Mediterranean cruises and cruises to the Canary Islands offer the opportunity to experience the diversity and colourful history of Europe.

May to October your Mediterranean Cruise will inspire your imagination. Depart from the U.K. or fly direct in to the heart of the Mediterranean to join your cruise ship. Choose a cruise holiday to suite your individual taste, from the formal to the informal, the small and intimate to the vibrant super liner. Cruise from the Iberian peninsula in the west to Turkey and Egypt in the east.

A Mediterranean cruise holiday is a kaleidoscope of cultural experiences that offers stunningly beautiful ports of call like Monte Carlo with its famous casino and Royal Palace and Rome with its amazing Vatican City and Colosseum.
Visit the incredibly beautiful Santorini, jewel of the Mediterranean, and cosmopolitan Gibraltar looming from a sparkling sea. Shop till you drop in exotic ports of call. Unwind, meet new friends and relax and let us treat you to the cruise holiday you deserve. Aboard your cruise ship you will find daytime and evening activities so you can have the freedom to do what you want, when you want to do it. Work out in the gym or rejuvenate yourself with a dip in the whirlpool then enjoy a glass of wine over a simply delicious lunch on the deck.Imagine the luxury of long warm Sunny days on your exotic Mediterranean cruise holiday followed by balmy romantic evenings. Enjoy canapés and an aperitif on your luxury private stateroom balcony before heading to one of the onboard restaurants selected from an exciting array and designed to accommodate your mood. Choose from main restaurants to intimate steakhouses from seafood bars to alternative dining. Fill the rest of your evenings with the magic of great entertainment in the theatre. Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of your cruise ship and enjoy the sheer relaxation and pleasure of this unique cruise holiday.

The British colony of Gibraltar on the southern tip of Spain is always a popular port for cruise ships as for the British it is home from home as there are British pubs and fish and chip shops!

Although not actually in the Mediterranean many people still see Portugal as part of it as it is often included in the cruise itineraries which depart the UK to the Mediterranean. Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is in fact often the first port of call and offers a spectacular entrance as you sail under the April 25th Bridge. The city of Lisbon is well worth an excursion.

Spain is next and the city of Vigo on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean is still a popular cruise port and offers spectacular views over its huge harbour from the castle turned hotel at Bayona. Barcelona is the place to go, especially for its architecture. Here you will discover works of the genius Gaudi and the art collections of Picasso and Miro. Cadiz is the port city for Seville and is famous for its picturesque charm. It also boasts an excellent old town area and the cathedral is well worth a visit. If you want to sunbathe the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Majorca should need little introduction though Palma itself is pretty much unspoiled in the historic old quarter.
Cruising eastwards you will arrive at the French Riviera including Cannes which is most famous for its annual film festival but has a very relaxed atmosphere to it. The Promenade de la Croisette offers an enjoyable stroll past glamorous hotels and private beaches ending in the pretty harbour which is where the film festival takes place. Nice, where our Victorian ancestors discovered the winter package holiday, offers some excellent museums and streets such as the Promenade des Anglais. Villefranche-sur-mer is an old fishing port of the Cote d'Azur and features medieval chapels and an impressive hilltop fortress built by the Duke of Savoy in 1560. It is close to St Jean-Cap-Ferrat where you can view the Villa Ephrusi and its wonderful art collection and gardens. St Tropez is the epitome of French beach culture and opn-air café society, but the jewel in the crown here for sheer up-market sophistication is Monte Carlo. The famous Casino, the Hotels de Paris and Hermitage and the Oceanographic Museum are all complemented by some fabulous views over the principality from its perfectly maintained gardens.
The French Isle of Corsica is a total contrast as it is a rugged, mountainous outpost, famous as the birthplace of Napoleon and equally idiosyncratic. Its main port, Ajaccio, offers a pleasant, pastel coloured town with a huge collection of Napoleonic Museums while the fortress town of Calvi in the north is quite breathtakingly situated but only suitable for those who are up to a challenging walk!

