MSC Grandiosa - Western Mediterranean from Barcelona

Where this cruise calls, day by day

7 ports and 1 sea day over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Barcelona

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

   Cannes

   FrancePort

   Better known for its film festival than its history, Cannes is a compact seafront town of grand hotels along La Croisette with an older hill quarter, Le Suquet, behind the harbour. Ships anchor offshore and tender in beside the Palais des Festivals, which puts you in the middle of everything immediately. The two Lerins islands, a short public boat ride out, are the quiet counterweight to the shopping streets.

   • La Croisette and the Palais des Festivals red-carpet steps
   • Le Suquet, the old quarter, and the Musee des Explorations du Monde in its castle
   • Marche Forville, the covered produce market
   • The boat to Ile Sainte-Marguerite and the Fort Royal prison cells

   Getting ashore

   A tender port - ships anchor in the bay and tenders land at the Vieux Port right beside the Palais des Festivals.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (avoid mid-May, when the film festival closes off the town)

3. Day 3

   Genoa

   ItalyPort

   Genoa is a genuine port city rather than a port with a city attached - the terminal sits on the working waterfront and the old town begins immediately behind it. What is behind it is the caruggi, a knot of medieval alleys so narrow they barely catch daylight, opening suddenly onto the marble palaces of Via Garibaldi. Grittier than most Italian calls, and better for it.

   • The Palazzi dei Rolli on Via Garibaldi, several open as the Musei di Strada Nuova
   • The Acquario di Genova at the Porto Antico
   • The striped Cattedrale di San Lorenzo and the caruggi around it
   • Focaccia and farinata from an old-town bakery, which is the local point of pride

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the Stazione Marittima on Ponte dei Mille, a ten-minute walk from the Porto Antico and the edge of the old town.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

4. Day 4

   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)

5. Day 5

   Rome (Civitavecchia)

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

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7

   Palma de Mallorca

   SpainPort
   Palma de Mallorca port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
8. Day 8

   Barcelona

   SpainArrive
   Barcelona port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore