La Seyne-sur-Mer (for Toulon) cruise port, France
A shipbuilding town across the water from Toulon, France's main Mediterranean naval base. In November 1942, with German troops arriving, the French fleet scuttled itself in that harbour rather than be taken: some seventy-seven ships put onto the bottom in a morning.
Worth knowing. The yard closed in 1989 but the town refused to lose its great blue gantry crane, which is now a protected monument. It lifts nothing and everybody can see it.
What to do in La Seyne-sur-Mer (for Toulon) for free
The ship comes in on the La Seyne side, so Toulon is over the water rather than at the end of the gangway. La Seyne itself is a short walk and the front is most of it, with the blue crane standing over the whole thing.
What costs money
The ship's own excursions usually cost more than booking the same trip yourself. Two things come with the price. The ship waits for its own excursions and does not wait for you. And if the port is missed, P&O refunds its own without you asking. A trip you booked yourself is a claim on your travel insurance, so check what your policy covers. The ship sells its own trips to all of these, and the desk is open on board if you would rather do it that way.
The bateau-bus over to Toulon. About twenty minutes across the bay. It is the town's own ferry rather than a tour, and it lands you on the Toulon waterfront beside the market.
Mont Faron. A cable car up to 584 metres above Toulon, with the bay, the naval base and the islands off the coast laid out under you.
Which ship calls at La Seyne-sur-Mer (for Toulon), and when
Every call here between 15 August and 28 November 2026, with the hours ashore P&O published. These times are a guide, not a promise: the captain gives the real ones the day before.
| Ship | Sails | Day | Ashore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvia | 10 October 2026, 13 nights | Day 8 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 9 May 2027, 14 nights | Day 7 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 6 June 2027, 14 nights | Day 7 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 20 June 2027, 14 nights | Day 9 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 4 July 2027, 14 nights | Day 7 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 18 July 2027, 14 nights | Day 9 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 15 August 2027, 14 nights | Day 7 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
| Arvia | 12 September 2027, 14 nights | Day 7 | 08:00 to 18:00 |
How long you get ashore in La Seyne-sur-Mer (for Toulon)
The published times give you about 10 hours alongside, depending on the sailing. Take off the time it takes a few thousand people to get off, and the time you need to be back on board before the ship leaves, and that is your day. P&O give the real hours the day before, and the all-aboard time is earlier than the departure time.
The other stops on these cruises
Every one of these is on at least one of the sailings that calls at La Seyne-sur-Mer (for Toulon).
- AlicanteSanta Barbara castle stands on the bare rock of Benacantil straight above the town, held in turn by Carthaginians, Romans and Moors because whoever had the rock had the harbour.
- BarcelonaThe Gothic Quarter is built on the Roman town of Barcino, and the Sagrada Familia has been under construction since 1882: Gaudi knew he would not see it finished and said his client was in no hurry.
- Cadiz (tours to Seville)Probably the oldest continuously lived-in city in western Europe: the Phoenicians founded Gadir here around 1100 BC.
- Civitavecchia (for Rome)Rome's port since Trajan built it in 106, and his harbour walls are still under the modern quays.
- La CorunaThe Spanish Armada sailed from this harbour in 1588, and it is still guarded by the Tower of Hercules, a Roman lighthouse from about the year 100 which has never stopped working: the oldest one on earth still doing its job.
- La Spezia (tours to Florence /Pisa)A naval city at the head of a gulf, and the reason ships call is what sits either side of it: the Cinque Terre villages up the coast, Pisa and Florence inland.
- MalagaPicasso was born here in 1881, in a flat on the Plaza de la Merced, and there is a museum of his work a few streets away.
- VigoEurope's biggest fishing port by weight landed, and it smells honestly of it near the market.
Money and language in France
Euro (EUR, €). Cards are fine almost everywhere. A boulangerie queue moves faster if you have coins. Onboard is always charged in sterling, so this only matters ashore.
A greeting in French before you switch to English is worth more here than anywhere else on these itineraries.
| English | French | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour | bon-ZHOOR |
| Goodbye | Au revoir | oh ruh-VWAR |
| How much? | Combien ça coûte? | kom-BYAN sa KOOT |
| Thank you | Merci | mair-SEE |
| Please | S'il vous plaît | seel voo PLEH |
Free, and it works with no internet. Give it the dates you sail and it works out your own stops and saves the street map for each one. It shows you round the ship too.
All the ports written up so far, the things to do before you sail, or the ship pages for Iona and Arvia.