Complete Guide to Sailing the Mediterranean

Posted in Guides

What is the Mediterranean?

When people refer to “The Mediterranean”, they’re referring to the Mediterranean sea and the countries that surround it. The Mediterranean sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin (Also sometimes referred to as the Mediterranean region or sometimes Mediterranea). The Mediterranean Basin is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with many, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

The countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea consist of; Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. As well as these countries, the Gaza Strip and the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia also have coastlines on the sea.

Route Choice – Does it Matter?

The Mediterranean is a huge place, with the Mediterranean Sea spanning across three different continents and covering around 2,500,000 KM² (920,000 sq mi), so route choice is an important part of your holiday decision. Route choice in a place so vast is going to affect a lot, from the weather you should expect to experience to the wildlife you might encounter and of course it’s going to play a role in the places you’re likely likely to dock and visit. 

Route choice is always dependant on who you choose to cruise with, many cruise and charter companies have pre-set itineraries that they tend to follow, while other companies allow you to slightly customise your itinerary depending on what you want to see and where you wish to visit.

The Gulf of Hisaronu: Example of an Itinerary within the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Weather

Pinpointing the weather you’re likely to experience while travelling the Mediterranean is near impossible due to it’s vast size, so, in order to help you gauge the kind of weather you might expect, we’ve put together the average summer and winter temperatures for cities close to the coastal area of each Mediterranean country.

https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/egypt

Albania

Albania has a Mediterranean climate along it’s coastline, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers. Further in land you can expect temperatures to drop slightly, but the temperature only really becomes cold in the mountain areas of the country. In the capital Tirana, which is located roughly 20 miles from the coast, you can expect to see an average temperature of 24.5°C in the peak tourist months of July and August.

Below you can find the maximum and minimum average temperatures of Tirana.

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min

2°C

2°C

3°C

7°C

12°C

15°C

17°C

17°C

14°C

10°C

7°C

7°C

Max

11°C

12°C

13°C

18°C

22°C

27°C

31°C

32°C

27°C

22°C

16°C

13°C

Insert Image

Algeria

Algeria is the largest country in Africa, and experiences different climates depending on where in the country you are. The coastal area of Algeria experiences a mild Mediterranean climate, with rainy winters and hot, dry summers, with the western coast experiencing between 300-400 millimetres of rainfall per year, with the average temperature during peak tourist months sits at around 25/26°C.

Below you can find the maximum and minimum average temperatures of Algiers.

Algiers

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min

6°C

6°C

7°C

9°C

12°C

16°C

19°C

20°C

18°C

14°C

10°C

7°C

Max

17°C

17°C

19°C

21°C

24°C

28°C

31°C

32°C

30°C

26°C

21°C

18°C

Insert Image

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnia & Herzegovina experiences a very Mediterranean climate in the small stretch of plain near the sea; around the city of Mostar. This area often sees cold winters of around 5°C, but picks up greatly in the summer reaching temperatures of around 25°C in July, with temperatures sometimes managing to reach as high as 40°C.

Below you can find the maximum and minimum average temperatures of Mostar.

Mostar

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min

2°C

3°C

5°C

8°C

13°C

16°C

19°C

18°C

15°C

11°C

7°C

3°C

Max

8°C

11°C

15°C

19°C

24°C

28°C

31°C

31°C

27°C

21°C

15°C

10°C

Insert Image

Croatia

Croatia experiences many different climates throughout the country, with Mediterranean type climate at the coast of the country and colder continental climate further inland. Croatia is a rainy country, with moderate rainfall throughout the country and along the coast, however in the Adriatic coast of the country, you can expect summer temperatures of around 25-28°C.

Below you can find maximum and minimum average temperatures of Rijeka.

Rijeka

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min

3°C

3°C

6°C

9°C

13°C

16°C

19°C

19°C

15°C

11°C

7°C

4°C

Max

9°C

10°C

12°C

16°C

21°C

25°C

28°C

28°C

24°C

19°C

13°C

10°C

Cyprus

Cyprus is a tiny island in the Mediterranean sea – In fact with an area of around 9,251 KM², it’s one of the smallest countries in the world. However, the whole country experiences Mediterranean climate the whole year round, with summer temperatures reaching as high as 33°C.

Below you can find the maximum and minimum average temperatures of Larnaca.

Larnaca

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min

8°C

7°C

9°C

12°C

16°C

20°C

22°C

23°C

20°C

17°C

13°C

9°C

Max

17°C

17°C

19°C

23°C

27°C

30°C

32°C

33°C

31°C

28°C

23°C

18°C

Egypt

Egypt is another example of a coastal Mediterranean country that experiences many climates throughout the country – Experiencing Mediterranean climate on the northern coast, with a desert climate further inland. On the Mediterranean coast, the winter’s are very mild, with highs of around 18°C and summer highs of 30°C.

Below you can find the maximum and minimum average temperatures of Alexandria.

Alexandria

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Min

9°C

9°C

11°C

13°C

17°C

20°C

23°C

23°C

21°C

18°C

14°C

11°C

Max

18°C

19°C

21°C

24°C

27°C

29°C

30°C

30°C

30°C

28°C

24°C

20°C

Insert Image

France

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Greece

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Israel

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Italy

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Lebanon

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Libya

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Malta

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Monaco

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Montenegro

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Slovenia

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Spain

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Syria

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Tunisia

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Turkey

Enter your text here…

Tirana

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Max

2°C

2

3

7

12

15

17

17

14

10

7

7

Min

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Tips for First-Time Sailors

Tips for Overcoming Sea-Sickness

Where to Visit

Wildlife You Might Encounter

Natural Wonders Around The Mediterranean

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER