17 May 2025
Barcelona, Spain
01:00
18:00
18 May 2025
Valencia, Spain
09:00
19:00
Valencia is located in the middle of Europe‘s most densely developed agricultural region. Originally a Greek settlement, the town was taken over by Romans in 138 BC and turned into a retirement town for old soldiers. The Moors controlled the land for 500 years, and this fertile plain, which today yields three to four crops, was considered to be heaven on earth. El Cid conquered Valencia for Spain in 1094, but it fell back into Moorish hands after his death. Incorporated into Spain in the 15th century, Valencia remains the nation‘s breadbasket.
19 May 2025
Cartagena, Spain
08:00
18:00
Founded by Carthaginians in the third century BC, this ancient Mediterranean port city exemplifies the region‘s tumultuous history. Romans, Visigoths, Castilians and Moors have all left their marks. Under King Philip II, Cartagena‘s naturally deep, sheltered harbor was developed into the nation‘s premier naval base, a position it still enjoys today. Ancient ramparts remain, as does a lighthouse erected in Moorish times.
20 May 2025
At Sea
01:00
01:00
21 May 2025
Lisbon, Portugal
09:00
18:00
The great period of “the Discoveries” accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country‘s capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon‘s panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe‘s smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country‘s excellent wines.
22 May 2025
Leixoes (Porto), Portugal
09:00
17:00
The commercial center of northern Portugal and hub of the port wine trade, Porto is a gracious, cosmopolitan city noted for its 12th century cathedral and medieval churches, picturesque narrow streets and wine lodges at Vila Nova de Gaia. It is clustered on hills overlooking a river, and is a northern European style city with granite church towers, narrow streets and hidden Baroque treasures.
23 May 2025
Ferrol
09:00
19:00
Ferrol is a city in the Province of A Coruña in Galicia, on the Atlantic coast in north-western Spain, in the vicinity of Strabo‘s Cape Nerium. According to the 2016 census, the city has a population of 66,065, making it the seventh largest settlement in Galicia.
24 May 2025
At Sea
13:00
00:59
25 May 2025
Scenic Cruising Gironde Estuary
01:00
01:00
25 May 2025
Bordeaux, France
09:00
01:00
Bordeaux is the starting point for many exciting excursions into the surrounding wine country. The patricians of Bordeaux have always been merchants and shipbuilders. Under the Romans the city had a flourishing trade with Spain and Britain. In 1154, as a part of the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine, it became English and remained so until 1453. In the 18th century, Bordeaux prospered from the slave trade, and later in commerce with French colonies in Africa. Since Roman times the quality of the region‘s vines and wines has been zealously maintained.
26 May 2025
Bordeaux, France
01:00
22:00
Bordeaux is the starting point for many exciting excursions into the surrounding wine country. The patricians of Bordeaux have always been merchants and shipbuilders. Under the Romans the city had a flourishing trade with Spain and Britain. In 1154, as a part of the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine, it became English and remained so until 1453. In the 18th century, Bordeaux prospered from the slave trade, and later in commerce with French colonies in Africa. Since Roman times the quality of the region‘s vines and wines has been zealously maintained.
27 May 2025
La Rochelle, France
09:00
18:00
La Rochelle is a coastal city in southwestern France and capital of the Charente-Maritime department. It‘s been a center for fishing and trade since the 12th century, a maritime tradition that‘s reflected in its Vieux Port (old harbor) and huge, modern Les Minimes marina. The old town has half-timbered medieval houses and Renaissance architecture, including passageways covered by 17th-century arches.
28 May 2025
At Sea
13:00
00:59
29 May 2025
St Helier, Jersey
09:00
18:00
Jersey is a Crown dependency. It has formal relationships with, but is not part of the European Union nor the United Kingdom. As might be expected, its setting between those two has shaped a great deal of its history. The medieval castle of Mont Orgueil overlooking Gorey Harbour is a mute testament to the shifting political tides that have washed the island, as are the elaborate works created during the German occupation between 1940 and 1945. Wineries such as La Mare take advantage of the pleasant climate, as does the 32-acre Durell Wildlife Park, founded by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell. His foundation now supports the facility, which is dedicated to preserving species at risk of extinction in the wild. Visitors are welcome to see and learn about the over 130 species they maintain, including a famous family of lowland gorillas. During your time on Jersey, you are also likely to spot an example of an indigenous domestic species: Jersey cattle, which are renowned for their high production of milk and cream.
