9 nights, Civitavecchia (Rome) to Barcelona

The itinerary, port by port

9 calls over 9 nights, Civitavecchia (Rome) to 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 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
   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 →

4. 4
   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 →

5. 5
   Algiers

   Algiers is the white-tiered capital of Algeria, a city that stacks Ottoman-era alleys, French colonial boulevards, and a working Mediterranean harbor against steep hillsides. Port guide →

6. 6
   Cartagena

   Cartagena is Colombia's old Caribbean fortress city, a UNESCO-listed walled town of balconied colonial houses, plazas, and the largest Spanish fort built in the Americas. Port guide →

7. 7
   Alicante

   Alicante is a working Costa Blanca city that puts a hilltop Moorish fortress, a marble seafront promenade, and a maze-like medieval quarter inside a single walkable radius from the cruise pier. Port guide →

8. 8
   Tarragona

   Tarragona was Tarraco, capital of Roman Hispania, and it carries one of the densest concentrations of Roman remains in Spain, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.

9. Disembark
   Barcelona

   Barcelona packs Gaudí's modernisme, a 2,000-year-old Roman and medieval core, and a working Mediterranean waterfront into a single dense, walkable city. Port guide →