10 nights, Barcelona to Piraeus (Athens)
Explora's name for it: A Journey from Ligurian Shores to the Cyclades' Dazzling Beauty
Ten nights, ten stops, Barcelona to Athens, never doubling back. This is a port-dense run that moves west to east across Spain, Italy, Malta, and Greece, with almost no idle days, so the appeal is range, not rest. You start in Barcelona, where Sagrada Família's stone columns and the medieval Gothic Quarter sit within reach of the terminal. La Spezia opens the door to the Cinque Terre villages and Portovenere. Civitavecchia is your day in Rome, Naples your day for Pompeii or the city's espresso and original pizza. Then the run tips Greek: Siracusa's Greek theatre cut into the hillside and Baroque Ortigia, Valletta's honey-limestone bastions and the largest Caravaggio in its cathedral, and the Cycladic trio of Mykonos, Patmos, and Santorini before Athens and the Acropolis.
Who it rewards: travelers who want headline cities and ancient sites in one arc and do not mind that several days are gateways. Civitavecchia and Piraeus are working ports, not destinations, and the real day is inland. If you would rather linger, swim, and do less, the back-to-back tender stops at Mykonos, Patmos, and Santorini, plus the long transfers to Rome and Pompeii, will feel like a lot. This one is for the curious, not the unhurried.
Explora II is all-suite, all-oceanfront. Send me your dates and the tier you are weighing.
The itinerary, port by port
10 calls over 10 nights, Barcelona to Piraeus (Athens). Open any port for my full day-ashore guide, what to see, when to go, and how the day actually runs.
Getting there: Flights to Barcelona (BCN) are already bookable for these dates. I watch the fare for booked clients so you book at the right moment. When to book your flights →
- Embark
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- Disembark
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
- Invitation to Discover More
- Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Spontaneous Summer Invitation
- A near-term fare on a small set of summer-season sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Air-Inclusive Fare
- A fare that folds airfare into the voyage price on a smaller set of sailings.
The ship and your suite
This sailing is aboard EXPLORA II, all-suite, every suite with a private ocean-front terrace. Suites run from the entry Ocean Terrace to the Owner's Residence; the right tier depends on how you travel. Compare suites → · What's included →