Best Of The Med Voyage Cruise

Day 1 - Barcelona

Arrive: Sat 13 July 2024 / Depart: Sat 13 July 2024 at 18:00

Dynamic Barcelona is all about architecture, from the magnificent medieval buildings of the Gothic Quarter to the Modernist movement typified by the work of Antoni Gaudi. Though his materials were stone and metal, his forms were organic, awash in curves, swirls, and colors. His masterpiece is the amazing Church of the Sagrada Familia, colossal and as yet unfinished, though construction began in 1882. A contemporary contribution to the scene is Ricardo Bofill's post modernist National Theater of Catalonia, an imaginative combination of classical and modern design, with a greenhouse-like lobby.

Day 2 - Marseille

Arrive: Sun 14 July 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 14 July 2024 at 18:00

Marseille, a port city in southern France, has been a crossroads of immigration and trade since its founding by the Greeks circa 600 B.C. At its heart is the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where fishmongers sell their catch along the boat-lined quay. Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde is a Romanesque-Byzantine church. Modern landmarks include Le Corbusier’s influential Cité Radieuse complex and Zaha Hadid’s CMA CGM Tower.

Day 3 - Monaco

Arrive: Mon 15 July 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 15 July 2024 at 22:00

The tiny principality of Monaco, a sovereign state of just under one square mile, has an outsized resume, boasting some of the planet's most expensive real estate, and the world's most prestigious casino. Facing the sea, and engulfed on the other three sides by France, it has been the domain of the Grimaldi dynasty since the 14th century, and enjoys the same glamorous reputation as the rest of the Riviera.

Day 4 - Florence/Pisa

Arrive: Tue 16 July 2024 at 07:30

Ah, Florence—sublime birthplace of the Renaissance, its historic center full to bursting with elegant squares, imposing palaces, magnificent churches, and museums with such an abundance of riches it could make an art lover weep for joy. The list of illustrious names connected with this city is mind-boggling: Botticelli, Dante, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo. Other colorful and fascinating characters were of dubious reputation: Machiavelli, and the religious extremist Savonarola, with his bonfire of the vanities. For many years the city was ruled by the powerful Medici family, patrons of the arts and bankers to the papacy, whose line included six kings and two popes.

Day 5 - Florence/Pisa

Depart: Wed 17 July 2024 at 19:00

Ah, Florence—sublime birthplace of the Renaissance, its historic center full to bursting with elegant squares, imposing palaces, magnificent churches, and museums with such an abundance of riches it could make an art lover weep for joy. The list of illustrious names connected with this city is mind-boggling: Botticelli, Dante, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo. Other colorful and fascinating characters were of dubious reputation: Machiavelli, and the religious extremist Savonarola, with his bonfire of the vanities. For many years the city was ruled by the powerful Medici family, patrons of the arts and bankers to the papacy, whose line included six kings and two popes.

Day 6 - Rome

Arrive: Thu 18 July 2024 at 07:30 / Depart: Thu 18 July 2024 at 19:30

Your gateway to the Eternal City, Civitavecchia has served as Rome's seaport since the 13th century. The port has a long and venerable history. The emperor Trajan built a pleasure villa near the modern city, while Bernini and Michelangelo designed the harbor fortifications. Yet the Eternal City eternally beckons. The ancient capital of the Western World and the center of Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, Rome provides an inexhaustible feast. Visit the ruins of the Forum, view the splendors of the Sistine Chapel, or climb the Spanish Steps, once the heart of Rome's Bohemian Quarter. Rome has been a magnet luring the world's greatest artists, architects, and philosophers since the days of the Caesars.

Day 7 - Sorrento

Arrive: Fri 19 July 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 19 July 2024 at 21:00

A warming sun and gentle sea breezes have been attracting visitors to this fair spot for two millennia. Its reputation as a playground of the ancient rich and famous resulted in the building of lavish villas and palaces, an emperor relocated to the Isle of Capri nearby, and over the centuries it has been a haven for artists and artisans, writers and poets, politicians and philosophers, and all manner of aristocrats. You will be a welcome addition. The massive eruption of nearby Vesuvius in 79 AD caused considerable damage, but the resulting volcanic ash is responsible for Sorrento’s modern day fertility, thriving olive orchards, and excellent wine.

Day 8 - At Sea

Day 9 - Kotor

Arrive: Sun 21 July 2024 at 10:30 / Depart: Sun 21 July 2024 at 18:00

Kotor’s beautiful bay has long attracted passing ships that stopped to trade, plunder, or conquer, and merchants, pirates, and soldiers of numerous empires have walked this maze of cobblestone streets before you. One of Europe’s best-preserved cities of medieval or Renaissance vintage, its walls were constructed right into the steep slopes of the mountain behind it, providing protection and making it an amazing sight on approach from the sea. Venetian ramparts enclose a rich history, with churches of varying styles, and a Romanesque cathedral built on the foundations of an earlier church, and a still earlier Roman temple.

Day 10 - Sibenik

Arrive: Mon 22 July 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 22 July 2024 at 17:00

Just 55 miles north of Split is the city of Sibenik, situated where the River Krka meets the Adriatic. Since 1066, it has been under rule by Croatians, Venetians, Austro-Hungarians, Yugoslavians, and once again back to Croatians—which has resulted in a diversity of international influences. This is particularly evident in the old part of Sibenik, with its many churches, palaces, Dalmatian houses, as well in the city’s stone walls and four fortresses: St. John, St. Michael, St. Nicholas and Šubi?aevac. A must see is the Cathedral Sveti Jakov, and if you love the great outdoors, then visit Krka National Park or Kornati National Park.

Day 11 - Koper

Arrive: Tue 23 July 2024 at 08:30 / Depart: Tue 23 July 2024 at 22:00

A key commercial center with a Venetian past, Koper is Slovenia's only deep-water port. Stroll the narrow streets of the "old city" to the Praetorian Palace, which could easily be the setting of a Renaissance drama, sip a coffee in the square, then visit the Cathedral of St. Nazarius, the largest in Slovenia.

Day 12 - Venice, Italy

Arrive: Wed 24 July 2024 at 08:00

One of the world's most beautiful cities also happens to be one of its most unusual. Venice is actually made up of over 120 islands in the Adriatic Sea. Because the city is connected by canals instead of streets, a good way to see Venice is on a romantic gondola ride. The epicenter of the city is St. Mark's Square, where you'll find the 900-year-old Basilica of St. Mark

Day 13 - Venice, Italy

Depart: Thu 25 July 2024

One of the world's most beautiful cities also happens to be one of its most unusual. Venice is actually made up of over 120 islands in the Adriatic Sea. Because the city is connected by canals instead of streets, a good way to see Venice is on a romantic gondola ride. The epicenter of the city is St. Mark's Square, where you'll find the 900-year-old Basilica of St. Mark