In this episode of the TSJ CruisePod, the Transfer Tour 2026 aboard MSC Magnifica continues to La Rochelle, France.

The ship docks outside the city, so an excursion takes us towards the historic center. Along the way, we pass the massive submarine bunker at La Pallice, an imposing reminder of the area’s wartime history and a striking contrast to the charming old harbor waiting ahead.

Once in La Rochelle, we begin with a guided walk through the compact Old Town. The route takes us past the historic city hall, narrow streets, and the Grosse Horloge, the old clock tower that forms a natural gateway between the shopping streets and the harbor.

Later, we leave the group and continue independently, making our way towards the waterfront, the Ferris wheel, several churches, and La Rochelle’s most recognizable landmarks: the Tour Saint-Nicolas and Tour de la Chaîne.

With boats filling the old harbor and medieval towers framing the entrance, La Rochelle delivers exactly the kind of Atlantic port atmosphere one hopes to find on this part of the journey.

A warm, relaxed port day combining guided history with time to explore at our own pace.

In this episode of the TSJ CruisePod, the Transfer Tour 2026 aboard MSC Magnifica reaches the Basque Country in northern Spain.

The ship docks in Getxo, near the mouth of the Nervión River, rather than directly in central Bilbao. From there, we take a taxi straight to the Guggenheim Museum, with tickets already booked in advance.

Inside, the art itself is not necessarily the main attraction for me. Instead, it is Frank Gehry’s extraordinary building that leaves the strongest impression. Its sweeping curves, titanium surfaces, changing reflections, large interior spaces, and unusual perspectives make the museum feel almost like a giant walkable sculpture.

After the visit, rising temperatures make a long city exploration less appealing, so we return to Getxo. A later shuttle ride into town reveals mostly closed shops, and the day ends back aboard MSC Magnifica.

A focused port call with one very clear highlight – and a reminder that sometimes the building containing the art can become the most memorable work of art itself.

In this episode of the TSJ CruisePod, the Transfer Tour 2026 aboard MSC Magnifica reaches A Coruña on Spain’s Atlantic coast.

For many cruise passengers, A Coruña is the starting point for an excursion to Santiago de Compostela. But having already visited Santiago during the Winter Cruise 2024, this time we decided to stay closer to the ship and discover A Coruña itself.

Our guided tour began at 9:15 and first took us towards the Tower of Hercules, the ancient Roman lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic and one of the city’s most important landmarks. Along the way, we experienced A Coruña’s coastline, beaches, maritime atmosphere, and even a large octopus sculpture that seemed perfectly at home in seafood-loving Galicia.

From there, we continued into the historic center, walking past fountains, churches, and old squares. One particularly memorable detail was a short walk along an actual section of the Camino de Santiago, connecting the visit directly with Galicia’s famous pilgrimage tradition.

The tour ended at Plaza de María Pita, dominated by A Coruña’s impressive city hall and named after the local heroine remembered for defending the city during an English attack in the 16th century.

A day between Roman history, Atlantic views, Galician identity, and the Camino, and proof that A Coruña is far more than simply a gateway to Santiago de Compostela.

In this episode of the TSJ CruisePod, the Transfer Tour 2026 aboard MSC Magnifica reaches Barcelona, Spain.

The original idea was to explore several of Antoni Gaudí’s famous buildings more directly. But after taking the shuttle from the cruise terminal to the World Trade Center, the plan changed spontaneously.

Instead, we boarded one of Barcelona’s red double-decker sightseeing buses and followed the red route through the city. The tour provided a broad overview of Barcelona, passing places such as La Rambla, the waterfront, Poblenou, the Sagrada Família, Arc de Triomf, Montjuïc, the Olympic area, Poble Espanyol, Plaça de Catalunya, and Casa Batlló.

It was a relaxed way to experience very different sides of the city, from Mediterranean beaches and modern neighborhoods to Olympic history and some of Gaudí’s most recognizable architecture.

Then the weather changed.

Rain began to fall, the bus roof was quickly closed, and yet water still managed to find its way inside whenever the vehicle turned. What had begun as a convenient sightseeing tour became an unexpectedly wet ride through Barcelona.