30 May 2025
Portsmouth, UK
09:00
19:00
Portsmouth is a port city and naval base on England’s south coast, mostly spread across Portsea Island. It’s known for its maritime heritage and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The dockyard is home to the interactive National Museum of the Royal Navy, the wooden warship HMS Victory, where Nelson died in the Battle of Trafalgar, and HMS Warrior 1860. The Tudor ship Mary Rose is also conserved in a dockyard museum.
31 May 2025
Dover (London), England
08:00
18:00
Crossing the English Channel from continental Europe to Great Britain, the first view of England is the milky-white strip of land called the White Cliffs of Dover. As you get closer, the coastline unfolds before you in all its striking beauty. White chalk cliffs with streaks of black flint rise straight from the sea to a height of 350’ (110 m). Numerous archaeological finds reveal people were present in the area during the Stone Age. Yet the first record of Dover is from Romans, who valued its close proximity to the mainland. A mere 21 miles (33 km) separate Dover from the closest point in France. A Roman-built lighthouse in the area is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. The remains of a Roman villa with the only preserved Roman wall mural outside of Italy are another unique survivor from ancient times which make Dover one of a kind.
1 Jun 2025
Portland, England
06:30
20:00
Portland Island and the resort town of Weymouth are connected by a 5-mile (8 km) long neck of white sand known as Chesil Beach. Renowned as the finest example of a barrier-type beach in Europe, Chesil Beach was formed 10,000 years ago as glaciers receded and sea levels rose. The rugged coastline of Dorset and the many attractions in the area are what make Weymouth such a popular vacation destination. The Old Harbour of Weymouth is an excellent Georgian-style harbor and one of the prettiest in Europe. It bustles with activity from large catamarans, fishing boats and yachts. Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park displays over 1,000 incredible sea creatures including sea turtles, crabs, octopuses and sharks. The nearby Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens is an impressive walled garden set in 20 acres (8 hectares) of woodland. Portland Island offers stunning views across the Chesil Beach, Portland Harbour, Fleet Lagoon and Weymouth. The little egret, once a rare bird in Britain, is now regularly seen along these shores.
2 Jun 2025
At Sea
13:00
00:59
3 Jun 2025
Cobh, Cork
09:00
19:00
The port town of Cobh is located just 15 miles from Cork, the capital of Ireland‘s southern region. Some of Ireland‘s more famous landmarks are located in this part of the country, including Blarney Castle, famous for many legends, most notably the magical Blarney Stone. Some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in Europe is found west of Cork, with lyrical names to match the picturesque valleys, mountains and coasts.Cork, a city with a heritage reaching into antiquity, is nevertheless modern, well-organized, and well aware of its role as the second city of the Irish Republic. Built on a marsh, and interlaced with winding canals and rivers, the city is divided into two parts, with well-patterned architectural development incorporating the best of the old with the new.
4 Jun 2025
Fishguard, Wales, United Kingdom
09:00
18:00
Fishguard’s name in Welsh is Abergwaun, meaning the mouth of the River Gwaun. The English name comes from an Old Norse word for a fish trap, and indeed the community has profited from catching and drying herring for centuries. It has remained remarkably unchanged physically over the years. The waterfront has a traditional feel like many others in Pembrokeshire. At first glance, nothing would indicate that this is the site of the last invasion of Britain by a foreign power. But a bicentenary stone recalls the day in 1797 when 1400 French revolutionary troops landed here, only to be routed by the local folk, including a heroic woman shoemaker named Jemima Nicholas, who rounded up more than a dozen dismayed invaders while armed with a pitchfork. A large tapestry depicting the struggle is on display in the Fishguard Town Hall. The surrounding South Wales countryside is dotted with medieval castles, some impressive, such as Pembroke and Picton Castles, and others little more than scenically sited ruins. Cardigan also has a notable garden called Dyffryn Fernant, and St. David’s boasts an impressive early cathedral and a Bishop’s Palace. Prehistoric Pembrokeshire is represented by the Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber, a massive dolmen with an intact 15-ton capstone made of the same type of rock that formed the inner sanctum of Stonehenge.
