Cruise Itinerary

One of the busiest cruise ports in the Mediterranean, the seaside city of Barcelona is known for its iconic architecture, colourful culture, and world-class drinking and dining. Explore Antoni Gaudí’s surreal Sagrada Família, the famous boulevard of the Ramblas, the medieval Barri Gótic, and the Museu Picasso. But there’s even more to discover in this sprawling Spanish city, an MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination: from hidden tapas bars and fabulous food markets to Europe’s biggest football stadium.

The upper part of the town straddles the slopes of Mont St. Clair, offering wonderful views of the port and the vast Bassin de Thau, a breeding ground for mussels and oysters. The lower part is intersected by waterways lined with tall terraces and seafood restaurants. Its pedestrian streets allow visitors leisurely strolls, and scattered café tables invite you to relax, sip an apéritif and people-watch. Other interesting sightseeing destinations include the university city of Montpellier.

A holiday to France with MSC Cruises is the perfect chance to visit Cannes. With its immaculate seafront hotels and exclusive beach concessions, glamorous yachts and designer boutiques, Cannes is in many ways the definitive Riviera resort, a place where appearances count, especially during the film festival in May. The not particularly attractive seafront Palais des Festivals is the heart of the film festival but also hosts conferences, tournaments and trade shows. Despite its glittery image, Cannes works surprisingly well as a big seaside resort, with plenty of free, sandy public beaches. Promenade de la Croisette is certainly the sight to see during your excursions, with its palace hotels – the Martinez and Carlton – on one side and their private beaches on the other. It’s possible to find your way down to the beach without paying, but not easy (you can of course walk along it below the rows of sun beds). The old town, known as Le Suquet after the hill on which it stands, provides a great panorama of the curve of Cannes’ bay. On its summit stand the remains of the fortified priory lived in by Cannes’ eleventh-century monks, and the beautiful twelfth-century Chapelle Ste-Anne. The Musée de la Castre, in the remains of Cannes’ eleventh-century priory, holds an extraordinary collection of musical instruments from all over the world, along with pictures and prints of old Cannes and an ethnology and archaeology section. MSC Mediterranean cruises also offer excursions to Nice. Since reaching its zenith in the belle époque of the late nineteenth century, it has retained its historical styles almost intact: the medieval rabbit warren of Vieux Nice, the Italianate facades of modern Nice and the rich exuberance of fin-de-siècle residences dating from when the city was Europe’s most fashionable winter retreat.

The Gulf of La Spezia has been so frequent a subject for poets over the years - from Dante and Petrarch to Byron and Shelley - that it is often referred to as the Golfo dei Poeti. The elongated yellow and orange houses, which line the harbor stretch up the steep slope toward ancient battlements beyond. Mentioned as a landing place in Claudius Ptolemy's "General Geography" (150 AD), today Portovenere is a resort with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Drive along the famous Grand Corniche with its stunning views of Monaco and the Old City; then stroll through this marvelous quarter and its pink Grimaldi Palace. And don't forget the Casino. Explore the wonderful old villages along the Côte d'Azur from Nice to medieval Eze or Cannes, Grasse and lovely St. Paul de Vence - each one a jewel to be savored.