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Arrive: Sat 08 June 2024 / Depart: Sat 08 June 2024 at 17:00
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.
Arrive: Sun 09 June 2024 at 10:00 / Depart: Sun 09 June 2024 at 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.
Arrive: Tue 11 June 2024 at 10:00 / Depart: Tue 11 June 2024 at 20:00
Known as 'the city of the seven hills,' Bristol’s characteristic landscape of rolling hills, softened by the curves of the Avon River, is easily recognizable. Its key landmarks include the Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the 878-year-old, 300' (90 m) Bristol Cathedral towering above the old town. The stone structures of historic Bristol University with their awe-inspiring pillars, statues and fountains stand in stark contrast to the many ultra-modern buildings. Cabot Tower, built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's 1497 voyage to the New World, stands on Brandon Hill. Though Bristol sustained significant damage during WWII, it remains a unique mixture of Victorian, Georgian, and post-war architecture. It was the Romans who first noted the area’s mild climate and built a number of villas along the Frome and Avon rivers. Bristol enjoys more sunshine than most of England and is one of the country’s warmest cities.
Arrive: Wed 12 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 12 June 2024 at 16:00
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.
Arrive: Thu 13 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 13 June 2024 at 17:00
Bantry Bay, framed by the Sheep's Head Hills and the Caha Mountains, offers one of the Ireland’s most magnificent seascapes and picturesque harbors. As with other areas on Ireland's south-west coast, Bantry claims an ancient connection to the sixth-century Saint Breandán the Navigator, who was, in Irish folklore, the first person to discover America. A highlight of the area is stately Bantry House and Garden Estate. The magnificent garden is laid out in the Italian style over seven terraces. In addition to the many spirited Irish pubs are the Bantry Museum and the architecture of St. Brendan's and St. Finbarr's Churches. There are pristine, white-sand beaches, interspersed with jagged outcrops of rock and bordered by the verdant-green hills that make Ireland famous. County Cork is renowned for its megalithic stone circles and standing stones. Historic castles dot the landscape. The coastline of Cork is also home to basking sharks and fin, pilot, and minke whales.
Arrive: Fri 14 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 14 June 2024 at 18:00
The village of Foynes has a population of 600. It is situated on the southern bank of the legendary River Shannon Estuary and is surrounded by the lush, green hills of County Limerick. Foynes is best known for its aviation history, especially from 1937-1945 when it became one of the world’s aviation hubs. Land-based aircraft lacked sufficient range for Atlantic crossings, so it was here that they would stop and refuel. The Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum tells the exciting story of how seaplanes would use Foynes as their last port of call before crossing to North America. Within the museum is a full-size replica of a Boeing 314 flying boat. Walk in the footsteps of JFK, Bob Hope, Eleanor Roosevelt and other dignitaries, movie stars and refugees who landed at Foynes during the Second World War. The award-winning, three-acre (1.2 hectare), Knockpatrick Garden, which overlooks the Shannon Estuary, is well worth a visit. Knockpatrick is, in fact, a private farmhouse garden owned by Tim and Helen O’Brien.
Arrive: Sun 16 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 16 June 2024 at 17:00
Belle-Île is an island off the coast of Brittany in northwest France. In the main town La Palais, Citadelle Vauban is a star-shaped fortress. The fort at Pointe des Poulains, the island's northern tip, houses a museum dedicated to 19th-century actress Sarah Bernhardt. Sandy Donnant Beach lies on the rugged west coast. Nearby, the Grand Phare lighthouse looks out over the needles rock formations of Port-Coton.
Arrive: Mon 17 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 17 June 2024 at 18:00
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.
Arrive: Tue 18 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 18 June 2024 at 17:00
Smaller than its neighbors St-Jean-de-Luz or Biarritz, Hendaye forms the political border between France and Spain on the Cote Basque, where the Pyrenees come down to meet the Atlantic. Politics aside, the whole area is culturally Basque, and the Basque language and flag are frequently heard and seen. Biarritz benefitted from the presence of the Empress Eugenie of France, who built a palace on the beach there in 1854 that survives as the Hotel du Palais. That attracted Europe’s crowned heads and secured its reputation as a seaside resort.
