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EXPLORA II · Mediterranean & Western Europe

9 nights, Civitavecchia (Rome) to Civitavecchia (Rome)

January 4, 2027 – January 14, 2027 · 9 nights · 7 stops · round-trip

Explora's name for it: A Journey Through the Mediterranean’s Historic Crossroads

Nine nights, seven stops, a round trip out of Civitavecchia, Rome's deepwater port about 80 km from the capital. The shape is dense, not slow: a working harbor day at each end bookending a run of port towns where the historic core sits within walking distance of the dock. Naples docks at Stazione Marittima, roughly ten minutes from Piazza del Plebiscito. Siracusa ties up right on Ortigia, no transfer needed for the Baroque old town, with the Greek theatre at Neapolis about 2 km on the mainland. Valletta puts you below the bastion walls, where the Barrakka Lift rises into the gardens in under a minute. La Goulette is the gateway to Carthage and the blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said. Palermo drops you a short walk from a cathedral and three street markets.

This rewards a traveler who likes a full, fast Mediterranean circuit and is happy to be off the ship most days. It is not a slow itinerary. The Rome bookends really mean a train into the capital and back, so budget those as gateway days that get eaten by transit. La Goulette and Pompeii also want a driver or guide to do them justice. If you want sea days and unpacking once into a calm rhythm, look at a different sailing.

Explora II is all-suite, all-oceanfront.

Civitavecchia (Rome) (open port guide)Civitavecchia (Rome)Naples (open port guide)Siracusa (Sicily) (open port guide)Bari (open port guide)La Valletta (open port guide)La Goulette (Tunis) (open port guide)Palermo (Sicily) (open port guide)Palermo (Sicily)

The itinerary, port by port

7 calls over 9 nights, round-trip from 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 Civitavecchia (Rome) (FCO) 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 →

  1. Embark
    Civitavecchia (Rome)

    Civitavecchia is Rome's deepwater port, a working harbor about 80 km northwest of the capital, and for most travelers it is the gateway rather than the destination. Port guide →

  2. 2
    Naples

    Naples is a dense, loud, deeply layered Italian city where the cruise terminal sits at the foot of the historic center rather than out in an industrial port. Port guide →

  3. 3
    Siracusa (Sicily)

    Syracuse was once the most powerful Greek city in the western Mediterranean, a rival to Athens, and the day splits cleanly between its two halves: the ancient Neapolis park on the mainland, with a Greek… Port guide →

  4. 4
    Bari

    Bari is the capital of Puglia, the heel of Italy, and its old town is a tight medieval maze pressed against the Adriatic. Port guide →

  5. 5
    La Valletta

    Valletta is the fortified 16th-century capital the Knights of St John built on a peninsula above Grand Harbour, one of the deepest natural harbors in the Mediterranean. Port guide →

  6. 6
    La Goulette (Tunis)

    La Goulette is the port town at the mouth of the Lake of Tunis, and it is the gateway to ancient Carthage, the medina of Tunis, and the blue-and-white cliff village of Sidi Bou Said. Port guide →

  7. Disembark
    Palermo (Sicily)

    Palermo is Sicily's capital, a layered city where Norman, Arab, Byzantine, and Baroque builders all left their mark on the same streets. Port guide →

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 →


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