After Bears Sitges Week Cruise

Bear Week may be wrapping up, but our adventure is just beginning. Join your fellow CruisingBears travelers for a planned coach transfer from Sitges to Barcelona, a luggage stop at the cruise port and a morning exploring some of Gaudí’s most celebrated creations.

Your LGBTQ-friendly guide introduces the imaginative exteriors of Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló before the walk continues toward Sagrada Familia. Hear the stories behind Gaudí’s extraordinary vision, then enter the basilica for a self-guided interior visit. Take your time appreciating its soaring architecture before the planned transfer back to the cruise port.

Included

• Coach service from the designated Sitges hotel pickup to Barcelona cruise port, onward for the city tour and back to the port.
• Guided Gaudí walking tour, including exterior views of Casa Milà and Casa Batlló.
• Sagrada Familia admission, without tower access.
• LGBTQ-friendly guide for the walking portion and headsets.

Know before you go

The proposed Sitges pickup is 8:00 a.m., with the city-tour portion approximately 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Final pickup, luggage arrangements, admission slot and port return require confirmation. The Sagrada Familia interior visit is self-guided. Meals are not listed as included. This excursion involves walking through the city.

Start your cruise adventure with the crew.

Make your French Riviera port day a shared adventure. Depart Villefranche-sur-Mer by coach for Monaco, where a guided walk through Monaco-Ville introduces the historic surroundings of the Prince’s Palace, the cathedral and St. Martin Gardens.

Enjoy free time to choose your own lunch in Monaco before continuing toward Nice along the scenic Middle Corniche route. In Vieux Nice, discover the old town’s character and enjoy time for shopping or an unhurried wander before the coach returns to Villefranche. Bring your friends and your camera: this is a day for beautiful views and good company.

Included

• Coach transportation from Villefranche to Monaco and Nice, returning to Villefranche.
• LGBTQ-friendly guiding and headsets.
• Guided walking tour of Monaco Old Town.
• Visit and free time in Old Nice.

Know before you go

Proposed schedule: 10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., approximately 6½ hours, subject to confirmation. Lunch, drinks and personal purchases are extra. Palace and cathedral surroundings are itinerary highlights; paid interior admissions are not specified. Expect walking in historic town centers. Monte Carlo is not part of this itinerary.

Make the Riviera a shared memory.

Spend a full day exploring Rome’s remarkable art and ancient history together. Coach transportation connects the cruise port in Civitavecchia with the Eternal City, where the planned morning visit takes you through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel.

Your LGBTQ-friendly guide brings a different perspective to the collections, drawing attention to classical sculpture, artistic expression and stories connected to LGBTQ history. Admire the artistry of the museums and Michelangelo’s celebrated chapel before taking a lunch break near the Colosseum.

The afternoon continues with the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Follow the story of ancient Rome through monumental ruins and archaeological landscapes, then rejoin the coach for the return to Civitavecchia. It is an ambitious day filled with the sights many travelers dream of seeing—and the pleasure of sharing them with the group.

Included

• Round-trip coach service between Civitavecchia and Rome, with transportation for the planned city itinerary.
• Guided Vatican Museums and ancient Rome visits with LGBTQ-friendly guides.
• Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel admission.
• Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill admission.
• Headsets.

Know before you go

Full-day excursion; exact port pickup, afternoon schedule and return times are to be confirmed. Admission slots are subject to availability. Planned skip-the-line admission does not bypass security checks, and entry waits can still apply. Lunch and drinks are extra. This is a substantial walking day across museum floors, steps and archaeological surfaces.

Share a bucket-list day in Rome.

Start with a journey into the past, then finish with a taste of Italy you help create. Travel by coach from Salerno to Pompeii for an approximately two-hour guided walk through the archaeological site. Explore its ancient streets and ruins while your guide brings the story of this extraordinary place to life.

Return to Salerno for a hands-on cooking class at a local venue. The planned lesson focuses on either Italian pizza or pasta, with the final menu still to be confirmed. Learn together, enjoy the fun of preparing your meal and sit down to lunch with your fellow travelers.

Afterward, enjoy free time in Salerno’s center for a stroll, shopping or a little time by the seafront before making your own way back to the cruise port on foot. History, food and the crew around the table: a delicious combination.

Included

• Coach service from Salerno port to Pompeii and onward to the cooking-class venue in Salerno.
• Approximately two-hour guided Pompeii visit, admission and headsets.
• Approximately two-hour hands-on Italian cooking class and lunch featuring the prepared food.
• Tap water with lunch.
• Free time in Salerno after the class.

Know before you go

Pickup time remains to be confirmed. The proposed return on foot is around 4:30–5:00 p.m., subject to final arrangements. Coach service ends at the cooking venue around 1:30 p.m. The return to the ship is on your own, on foot; a return coach is not included. Wine and other drinks are extra. The class is pizza OR pasta, not both. No limoncello tasting is included. Pompeii involves uneven archaeological surfaces. The cruise itinerary currently lists Amalfi, while this planned excursion departs from Salerno: the departure port, berth or tender arrangements and walking distance to the ship require confirmation. Dietary requirements and final port arrangements must be confirmed before booking.

Come for Pompeii. Stay for the shared Italian table.

Trade the waterfront for volcanic landscapes as we head from Catania toward Mount Etna. The coach climbs to the Rifugio Sapienza area, approximately 1,900 meters above sea level, where a guided walk around the inactive Silvestri Craters offers an unforgettable perspective on Sicily’s rugged terrain.

Enjoy photo stops and time to take in the views before continuing to Taormina. Visit its Ancient Greek Theatre, then walk through the historic center and along Corso Umberto. Free time lets you choose your own lunch, browse the shops or linger over the atmosphere before the coach returns to Catania.

With striking landscapes, ancient architecture and your CruisingBears companions along for the adventure, this is a port day with plenty to remember.

Included

• Round-trip coach transportation from Catania via Mount Etna and Taormina.
• LGBTQ-friendly guiding and headsets.
• Guided visit around the inactive Silvestri Craters, with access subject to confirmation.
• Ancient Theatre of Taormina admission and guided visit.
• Walk through Taormina’s historic center and free time for lunch and exploration.

Know before you go

Proposed schedule: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., approximately seven hours, subject to confirmation. Lunch, drinks and personal purchases are extra. This excursion stays around the Silvestri Craters at approximately 1,900 meters; it does not include Etna’s summit, a cable car or a high-altitude expedition. Expect uneven volcanic ground and walking in Taormina. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a layer for the mountain stop.

Find your Sicily adventure with the crew.