Fukuoka & Nagasaki Cruise

Day 1 - Shanghai

Arrive: Sun 28 July 2024 / Depart: Sun 28 July 2024 at 16:30

Post-Mao-era Shanghai is light-years away from its restrained past (and even farther away from the equally unrestrained reputation it held for a long time before that). Today's Shanghai is firmly focused on the future, a bustling metropolis with a revitalised port and a sizzling art/shopping/restaurant scene that rivals even the most cosmopolitan of its Western cousins. Anyone with an eye for the global stage just has to see this city.

Day 2 - Cruising

Day 3 - Fukuoka

Arrive: Tue 30 July 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 30 July 2024 at 18:45

Fukuoka, on the northern shore of Japan's Kyushu Island, is known for ancient temples and beautiful beaches. Explore the 17th-century ruins of Fukuoka Castle in Maizuru Park. Then head to the central Hakata district, home to Tocho-ji Temple, where a 10-meter wooden Buddha sits. Cruise to Fukuoka and dive deeper into history at the Hakata Machiya Folk Museum, with displays on daily life in the Meiji and Taisho eras. Slurp ramen noodles in rich tonkotsu broth at one of the city's yatai (outdoor food stalls), then walk it off with a stroll along the winding canals. Pop into Shofukuji Zen temple for some quiet reflection. Or embrace the bustle instead and head to Canal City Hakata, one of Japan's largest shopping complexes.

Day 4 - Nagasaki

Arrive: Wed 31 July 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 31 July 2024 at 18:00

A beautiful and bustling city, Nagasaki's streets have been touched by foreign culture for generations. This is the port by which the Portuguese and Dutch brought Japan into contact with Western culture in the 1500s, and over the years, international influence has continued to transform Nagasaki into the hub of cosmopolitan activity it is today. Explore the Dutch Slope, where you'll find Dutch residences from the 1800s and Japan's first Protestant Church, Higashi Yamate. Cruise to Nagasaki to see the oldest bridge in Japan, Megane-bashi – or 'Spectacles Bridge', so called for its arched appearance. Then, visit Nagasaki Peace Park, with its 18-metre-wide fountain built to memorialise the events that took place here when the atomic bomb struck in 1945.

Day 5 - Cruising

Day 6 - Shanghai

Arrive: Fri 02 August 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Fri 02 August 2024

Post-Mao-era Shanghai is light-years away from its restrained past (and even farther away from the equally unrestrained reputation it held for a long time before that). Today's Shanghai is firmly focused on the future, a bustling metropolis with a revitalised port and a sizzling art/shopping/restaurant scene that rivals even the most cosmopolitan of its Western cousins. Anyone with an eye for the global stage just has to see this city.