Long before tourism existed, there were pilgrimages of faith. Before travel agencies, grand hotels, railways, or shipping companies, millions of people left their homes to travel vast distances to a sacred place. Some traveled for years, others crossed continents, and many faced dangers that would be difficult to imagine today. The motivation was not to discover a destination, but to reach it.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 78 – September 2026
Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela, Mecca, Medina, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini, Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe are part of one of the oldest and most enduring maps of human mobility on the planet. Each religion and spiritual tradition has created its own pilgrimage centers, routes, and calendars, but all share the idea that certain places possess a meaning that transcends their geography.
Religious tourism is therefore much more than visiting churches. It is one of the oldest forms of travel and, at the same time, a profoundly contemporary market. The traditional pilgrim still exists. They walk for weeks along the Camino de Santiago, travel to Rome during a Holy Year, visit a shrine to fulfill a vow, or journey with their religious community to a place of special spiritual significance. But alongside them, another type of traveler has emerged, one who may not be a practicing believer, or belong to any religion, and yet be drawn to architecture, history, art, or culture.
Travel to the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel, to Istanbul to discover Hagia Sophia, to Ephesus to explore one of the great cities of antiquity, or to Patmos to learn about the sites linked to the Book of Revelation. The boundary between pilgrimage and cultural tourism has become increasingly blurred. For some, a place has religious significance, for others historical, and for many, both.
But for the tourism industry, perhaps the most interesting aspect is that a religious site can be part of a much broader experience. Tour operators don't simply sell a visit to a basilica or shrine; they construct a narrative. A trip can follow in the footsteps of St. Paul, explore a Marian route, or reconstruct the history of a religion across several countries, and this fits particularly naturally with a cruise, because a cruise doesn't sell a single destination. It sells a sequence.
When Faith Meets the Sea:
Maritime routes have been part of the history of religions and pilgrimages for centuries. The Mediterranean connected Jerusalem with Rome, Greece with Asia Minor, and Egypt with Europe. Saint Paul traveled by sea at different stages of his missions, and for centuries, ports and ships were essential for those traveling to the Holy Land. The modern cruise offers a very different version of that connectivity. The ship can comfortably and efficiently connect several places that are part of the same religious history.
A shipping company might include Patmos in an itinerary, and then a tour operator could transform that stop into a stage of a pilgrimage following the story of St. John. Similarly, Kusadasi could be a tourist stop or the gateway to Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. On the other hand, Civitavecchia might simply signify Rome or become the gateway to an experience centered on the Vatican and the great basilicas of Christendom. The port is the same. What changes is the meaning of the journey.
For the industry, this difference opens up a particularly interesting market. Cruises allow for the transport of entire groups without constant hotel changes, connecting several countries in just a few days and utilizing auditoriums, theaters, and meeting rooms to complement the program with conferences, celebrations, music, or gatherings. Consequently, different models are emerging. There are cruise lines that include religious destinations in a conventional itinerary; tour operators that take these cruises and transform them into pilgrimages; and the "faith-based cruise," especially developed in the United States, where the community and the religious program on board are the true focus of the trip.
The geography of Saint Paul continues to sail the Aegean. Celestyal Cruises.
Few regions boast a concentration of religious destinations comparable to that of the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece and the western coast of Turkey offer a glimpse into much of the geography of the early centuries of Christianity, and the case of the Celestyal cruise line is particularly illustrative.
In 2024, the cruise line marketed a seven-night itinerary called “Steps of Paul” aboard the Celestyal Journey. The route included Athens, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Istanbul, Dikili, Kusadasi, Patmos, and back to Athens. It wasn't simply a cruise through Greece and Turkey with a few religious excursions. The very sequence of ports of call constructed the narrative.
Thessaloniki is one of the key cities in the Pauline world and the community to which the letters to the Thessalonians are addressed. Kavala, ancient Neapolis, is the gateway to Philippi, linked to St. Paul's arrival in Europe and the baptism of Lydia. Istanbul, ancient Constantinople, adds the historical dimension of Eastern Christianity and the Byzantine world.
From Dikili, you can reach Pergamon, one of the Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Kusadasi is the gateway to Ephesus, one of the most important cities of early Christianity and the House of the Virgin Mary. And Patmos holds a special place on any religious tour of the Aegean: Christian tradition links the island to Saint John and the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Grotto of the Apocalypse are part of the complex declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The original Steps of Paul demonstrated something important for the industry: a religious route doesn't have to consist of visiting a single shrine. It can be constructed as a succession of places linked by a shared history.
Although Celestyal no longer markets that itinerary under the “Steps of Paul” brand, much of that region remains part of its offerings. Its “Iconic Greek Islands” itinerary, operated by the Celestyal Discovery, retains two of the most significant ports of call: Kusadasi and Patmos. The three-night version connects Athens, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Heraklion, Santorini, and Athens, while the four-night version adds Rhodes. Although Rhodes is not one of the most religiously significant destinations, it offers an interesting complement thanks to its rich Christian heritage, the legacy of the Knights of St. John, and the historical coexistence of different religious traditions.
For the average passenger, it's a classic itinerary through the Greek islands and Turkey. For a specialized group, it can take on a completely different dimension. Kusadasi becomes the gateway to Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. Patmos, on the island of the Apocalypse. Celestyal also offers an excursion focused on the Monastery of St. John and the Cave of the Apocalypse. This presents one of the most interesting opportunities for cruise lines.
