12 nightsFrom Ancona10 ports of call
12 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Ancona (Urbino)
MSC Cruises · MSC Lirica
Overview
A 12-night voyage aboard MSC Lirica, departing Ancona on 23 Oct 2026 and arriving in Marghera(Venice), Italy, calling at 10 destinations along the way.
AnconaMarghera(Venice), ItalyOlympia (Katakolon), GreeceHeraklionRhodesLimassolPort SaidAlexandria, EgyptSplitMarghera(Venice), Italy
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Itinerary
12 nights · 13 ports of call- 1
Day 1 ·Italy (Ancona)Embark
23 Oct 2026Depart 20:30Ancona, capital of Italy’s picturesque Marche region, is a bustling city overlooking the glittering Adriatic Sea.
This MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination is packed with historical landmarks such as the Roman ruins, Cathedral of Saint Ciriaco, and the Trajan Arch — a Turkish marble icon dating back to 114 A.D. Further inland, the walled city of Urbino stands as a jewel of the Italian Renaissance. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of Italy’s best-preserved medieval centres, offering breathtaking views over the valleys. - 2
Day 2 ·Venice(Marghera), Italy
24 Oct 2026Arrive 08:00Depart 19:00Venice, a romantic MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination, is an artisan masterpiece. The city is built on 118 small islands, separated by canals, in a shallow lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. This UNESCO World Heritage Site overflows with beauty – from the gondola-lined canals and ancient marble palaces to historical architectural feats like St. Mark’s Basilica and the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. Visiting Venice is like being in a fabled land, a scintillating mix of culture, history, and water. - 3
Day 3 ·At Sea
25 Oct 2026 - 4
Day 4 ·Katakolon
26 Oct 2026Arrive 10:00Depart 17:00On the Peloponnese shores stands the little seaside town of Katakolon, Greece, an MSC Mediterranean cruises destination. Situated on a headland overlooking the blue Ionian Sea, this charming location boasts a lighthouse, the Agios Nicolaos Church, and musical instruments museum. A short ride away lies the ancient site of Olympia, the extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage Site. 3000 years ago, it hosted Greece’s first Olympic Games in its Panhellenic religious sanctuary. - 5
Day 5 ·Heraklion, Crete, Greece
27 Oct 2026Arrive 10:00Depart 18:00Crete's capital Heraklion, an MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination, is an energetic city with a prolific history.
Admire majestic Mount Yioúhtas as you dock in the harbour and ancient Koules Fortress on the port’s western pier. Discover the mythical Palace of Knossos or visit historical monasteries and churches. Crete is a fascinating slice of Greek island life just waiting to be explored! - 6
Day 6 ·Rhodes
28 Oct 2026Arrive 08:00Depart 17:00Rhodes, a Greek Dodecanese island and MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination, is celebrated for its beautiful beaches, archaeological ruins, and magnificent museums. Its historical Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest medieval city in the European continent! - 7
Day 7 ·Limassol
29 Oct 2026Arrive 10:00Depart 17:00Sitting on the stunning Cypriot coastline, Limassol makes for a fascinating MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination. The city is celebrated for its medieval castle, waterfront sculpture park, and vast array of museums. Beyond Limassol lies the fascinating town of Paphos and a host of natural and archaeological wonders including Millomeri Waterfalls and Apollo’s Sanctuary. - 8
Day 8 ·Port Said, Egypt
30 Oct 2026Arrive 07:00Depart 21:30Port Said is an Egyptian city at the northern end of the Suez Canal, on the Mediterranean Sea. A concrete lighthouse dates from the canal’s opening in 1869. On the waterfront is the former department store Simon Arzt. Now disused, the art deco building offers a glimpse into the past, to when Port Said was a cosmopolitan trading hub. - 9
Day 9 ·Alexandria
31 Oct 2026Arrive 08:00Depart 22:00Discover the ancient history of this cultural, intellectual, political and economic metropolis famous for its temperate winters, white sand beaches and magnifi cent scenery. - 10
Day 10 ·At Sea
1 Nov 2026 - 11
Day 11 ·At Sea
2 Nov 2026 - 12
Day 12 ·Split, Croatia
3 Nov 2026Arrive 09:00Depart 17:00With its seafront cafés and ancient alleyways, shouting stallholders and travellers on the move, bustling, exuberant Split is one of Croatia’s and the Mediterranean’s most compelling cities, it’s easy to see this feeling when you step aground from your MSC cruise.
It has a unique historical heritage too, having grown out of the palace built here by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in 295AD. The palace remains Split’s central ingredient, having been gradually transformed into a warren of houses, tenements, churches and chapels by the various peoples who came to live here after Diocletian’s successors had departed.
Adapted long ago to serve as Split’s town centre, Diocletian’s Palace is certainly not an archaeological “site”. Although set-piece buildings such as Diocletian’s mausoleum (now the cathedral) and the Temple of Jupiter (now a baptistery) still remain, other aspects of the palace have been tinkered with so much by successive generations that it is no longer recognizable as an ancient Roman structure. Best place to start exploring with an MSC excursion the seaward side of the palace is Split’s broad and lively Riva.
Running along the palace’s southern facade, into which shops, cafés and a warren of tiny flats have been built, the Riva is where a large part of the city’s population congregates day and night to meet friends, catch up on gossip or idle away an hour or two in a café. Nearly everything worth seeing in Split is concentrated in the compact Old Town behind the waterfront Riva, made up in part of the various remains and conversions of Diocletian’s Palace itself, and the medieval additions to the west of it. You can walk across this area in about ten minutes, although it would take a lifetime to explore all its nooks and crannies. - 13
Day 13 ·Venice(Marghera), ItalyDisembark
4 Nov 2026Arrive 08:00Venice, a romantic MSC Mediterranean Cruises destination, is an artisan masterpiece. The city is built on 118 small islands, separated by canals, in a shallow lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. This UNESCO World Heritage Site overflows with beauty – from the gondola-lined canals and ancient marble palaces to historical architectural feats like St. Mark’s Basilica and the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. Visiting Venice is like being in a fabled land, a scintillating mix of culture, history, and water.
Your ship: MSC Lirica
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