13 nights, Barcelona to Barcelona
Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey of Verdant Islands, Sandy Shores & Coastal Culture
Thirteen nights, twelve stops, and a Barcelona round-trip that almost never repeats a coastline. The shape here is a slow sweep east from the Spanish Balearics through the Italian mainland and islands, then back along the French Riviera. It is a full plate. You start in Barcelona, where Sagrada Família and the Gothic Quarter sit within a morning of each other, then sail several kilometers up one of the world's longest natural harbors into Mahón, an approach worth being on deck for. Later calls earn the stop on their own terms: Civitavecchia is purely the gateway to Rome and its core of the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Vatican, while Lipari in the Aeolian Islands trades that scale for a lava-headland citadel and one of Italy's best archaeological museums, an easy walk from the tender landing.
Who this rewards: travelers who want range over rest and do not mind that several days are tender ports or gateway days. Civitavecchia and Marseille both sit miles from their real destination, so each eats travel time before you see anything. If you would rather linger, anchor in fewer places, and skip the train-and-shuttle logistics of a Rome or Cinque Terre day, a shorter itinerary suits you better. Twelve stops in thirteen nights is a marathon, not a stroll.
Explora I is all-suite and all-oceanfront.
The itinerary, port by port
12 calls over 13 nights, round-trip from Barcelona. 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) open around October 2026, about 11 months before you sail. I track that window for booked clients and flag it the moment it is worth booking. When to book your flights →
- Embark
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- Disembark
Other departures of this itinerary
Same ports, different dates. Fares move between departures, so it's worth comparing.
- May 3, 2027 · from $9,825
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.
- Founders Fare
- A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
The ship and your suite
This sailing is aboard EXPLORA I, 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 →