6 nights, Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome)
Explora's name for it: A Journey of Riviera Lights & New Year Celebrations
This is a one-way run down the western Mediterranean, six nights from Barcelona to Civitavecchia for Rome, with eight calls across Spain, France, and Italy and a single sea day in the middle that the ship turns into a fireworks evening. The pace front-loads the easy ports and back-loads the gateways. Barcelona puts Gaudí's Sagrada Família and the medieval Gothic Quarter inside one walkable day. Palamós on the Costa Brava is the rare quay that sits inside the town itself, about a five to ten minute walk in, with a working afternoon fish auction still landing prawns on the pier. Villefranche-sur-Mer tenders you straight into the old town, and the coastal train a short walk away reaches Nice or Monaco in minutes, so you run your own day. Genoa drops you at the foot of the caruggi, its tall medieval alleys, with Paganini's violin waiting in Palazzo Doria-Tursi.
Be honest with yourself about the back end. Livorno and Civitavecchia are working ports, not destinations: each is really a long inland day to Florence or Rome, and the transfer eats much of the call. If you want shore time over gateways, this string of marquee cities will frustrate you. If you like committing to one great city per port and booking timed entries before you sail, it rewards you well.
Explora II is all-suite and all-oceanfront.
The itinerary, port by port
8 calls over 6 nights, Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome). 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
- 2
- 3
- 4 At Sea - Fireworks
- 5
- 6
- 7
- Disembark
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
- Spontaneous Summer Invitation
- A near-term fare on a small set of summer-season sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Invitation to Discover More
- Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. 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 →