Flights Included: Grand Mediterranean with Turkey & Morocco

Land in Rome and check into your 4-star hotel. Spend the evening in Trastevere, where trattorias fill the lanes and cacio e pepe arrives at almost every table. You have two nights in the city before the ship.

A free day in Rome. Start at the Pantheon, where sunlight falls through the open oculus, then walk to Piazza Navona for a coffee. If you want green space, the Borghese Gardens sit a short taxi ride away. Tomorrow your private transfer takes you to the ship at Civitavecchia.

Discover the culture and colour of Civitavecchia, an MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination. This Italian gem is an enjoyable flight from many European and non-European cities. Celebrated for its 16th-century Michelangelo Fort, ancient Taurine Baths, and marble Vanvitelli fountain, the port is a convenient starting point for visiting Rome, Italy’s regal and romantic capital.

During the 18th-century, Mykonos’ maze of tangled lanes would confuse even the most well-travelled pirates. Nowadays pretending to get lost in these winding alleys makes for a day of entertainment! This MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination is known for its romantic Greek Island glamour. See brilliant beaches, turquoise waters, and picturesque whitewashed villages.

Marmaris is a port city and a tourist destination on the Mediterranean coast, located in southwest Turkey, in the Mugla Province. Although it is not certain when Marmaris was founded, in the 6th century BC the city was known as Physkos, and considered part of Caria. According to the historian Herodtus, there was a castle in Marmaris since 3000 BC. Marmaris’ main source of income is tourism. While little is left of the sleepy fishing village that Marmaris was just a few decades ago after a construction boom in the 1980s, Marmaris still retains its charm due to the exceptional natural beauty of its location. It is also a major centre for sailing, possessing two major and several smaller marinas. It is a popular wintering location for hundreds of cruising boaters. There are regular ferry services to the Greek island of Rhodes, and large cruise ships call at the port.

Approximately 200-km southeast of mainland Greece, lies Santorini, a Cyclades Island. This MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination was formed from the remains of a volcanic caldera which is evident in its rugged geology. Santorini is famous for its sheer cliffs, red beach, and whitewashed houses that contrast strikingly against the blue Aegean Sea. The island is also home to ancient archaeological sites, hot spring swimming, and stunning wineries.

Naples is a large, sprawling Mediterranean port, with a centre that has many different focuses just waiting to be discovered on an MSC Mediterranean cruise excursion.

No trip to Naples is complete without visiting the area between Piazza Garibaldi and Via Toledo, roughly corresponding to the old Roman Neapolis (much of which is still unexcavated like in many other Italian cities).
The old part of Naples – the centro storico – is formed by the main streets of Via dei Tribunali and Via San Biagio dei Librai (the latter also known as “Spaccanapoli” as it literally splits Naples in two), which still follow the path of the ancient Roman roads. This is much the liveliest and most teeming part of Naples, an open-air kasbah of hawking, yelling humanity that makes up in energy what it lacks in grace. But it’s the city’s most intriguing quarter, and a must-see on any cruise to Naples. The Duomo is a Gothic building from the early thirteenth century (though with a late nineteenth-century neo-Gothic facade) dedicated to the patron saint of the city, San Gennaro.
MSC Mediterranean cruises also offer excursions to Pompeii. One of Campania’s most important Roman commercial centres – a moneyed resort for wealthy patricians and a trading town that exported wine and fish – the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 in effect froze the town’s way of life as it stood at the time.
Trips can also be taken to the island of Capri, place of legend, home to the mythical Sirens and a much-eulogized playground of the super-rich in the years since – though now it has settled down to a lucrative existence as a target for day-trippers from the mainland.

Definitely worth a visit, but these days the origins of much of the purple prose may be hard to find.

Back in Civitavecchia today, but this stop’s different to the first one. You’ll disembark MSC Divina this morning and transfer to MSC Sinfonia for the second half of your journey, ten nights tracing the Rivieras and North African coast. If your transfer window allows, it’s worth stepping into town for a coffee before boarding, otherwise settle in and let the new ship find its feet

Welcome to MSC Sinfonia’s first port. Genoa’s old town is a tangle of narrow lanes, and the Rolli palaces on Via Garibaldi hold a UNESCO listing. Buy focaccia hot from a bakery and ask for pesto, which started here. Prefer the coast? An excursion takes you east to Portofino, a small harbour of pastel houses and yachts.

Marseille’s Vieux Port fills with fishing boats and fish sellers calling out the morning catch. Climb to Notre-Dame de la Garde for the view over the city and the islands offshore, then eat bouillabaisse in the old quarter. Excursions reach Aix-en-Provence, where Cézanne lived, and the hilltop villages beyond.

A day at sea as MSC Sinfonia crosses the western Mediterranean toward Spain. Spend it at the pool or in the spa, then take a long dinner before tomorrow’s port.

Malaga sits right beside the cruise port. Climb to the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress above the harbour, then wander down to the Picasso Museum in the city where he was born. Granada and the Alhambra make a long day trip inland, with a lot of road each way, so book an excursion early.

Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque rises beside the Atlantic, its minaret among the tallest in the world. Guided tours take you inside the prayer hall, which opens toward the sea. Afterwards, wander the old medina for spices and woven goods. Marrakech is a full-day excursion with several hours of driving each way.

Cadiz is one of the oldest cities in western Europe, with a compact old town of white houses and plazas. Walk the sea wall to La Caleta beach, then climb Torre Tavira for views over the rooftops. Seville is reachable by excursion for the Real Alcázar and tapas in Triana.

Gibraltar rises straight out of the sea. Ride the cable car to the top of the Rock, where Barbary macaques watch visitors from the rails, then look across the strait toward Morocco. Back at sea level, Main Street has British pubs and duty-free shops.

Alicante’s Explanada de España is a promenade paved in a wave pattern of marble tiles, lined with palms. Take the lift up Santa Bárbara Castle for the view over the bay, then spend the afternoon in the Santa Cruz quarter among flower-filled balconies. An excursion reaches the palm grove at Elche, a UNESCO site.

Your holiday comes to an end today. Interested in extending you stay? Ask us about our amazing range of packages available or speak with a Cruise Travel Advisor who will be able to customise your holiday with you.