Viking Neptune - Iconic Western Mediterranean

Where this cruise calls, day by day

8 ports over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Barcelona

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

   Barcelona

   SpainPort
   Barcelona port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
3. Day 3

   Sète

   FrancePort

   A working fishing and trading port on the Languedoc coast, built on a spit between the Mediterranean and the Etang de Thau lagoon and cut through by canals. Sete is unpolished in a way the Riviera ports are not - the canal jousting tournaments and the fish market are for locals first. It also functions as the sea access for Montpellier and, on longer calls, for Carcassonne.

   • The Canal Royal, the bridges and the water-jousting quays
   • Mont Saint-Clair for the view over the lagoon and the coast
   • Oyster tasting at Bouzigues on the Etang de Thau
   • The walled city of Carcassonne, about 90 minutes inland

   Getting ashore

   Ships berth at the Quai d'Alger on the edge of the centre; the canals, market and restaurants are a 5-10 minute walk.

   Best months

   May-Jun and Sep-Oct

4. Day 4

   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)

5. Day 5

   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)

6. Day 6

   Livorno (Florence/Pisa)

   ItalyPort
   Livorno (Florence/Pisa) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
7. Day 7

   Livorno (Florence/Pisa)

   ItalyPort
   Livorno (Florence/Pisa) 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