Queen Anne - Spain & Portugal from Southampton

Where this cruise calls, day by day

8 ports and 7 sea days over 14 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Southampton

   United KingdomDepart

   Britain's main cruise homeport, on Southampton Water at the head of the Solent. Almost nobody calls here as a port day - you join or leave your ship at one of five terminals (Mayflower, Ocean, QEII, City and Horizon), which are spread across the working docks and reached by taxi or coach rather than on foot. The city itself was heavily bombed in 1940, so the old core is patchy: surviving medieval walls, the Bargate, and a good maritime museum.

   • SeaCity Museum and its Titanic exhibition - the ship sailed from Berth 44 here
   • Walking the medieval town walls and the Bargate
   • Day trip to Winchester Cathedral, about 20 minutes by train
   • The New Forest for wild ponies, roughly 30 minutes by road

   Getting ashore

   Ships berth alongside; terminals are 2-4 km from the city centre and from Southampton Central station, so use a taxi or the cruise line coach, and allow about 80 minutes by train to London Waterloo.

   Best months

   Apr-Oct (peak turnaround Jun-Aug)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Lisbon

   PortugalPort

   Ships come in under the Ponte 25 de Abril and tie up alongside the Tagus with the city climbing the hills in front of you, which makes this one of the better arrivals in Europe. Lisbon spreads across seven hills, so a port day means trams, funiculars and a lot of stairs. The monastery and tower at Belem are a separate district downriver and need their own leg of the day.

   • Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower, plus a pastel de nata at Pasteis de Belem
   • Sao Jorge Castle and the Alfama lanes below it
   • Tram 28 through Graca, Alfama and Estrela
   • A half-day to Sintra and the Pena Palace, about 40 minutes out

   Getting ashore

   Most ships berth at the Lisbon Cruise Terminal at Santa Apolonia, close enough to walk into Alfama in about ten minutes.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

5. Day 5 · At sea

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7

   Palma de Mallorca

   SpainPort

   Mallorca's capital wraps around a wide bay with a sandstone Gothic cathedral, La Seu, standing right on the seafront where you can see it from the ship. Beyond the cathedral there is a genuine old town of narrow lanes, courtyards and patio bars that has nothing to do with the package-holiday coast further east. Most calls are long enough to add a mountain drive or a beach afternoon.

   • La Seu cathedral and the adjacent Almudaina royal palace
   • Bellver Castle, a circular hilltop fortress with views over the whole bay
   • The Passeig del Born and the old-town lanes around Placa Major
   • A drive over the Serra de Tramuntana to Valldemossa or Soller

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the Estacio Maritima terminals on the western side of the harbour, about 3-4 km from the cathedral; take the shuttle, the number 1 bus or a taxi.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is very busy)

8. Day 8

   Barcelona

   SpainPort

   The busiest cruise port in Europe, and for many Western Mediterranean itineraries the place the whole trip starts or ends. Barcelona is a full-scale city rather than a port town: Gaudi's unfinished basilica, a dense medieval quarter, and a working waterfront all within a few metro stops. Ships berth on a long industrial mole well outside the centre, so the day begins with a bus ride rather than a gangway stroll.

   • Sagrada Familia - book a timed entry well ahead; walk-ups are usually turned away
   • Park Guell and the Gaudi mosaics on Carmel hill
   • The Gothic Quarter and Barcelona Cathedral, on foot from Placa de Catalunya
   • La Boqueria market and a walk down La Rambla to the Columbus monument

   Getting ashore

   All cruise ships now use the Moll d'Adossat terminals roughly 3 km from the old city; the paid blue Portbus shuttle runs to the foot of La Rambla, and walking out is not practical.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is hot, crowded and expensive)

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10

    Cartagena

    SpainPort

    A naval city on a deep natural harbour, and one of the rare Mediterranean ports where the ship parks essentially in the historic centre. Cartagena's Roman theatre was only rediscovered in 1988 under a demolished quarter, and its excavation reshaped the whole downtown. Two thousand years of layers, from Carthaginian walls to modernista shopfronts, sit within a few blocks of the quay.

    • The Roman Theatre and its Rafael Moneo-designed museum entrance
    • ARQUA, the national museum of underwater archaeology
    • Castillo de la Concepcion, reached by the panoramic lift
    • The modernista buildings along Calle Mayor and the Punic Wall site

    Getting ashore

    Ships berth at the Alfonso XII quay right beside the old town - a five-minute walk off the gangway.

    Best months

    Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

11. Day 11

    Malaga

    SpainPort

    The main gateway to the Costa del Sol, but the city itself has quietly become an art destination - Picasso was born here and there are now several serious museums within walking distance of each other. A Moorish fortress and the castle above it dominate the centre, and the remodelled port district puts shops and restaurants right where you disembark. Granada and Ronda are both feasible as full-day trips.

    • The Alcazaba fortress and the Gibralfaro castle walk above it
    • Museo Picasso Malaga in the Buenavista palace
    • The cathedral, known locally as La Manquita for its unfinished second tower
    • A day trip to the Alhambra in Granada, roughly 1.5 hours inland

    Getting ashore

    Most ships use the Levante quay by Muelle Uno, a 15-20 minute waterfront walk into the centre; larger ships at Muelle 2 rely on a shuttle.

    Best months

    Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

12. Day 12

    Cadiz

    SpainPort

    One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, sitting on a spit of land almost entirely surrounded by water. The old town is compact, salt-worn and easy to cover on foot, but most passengers treat Cadiz as the doorway to Seville, which is about an hour and a half inland. The rail station is right beside the port, which makes independent day trips unusually straightforward here.

    • Cadiz Cathedral and the yellow-tiled dome above the old town
    • Torre Tavira and its camera obscura view over the rooftops
    • The Mercado Central and the seafood bars around it
    • Seville's Alcazar and cathedral, or a sherry bodega tour in Jerez

    Getting ashore

    Ships dock a few minutes' walk from the old-town gate, so no shuttle is needed; the train and bus stations are adjacent for Seville and Jerez.

    Best months

    Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (inland Seville is punishing in Jul-Aug)

13. Day 13 · At sea

14. Day 14 · At sea

15. Day 15

    Southampton

    United KingdomArrive

    Britain's main cruise homeport, on Southampton Water at the head of the Solent. Almost nobody calls here as a port day - you join or leave your ship at one of five terminals (Mayflower, Ocean, QEII, City and Horizon), which are spread across the working docks and reached by taxi or coach rather than on foot. The city itself was heavily bombed in 1940, so the old core is patchy: surviving medieval walls, the Bargate, and a good maritime museum.

    • SeaCity Museum and its Titanic exhibition - the ship sailed from Berth 44 here
    • Walking the medieval town walls and the Bargate
    • Day trip to Winchester Cathedral, about 20 minutes by train
    • The New Forest for wild ponies, roughly 30 minutes by road

    Getting ashore

    Ships berth alongside; terminals are 2-4 km from the city centre and from Southampton Central station, so use a taxi or the cruise line coach, and allow about 80 minutes by train to London Waterloo.

    Best months

    Apr-Oct (peak turnaround Jun-Aug)