Explora Journeys · 10-Night Cruise
A Journey through Mediterranean Wonders & Ancient Echoes
10 nights aboard EXPLORA I, round-trip from Barcelona.
Journey Overview
10 nights, 7 ports, 4 countries.
A circular voyage from Barcelona traces the Mediterranean’s deeper currents, weaving Spain’s Catalan capital with Italy’s classical heart. From the harbours of Rome and the volcanic drama of Naples, the ship turns toward Valletta’s limestone bastions and the medina of Tunis, then to Sicily’s salt pans at Trapani and the quiet Georgian charm of Mahón. Unhurried days at sea punctuate the passage, before Barcelona’s modernist skyline closes the loop with characteristic flourish.
The Itinerary
Barcelona, Spain
Embarkation 12:00 – 17:00 · Departure 20:00
Barcelona sets the tone with its Catalan poise. Wander the Gothic Quarter's tangle of lanes, trace Gaudí's lines along Passeig de Gràcia, and pause for tapas and cava on a shaded terrace. By evening, La Rambla's bars come alive beneath the plane trees, the city wearing its style with easy confidence.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
A day held entirely by the open water. With Barcelona astern and only blue ahead, the ship settles into its own rhythm: quiet hours in the spa, considered meals, time to read or simply watch the horizon. There is nowhere to be, which is rather the point.
Sea dayCivitavecchia (Rome), Italy
09:00 – 20:00
From Civitavecchia, Rome opens in layers. The Colosseum and the Pantheon hold their ancient ground while the Sistine Chapel and the Spanish Steps draw the eye upward. Toss a coin into a fountain, learn pasta by hand on a Renaissance piazza, and let the Eternal City fold old and new together.
Naples, Italy
08:00 – 20:00
Naples sits between Vesuvius and the smouldering Phlegraean Fields, every corner thick with history. Ride the funicular to Castel Sant'Elmo for the bay and the Sorrento peninsula beyond, then descend into the Greek and Roman tunnels below the cobbles. Pompeii, Herculaneum and the island of Capri lie within easy reach.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
Another unhurried day at sea. The ship glides through open Mediterranean water while the day shapes itself around small pleasures: a slow breakfast, an hour of wellness, conversation that drifts. Time loosens its grip, and the horizon does the rest.
Sea dayLa Valletta, Malta
08:00 – 17:00
Valletta rises in honey-coloured stone behind its fortified walls, a capital built for defence and softened by centuries. Skim the Grand Harbour aboard a traditional dghajsa, explore the stone-age temples and subterranean tombs, and trace the island's wartime secrets beneath the limestone. Europe's smallest capital carries considerable weight.
La Goulette (Tunis), Tunisia
08:00 – 17:00
La Goulette opens the door to Tunis and North Africa. The old medina unfolds in a maze of souks, carved doorways and tiled courtyards, while the French-built Ville Nouvelle leads down eucalyptus boulevards to St Vincent de Paul. Nearby lie the Phoenician ruins of Carthage and the blue-and-white houses of Sidi Bou Saïd.
Trapani (Sicily), Italy
08:00 – 18:00
Trapani, the city of salt and sail, moves at an older Mediterranean pace. Visit the Greek temples of Agrigento, climb to Erice for its long Sicilian views, and watch the salt pans glint along the coast. Inland, Monreale's Norman cathedral and groves of orange, olive and almond reward the unhurried.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
A final day at sea before the voyage turns for home. The ship carries you westward across calm water, the programme yours to shape or ignore entirely. Wellness, a considered meal, the long blue line of the horizon: the rhythm asks little and gives much.
Sea dayMahón (Menorca), Spain
09:00 – 20:00
Mahón rewards a quieter eye. The UNESCO-listed harbour is lined with Georgian façades and tavernas, and the island takes pride in its cheese, wine and distinctive gin. Visit the old Naval hospital across the water, follow coastal paths above turquoise shallows, and settle into Menorca's deliberately low-key way of being.
Barcelona, Spain
Arrival 08:00 · Disembarkation 09:15 – 10:30
Barcelona welcomes you back, the Catalan capital balancing energy with tradition. Return to Gaudí's curving stonework and the Gothic Quarter's lanes, or find a terrace for one last plate of tapas and a glass of cava. As dusk settles over La Rambla, the city offers a fitting note on which to close the journey.
Explora Journeys · All-Inclusive
Every journey includes
- All dining across the ship's six restaurants, cafés and 24-hour in-suite dining
- Fine wines, champagne, spirits, cocktails and specialty coffees, anywhere on board
- All gratuities and service charges
- An in-suite bar, replenished daily to your taste
- High-speed Wi-Fi throughout the ship
- Curated shoreside experiences and port-to-town transfers where offered
Your Ship
EXPLORA I
Explora's ships are all-suite and ocean-front — there isn't an inside cabin on board. Pale, calm interiors borrow the codes of the grand European hotel rather than the megaship: six restaurants plus a dozen bars and cafés, four pools including a retractable-roof Conservatory, and one of the most generous spa and thermal areas at sea. At roughly fifty gross tons per guest, the space-per-person ratio is close to double that of a mainstream cruise ship.
More on Explora JourneysSuites
461–463
All ocean-front
Guests
~922
Double occupancy
Restaurants
Six
Plus cafés & bars
Pools
Four
Incl. the Conservatory
