Mediterranean History & Coastal Beauty with Explora Journeys

Rome

Settle into your room above the Spanish Steps — one of Rome's most iconic addresses — and let the Eternal City come to you at your own pace.

Accommodation: The Inn at the Spanish Steps, Luxury Collection, Rome

Rome

A full day in Rome at your leisure. The city has been waiting two thousand years — it will wait for you too.

Accommodation: The Inn at the Spanish Steps, Luxury Collection, Rome

Rome (Civitavecchia)

Transfer to the port and board EXPLORA I — the original ship of the Explora Journeys fleet, and the one that established a new idea of what luxury at sea could feel like. Departure is at 20:00.

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

Naples

Naples is a city that lives at full volume — the streets of Spaccanapoli split the city in two like a fault line, lined with pizza fritta stands, baroque churches and artisan workshops. Vesuvius broods on the horizon; Pompeii and Herculaneum lie in its shadow. Shore excursions include a journey to Pompeii, a visit to Capri, and a Neapolitan pizza-making class.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Naples

Lipari (Aeolian Islands)

Black obsidian, fumaroles, and the smell of sulphur on the breeze — the Aeolian Islands were forged by fire and have never entirely cooled. From the Quattrocchi viewpoint you can see the entire archipelago spread across the Tyrrhenian: Vulcano, Stromboli, and Etna on the mainland horizon.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Lipari (Aeolian Islands)

Naples

The island appears at dusk as a silhouette of impossible cliffs, and the tender brings you ashore into the Piazzetta — the most glamorous four tables in Italy. The Blue Grotto, the gardens of Villa San Michele, the Faraglioni rocks rising from the sea — Capri offers all of it.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Naples

A day that belongs entirely to the ship and to you. Eleven culinary venues, five heated pools, ocean-inspired spa treatments, and the particular clarity that comes from being surrounded by water with nowhere to be.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Monaco

Ajaccio (Corsica)

Napoleon was born here on a street so narrow two people can barely pass. The old town's markets are fragrant with the produce of the maquis — local wine, chestnut honey, brocciu cheese, and the wild herbs that give the island's cuisine its particular character. Shore excursions include a Helicopter Ride over the Gulf of Ajaccio and a Corsican Cycling Adventure.

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

Monte Carlo

The yachts in the harbour are larger than most apartment buildings. Monte Carlo is shameless about what it is — a principality dedicated to the proposition that beauty and wealth can coexist with taste. The Casino, the Oceanographic Museum, the Thermes Marins — all within walking distance of the ship.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Monte Carlo

Marseille

France's oldest city and its most misunderstood. Marseille is something older and stranger and more interesting than the France of châteaux and lavender fields — a port city that has been absorbing the Mediterranean world for 2,600 years. The Vieux-Port is still lined with fishermen selling sea urchins and bouillabaisse from the morning's catch.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Marseille

Barcelona

Gaudí designed this city's dream life — the Sagrada Família still climbing toward a heaven it hasn't reached yet, the Casa Batlló shimmering like a dragon's back on Passeig de Gràcia, the Park Güell's mosaic terraces looking out over the entire city. Shore excursions include a Gothic Quarter walk and visits to Gaudí's masterpieces.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Barcelona

Ibiza

The old town of Dalt Vila rises inside its UNESCO-listed Renaissance walls like a whitewashed citadel above the port. Ibiza rewards those who look beyond the obvious — the salt flats of Las Salinas, the finca country inland fragrant with rosemary and pine, the small coves on the island's north coast where the sea is impossibly clear.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Ibiza

Ibiza

The old town of Dalt Vila rises inside its UNESCO-listed Renaissance walls like a whitewashed citadel above the port. Ibiza rewards those who look beyond the obvious — the salt flats of Las Salinas, the finca country inland fragrant with rosemary and pine, the small coves on the island's north coast where the sea is impossibly clear.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Ibiza

La Goulette (Tunis)

Africa begins here, across the narrow stretch of Mediterranean the ancient world knew as Mare Nostrum. The medina of Tunis is a UNESCO World Heritage site — a labyrinth of souks, mosques and fondouks barely changed since the twelfth century. The ruins of Carthage lie nearby. Shore excursions include the Ancient Medina and Sidi Bou Saïd Village.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, La Goulette (Tunis)

La Valletta

This tiny limestone city contains more collective history per square metre than almost anywhere on earth. The Knights of St John built it, the Baroque artists filled it, and the Second World War left its marks everywhere. The Grand Harbour at sunset, from the Upper Barracca Gardens, is one of the great views of the Mediterranean.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, La Valletta

Giardini Naxos (Sicily)

The first Greek colony in Sicily was founded here in 734 BC, and the island has been absorbing civilisations ever since. The Greek Theatre at Taormina is one of the best-preserved in the ancient world, its stage backed by a view of Etna and the sea. Shore excursions include Mount Etna at Sunrise and a Sicilian Wine and Food Experience.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Giardini Naxos (Sicily)

Amalfi

The Amalfi Coast road is one of the world's great drives — a narrow ribbon cut into cliffs that fall directly into a sea of impossible blue. The town of Amalfi clusters beneath its Duomo; Ravello's Villa Cimbrone offers what many consider the finest view in the world. Shore excursions include Positano, Ravello and the Terrace of Infinity.

Accommodation: EXPLORA I, an Explora Journeys vessel, Amalfi

Rome (Civitavecchia)

The Inn at the Spanish Steps, Luxury Collection

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

Rome

Your final day in Rome, to spend entirely as you choose. Transfer to Fiumicino Airport for your onward journey.

Accommodation: The Inn at the Spanish Steps, Luxury Collection, Rome