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Ultimate Italy & Spain Summer 2026 Vacation
31
items Planned a 7 Night Italy, Spain & French Riviera Royal Caribbean Cruise starting with 5 days in Rome -15 days in total! Flew into Rome and explored this beautiful city before boarding the cruise ship. Ports included Livorno, Santa Marguerite Ital...
Sections
8
Hotels/Cruise
Rome
Livorno Italy
Santa Margarita Italy
Nice (Villefranche), France
Provence (Marseille), France
Hotels/Cruise
This is where I stayed and played
Booked the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas, 7 Night Italy, Spain & French Riviera Cruise through a casino comp instant certificate offer. Paid only taxes and fees.
Brilliance of the Seas
Amazing hotel just a 3 minute walk away from roma termini. Very convenient to all the major landmarks and fantastic restaurants. The staff were extremely accommodating and nice. Highly recommend.
NH Collection Roma Palazzo Cinquecento: 5* Hotel in Rome
Flying into London to connect on Virgin Atlantic flight to the United States. I needed something close to the airport that I can book w my Hyatt credit card points. Something comfortable and clean and this was the perfect hotel. The hotel is a 2 mi...
Hyatt Place London Heathrow airport
Rome
I Booked 5 days in Rome prior to our cruise. The following are all of our recommendations for a fun summer Roman holiday
I Booked a morning golf cart tour through Viator and it was a wonderful decision for our family. After two days of non stop walking , getting on a golf cart to go sight seeing was an excellent choice . Silvia was our tour guide and made our experienc...
Rome Highlights City Tour by Golf Cart with Gelato
I booked this particular tour company because I learned that unless the tour company is a licensed tour operator recognized by Parco Archeologico del Colosseo your tickets are not guaranteed. In other words a tour company can sell any number of tour...
Walks of Italy- Top-Rated Colosseum Arena Floor Tour – Book Early
If you do not want to do a tour you can always book directly with ticketing.colosseo.it and hold an official allocation. Keep in mind that these tickets sell out so plan this in advance
Book directly through ticketing.colosseo.it or hold an official allocation
Great family owned restaurant close to Roma termini area. Pizza was delicious . House wine was great and very affordable. We ate here twice during our five night stay . Excellent choice
RISTORANTE PIZZERIA ANDREA E LICIA, Rome - Esquilino - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor
Really good restaurant right outside the Vatican walls. Stopped in for lunch with my family. Such a good meal highly recommended
Pancia Felice San Pietro - Pancia Felice
Buy your Vatican tickets in advance on this site or wait hours in line in the hot sun. I booked the museum tickets w headset and ran my own guided tour
Prices and Tickets
Best gelato I had in Rome by far
Gelateria Romana Roma Piazza Sant'Andrea della Valle 1: tutto il buono del gelato nella tua città | Gelateria Romana
Yummy restaurant. Authentic Italian cuisine in the Castro Pretorio neighborhood known for its great doors. Small family owned restaurants
Booking at REbasilico, Roma.
Livorno Italy
First port stop on the Brilliance of the Seas takes you to Livorno Italy. You have to take the Free port shuttle → to get out of the industrialized port. Once outside of port you can take a train from the Livorno train station 🚂 Pisa is about : ~3...
🏛 Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) The Leaning Tower, Duomo, Baptistery, and Camposanto are all free to view from the lawn. Tower climb tickets (~€20) must be pre-booked at opapisa.it — don't show up without them in summer. Allow 2–3 hours here.
The Square of Miracles Pisa: The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Duomo, ...
🚶 Walk the Arno River embankment After the Piazza, stroll south toward the Arno. The Lungarno riverbank is beautiful and uncrowded. Grab a focaccia from a local bar — Pisa's street food scene is far better than what's near the tower.
Arno River | Tuscany, Florence, & Map
Santa Margarita Italy
Day 3 on your Brilliance of the Seas Port takes you in Santa Margarita Italy. You will tender to port where you can purchase portofino, cinque terre tickets right outside the tender ship. We spent about 72 euros for 4 round trip tickets. The ferry t...
⛴ Ferry to Portofino & back This is the move. Buy a ferry ticket at the dock in Santa Margherita (Traghetti Portofino, runs hourly in summer). Take the ferry TO Portofino, spend 2–3 hours exploring, then walk the coastal path back to Santa Marghe...
Ferries and Boats Liguria Portofino Cinque Terre
🏰 Castello Brown & Chiesa di San Giorgio From Portofino's harbor, hike up to the 16th-century Castello Brown for sweeping views (small entry fee). A little further is the cliffside San Giorgio church — the views down to the harbor and sea are st...