Arrive: Wed 19 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 19 June 2024 at 18:00
Straddling the banks of an estuary opening into the Bay of Biscay, Bilbao is the largest city in Spain’s northeastern Basque Country. Its earliest beginnings are preserved in the Casco Viejo, seven medieval streets that used to be guarded by walls. There visitors will find the city’s old churches, a large market, a public theater and the Academy of the Basque Language. Nearby sources of iron ore made Bilbao an important industrial and shipping center from the 14th century onward. The Spanish Civil War also started here. Today the city is being transformed by a growing service economy, and its prominence on the global traveler’s radar may be dated from the 1997 inauguration of the striking Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. In fact, the estuary town has become a veritable magnet for architects, boasting notable masterworks including Santiago Calatrava’s beautiful Zubizuri (“White Bridge” in Basque) and airport complex, the 541-foot Iberdrola Tower by the Argentine Cesar Pelli, a subway system by Norman Foster, the 1909 wine warehouse called Alhóndiga, converted a century later by designer Philippe Starck and the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall by Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios. The Zorrozuarre area is also being redeveloped, following a 2007 master plan by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. For views of all of this, take the funicular from the city center to the top of Mt. Artxanda, where a sports complex, restaurants and a balcony await you.
Arrive: Thu 20 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 20 June 2024 at 17:00
This ancient port city on the green Atlantic coast of Spain has a history of some 3,000 years. From its humble beginnings the city has grown to become an important port city in Spain. Its old historic fishing village Cimadevilla with its picturesque cobble stoned streets and old-world architecture remains today its main tourist attraction.
Arrive: Sat 22 June 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 22 June 2024 at 17:00
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.
Arrive: Mon 24 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 24 June 2024 at 18:00
To taste the true flavor of this ancient port city, one should stroll its seaside promenade, pausing to rest beneath the huge banyan trees. The narrow, winding streets of the old town fan out from the port, leading you to sunny, palm-lined plazas. Visit the Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral), begun in the early 1800s but not completed for 116 years. Its dramatic, golden dome rises over a striking interior. For those who enjoy people-watching as much as sightseeing, the seafood restaurants along the eastern edge of the port provide the ideal setting.
Arrive: Tue 25 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 25 June 2024 at 17:00
Arrive: Thu 27 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 27 June 2024 at 18:00
Mahon is the capital of Menorca, second largest of the Balearic Islands. It stands out from the others because of the abundance of prehistoric structures, and because its culture was influenced by British occupation in the 18th century. The people who built the prehistoric constructions are believed to have been responsible for similar works in Sardinia, and for Stonehenge in England. Believed to have been founded by the Carthaginian General Mago, Mahon was held by the Moors from the 8th to the 13th century and in turn occupied by the English, the French and the Spanish. Mahon was finally ceded to Spain by the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
Arrive: Fri 28 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 28 June 2024 at 17:00
The gem of the Vermillion Coast, the chosen retreat of kings past, the inspiration of great 20th-century artists, Collioure is nestled in a small, rocky bay, dwarfed by the Alberes Mountains. The village is perfectly integrated into the countryside; the church and the stone chateau are the color of the rocks, the beach and the mountains. The town has kept much of its medieval character, with the bay separated into halves by the 13th-century royal castle of the Kings of Mallorca. Between the castle and the sea is a bustling old town, full of cafes, shops and art galleries. Among the great artists who have congregated here are Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Dufy and Derain.
Arrive: Sat 29 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sat 29 June 2024 at 17:00
Arrive: Sun 30 June 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 30 June 2024 at 18:00
Despite its small size, the island of Elba has been known since the beginning of recorded history. Called Ilva by the Ligurians and Aethalia by the Greeks, Elba passed to the Etruscans and later the Romans. It was ruled by Pisa in the Middle Ages, was a haven for Barbary pirates in the 16th century and then privately owned by the powerful Medici family. The island's most famous resident was Napoleon Bonaparte, whose first exile from France and short reign over Elba lasted from May 1814 to February 1815. During that time, Napoleon was able to improve the island by altering street plans, building new roads, modernizing agriculture and developing the iron mines. Iron ore is still mined above the Rio Marina and then shipped from Portoferraio (Port of Iron). With a population of just over 11,000, the town is the largest of the eight on the island and is considered its capital. Geologists and gem stone collectors find Elba a treasure trove with over 150 minerals and semiprecious stones found here due to the seismic turmoil that created the island. The rich soil also produces an astonishing range of foliage and flowers aided by sun that shines almost every day of the year. Despite summer tourism, the island is largely agricultural and the ambience is quiet and relaxed, allowing the visitor to enjoy Elba's natural charm, peaceful abundance and timeless beauty.
