Explora Journeys · 8-Night Cruise
A Journey of Cultural Gems & Golden Shores
8 nights aboard EXPLORA IV, Genoa to Cadiz.
Journey Overview
8 nights, 6 ports, 4 countries.
Eight nights trace the western Mediterranean’s shifting moods. From Genoa’s seafaring heart you follow the coast to Marseille and its sunlit terraces, then to Barcelona, where Gaudí’s imagination meets long Catalan afternoons. A day at sea threads blue between Spain’s shores before Málaga unfolds its Moorish palaces and palm-lined sands. Tangier brings the spice and clamour of Morocco across the Strait, Cádiz its golden Atlantic light, and the voyage settles gently into Lisbon, low among its seven hills.
The Itinerary
Genoa, Italy
Embarkation 12:00 – 14:00 · Departure 17:00
Genoa wears its centuries openly, a maze of carruggi climbing from the harbour past the painted palazzi of the UNESCO-listed centre. This was Columbus's first sight of the sea, and the merchant city still hums around Piazza De Ferrari's fountain. Trace the marble residences of old bankers, then follow Corso Italia at dusk as aperitivo hour arrives beneath an orange sky.
Marseille, France
09:00 – 19:00
France's oldest city keeps reinventing itself around the Vieux-Port, where fishing boats and harbour bars share the morning. Bouillabaisse simmers in the old quarter; the limestone Calanques fall sheer into the sea just beyond. Inland lie the cypress and lavender of Provence, with Aix and Avignon, Cézanne's light and Van Gogh's, and vineyards ripening their Syrah under a steady sun.
Barcelona, Spain
09:00 – 20:00
Barcelona carries its Catalan character lightly, between the medieval lanes of the Gothic Quarter and the modernist façades along Passeig de Gràcia. Gaudí's curves rise unexpectedly above the rooftops. Tapas and cava find their way to shaded plazas and terraces; come evening, La Rambla and the bohemian bars off it draw the city out of doors for the long, unhurried night.
A Day at Sea
Cruising
A full day at sea, with nothing on the horizon but Mediterranean blue. The ship keeps its own quiet rhythm: hours for the spa or the pool, a long lunch, a book carried from deck to lounger. Time loosens here, and the open water gives back the rare luxury of doing very little, very well.
Sea dayMálaga, Spain
09:00 – 23:55
Málaga opens Andalucía to you. Picasso was born within these streets, and beyond the city lie Granada's Alhambra, Córdoba's Mezquita and the cliff-split town of Ronda. White villages sit among mango groves and avocado orchards, the Caminito del Rey clings to its gorge, and flamenco surfaces after dark. Watch the sun go down over a harbour that has welcomed traders for millennia.
Tangier, Morocco
08:00 – 21:00
Tangier holds the line between Europe and Africa, and keeps the artistic, faintly bohemian air that long drew writers here. Watch the café crowd from the Petit Socco, then climb through the Kasbah past doorways bright with tiles and painted cedar. Pause at the Librairie des Colonnes among its shelves, take sweet mint tea at Café Hafa above the Strait, and linger over the Grand Socco.
Cadiz, Spain
08:00 – 20:00
Cádiz wears its long Atlantic history in cobbled lanes and sea-worn ramparts. Andalusian horses, local tapas and the pull of flamenco fill the day, while Jerez and its sherry bodegas wait a short way inland. Seville lies within reach too, with its Gothic cathedral, baroque churches and palatial mansions. Three UNESCO sites between them leave the senses well content.
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 IV
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
