I tried the fly-cruising trend to the Med and Aegean seas – 50 years after last visiting

The good ship Balmoral is more than halfway through an epic 52-day cruise and at anchor under the ancient walls of Rhodes Old Town in the eastern Mediterranean.

Yet I’d caught up with it thanks to a flight of just four hours.

The Fred Olsen favourite – with a capacity of 1,250 guests – had left Britain, crossed the Bay of Biscay, and visited a myriad of locations as it headed towards Greece.

It’s here I step aboard, following the ever-growing trend of time-saving fly-cruising – taking a plane to reach a ship at a faraway location, rather than setting sail from British soil.

It means I’m able to join a short, but fascinating, segment of Balmoral’s autumn itinerary – somewhere along its year-long journey.

Now 70, I chose to join the adventure on Rhodes, an island I last visited almost five decades ago.

What was to become a special trip saw the Balmoral and its master, Captain Victor Stoica, guide passengers through calm, aquamarine, seas on an east to west Mediterranean leg.

Arrival in Rhodes is on a charter flight from Stansted, and the stop in Greece is followed by three destinations in Turkey, one in Malta and lastly one in Malaga, Spain – a total 2,427 nautical miles.

My balcony cabin provides spectacular views and I watch intently as the ship leaves one port and arrives at the next. With two heated swimming pools, a gym and spotless lounges, bars and deck areas where seats, or loungers could always be found, Balmoral is a delight.

On day one I take a short walk from the ship to Rhodes’ walled Old Town – and Sokratous Street is just as magical as I remembered it all those years ago.

Silver and gold shops entice you to spend your Euros in this UNESCO World Heritage location, while staff of intriguing restaurants beckon passers-by in with a crooked finger and a beguiling smile.

With shops investigated, coffee and snacks enjoyed, and ancient Crusader and Ottoman streets explored, I rejoin Balmoral, beaming at my early trip’s good fortune.

An overnight voyage takes us to the port of Bodrum, a classic Turkey holiday gateway for Brits.

Taking a quayside shuttle bus to visit town centre shops and a multi-outlet bazaar is fascinating. What comes next is a little more challenging.

For the first time in my life I visit a Turkish barber, little realising that a trim comes with extras – hot towels, a mini mountain of foam and bubbles for a “cut-throat” shave, and a head and back massage to top it off!

Again travelling through the night, the rapidly-growing port of Kusadasi heaves into view.

The nearby ruins of Ephesus, a city founded by ancient Greeks and later colonised by Romans, is my trip of the day.

On any travel wish-list this is very highly rated, visited by millions each year, one where accomplished guides are readily at hand. The vast Great Theatre once held up to 25,000 spectators.

The skeleton of the city, full of glorious buildings, is still emerging from the sand and soil which blew in after it was abandoned.

This exodus was self-inflicted – the port connecting Ephesus to open seas silted up from eroded soils, which was washed down after all nearby trees in the area were cut down for winter heating.

Under the shade of a newly planted pine trees, I leave my guide for a few moments to gasp and mind-travel through the ages to 30BC.

For here I am standing on the marble walkway where Roman general Marc Antony and Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra went forward hand-in-hand, ensnared in their doomed love affair.

Istanbul is the next port of call – its mosques, temples and bazaars are endlessly captivating.

Exactly 50 years ago, I looked out of a hotel window there and saw a bear on a chain looking back at me, posed by its master and dancing for tourist pounds.

Now, thankfully, the bear shows are history and Istanbul is a dynamic and forward-looking city, gloriously wrapped in its amazing history and geography.

This is where the Bosporus separates Europe and Asia and is a magnet for many. A boat ride helps me to explore further and much enjoyment comes from a visit to the city’s Spice Bazaar – an alternative to the world-famous Grand Bazaar, where there are hundreds of mysterious stalls for every need, in a kaleidoscope of colour, mixed with a magical market cacophony.

Incredibly, there are 4,000 shops, in 60 covered streets in the Grand Bazaar, attracting almost 100 million visitors a year.

Two sea days takes the ship to Malta and its intriguing capital Valletta, another World Heritage Site. The city sits on a headland which gives it a unique fortress status. And it’s magnificent, with a glut of landmarks from when it was founded by the crusading Knights of St John.

The smallest EU capital became a beacon of hope for the allies in the Second World War when it withstood repeated German and Italian bombings and subsequent major damage.

Fully repaired and today powered by endless optimism and the friendly good grace of the city’s 6,000 or so population, Valletta is a magical destination.

The ship sails on to Spain and I enjoy Malaga on a day’s visit to the Andalusian city before flying home. There are certainly advantages to skipping a couple of thousand miles by sea.

How to book

For a similar trip, Balmoral’s 10-night ‘Scenic Gems of Croatia with the Bay of Kotor’ cruise, departs from Valetta, Malta on October 19 2026. Prices start from £2,899pp with flights from London or Manchester and transfers included. More details: fredolsencruises.com