Viking Star - December 7 Rome to Barcelona Ports

We are sailing on this cruise in December. I have several questions so hopefully someone will be able to answer.

What is the weather like during December in the Southern Mediterranean?

Is Tunisia and Algiers scary to do excursions at? I know in Algiers if you want to explore on your own (who would) you must have a separate visa.

In Algiers is the Casbah worth seeing?

And finally: If anyone has done a similar itinerary what is the highlights of the ports?

We are staying two extra days pre cruise in Rome and post cruise in Barcelona.

Thank you in advance.

Look on Trip Advisor for weather information; you'll be able to find average temperatures there.

Look on the January 4 roll call. I posted some links there for threads that folks on the Southern Med itinerary may be interested in reading.

There are plenty of comments about Rome and Barcelona in this forum and even more information in the "Ports of Call" section of the Cruise Critic boards.

We did 12 days in Barcelona aboard the Viking Sea and I'm happy to answer questions about the city. Also, there is a link to our photos and blog in my signature; just expand signature for the links.

Some comments in our blog below. Tunisia will be escorted.

Congrats to you for taking extra days on the front and back end. Great places to visit.

Greetings from New Hampshire, we're booked on the December cruise from Rome to Barcelona...very excited ....

Yippee, more cruisers checking into this site. I called Viking the other day and was told the excursions should be available for viewing within the next month. I have looked at what excursions may be offered on the Viking - Southern Mediterranean cruise and have my eye on a couple and hope they will be offered.

Sounds like the ship is filling up.

We are staying at the Palace Hotel on Via Veneto in Rome and the Renaissance in Barcelona. They look like exceptional hotels.

Looking forward to meeting you all in person.

Charlie aka Charlotte:D

Bon voyage!! Here's the link to the roll call for your cruise. Also, check out the roll calls for the other sailings of your itinerary; it is just another way to learn more (it sails every other week --Dec 7 & 14, Jan 4 & 18, Feb 1, 15, Mar 1) . For information about the individual ports, check out the ports of call section of Cruise Critic (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=603):

Viking Star December 7 - 14th, 2017 Southern Mediterranean Discovery

I've been curious about that same itinerary, so looked at this site for weather: http://www.holiday-weather.com. It seems to give more useful monthly weather information than many weather sites. I was looking for February or early March, not December, but was happy to see that the temps and rain/lack of rain in that part of the world seemed fairly good. I forget where else the cruise goes that we've been to, except that it includes Valencia and Barcelona, but we enjoyed both of those cities when we visited before. If you're a photographer, Valencia has some modern buildings by the artist Calatrava that make for a fun half day of photography. I took a bus there to see it, but I imagine a taxi or ship's excursion will get you there as well.

We were in Barcelona for a few days last December and the weather was glorious- sunny and moderate temperatures. We stayed at the Hotel Grand Central- great access to wonderful restaurants (Restaurant Arcano was delicious). We took two tours that I highly recommend: Barcelona Day Tours to Montserrat and around Barcelona, and Context Tours (really good tours in many cities) - Sagrada Familia and Hotel Pau, combined (Hotel Pau is a former hospital composed of multiple buildings with amazing architecture and tile design). Though not "private," there were only a few other people on each tour. Enjoy!

Not sure what time you arrive in Rome - We spent a couple of days in Rome after a cruise. Rome has so much to offer - from the Romans to the Renaissance and beyond. I would suggest that you spend a day around the ancient part - Colisseum, the Roman Forum & Palentine hill (all near each other) and the Pantheon, then concentrate on the area around the Vatican. There is so much to see. Rome just spews out history in every street. Do your home work - prebook where you can to gain quick entry. There are long queues at the colosseum and Vatican. These may be less so in winter but us European are always taking short weekend breaks to each other's capital city's and the best prices are in the 'off season months'

In Barcelona - it is worth pre- booking your trip to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia (cathedral) - we didn't and couldn't get in as the daily number of people able to visit is limited. Las Ramblas is famous but the side streets that run parallel are equally interesting,

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/ramblas/barcelona-las-ramblas.html

Both cities are amazing. You have made a good choice to stay over on either side of your cruise - Enjoy