Agropoli
Agropoli offers two quite different ways to spend a call on the Cilento coast: climb into the old town above the harbour, or arrange a visit to the…
City waterfronts, island harbours and gateways to places further inland, along the Tyrrhenian, Ligurian and western Mediterranean coasts.
Agropoli offers two quite different ways to spend a call on the Cilento coast: climb into the old town above the harbour, or arrange a visit to the…
Ajaccio makes a manageable Corsican city day: the commercial harbour meets the centre, and the principal historic sights form a compact walking circuit.…
Alcúdia makes a good call for passengers who want to combine a historic town with time beside the sea. The important distinction is between Port…
Alghero is a compact introduction to north-western Sardinia, with a harbour beside its walled old town and a coastline that stretches towards the…
For a short Alicante call, decide whether the castle is your priority before leaving the terminal. Santa Bárbara requires an uphill journey or the public…
Almería offers enough for a full call without leaving the city: a fortress on the hillside, a cathedral in the old centre and a waterfront shaped by the…
Amalfi rewards a short stay centred on the town itself. The cathedral rises above the main square, lanes lead inland from the waterfront, and the Paper…
Antibes offers a compact art-and-old-town visit beside Port Vauban. A morning around the market and Musée Picasso can be followed by a waterfront walk,…
Avilés rewards a local visit. Its cruise quay sits beside the Centro Niemeyer, while the historic town lies across the estuary, with arcaded streets,…
Bandol suits a day of harbour walking, a beach break and a meal rather than a long transfer along the coast. The centre faces the marina, with shops on…
Barcelona rewards a focused plan: choose an old-town walk or a booked Gaudí visit, then reserve time for the port transfer. Moll Adossat is a separate…
Bastia rewards a day spent following the waterfront south from the commercial port to the old harbour, then climbing into the citadel. These are…
Bonifacio offers two distinct ways to spend a call: remain beside the long inlet and marina, or climb to the citadel on the limestone headland. The lower…
Bordeaux's historic centre is an appealing place to spend a call, but the name on the itinerary does not tell you how close your ship will be. The…
Brest is a working maritime city where the best short visit depends on the berth and the transfer ashore. The castle and naval museum provide a…
Caen is an inland port of call reached through the canal from Ouistreham. A visit can focus on the ducal castle and central streets, or on the Mémorial…
A Cagliari day is best planned around the climb: the Marina quarter lies by the passenger port, while Castello occupies a hill above it. Choose the lower…
Calvi is well suited to an unhurried Corsican stop: a marina, a beach and a fortified upper town give you contrasting choices without an inland transfer.…
Cannes offers two contrasting walking routes from the old harbour: uphill into Le Suquet, or east towards the Palais des Festivals and La Croisette.…
This guide covers Capraia Island in the Tuscan archipelago, Italy. It is a different destination from Porto-Vecchio in Corsica. Check the island name on…
Capri is an island where the first transport decision shapes the whole visit. Marina Grande is the harbour; Capri town is uphill, and Anacapri is a…
Carloforte is the harbour town of San Pietro, an island off south-western Sardinia. Its waterfront and closely packed streets suit an unhurried call,…
Cartagena's cruise terminal connects with the central waterfront, making a local archaeological visit practical without an excursion coach. Choose one…
Cassis combines a central fishing harbour with access to the limestone coast of the Calanques National Park. A short visit can stay entirely within the…
Castelló de la Plana offers two distinct visits: the maritime district of El Grao beside the port and the civic centre inland. El Grao suits a waterfront…
Catania offers a city walk from its port area or a separate excursion to Etna. For limited time ashore, focus on the squares and streets around Piazza…
Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast beside the Strait of Gibraltar. Its compact centre makes a local shore visit…
Cherbourg offers a practical maritime-history day close to the ship, with La Cité de la Mer beside the cruise terminal and the city centre within walking…
Ciutadella's appeal is the relationship between its narrow harbour and the streets above it. Menorca's former capital has a compact historic centre where…
Cruise port for Rome
Civitavecchia is a separate coastal city connected to Rome by rail and road. A Rome outing has several stages: leaving the berth, reaching the station,…
Concarneau makes a rewarding short call for its close connection between a working fishing port and the Ville Close, a fortified town on an islet in the…
