Explora Journeys — Italian Gems to Spain's Southern Coast — Luxury Cruise

Rome

Settle into your room at the top of the Spanish Steps and let the city come to you. Rome is outside your door — how you choose to spend your first evening is entirely yours.

Accommodation: Hotel de la Ville, a Rocco Forte Hotel, Rome

Rome

A full day at your leisure in one of the world's great cities. The Eternal City asks nothing of you except that you enjoy it.

Accommodation: Hotel de la Ville, a Rocco Forte Hotel, Rome

Rome (Civitavecchia)

Transfer to the port of Civitavecchia and step aboard EXPLORA II. The ship herself is a destination — eleven culinary venues, five pools, and a philosophy of unhurried luxury that begins the moment you cross the gangway. Departure is at 20:00. As the coast of Lazio fades into the evening, the Mediterranean opens ahead.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Rome (Civitavecchia)

Livorno (Florence)

08:00–20:00. Civiltà — that untranslatable Italian word for civilisation, elegance, and the art of living well — Florence invented it. The birthplace of the Renaissance shelters some of the world's greatest art and architecture. The iconic terracotta-tiled Duomo, the Uffizi, the sculpted gardens of Boboli — and beyond the city, the rolling vineyards of Chianti and the medieval towers of San Gimignano. Shore excursions include the Bocelli Music and Wine Experience, Cheesemaking and Historic Volterra, and Discover Pisa.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Livorno (Florence)

Cannes

08:00–19:00. The Croisette curves along the shore like a pearl necklace, flanked by palms and grand hotels whose terraces catch the morning light. Cannes is glamour distilled. Climb the winding lanes of Le Suquet for views over the bay, ferry out to the island of Saint-Honorat to visit its ancient monastery, or simply surrender to the afternoon at a beach club where the rosé arrives without asking.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Cannes

Ajaccio (Corsica)

09:00–17:00. Napoleon was born here, in a narrow house on a cobblestone street the old town has barely changed since. Corsica's capital wears its Frenchness lightly — the market stalls smell of maquis herbs, local wine and chestnut flour, and the Baroque cathedral where the future emperor was baptised stands just paces from the harbour. Shore excursions include a Helicopter Ride over the Gulf of Ajaccio and Walking in Napoleon's Footsteps.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Ajaccio (Corsica)

Mahón (Menorca)

09:00–19:00. Menorca moves at its own pace — UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, proud producer of its own cheese, wine and gin, unhurried in a way the other Balearics have long forgotten. The natural harbour at Mahón is one of the deepest in the world, framed by golden limestone cliffs and whitewashed Georgian townhouses built during British rule.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Mahón (Menorca)

Málaga

Arrival 09:00 Thu 11 Mar, Departure 14:00 Fri 12 Mar. Andalusia begins here, at the foot of a Moorish fortress where Picasso was born on a corner the city has never let forget. Málaga is the gateway to one of Europe's great cultural landscapes — the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba, the white villages of the Ronda valley. Shore excursions include the Alhambra Fortress and Gardens, Authentic Ronda, and an Exclusive Flamenco Experience.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Málaga

Málaga

Departure 14:00 Fri 12 Mar. A second morning in the capital of the Costa del Sol — the Moorish Alcazaba, the Museo Picasso, the fish market at the port, or simply the warmth of the Andalusian sun on a café terrace.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Málaga

Alicante

08:00–17:00. Blue-domed cathedrals and cobbled alleyways shimmer in the Valencian light. The Castillo de Santa Bárbara — a thousand-year-old sandstone citadel — commands the entire arc of the bay, while the palm-lined Explanada de España leads to the port and the rice restaurants that have fed fishermen here for centuries. Shore excursions include Cook Perfect Alicante-Style Paella and The Majestic Mountain Village of Guadalest.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Alicante

Barcelona

Arrival 08:00 | Disembarkation 09:15–10:30. The ship arrives into Barcelona as the city is just beginning to stir. Disembark and transfer to the W Barcelona, where your seafront suite faces the Mediterranean you have just crossed.

Accommodation: EXPLORA II, an Explora Journeys vessel, Barcelona

Barcelona

A full day at your leisure in one of the great cities of Europe. Barcelona is all around you — how you spend it is entirely up to you.

Accommodation: W Barcelona

Barcelona

Your final morning in Barcelona. Transfer to Barcelona El Prat Airport for your onward journey.

Accommodation: W Barcelona