Celestyal will also be reviving its iconic “Three Continents” cruise for the winter of 2027/2028. It will consist of three 14-night “Three Continents Explorer” cruises, comprising two itineraries departing from and returning to Athens and one departing from and returning to Istanbul. Combining both “Splendor of the Mediterranean” itineraries, the voyage will visit Athens, Alexandria, Limassol, Rhodes, Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Volos, Kusadasi, and Heraklion, taking passengers through Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and Egypt. This revamped itinerary, now without Israel, includes stops at some of the destinations that were previously part of the “St. Paul’s Journey” or the renowned Three Continents itineraries. These include Kusadasi, gateway to the ancient city of Ephesus, where St. Paul preached for several years; and Thessaloniki, where he founded one of the first Christian communities in Europe and to whose inhabitants he addressed two of his epistles. And Athens, the setting for his famous speech at the Areopagus. Limassol, due to its proximity to Paphos, also features prominently in the Pauline itineraries, as Cyprus was a key stop on his first missionary journey. Istanbul and Alexandria stand out as two of the great historical centers of early Eastern Christianity. Rhodes and Crete offer a rich heritage linked to Orthodox tradition, Byzantine monasteries, and the legacy of the Knights of St. John. These itineraries offer an engaging combination of history, culture, and religious heritage in some of the most iconic locations of the Eastern Mediterranean.
In many cases, it is the tour operator who transforms the cruise into a pilgrimage, and this is probably one of the models with the greatest potential. Operators like Catholic Heritage Tours already market pilgrimage programs through Greece and Turkey, following in the footsteps of St. Paul and combining land excursions with sailing in the Aegean. The formula has a clear logistical advantage. The group can remain together while the ship travels from one destination to another, avoiding numerous transfers and hotel changes. And the time spent at sea can become part of the experience through lectures, celebrations, or gatherings. Corinth can be included before or after the cruise. The result is a true pilgrimage by sea and land.
Rome and the Vatican from Civitavecchia:
If the Aegean Sea allows you to trace the history of the first centuries of Christianity, Rome represents another dimension. For the cruise industry, Civitavecchia is one of the major ports of the Mediterranean and the gateway to Rome. For religious tourism, it can also be the gateway to the Vatican. From there, a specialized program can be designed around St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and the great papal basilicas: St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
The Jubilee of 2025 once again demonstrated Rome's extraordinary capacity to attract religious travelers. According to figures released at the close of the Holy Year, nearly 33.5 million pilgrims from 185 countries visited the city. For the major cruise lines that call at Civitavecchia, the opportunity is clear. An individual passenger can book a standard day trip to Rome. A group can create a genuine pilgrimage to the Vatican.
The Holy Land and an Unfinished Itinerary:
No religious cruise itinerary would be complete without the Holy Land. For years, ports like Haifa and Ashdod served as gateways to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives, and Gethsemane. For Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, few destinations hold a comparable historical and spiritual significance. Celestyal also embraced this concept with its Three Continents itinerary, connecting the Eastern Mediterranean with the Holy Land before the regional conflict severely impacted cruise operations in the area.
The Holy Land is probably one of the greatest potential destinations for religious cruise tourism, but also the best example of its vulnerability to the geopolitical situation. Stops in Israel can be canceled or modified depending on security and the recommendations of the authorities. The sites remain, but the itineraries must be adapted to the current reality.
A Mediterranean of Many Religions:
The religious potential of a cruise is not limited to Christianity. The Mediterranean concentrates, within relatively short distances, an exceptional geography of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem occupies a central place in the three great monotheistic traditions. Rome is one of the great capitals of Christianity. Istanbul brings together centuries of Christian and Muslim history. Greece and Turkey allow you to trace the spread of early Christianity, and Cyprus is linked to the journeys of Saint Paul and Barnabas. Egypt can also add another dimension. An itinerary combining Alexandria and Cairo can incorporate the history of Coptic Christianity, Jewish tradition, and the role of Islam in the country's history. These are destinations that are currently marketed primarily as cultural experiences, but they can also be part of much more specialized religious itineraries.
Beyond the Mediterranean
, the model can be extended to other regions and traditions. In Japan, cruises can combine ports like Kobe, Osaka, or Shimizu with land-based programs to Kyoto, Nara, and some of the country's major Buddhist and Shinto centers. In India and Sri Lanka, cruises can connect destinations linked to Hindu and Buddhist traditions. And Southeast Asia offers opportunities to combine different countries and places of immense spiritual and cultural significance.
There is not yet a market as visible and structured as that of Christian cruises in the United States, but the logic is the same: to use the ship as a platform to connect a story, a community, and several destinations.
The U.S. market demonstrates that a religious cruise doesn't even need to visit a sanctuary. In so-called faith-based cruises, the community and the onboard program are the heart of the journey. A ship can sail through Alaska, the Caribbean, or the Norwegian fjords and transform itself for a week into a large religious conference or gathering. Operators like Inspiration Travel organize programs with preachers, religious leaders, musicians, and speakers aboard ships from major cruise lines. In 2026, for example, the Celebrity Edge hosted a program in Alaska linked to a conference on biblical prophecy with Amir Tsarfati. This is just one of numerous examples of a model that uses the cruise ship as a platform to bring a community together.
Chartering an entire ship isn't always necessary. An organizer can charter a block of cabins and spaces for private events. In other cases, the size of the group may justify partial or full charters, especially for large organizations, ministries, or religious music festivals. Here, the ship ceases to be merely a means of transport or a hotel, becoming instead the venue for the event—a market the industry is only just beginning to explore.
In short, religious tourism offers several characteristics that are particularly attractive to the cruise industry. It generates group travel, allows for the creation of specialized products, combines destinations and content, and can attract communities with a strong motivation to travel together.
Follow cruise news at Cruisesnews.es