A call at Corigliano Calabro brings you to Calabria's Ionian coast, but the port and the historic hill town are separate places. Plan a transfer if you…
Crotone makes a manageable stop for exploring Calabria's Greek past without spending most of the day travelling. The city museum introduces ancient…
Dénia combines a working harbour with a castle above the old streets and a strong food culture. For a short call, a town walk and a leisurely meal make a…
Douarnenez is a port town whose most useful sightseeing thread is the sardine industry: the harbours, former fishing neighbourhoods and maritime…
Dunkirk, signposted locally as Dunkerque, offers two strong themes for a short call: the evacuation of Allied troops in 1940 and the city's much longer…
Ferrol's naval and shipbuilding history gives a local visit a clear theme. The port, the older waterfront streets and the planned district of A Magdalena…
Formentera is best approached as a choice between a beach-and-landscape day and a visit to its villages. La Savina is the port settlement; Sant Francesc…
Gaeta offers several quite different ways to spend a few hours: churches and lanes in the medieval quarter, a walk on Monte Orlando, or time beside the…
Gallipoli suits a day spent close to the sea, moving between the castle, old-town churches and a leisurely lunch. The historic quarter's bridge and…
Genoa works well as a city call when you keep the return route to your terminal clear. Its two principal cruise terminals are Ponte dei Mille and Ponte…
Giardini Naxos gives cruise passengers a choice between a local seaside day and an outing to Taormina above the coast. Staying in Giardini leaves time…
A call advertised as Taormina generally involves landing at Giardini Naxos, then travelling uphill to Taormina. Decide whether you want the ancient…
For a short Gibraltar call, choose between the lower town and a planned visit to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. The cable car is closed for a complete…
Golfo Aranci suits a day spent close to the water: a walk along the promenade, a town beach and a leisurely lunch can fill a short call without a long…
Honfleur rewards a local day ashore: the Vieux Bassin, timber-built Sainte-Catherine church and collections of Normandy painting fit together without a…
Huelva sits beside the Odiel estuary in western Andalusia. Its local story includes the mining trade and the places associated with Columbus's 1492…
For an Ibiza Town visit, settle the harbour transfer before deciding how high to climb in Dalt Vila. The cruise facilities at Botafoc face the town…
The Îles d'Hyères, also called the Îles d'Or, form an island group off the Var coast. For a cruise passenger, the essential distinction is which island…
A short visit to Ischia works best with one clear destination. Ischia Porto provides a harbour setting, while Ischia Ponte is the place to head for the…
L'Île-Rousse makes a manageable Corsican shore day when you concentrate on the town, its waterfront and the rocky Pietra headland. Place Paoli provides a…
La Ciotat offers a compact harbour visit with two useful extensions: the town's cinema heritage and the gardens and rocky scenery at Le Mugel. For a few…
La Rochelle's old harbour and shopping streets make an appealing compact visit, but an ocean-cruise arrival starts in a different place. Ships use La…
Cruise port for Cinque Terre
Decide first whether to stay in La Spezia, take the railway to the Cinque Terre or visit Portovenere by road. These are three different outings with…
Cruise port for Paris & Normandy
Le Havre is a worthwhile destination in its own right, particularly for modern architecture and painting. Its rebuilt centre is a UNESCO World Heritage…
Le Lavandou suits a relaxed seaside call: a harbour walk, time on the town beach and a meal near the waterfront can fill a few hours without a long…
Le Palais is the main port town of Belle-Île-en-Mer and a useful place to spend a short call without touring the whole island. Its harbour and…
Le Verdon-sur-Mer is a deep-water gateway to the Médoc and the Gironde estuary. A cruise advertised as Bordeaux may berth here at the northern tip of the…
Lipari makes a good port for a day divided between archaeology and the waterfront. Its historic centre lies between Marina Lunga and Marina Corta, with…
Cruise port for Florence & Pisa
At Livorno, the first transport decision is how to leave your berth. The next is whether to stay with the city's canals and market or continue inland.…
Lorient's harbour is the starting point for a day about ships, sailing and the city's maritime history. The main choices lie in different places: central…
Maó's central cruise waterfront sits below the town. The height difference is the main planning issue for a short call: confirm the berth and the public…
Your Málaga plan begins with the terminal: A and B are in the eastern cruise area, while El Palmeral is at the inner waterfront. A museum visit or the…