5 Jun 2025
Douglas, Isle of Man
09:00
19:00
Douglas is the capital of the Isle of Man. Mann, as it is also called, is a British Crown Dependency, with its own parliament and postage stamps (a popular souvenir). Here visitors can sample means of transport ranging from horse-drawn trams, to steam trains and the high-speed motorcycles that compete in the renowned Isle of Man TT races. In summer the town maintains much of the seaside resort charm of an earlier period, including the Victorian-era Grand Union Camera Obscura, now restored for your amusement.
6 Jun 2025
Belfast, Northern Ireland
09:00
00:00
Belfast, Northern Ireland‘s largest urban area is situated on Ireland‘s eastern coast. To the northwest, the city is flanked by hills, including Cavehill, thought to be Jonathan Swift‘s inspiration for his novel, “Gulliver‘s Travels.” Belfast‘s location is ideal for the shipbuilding industry that once made it famous. The Titanic was built here in 1912, at the largest shipyard in the world. Until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 was reached, the worst of Ireland‘s “troubles” was experienced in Belfast, which suffered almost half the conflict‘s resulting deaths. Since that time, however, Belfast‘s city center has emerged into an attractive pedestrian-oriented environment with street musicians and the like, and a revitalized river front.
7 Jun 2025
Rothesay, Isle of Bute
09:00
18:00
Rothesay, standing along the Firth of Clyde, presents the visitor with a combination of illustrious gardens and grand architecture. The magnificent ruins of Rothesay Castle, which date from the 13th century, are what most people visualize when they think of a medieval castle. With a drawbridge, encircling moat, immense circular curtain wall and tall stone towers, Rothesay is unique in Scotland for its circular plan. The ruins of St Blane‘s Chapel, a 6th century monastery, sit atop a hill with views over the Sound of Bute. For true elegance, visit the country estate of Mount Stuart House with its colonnaded Marble Hall and extraordinary Marble Chapel. Built in the late 1870’s in the Gothic Revivalist style, it was constructed of reddish-brown stone and houses a library of 25,000 books. The Ardencraig Gardens, sitting atop Canada Hill, feature a walled garden and exotic aviary. Ascog Hall Fernery, located on the grounds of a baronial-style house from 1844, is a beautiful garden with the oldest ferns in Britain.
8 Jun 2025
Oban, UK
09:00
18:00
9 Jun 2025
Ullapool
09:00
18:00
Ullapool is a village of around 1,500 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands, located around 45 miles north-west of Inverness. Despite its small size it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and an important port and tourist destination.
10 Jun 2025
At Sea
13:00
00:59
11 Jun 2025
Newhaven
09:00
22:00
New Haven is a coastal city on Long Island Sound, in Connecticut. It’s home to the Ivy League Yale University, founded in 1701. The institution’s museums include the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art. Grove Street Cemetery, dating from the late 18th century, has a 19th-century Egyptian Revival gateway. The New Haven Museum covers local history.
12 Jun 2025
Newcastle, Tyne, England
09:00
18:00
Newcastle upon Tyne, clinging to the north bank of the River Tyne, grew around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built here in 1080 by William the Conqueror‘s eldest son, Robert Curthose. The port developed in the 16th century, quickly becoming one of the world‘s largest shipbuilding centers. Newcastle harbors a spirited mix of heritage and urban sophistication. Among its ultra-modern structures, is the beautiful refined curve of the Gateshead Millennium suspension bridge, one of seven major bridges that cross The Tyne. The modern reflective, spherical-profile of the Sage Gateshead Concert Hall contrasts greatly with the distinguished vertical columns of the traditional-style Theatre Royal, located in Grainger Town, the historic center of Newcastle.
13 Jun 2025
Great Yarmouth, England, United Kingdom
10:00
19:00
14 Jun 2025
Dover (London), England
08:00
01:00
Crossing the English Channel from continental Europe to Great Britain, the first view of England is the milky-white strip of land called the White Cliffs of Dover. As you get closer, the coastline unfolds before you in all its striking beauty. White chalk cliffs with streaks of black flint rise straight from the sea to a height of 350’ (110 m). Numerous archaeological finds reveal people were present in the area during the Stone Age. Yet the first record of Dover is from Romans, who valued its close proximity to the mainland. A mere 21 miles (33 km) separate Dover from the closest point in France. A Roman-built lighthouse in the area is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. The remains of a Roman villa with the only preserved Roman wall mural outside of Italy are another unique survivor from ancient times which make Dover one of a kind.