A spontaneous port day full of architecture, changing plans, and one very memorable rainy bus journey.

In this episode of the TSJ CruisePod, the Transfer Tour 2026 aboard MSC Magnifica reaches its first port of call: Marseille, France.

Marseille is one of the Mediterranean’s great port cities, known for the Old Port, the hilltop basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, the historic streets of Le Panier, and centuries of maritime history. But this visit takes a very different direction.

Having visited Marseille several times before, and with MSC Magnifica once again docked far from the actual city center, there was no need to turn the day into another full sightseeing excursion.

Instead, the morning started slowly aboard the ship with breakfast, some time to back up photos, and a quiet break outside on deck. After lunch, there was still time for a short walk ashore, but only through the immediate cruise harbor area with its large quays, traffic routes, and port infrastructure.

It may not have been a day of famous landmarks, but that was exactly the point.

Sometimes a cruise port becomes an opportunity to slow down, enjoy the ship, step ashore for a while, and simply let the journey continue at its own pace.

In this first episode of Season 5 of the TSJ CruisePod, we begin a very different kind of cruise: the Transfer Tour 2026 aboard MSC Magnifica.

Instead of returning to the same port after a classic round trip, this journey starts in Genoa, Italy, and gradually moves north. From the Mediterranean, the route leads to Marseille and Barcelona before turning towards the Atlantic coast with stops in A Coruña, Bilbao, La Rochelle, and Brest. The final destination is Warnemünde on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast.

It is a cruise shaped by transition. Mediterranean cities and familiar ports slowly give way to Galicia, the Basque Country, France’s Atlantic coast, Brittany, and finally northern Europe.

This episode introduces the route and the ship that connects all these destinations: MSC Magnifica. Built in 2010, she combines the atmosphere of a more traditional cruise ship with restaurants, bars, lounges, pools, entertainment venues, spa facilities, sports areas, and plenty of places to simply watch the sea go by.

And for this particular journey, MSC Magnifica was more than just the ship for another cruise. She was already familiar from previous travels, making the beginning of the Transfer Tour feel a little like coming back to a floating home.

In this final episode of this TSJ CruisePod season, we complete the Mediterranean Tour with an excursion from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence, France.

Since Marseille had already been visited during previous cruises, this last port day took a different direction. Instead of exploring the busy port city again, we joined an MSC excursion inland to Aix-en-Provence, one of the most elegant towns in southern France.

After a coach ride with background information about Marseille and Aix, the group was divided by language and we continued in a smaller guided walking tour. This made the visit feel calm and personal, with stops at several of the town’s characteristic fountains and squares, including the Fontaine de la Rotonde and the Place des Quatre Dauphins.

The walk continued along the Cours Mirabeau, through historic streets, past the town hall and on to the Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence. Afterwards, there was some free time to browse, buy a few typical souvenirs and enjoy the Provençal atmosphere before returning to the ship.

Back on board MSC Seaview, it was time to relax, start packing and slowly say goodbye to the Mediterranean Tour. This episode closes the season – but not the journey. A new cruise adventure will continue soon on the TSJ CruisePod.

In this episode of the TSJ CruisePod, we continue the Mediterranean Tour with our next port call: Barcelona, Spain.

Barcelona is one of the great cruise cities of the Mediterranean and appears on many itineraries. After previous visits during the World Cruise 2023 and World Cruise 2025, this stop became a shorter and more relaxed return to a familiar destination.

Instead of using the MSC shuttle, we chose the public Cruise Bus, which offered a cheaper and practical connection from the cruise terminal to the World Trade Center. From there, we walked toward La Rambla and passed the Columbus Monument.

A small tourist information sign inside the monument led to the most memorable part of the day: a ride up the monument and a great view over the harbor area and the city.

Afterwards, the walk along La Rambla remained rather short, partly because ongoing construction work made the boulevard feel less inviting than expected. So this Barcelona stop became a simple, practical, and pleasant visit – with a familiar city seen from a slightly different perspective.