Iberia and Morocco Cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona: Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar and Casablanca Itinerary Guide

At a glance

• Route (representative): Lisbon, a sea day, Cadiz (for Seville), Gibraltar, Casablanca, Tangier, Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia, a sea day, Barcelona. Ten nights, eleven days. Confirm the ports and order on your booking.
• Four countries and one territory: Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar (British) and Morocco. Spain and Portugal are in the Schengen area; Morocco and Gibraltar have their own border checks.
• Currencies: euro (Portugal, Spain), Moroccan dirham (MAD), and sterling in Gibraltar.
• Start airport: Lisbon (LIS). End airport: Barcelona El Prat (BCN). Price one-ways and open-jaw tickets.
• Best months: late April to early June, and September to October. July and August are hot in Seville and Casablanca.
• Must-book-ahead: a Seville cathedral ticket, a Casablanca mosque tour slot, and any Alhambra day from Malaga (weeks ahead).
• Biggest mistake: booking a flight home on the morning you reach Barcelona. Ships dock early, but you may not be off until mid-morning.
• Safety headline: Morocco is State Department Level 2 for terrorism, issued September 4, 2026 .

The route in one paragraph

You board in Lisbon, sail out past Belem into the Atlantic, and spend a sea day heading south. Cadiz is the gateway to Seville, a long but rewarding day. Gibraltar follows, with its Rock, its macaques and its British pubs. Then the ship crosses to Morocco for Casablanca, where the Hassan II Mosque sits on the ocean, and Tangier, where the old medina looks across the strait to Spain. Back in Spain you visit Malaga (with Granada's Alhambra as the big optional day), Cartagena and Valencia, take another sea day, and finish in Barcelona, where Gaudi's Sagrada Familia is the headline.

When to go

April to early June and late September to October bring mild days, fewer crowds and calmer seas. Midsummer brings heat well beyond what most visitors enjoy in Seville and Casablanca, plus full ships and long queues. Winter sailings are cooler and often cheaper, but the Atlantic can be rough off Portugal and the Strait of Gibraltar, and Moroccan calls are more likely to be dropped or swapped. If you can only travel in summer, pick the earliest morning tours in Seville and Casablanca, carry water, and plan the middle of the day indoors or aboard. Shoulder-season hotel rates in Lisbon and Barcelona are also noticeably gentler, which helps the pre- and post-cruise nights.

Embarkation city: Lisbon

Lisbon is built on hills over the Tagus. Cruise ships dock on the river near the old Alfama district, within a few kilometers of the center. The airport (LIS) is inside the city, and the metro and taxis both reach the river; check the Port of Lisbon's cruise terminal page (portodelisboa.pt) and the metro fares page (metrolisboa.pt) for the current terminal and fare, because neither gave us live data. Stay the night before in Baixa, Chiado or Alfama so you can walk or take a short taxi to the pier. Arrive a day early: Lisbon is worth the time, and airlines do cancel. Wear flat shoes, because the cobbles are polished and steep, and book a hotel that will hold your bags so you can see the city on boarding day.

Rough cost of the trip, three ways

Cabin prices change daily, so we name none. Fill these in from the line's own fare page for your sailing.

• Plan your budget

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Item	Your amount
  Cash: cruise fare
  (the line's fare page) + taxes and port fees
  flights
  hotel nights
  excursions
  gratuities
  drinks
  total

• Plan your budget

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Item	Your amount
  Points: flights on miles
  hotel nights on points
  cruise fare in cash
  (the full guide's points chapter lists transfer ratios) = cash
  plus points

• Plan your budget

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.

  Your trip budget worksheet

  Item	Your amount
  Mixed: cruise in cash, one flight on miles, a cheap pre-night in Lisbon, DIY ports. Total

Entry rules

Portugal is Level 1 (issued December 23, 2025) , Spain is Level 2 (issued August 1, 2026) , the UK page, which covers Gibraltar, is Level 2 (issued September 9, 2026) , and Morocco is Level 2 (issued September 4, 2026). The Morocco page lists terrorism as its only risk indicator and says: "There is risk of terrorist violence, including terrorist attacks and other activity in Morocco." Check this on the official page before you book. Portugal and Spain are Schengen.

Three free things

• Lisbon: walk up to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia viewpoint above Alfama. Photo subject: red rooftops and the Tagus from the Santa Luzia viewpoint.
• Gibraltar: stroll Main Street and Casemates Square, where the Rock fills the sky behind the gate. Photo subject: Casemates Square, Gibraltar.
• Barcelona: the Gothic Quarter lanes and the outside of the Sagrada Familia, which you can admire from the street for nothing. Photo subject: Sagrada Familia facade from Placa de Gaudi.

Check this on the official page before you book.

What the full guide adds

Eleven day-by-day plans with clock times, photo spots, insider moves and rain backups; port-by-port pier, shuttle and excursion notes; sea-day planning; debarkation and flight-home options; a pre-booking list with splurge-or-save pairs; a points playbook using only verified transfer ratios; a cost sheet with blanks and sources; and a printable one-page plan, packing list and emergency numbers.

This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.