Cruise port for Carrara
Marina di Carrara is the coastal arrival point for Carrara's marble country. The seaside district and the inland historic city are distinct destinations:…
Cruise port for Provence
Marseille offers a useful choice for a few hours ashore: stay around the Vieux-Port, Le Panier and the waterfront museums, or make a separate trip uphill…
Melilla is a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast. Two contrasting areas make a useful shore visit: the fortified quarters of Melilla la…
Menton's old town rises above a working harbour and the Sablettes waterfront. For a few hours ashore, the most practical combination is a stroll beside…
Messina offers a city visit close to the cruise quays, with the cathedral and its animated clock as a useful focal point. Staying in town leaves more…
Mġarr is Gozo's harbour connection with Malta. A shore visit can focus on the prehistoric temples at Ġgantija or the Cittadella in Victoria. Confirm…
An itinerary labelled Monte Carlo brings you to Monaco, where Monte Carlo is a district rather than a separate country. For a short call, choose between…
Motril is the coastal arrival point for a choice of very different days: the town and its sugar-making heritage, a Costa Tropical outing, or a longer…
Nantes is an inland city reached by seagoing cruise ships along the Loire estuary. Its appeal lies in the combination of a historic centre, a castle…
Naples gives you a useful choice between a city day and a focused visit to Pompeii. The cruise terminal is at Molo Angioino, close to the Municipio metro…
A call at Nice's Port Lympia puts the harbour district, the old town and the eastern end of the seafront within the same urban setting. A day ashore can…
Olbia offers a useful choice between a town visit and a beach outing. Stay in the centre for San Simplicio, the archaeological museum and time around the…
Palamós is a good port for staying local. The fishing harbour, old streets and main town beach can be combined without committing to a long excursion…
Palau faces the La Maddalena archipelago from northern Sardinia's Gallura coast. Its appeal lies in the relationship between town and landscape: a…
For a first Palermo call, choose either a central walk with one booked interior or a dedicated visit to Monreale. Teatro Massimo, the Capo market,…
Palma's cruise berths are spread across the commercial waterfront. Confirm the assigned quay before deciding whether to walk: the city view from the ship…
Palmarola is a largely uninhabited island in the Pontine archipelago off Lazio. Volcanic cliffs, sea stacks and small coves are the focus of a visit.…
Pantelleria offers a choice between the harbour town and an excursion into a volcanic, cultivated landscape. With a short cruise call, stay around the…
Piombino is a working Tuscan port with an old town overlooking the sea and an archaeological hinterland connected to the Etruscans. For a short call, the…
Ponza is a volcanic island in the Pontine group off Lazio. Its harbour makes a rewarding short visit in its own right: houses rise behind the waterfront,…
Porquerolles is an island outing built around a harbour village, beaches and paths through protected countryside. It suits a cruise passenger who wants…
Port de Sóller and Sóller form two parts of the same visit: a coastal harbour with a seafront promenade and an inland town with historic streets and…
Port-Vendres offers a useful choice for a short call: stay beside a working Catalan harbour, visit neighbouring Collioure, or head to the coast at…
Porto Cervo is a resort and yachting centre on Sardinia's north-eastern coast, within the municipality of Arzachena. The settlement developed around its…
Porto Empedocle is Agrigento's coastal gateway on southern Sicily. The working harbour and the town's literary connections offer a local visit, while the…
Porto Ercole sits on the southern side of Monte Argentario in coastal Tuscany. The harbour provides a gentle starting point, while the older settlement…
Porto Santo Stefano occupies the northern side of Monte Argentario, on the Tuscan coast. Its waterfront, old harbour and Spanish fortress offer enough…
Porto Torres is a working passenger and cargo port on Sardinia's Gulf of Asinara. Its useful short-call combination is a town visit, the Basilica of San…
Porto-Vecchio divides a shore visit between the waterfront and the fortified upper town. The marina provides a place to pause beside the boats; uphill,…
Portoferraio, on Elba's northern coast, combines a busy ferry harbour with a historic town of waterfront streets and Medici fortifications. Napoleon's…
Portofino is a compact Ligurian harbour village on the Golfo del Tigullio. The most rewarding short visit combines time around the piazzetta with a climb…
Portovenere, also written Porto Venere, stands at the western entrance to the Gulf of La Spezia, facing Palmaria island. Its tall waterfront houses,…
