Silver Dawn - Western Mediterranean & Tunisia

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

   Palma de Mallorca

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

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   Cagliari

   ItalyPort

   Cagliari is Sardinia's capital, stacked up a limestone hill above its harbour, and the berth is close enough that the old town is a walk plus a climb. That upper quarter, Castello, is the point: Pisan watchtowers, a cathedral, and a terrace over the gulf. Below it the city is ordinary and lively, with a long beach at Poetto a bus ride away.

   • The Castello quarter, the Bastione di Saint Remy terrace and the Torre dell'Elefante
   • The Roman amphitheatre cut into the hillside
   • The Museo Archeologico Nazionale and its Nuragic bronze figures
   • Poetto beach and the flamingos on the Molentargius lagoon

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the port on Via Roma, a few minutes' walk from the lower old town; the Castello quarter above is a further steep climb or a lift ride.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

5. Day 5

   La Goulette (Tunis)

   TunisiaPort

   La Goulette is the port of Tunis, sitting where the lake meets the sea with the capital about twenty minutes inland. It is a straightforward call with two obvious targets: the scattered Roman ruins of Carthage on the headland, and Sidi Bou Said, a blue-and-white village on the cliff above. Expect firm haggling in the Tunis medina and a busy, unpolished port area.

   • The Antonine Baths and the Punic ports on the Carthage archaeological site
   • Sidi Bou Said's blue-shuttered lanes and the Cafe des Nattes
   • The Tunis medina and the courtyard of the Zitouna Mosque
   • The Bardo National Museum and its Roman mosaic collection

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at La Goulette, a short walk from the TGM light rail, which runs to Tunis in one direction and Carthage and Sidi Bou Said in the other.

   Best months

   Mar-May and Oct-Nov (Jul-Aug very hot)

6. Day 6

   Trapani

   ItalyPort

   Trapani is a low, salt-white town on a sickle of land at Sicily's western tip, and the berth is inside the old harbour, so you step off into the historic centre. Its two draws sit above and beside it: Erice, a medieval walled town on the mountain behind, reached by cable car, and the salt pans and windmills strung along the coast road south.

   • Erice by the Funivia cable car - walled streets, a Norman castle and marzipan pastries
   • The saline: working salt pans and restored windmills between Trapani and Marsala
   • Segesta's unfinished Doric temple, standing alone in the hills
   • A hydrofoil out to Favignana in the Egadi islands

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock in Trapani's harbour beside the old town, a few minutes' walk from the historic centre and the shuttle for the Erice cable car.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct

7. Day 7

   Naples

   ItalyPort
   Naples port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
8. Day 8

   Rome (Civitavecchia)

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