Church of San Giorgio, Portofino
🚶 Walk the Passeggiata dei Baci (Walk of Kisses) The 5km coastal path between Santa Margherita and Portofino is paved, safe, and passes billionaire villas and hidden coves. Start early in the morning to arrive in Portofino fresh, then ferry back. On...
Passeggiata dei Baci
🏖 Paraggi Bay beach Between Portofino and Santa Margherita, Paraggi Bay has emerald-green water in a protected cove. It's accessible by bus #782 from Portofino (~€2.50) or a short walk. Great for a swim mid-day
Baia di Paraggi (2026) - All You MUST Know Before You Go (with Reviews)
Nice (Villefranche), France
Day 4 on Brilliance of the Seas takes you to Nice, France. For this port we opted do a group tour through Royal Caribbean - old town Nice and Mid evil Eze. The tour was nice because it integrated your transportation and scheduling while giving you a...
🏔 Eze Village (via Uber or bus) Eze is a stunning medieval hilltop village perched 430m above the sea. The Jardin Exotique at the top has jaw-dropping coastal views (€7 entry). Getting there: Uber from Villefranche (~€15) is fastest. Allow 90 minute...
The Enchanting Village of Eze on the French Riviera
Chateau Eza - 6 Michelin star hotel in eze village
Château Eza Hotel | Côte D´azur | Official Web
Provence (Marseille), France
Day 5 on Brilliance of the Seas takes you to Provence (Marseille), France. The cruise terminal in Marseille is NOT walking distance to the Old Port. Take a taxi (~€15) or the free port shuttle if offered. Once in town, everything is walkable or a sh...
I booked an excursion throught the ship Cassis Discovery and Beach Break.. I thought it was a good value. The Cassis Discovery and Beach Break is a popular 8-hour shore excursion that transitions you from the industrial scale of Marseille to the high-end, postcard-style atmosphere of Cassis. The Itinerary The Drive: A 45–60 minute motorcoach ride from Ma...
Cassis Discovery And Beach Break | Provence, France | Shore Excursion
Im choosing the Plage de la Grande Mer- “the beach break”
PLAGE DE LA GRANDE MER (Cassis): Ce qu'il faut savoir pour votre visite ...
Some people choose the calanques option: Most versions of this tour do not include the boat ride. You have to walk to the yellow ticket kiosk at the harbor and pay roughly €17–€25 for a 45-minute boat tour of 3 Calanques (Port Miou, Port Pin, and En ...
The Calanques of Marseille
Free beach that you can Uber too from port if you do not want to do a tour
Catalans beach | Marseille Tourism
Rented four beach loungers and enjoyed a day at the beach. They have food and drinks as well as service to your lounger. Great choice to just sit back relax and enjoy a day at the beach
The Beach Counter - COTEMagazine
Ibiza Spain
DAY 7 takes you to Ibiza Spain. Don't try to walk from the cruise terminal to town — it's a very long loop around the cove in summer heat. Take the City Boat (€4–6 roundtrip) from the jetty 200m from the terminal. It's easy and scenic. 🚢 City Boat...
🏰 Dalt Vila UNESCO Old Town walk (free) Ibiza's walled old city is the highlight of any cruise stop here. Enter through the Portal de ses Taules (a dramatic stone gate with headless Roman statues). Wind up through cobblestone streets to the Cathedra...
Dalt Vila, Ibiza's fortified old town
🎨 MACE Contemporary Art Museum Inside Dalt Vila, this museum (Spain's oldest dedicated to modern art) is housed in a 1727 building with a glass annex built over Punic ruins you can see through a transparent floor. Small but fascinating — and inexpen...
Contemporary Art Museum - MACE
🌊 Playa de Talamanca beach The closest beach to the cruise port — exit the terminal on foot and follow the "playa" signs for 10–15 minutes. Long sandy cove, shallow water (great for families), restaurants and bars along the edge. A nice spot to spen...
Playa Talamanca (2026) - All You MUST Know Before You Go (with Reviews)
Opted to spend the day at a beach club . This particular beach club is family friendly so rented a bed to enjoy the amenities
Nassau Beach Club Ibiza - Enjoy a unique experience on the island
Florence
I planned a day trip to Florence from Rome via speed train. This is what we did…..
Amazing restaurant overlooking the Arno river and ponte vecchio. A must if you are in Florence
Osteria Golden View Florence
El duomo in Florence is a must see at least once. Buy tickets in advance if you do not want to stand in line
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore | Opera Duomo, Florence | Offical Site
Artwork Petitioned by the Medici family is kept at the pitti palace . Connected to the boboli gardens . A beautiful visit
Palazzo Pitti