7-night South America cruise from Rio de Janeiro on MSC Splendida
The 7 nights South America from Rio de Janeiro is a 7-night South America cruise aboard MSC Splendida, operated by MSC Cruises. Departing Rio de Janeiro on November 29, 2026, the voyage visits 3 ports including Montevideo, Buenos Aires. Fares start from $1,936 per person.
Fixed editorial images from the places on this itinerary. They stay stable each time you return to this sailing.
Rio de Janeiro
As you’ll be able to appreciate when you cruise the Atlantic Ocean with MSC Cruises, in its position on the southern shore of the magnificent Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro has, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most stunning settings in the world.
Extending for 20km along an alluvial strip, between an azure sea and forest-clad mountains, the city’s streets and buildings have been moulded around the foothills of the mountain range that provides its backdrop, while out in the bay there are many rocky islands fringed with white sand.
The aerial views over Rio are breathtaking, and even the concrete skyscrapers that dominate the city’s skyline add to the attraction. As the former capital of Brazil and now its second-largest city, Rio has a remarkable architectural heritage, some of the country’s best museums and galleries, superb restaurants and a vibrant nightlife – in addition to its legendary beaches. A shore excursion on your MSC South America cruise can be the opportunity to visit the Pão de Açúcar.
The Sugar Loaf Mountain rises where Guanabara Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its name may simply reflect a resemblance to the moulded loaves in which sugar was once commonly sold. Alternatively, it may be a corruption of the indigenous Tamoya word Pau-nh-Açuquá, meaning “high, pointed or isolated hill”. On the top of Corcoavado Mountain instead the Art Deco statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), arms outstretched in welcome, stands 30m high and weighs over 1000 tonnes. It was supposed to be completed for Brazil’s centenary independence celebrations in 1922, but wasn’t actually finished until 1931.
In clear weather, fear no anticlimax: climbing to the statue is a stunning experience, with the whole of Rio and Guanabara Bay laid out before you.
Montevideo
As you sail on an MSC cruise to South America, Montevideo is the port for you. Founded in 1726 as a fortress against Portuguese encroachment on the northern shore of the Río de la Plata, it had an excellent trading position and, following a turbulent and often violent early history, its growth was rapid.
A shore excursion on your MSC South America cruise can be the opportunity to discover Montevideo. It may appear humble at first, but this is a seriously cool, confident city. If you’ve ever seen a fictionalized version of Havana on TV or film, it’s quite possible it was actually shot in Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja, so reminiscent are its streets of those in the Cuban capital.
Dotted among the crumbling houses and cobbled streets are endearingly bizarre (and mostly free) museums and galleries, while the highlight is the glorious Mercado del Puerto. A good place to start a walking tour of the Ciudad Vieja is the Puerta de la Ciudadela, dating to 1746, marking the original site of the Citadel of Montevideo on the Plaza Independencia.
This square commemorates the emergence of Uruguay as a sovereign nation, and a 17m-high statue and mausoleum of José Artigas, the man credited with kick-starting Uruguay’s independence campaign against Spain and Portugal, stands aptly in the centre.
The area around the plaza contains eclectic architectural styles from different periods, from the Torre Ejecutiva where the president performs his duties, to the bulbous tower of the Palacio Salvo, built on the reported site of the first ever performance of tango. Tucked behind the plaza’s south-western corner is the celebrated Teatro Solís, the most prestigious theatre in the country, completed in 1856 and remodelled a few times thereafter.
Buenos Aires
Passionate, and alive with an infectious crackling energy, the Argentine capital is a breathlessly romantic city, which blends old-world colonial architecture with a down-to-earth Latin American clamour. Famed for steamy tango interplays, and expertly seared steak slabs, a visit to Buenos Aires is a fiery fiesta for the senses. Parque Tres de Febrero is a 400-hectare oasis where 18,000 rose bushes bloom, and skyscrapers give way to still lakes and pretty paths of rollerblading locals.
Mighty palm trees - that look like exploding fireworks - stand tall in Plaza de Mayo, the heart of this sprawling cosmopolitan capital of 48 barrios. The square has served as the stage for many fundamental events in this country’s history, and the location where the seeds of independence were sewn continues to serve as the city’s gathering point - and is a place for solidarity, rebellion and revolution. The presidential Casa Rosada’s salmon-hued Palatial Palace borders the plaza, while nearby Museum Nacional de Bellas Artes houses the largest collection of public art in Latin America. Teatro Colón, the opulent 1908 opera house, is one of the world’s finest venues - musical performance here take on an ethereal quality, with the exceptional acoustics transferring every quiver of bow, and tremor of vocal cord, to the audience in spine-tingling clarity. The gargantuan, precipitous terraces of Bombonera Stadium form another of Buenos Aires’s incredible venues, and a wall of noise emanates from it when Boca Juniors take to the field. Juicy steak and punchy Malbec flow in the city’s parrillas – steakhouses - while glitzy bars and thumping nightclubs welcome revellers late into the night. It’s not just the meat that sizzles here either - tango dancers fill milongas - dance halls - to strut passionately until the early hours. Sip steaming mate, the country’s national drink, shop in covered markets, and explore Cementerio de la Recoleta - a city of grand graves and intricate memorials honouring presidents, politicians and notable Argentine heroes from history.
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Follow the entire sailing from its first day to its last, with the route and schedule in one view.
Day 1·Nov 29, 2026
Rio de Janeiro
As you’ll be able to appreciate when you cruise the Atlantic Ocean with MSC Cruises, in its position on the southern shore of the magnificent Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro has,…
MSC Splendida carries you in stylish luxury to the most desirable cruise destinations in the world.
You’ll love the live music and wide variety of bars and restaurants on board. Food choices to explore include authentic Mediterranean specialities and spicy Tex-Mex. Complete the night with a world-class show in The Strand Theatre, a winning streak in the Royal Palm Casino or dancing ‘til dawn in the Club 33 Disco.
We’ve got fitness and sport covered with four swimming pools, a squash court, volleyball court, ultramodern gym and even a running track, allowing you to take in the stunning ocean views and refreshing sea breeze.
For those looking to relax, head to the MSC Aurea Spa where you will find pampering Balinese massages, a range of beauty treatments, a Turkish bath, sauna, whirlpool and solarium. There is also the option to sunbathe in peace on the Top 18 sun deck, located at the top of the ship, where complimentary, refreshing fruit skewers and a thirst-quenching bar menu will keep you cool all day.
And while you are topping up your tan, the Kids and Teens can enjoy fabulous facilities and clubs of their own.
The foredecks of the ship are home to the exclusive MSC Yacht Club, a luxurious ship-within-a-ship with 71 spacious suites, its own Concierge Reception, 24-hour butler service, private Top Sail Lounge, pool deck and bar.
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