istanbul
By John Sage
Although there aren’t many cruises that depart from Istanbul, there are still some great accessible cruise options. Istanbul accessible cruises allow the opportunity to see this magnificent ancient city as well as visit other ancient destinations like Israel, Egypt, and Rome.
Before you begin your wheelchair accessible Istanbul cruise, you’ll have an opportunity to choose from several accessible guided tours. An accessible walking tour of the Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar is one of the most popular options, while an accessible Istanbul driving tour allows you to see many of the neighborhoods outside the Old Town.
If you book your cruise through Sage Traveling, we provide our Istanbul accessible trip planning services for FREE, which includes our accessible Istanbul hotel recommendations that are located in bridge-free neighborhoods near St. Mark’s Square or in quieter neighborhoods located further away from the tourists. You also will receive our 37+ page Istanbul Accessibility Guide for free.
Top Accessible Istanbul to Rome Cruise
By starting your cruise in Istanbul and finishing in Rome, you’ll be exposed to two of the most important European cities over the last 2500 years! An accessible walking tour of the Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque will allow you learn about the history behind these two famous sites. During an accessible Istanbul driving tour, you will be able to see the different Istanbul neighborhoods.
During Celebrity’s 7 night Ancient Ruins cruise, you’ll visit ancient ruins at Athens and Pompeii, as well as visit the islands of Mykonos, Malta, and Sicily. Accessible shore excursions are possible in all of these ports.
Before your cruise we can provide you with accessible Istanbul hotel options based on our first-hand accessibility evaluations, and afterwards, we can provide you with accessible Rome hotel options.
Honorable mention: In terms of accessibility, no other Istanbul to Rome cruise comes close!
Top Accessible Egypt Cruise from Istanbul
Holland America’s 14 night Egypt cruise is the best accessible Istanbul cruise for visiting Egypt with a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or any other type of disability. This accessible Istanbul cruise visits 4 Turkish ports, 2 Egyptian ports, 2 Greek ports, 2 Italian ports, and 1 Spanish port. Sage Traveling can arrange accessible shore excursions in 10 of the 11 ports.
Because this cruise only has one sailing date on the relatively small, 1258 passenger ms Ryndam ship, be sure to contact us far in advance to reserve your spot!
Honorable mention: In terms of accessibility, no other Egypt cruise from Istanbul comes close!
Top Accessible Holy Land Cruise from Istanbul
Disabled travelers interested in the Holy Land will love Celebrity’s 11 night Holy Land cruise…it has accessible shore excursion options in every port!
After an overnight stay in Istanbul, your cruise departs for Kusadasi where you can take an accessible tour of the Ephesus ruins and the House of the Virgin Mary. In Haifa, you’ll be able to take an accessible tour to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, and in Ashdod you can take an accessible shore excursion to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Visits to the islands of Malta and Sicily will be followed by an accessible tour of Naples & Pompeii. When you finish your cruise in Rome, you can enjoy an accessible Vatican tour while staying in an accessible Rome hotel that we have personally inspected.
Top Accessible Luxury Grand Mediterranean Cruise from Istanbul
Crystal’s 23 night Grand Mediterranean cruise is one of the top luxury accessible cruises in the entire Mediterranean. It sails on the intimate, luxurious Crystal Serenity cruise ship and has accessible shore excursion options in 14 of the 15 ports. One of my favorite aspects of this Istanbul accessible cruise is that it has overnight stops in Istanbul, Venice, Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
Eastern Mediterranean ports of call include Istanbul, Kusadasi (for the Ephesus ruins), the volcanic island of Santorini, Corfu, the Croatian towns of Dubrovnik and Korcula, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Venice. In the Western Mediterranean, you’ll visit Sicily, the cliff-side Italian village of Sorrento, Rome, Monte Carlo, Florence & Pisa, and Barcelona.
When you finish your cruise, you’ll be able take an accessible driving tour of Barcelona, visit a wheelchair accessible beach, and explore the city using our Barcelona Accessibility Guide.
Honorable mention: Crystal’s 21 night Grand Mediterranean cruise (73% of ports have accessible excursion options) and Crystal’s 32 night Grand Mediterranean cruise (86%). Contact us for more details.
Top Accessible Luxury Eastern Mediterranean Cruise from Istanbul
If you’re interested in a shorter accessible luxury cruise than the one described above, Crystal’s 12 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise may be right up your alley! Two ports in Turkey, three ports in Greece (Mykonos, Santorini, and Monemvasia), the island of Malta, and three ports in Italy (Taormina, Sorrento, and Civitavecchia) are included on this cruise itinerary.
Crystal Cruises does not offer an accessible shore excursions but don’t worry…Sage Traveling can arrange accessible shore excursions in 89% of the ports on this cruise!
Your accessible Istanbul cruise finishes in Rome where you will enjoy staying in a luxury accessible hotel room and private accessible Rome walking tours.
Honorable mention: Crystal’s 11 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise (88% of ports have accessible excursion options) and Azamara’s 7 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise (75%). Contact us for more details.
Learn about the 6 Benefits of Booking Your Cruise through Sage Traveling
- Exclusive Cruise Discounts – We can get you better deals than if you book direct
- €50 off each Shore Excursion – Receive discounted rates if you book your cruise through us
- Pre-trip Accessibility Consultation – We help you make informed decisions
- Pre-cruise Accessible Hotel Recommendations – We have personally inspected accessibility of several Istanbul accessible hotels and their surrounding neighborhoods
- Emergency Support during your Trip – We quickly solve your accessibility problems based on years of experience doing it for other clients
- Sage Accessibility Guides for each port – Our Sage Accessibility Guides contain essential accessibility advice for each port
Read more:
Europe Accessible Cruising Advice
How to Choose Your Accessible Cruise
Accessible Mediterranean Cruise Port Reviews
Accessible Mediterranean Cruise Excursions
Top 12 Accessible Mediterranean Cruise Itineraries
Top 6 Accessible Cruises from Athens
Top 6 Accessible Cruises from Barcelona
Top 5 Accessible Cruises from Istanbul
Top 9 Accessible Cruises from Rome
Top 11 Accessible Cruises from Venice
Best of Accessible Azamara Cruises
Best of Accessible Celebrity Cruises
Best of Accessible Crystal Cruises
Best of Accessible Disney Cruises
Best of Accessible Holland America Cruises
Best of Accessible Norwegian Cruises
Best of Accessible Princess Cruises
Best of Accessible Royal Caribbean Cruises
6 Benefits of Booking Your Cruise through Sage Traveling