Arrive: Mon 01 July 2024 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 01 July 2024 at 17:00
Set on the Gulf of Tigullio between Rapallo and Portofino, the resort/fishing town of Santa Margherita centers around the lovely harbor, where boating and sunbathing are the orders of the day. The town has some good shopping options, lovely cafes and interesting sights like its 16th-century castle and the 17th-century Basilica di Santa Margherita.
Arrive: Tue 02 July 2024 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 02 July 2024
The Principality of Monaco is the epitome of Riviera chic. This tiny enclave of 370 acres surrounds a sheltered harbor that draws yachts from around the world to enjoy the beautiful scenery, mild weather and elegant casino. Glamorous Monte Carlo is one of Monaco's four quarters, which also include La Condamine, the business district; Monaco-ville, the capital; and Fontvieille, an area built on reclaimed land. Ruled by Prince Albert II, Monaco has a population of over 32,000, of which about 16 percent are citizens, or Monégasques.
Luxury
Seabourn Ovation 08 May 2024 10 nights
Itinerary: Lisbon - Leixoes - Ferrol - Holyhead - Greenock (Glasgow) - St Malo - Cherbourg - Dover
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Seabourn Ovation 08 May 2024 21 nights
Itinerary: Lisbon - Leixoes - Ferrol - Holyhead - Greenock (Glasgow) - St Malo - Cherbourg - Dover - Antwerp - Rotterdam...
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Seabourn Ovation 18 May 2024 11 nights
Itinerary: Dover - Antwerp - Rotterdam - Arendal - Oslo - Gothenburg - Copenhagen - Nyborg - Fyn - Wismar - Hamburg
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Seabourn Ovation 08 June 2024 14 nights
Itinerary: Dover - St Helier - Bristol - Fishguard(Wales) - Bantry - Foynes - Le Palais - Bordeaux - Hendaye - Bilbao...
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Includes extra savings of up to £295pp
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Seabourn Ovation 22 June 2024 10 nights
Itinerary: Lisbon - Cadiz - Marbella - Mahon - Port Vendres - Saint Raphael - Portoferraio - Santa Margherita - Monte Carlo
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Includes extra savings of up to £340pp
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Seabourn Ovation 22 June 2024 30 nights
Itinerary: Lisbon - Cadiz - Marbella - Mahon - Port Vendres - Saint Raphael - Portoferraio - Santa Margherita - Monte Carlo - Porto Santo Stefano...
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Seabourn Ovation 22 June 2024 20 nights
Itinerary: Lisbon - Cadiz - Marbella - Mahon - Port Vendres - Saint Raphael - Portoferraio - Santa Margherita - Monte Carlo - Porto Santo Stefano...
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Seabourn Ovation 02 July 2024 10 nights
Itinerary: Monte Carlo - Porto Santo Stefano - Taormina - Mgarr (Victoria) - Malta - Ajaccio - St. Tropez - Palamos - Barcelona
Fly Cruise from
Includes extra savings of up to £320pp
Luxury
Seabourn Ovation 02 July 2024 20 nights
Itinerary: Monte Carlo - Porto Santo Stefano - Taormina - Mgarr (Victoria) - Malta - Ajaccio - St. Tropez - Palamos - Barcelona - Mahon...
Fly Cruise from
Includes extra savings of up to £560pp
Luxury
Seabourn Ovation 02 July 2024 30 nights
Itinerary: Monte Carlo - Porto Santo Stefano - Taormina - Mgarr (Victoria) - Malta - Ajaccio - St. Tropez - Palamos - Barcelona - Mahon...
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