viking mediterranean cruise

barcelona to rome - October 2023

by Tabitha regoli

Chris and I arrived in Barcelona around 12:30 pm.  We grabbed a taxi to our hotel which was easy to find the queue just outside of baggage claim.  We stayed at the Catalonia Hotel Portal l’Angel which is located on one of the pedestrian only streets in the La Ramblas area.  The Catalonia Hotel was located near shopping and restaurants, but our room was cozy and quiet despite all the street noise. 

After settling in at our hotel, we ventured out to find La Boqueria Market, the Barcelona Cathedral and Churros con chocolate! La Bo queria Market is one of the oldest and busiest food markets in Barcelona.  You can find fresh seafood, Jambon, cheese and produce.  There are several food vendors where you can try the local specialties.  We munched on sandwiches with Jambon (local ham) on crusty fresh baked bread, sampled fruit smoothies and ended our meal with churros con chocolate!  Basically, donuts with cinnamon and sugar you dunk in rich dark chocolate.  A must have when in Barcelona!

The next morning, we met Francisco at Sagrada Familia for a private tour of this beautiful church that has been under construction since 1882.  Antonio Gaudi is the creator/designer of this church.  It is an engineering marvel utilizing mathematics and light to create this church. 

That afternoon we embarked on Viking Venus for our 7-day cruise across the Mediterranean.  The Viking Venus is a beautiful ship!  The spaces are very inviting and comfortable.  There were no issues finding a lounge chair near the pool or space in one of lounges for drinks and snacks.  The restaurants offered both a regular menu and a destination focused menu.  The staff on board were very pleasant and helpful!

Tarragona, Spain – Our first port of call was Tarragona.  This city is perched on the rocks overlooking the Mediterranean.  There was a Medieval Festival going on the day we visited.  Lots of people and vendors throughout this little city.  Our walking tour took us into the heart of the city and ended with a beautiful view of the sea.

Montpellier/Sete, France – The next morning we found ourselves in France!  We joined a morning excursion to the city of Aigues-Mortes; aka the dead waters.  This village was the original port city of Saint Louis IX.  It was a quaint village with lots of cafés and shops to explore.  The afternoon we explored the town of Sete which has canals like Venice but on a bigger scale.  Lots of cafes to sit in and people watch.

Marseille, France – Our next port of call was Marseille.  We joined a walking tour of the city learning about the history of this port.  Marseille was heavily damaged in WWII.  However, the small original harbor was not affected.  Today this harbor is busy with fishing boats and yachts.  The harbor is surrounded by little cafes and tons of shopping.  We even stopped to play a little petanque with some locals!

Monte Carlo, Monaco – Viking is one of 3 cruise lines that can dock at the Quai Ranier III in Monte Carlo.   This is one port where you can walk directly off the boat and head into the city without a shuttle.  We explored Monte Carlo on foot to view the Exotic Gardens, Princess Grace Kelly’s house, the Palace and of course the Casino!  The afternoon we took a motorcoach tour along the Cote Azur to Nice.  It’s a beautiful drive along the coast.  The weather was perfect that afternoon too!

Livorno (Pisa/Florence), Italy – the next 2 days were spent in the port of Livorno.  We opted for a full day excursion into the Tuscany countryside.  We spent some time exploring the little hilltop village of San Miniato.  This town had beautiful views of the country with the vineyards and olive groves surrounding the hilltop.  Afterwards we visited Villa Dianella for an evening of wine tasting and dinner.  Villa Dianella is an old hunting lodge originally owned by the Medici family.  It is now a working vineyard producing small batch wines and olive oil.   

Our second day in Livorno we took a bus to the town of Lucca to explore for the day.  Lucca is a walled city with lots of restaurants and shopping!

Rome, Italy – our day of disembarkation.  We sadly packed up and said goodbye to Viking Venus that morning.  It was a little over an hour’s drive from the Civitavecchia port to our hotel in Rome.  We stayed at Baglioni Regina Hotel for our last night.  This hotel is located within a 10-minute walk to Borghese Gardens and the Spanish Steps.  It’s a great location to access all the major sites in Rome but in a quiet area without the crowds.   We spent our last day in Rome wandering around.  We walked through part of the Borghese Gardens, down the Spanish Steps towards the Trevi Fountain.  I had to throw my coin into the fountain to secure my return to Rome!  We found a great little restaurant, La Laterne not far from the fountain.  After lunch we wandered some more to find Regoli Pasticceria and the Colosseum.  We ventured back to our hotel as we had an early morning departing flight home.