Marina - Western Mediterranean Riviera

Where this cruise calls, day by day

10 ports and 1 sea day over 10 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Barcelona

   SpainDepart
   Barcelona port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
2. Day 2

   Valencia

   SpainPort

   Spain's third city, and the birthplace of paella - the rice dish comes from the Albufera lagoon just south of town. Valencia's silk exchange and central market anchor a well-preserved old quarter, while Calatrava's white City of Arts and Sciences occupies a drained riverbed that now runs through the city as a nine-kilometre park. The two halves are far enough apart that you generally pick one.

   • The City of Arts and Sciences, including the Oceanografic aquarium
   • Mercado Central and La Lonja de la Seda, the Gothic silk exchange
   • The Turia gardens, laid out in the old river channel
   • Paella at El Palmar on the Albufera lagoon

   Getting ashore

   The cruise terminal is 4-5 km from the centre in the commercial port; take the shuttle, a taxi or the bus rather than walking.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (mid-Mar for Las Fallas, if you want the fireworks)

3. Day 3

   Palma de Mallorca

   SpainPort
   Palma de Mallorca port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
4. Day 4

   Alicante

   SpainPort

   A Costa Blanca city built beneath a limestone crag topped by the castle of Santa Barbara, with a palm-lined marble promenade running along the front. The centre is walkable and unfussy, and there is a decent city beach within a few minutes of the quay. Alicante's archaeology museum is far better than the town's package-holiday reputation would suggest.

   • Castillo de Santa Barbara, reached by the lift tunnelled up from Postiguet beach
   • The Explanada de Espana and its wave-patterned mosaic paving
   • MARQ, the provincial archaeological museum
   • A boat out to Tabarca island, or a day trip to the palm groves of Elche

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock a short flat walk from the Explanada and the old town; no shuttle is usually needed.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

5. Day 5 · At sea

6. Day 6

   Marseille

   FrancePort

   France's oldest city and its largest port, founded by Greek traders around 600 BC and still visibly a working, unpolished place. The Vieux-Port is the centre of gravity, with the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica on the hill above and the limestone inlets of the Calanques to the south. Marseille also serves as the gateway to Provence, with Aix-en-Provence about 40 minutes inland.

   • Notre-Dame de la Garde and the panorama over the harbour and islands
   • MuCEM and the Fort Saint-Jean footbridges at the harbour mouth
   • Le Panier, the hillside old quarter behind the Vieux-Port
   • A boat trip into the Calanques or a coach to Aix-en-Provence

   Getting ashore

   The cruise terminals sit in the commercial port several kilometres north of the centre, so a shuttle bus to the Joliette or Vieux-Port area is effectively compulsory.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (the mistral can blow cold and hard in spring)

7. Day 7

   St. Tropez

   FrancePort

   A fishing village that became shorthand for Riviera money in the 1950s and has been trading on it since. The Vieux Port is still lined with ochre houses and pastel shutters, now with superyachts moored bow-in where the fishing boats used to be. Only smaller ships call here, and the town gets uncomfortably full when several are in at once.

   • The Vieux Port and the artists' easels along the quay
   • Musee de l'Annonciade, a strong Pointillist and Fauvist collection in a former chapel
   • The Citadelle and its maritime history museum, above the town
   • Place des Lices market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings

   Getting ashore

   A tender port - ships anchor in the gulf and tenders land at the Vieux Port, right in the middle of town.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep (Jul-Aug is gridlocked)

8. Day 8

   Monte Carlo

   MonacoPort

   Monaco is two square kilometres of banked hillside, and a cruise call drops you at the bottom of it in Port Hercule. Everything is walkable if you are willing to climb, or you can use the public lifts that thread up through the rock. The appeal is concentrated and unapologetically expensive: the casino, the palace, and a harbour of boats worth more than the ship.

   • The Casino de Monte-Carlo and the square in front of the Hotel de Paris
   • The Musee Oceanographique, built into the cliff face at Monaco-Ville
   • The Prince's Palace and the changing of the guard just before noon
   • Walking the Grand Prix circuit - the tunnel and the Rascasse hairpin are ordinary streets

   Getting ashore

   Larger ships anchor in the bay and tender into Port Hercule while smaller ones come alongside the Quai Rainier III jetty; either way you land in the middle of town.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (May is Grand Prix month - spectacular, but the town is fenced off)

9. Day 9

   La Spezia

   ItalyPort

   La Spezia is a naval town at the head of a deep gulf, and ships call because the Cinque Terre villages start about fifteen minutes up the coastal railway. The town is workmanlike - a good market street, a naval museum - so the day belongs to the train. Trail passes and village crowding are both genuine constraints in high summer.

   • Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso on the Cinque Terre Express train
   • Portovenere and the island of Palmaria, reached by boat across the gulf
   • The Museo Tecnico Navale beside the naval arsenal
   • The Via del Prione market street and the covered market at Piazza Cavour

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Molo Garibaldi with a shuttle into town; La Spezia Centrale station is where you pick up the Cinque Terre trains.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep (Jul-Aug the villages are genuinely overloaded)

10. Day 10

    Livorno (Florence/Pisa)

    ItalyPort
    Livorno (Florence/Pisa) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
11. Day 11

    Rome (Civitavecchia)

    ItalyArrive
    Rome (Civitavecchia) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore