Italy: Norwegian cruise ships will no longer pass through Venice

This article was originally published in English

A major cruise line has dropped the iconic city of Venice from its 2024 and 2025 itineraries as the Italian destination continues to push hard visitors.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced its decision afterward Venice has declared its waterways a “national monument” and banned large cruise ships from docking in its historic center.

Norwegian, along with other cruise lines, began ferrying visitors to the city using much smaller ships, but now says even that compromise is no longer viable.

A spokesperson explains the decision to Euronews Travel: “Although we have made every effort to maintain these stops in Venice, the traffic (shuttles on smaller boats) and the overall experience this provides our customers has not reached the level we are aiming for.“.

Venice was forced to ban cruises in its center in 2021, after UNESCO has threatened to put the city of Doges on the list of endangered cities if it does not ban the boats.

According to experts, these large ships pollute and undermine the foundations of the city, which already suffers from regular flooding.

At the time of the ban, many cruise lines were in favor of this decision. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) states that “supported the new approach for many years“call her”a big step forward“.

What will be the alternative destinations for Norwegian?

Some cruise lines have found ways around the ban to continue bringing customers to Venice, such as MSC Cruises, which docks in Marghera, just across the street from the city. Others stop in Trieste or Ravenna, both located at least two hours from the “floating city”.

Venetian authorities have continued to try to curb excessive tourism for years. This year, Venice will apply a tourist tax for day visitors from spring and will try to limit the number of tour groups this summer.

Starting in 2025, Norwegian will replace stops in Venice with a day at sea or another port – to be determined. This year, however, cruise lines will replace the city in their itineraries with Ravenna in Italy, Rijeka and Zadar in Croatia or Koper in Slovenia.

Here’s what you need to know about these destinations.

What can you do in Ravenna, Italy?

Located two and a half hours south of Venice, Ravenna is located in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.

It has been the national capital three times since the beginning of the 5th century: in the last days of the Western Roman Empire, under Theodoric’s Goths, then under Byzantine rule.

Its historical significance remains to this day, the city boasts eight UNESCO monuments. Ravenna is also the final resting place of the “father of the Italian language” Dante Alighieri, who died here in 1321.

Cruises have privileged access to Rijeka, Croatia

It is a three-hour drive from Venice Rijeka, the third city in Croatia after Zagreb and Split. She may not be as well known as these two travel icons, but there’s a reason for that.

Rijeka is notoriously difficult to fly to outside the tourist season, with frequent flights only operating from May to October.

Cruise passengers will thus have the privilege discover a relatively uncrowded destination.

Rijeka was the first Croatian city to receive the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture in 2020. Since then, it has enriched its historical heritage with numerous cultural programs aimed at attracting visitors from all over Europe.

Stay cool in Zadar, Croatia

Further south in Croatia is Zadar, the country’s oldest continuously inhabited city. Located on the edge of the Adriatic Sea, it is one of the most memorable stops on any trip Croatia.

However, the Balkan nation has been the subject of criticism ever since switched to the euro last year, when some locals and tourists felt excluded from the previously accessible land.

Replace Venice with Slovenian Koper

Across the border with Trieste, Koper is the fifth largest city in Slovenia and its largest coastal city.

Due to its proximity to Italy, Koper is officially bilingual, with Slovenian and Italian being the official languages.

The architecture of Koper is very similar to that of Venice. Here you can discover the 15th-century Praetorian Palace and the Venetian Gothic loggia, the 12th-century Carmine Rotunda and the Saint-Nazaire Cathedral, whose tower dates from the 14th century.