For a short call in Positano, build your day around the lower village: the waterfront, Santa Maria Assunta church and the Roman remains beneath it.…
Propriano is a convenient place for an unhurried Corsican shore day. Its commercial port sits beside the town, with the marina, cafés and public…
Puerto Banús is a marina and shopping district within Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. It suits a relaxed waterfront visit, while Marbella's old town…
Reggio Calabria makes a rewarding city stop on the mainland side of the Strait of Messina. For a few hours ashore, give the National Archaeological…
Roses is a practical base for a coastal day on the northern Costa Brava. Its waterfront, archaeological Citadel and nearby castle provide enough variety…
Rouen rewards passengers who stay in Normandy's historic capital. The cathedral, astronomical clock and half-timbered streets make a coherent city visit,…
Saint-Florent makes a manageable walking stop on Corsica's northern coast. The marina sits below a Genoese citadel, with cafés and village streets…
Saint-Jean-de-Luz offers a compact introduction to the French Basque coast: a working fishing port, a sandy bay and streets leading to a church…
Saint-Malo's walled centre, known as Intra-Muros, is the natural focus of a short cruise call. Rampart walks look across the beaches and offshore…
Saint-Nazaire makes an unusual cruise stop because ships and shipbuilding are central to the visit itself. Around the former submarine base, attractions…
Saint-Raphaël combines a central beach and waterfront with an older quarter containing an archaeological museum and medieval church. The red Estérel…
Saint-Tropez is small enough for a rewarding visit on foot. Begin around the harbour, then choose between the Annonciade's paintings, the citadel's…
Cruise port for Amalfi Coast
Salerno offers two workable approaches to a port day: explore the city from the waterfront, or devote the call to one Amalfi Coast destination. The first…
Sanary-sur-Mer suits a day spent close to the water: a harbour walk, the town's diving museum and a climb to a chapel overlooking the coast. Frédéric…
Sanremo offers two quite different walks: a gentle outing through the shopping streets and along the waterfront, or a climb into La Pigna, the tightly…
Santa Margherita Ligure is a useful place to enjoy the Gulf of Tigullio without spending the whole call in transit. The harbour, central streets and…
Savona is a convenient city call: the cruise terminal sits beside the historic centre, so you can spend most of your shore time visiting rather than…
Sète offers a useful combination for a short cruise call: canals through the centre, a working fishing port, seafood and the slopes of Mont Saint-Clair…
Plan Sorrento around two separate transfers: the tender ashore and the climb from the harbour to the town. A local visit keeps both manageable. Pompeii…
Stintino is a fishing village at Sardinia's north-western tip, with small harbours, a museum devoted to tuna fishing and access to the beaches facing…
Stromboli is an inhabited active volcano in the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily. The archipelago's volcanic landscapes earned UNESCO World Heritage…
Syracuse, signed locally as Siracusa, divides a visitor's attention between Ortigia's historic streets and the ancient monuments of Neapolis on the…
Taranto's most manageable shore outing follows the connection between its island old town, the Aragonese castle and the newer city containing the MArTA…
Tarragona offers a concentrated introduction to Roman history alongside the streets and cathedral of the upper town. For a few hours ashore, staying in…
Toulon's waterfront faces a major naval harbour, while the old town begins just behind the quays. A visit can combine the Musée national de la Marine,…
Trapani gives you a useful choice between a day at sea level and an outing to hilltop Erice. The historic centre occupies the peninsula beside the…
Choose your main destination before leaving the ship: Valencia's historic centre and the City of Arts and Sciences need different transfers. The port…
Valletta's main shore-day choice is how to get from harbour level into the fortified city. From the Valletta Waterfront berths, the Barrakka Lift makes a…
Viareggio is a seaside town on Tuscany's Versilia coast, with a working boatbuilding harbour beside its resort waterfront. A few hours can be spent…
A call at Vibo Valentia brings you to Vibo Marina, the coastal port on Calabria's Gulf of Sant'Eufemia. The historic city and its castle stand inland on…
Vilagarcía de Arousa is a seagoing port on the Ría de Arousa, with a town centre, a long waterfront and the fishing settlement of Carril nearby. A local…
Cruise port for Nice
Villefranche-sur-Mer gives cruise passengers two distinct choices: stay beside the bay for the old town, citadel and Cocteau chapel, or travel into Nice…