Valiant Lady - Mediterranean Soirée

Where this cruise calls, day by day

6 ports and 2 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Barcelona

   SpainDepart

   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)

2. Day 2

   Ibiza

   SpainPort

   The nightlife reputation is real but it belongs to a handful of clubs on the far side of the island, and daytime Ibiza is something else entirely: a UNESCO-listed walled upper town, Dalt Vila, climbing to a cathedral above the harbour. Salt pans, pine woods and small coves make up most of the rest. Ships call in daylight hours, so what you see is the historic and coastal side rather than the party one.

   • Dalt Vila, the Renaissance-walled old town, and its cathedral viewpoint
   • The Ses Salines salt flats and the beaches at the island's southern tip
   • The harbour-side lanes of La Marina and Sa Penya for shopping
   • A ferry across to Formentera for the day

   Getting ashore

   Most ships dock at the Botafoc pier about 3 km around the harbour from town; use the shuttle, a taxi or the small City Boat across the water rather than walking.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is at capacity)

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   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)

5. Day 5

   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)

6. Day 6

   Olbia (Sardinia)

   ItalyPort

   Olbia is a ferry and cruise port on Sardinia's northeast, and it is the way in to the Costa Smeralda rather than a destination itself. The town has a Romanesque granite church and a decent pedestrian corso, and that is roughly the extent of it. Twenty to forty minutes north are the granite coves and superyacht harbours the coast is actually known for.

   • Porto Cervo and the marinas and coves of the Costa Smeralda
   • The beaches around Cala Brandinchi and Golfo Aranci
   • The Basilica di San Simplicio, Olbia's 11th-century granite church
   • Boat trips out to the La Maddalena archipelago

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at the Isola Bianca terminal out on a causeway, so it is a shuttle or a 20-25 minute walk into central Olbia.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep (Jul-Aug the Costa Smeralda is expensive and full)

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Barcelona

   SpainArrive

   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)