MEDITERRANEAN PORTS AND THEIR HIGHLIGHTS:

CADIZ:Seville,Jerez de la Frontera (Sherry production),La Giralda,Cathedral of Seville, The Alcazar,Santa Cruz,Panoramic Drive,Casa de Pilatos,Waterpark.

CAGLIARI:Old Quarter,Monte Urpinu,Cathedral,
Pisan Towers,Museo Archeolagico,Roman Ampitheatre,Maracalagonis,Poeto Beach.

CEPHALONIA:Argostoli,Fiskardo Village, Melissani Lake,Mount Ainos,Drogarati Cave,
Myrtos Bay,Ainos Mountain,Monastery of St.Andrew,Rombola Winery,Kourkoumelata Village.

CIVITAVECCHIA:Rome,Vatican,Sistine Chapel,
Ostia Antica,Trevi Fountain,Tarquinia,Roman Forum,St.Peter's Basilica,Colosseum,Spanish Steps,Pantheon,Navona Square.

CORFU:Achilleion Palace,,Paleokastritsa,Virgin
Mary Monastery,Corfu Town,Kanoni,St.Spyridon Church,Lakones.

DUBROVNIK:Medieval City & Walls,Cavtat,Ston, Trsteno,Kupari,Srebreno,Mlini,Plat,
Franciscan Monastery,Dominican Monastery,
Rectors Palace,Neretva River Delta.

GARDINI NAXOS:Sicily,Taormina,Amphitheatre,
Mount Etna,Gothic Cathedral,Palazzo Corvaja,
San Michele,Valle del Bove,Lava Caves, Alcantara Gorge,Corso Umberto,Castelmola.

GIBRALTAR:Gibraltar Rock,St Michael's Cave, Barbary Apes(The Ape's Den),Europa Den,Great Siege Tunnels,Nelson's Anchorage,Museum, Dolphin Watch.

ISTANBUL:Blue Mosque,Topkapi Palace Museum,Aya Sofya,St.Sophia,Hippodrome Square,Grand Bazaar,
Chora Museum,Beylerbeyi Palace,Sea of Marmara.

KATAKOLON:Olympia,Archaeological Museum,Domain Mercouri Winery.

KORCULA:Blato,Venetian town,Cathedral of St Mark,Vela Luka,Cara,Korcula Archipelago,Mljet Island National Park.

KUSADASI:Ephesus,Priene,Milletus,Didyma,
St.Johns,Basilica,Shrine of the Virgin Mary,
Selcuk,Locomotive Museum,Sultankoy Carpets.

LIMASSOL:Kolossi castle,Troodos Square,Curium ancient theatre,Paphos,Omodos Village,Platres Summer Resort,Stone of Romios,Mesa Potamos.

LISBON:City Tour,Gulbenkian Museum,Jeronimos Monastery,Sintra,Tagus River,Estoril,Praia do Guincho,Cascais,Tropical Fernery,King Edward VII Park,Maritime Museum,Balem Tower,Ajuda Palace,Alfama,Santa Luzia Belvedere,Lisbon Cathedral,Church Sao Roque,Exhibition Park.

MALAGA:Gibralfaro Castle,Alcazaba Fortress, Granada,Ronda,Cathedral,Mijas,Marbella,Puerto Banus,Caves of Nerja,Granada,Alhambra.

NAPLES:City Tour,Pompeii,Herculaneum,Capri,
Sorrento,Piazza Plebiscito,Posillipo Hill,
Villa San Michele,Gardens of Augustus.

ODESSA:Potemkin Steps,Cathedrals,Crimean War,
Primorsky Boulevard,Pushkin Statue,Uspensky Monastery,Opera & Ballet Theatre,Shahs Palace.

PALMA:La Seo Cathedral,Bellver Castle,Soller, Valldemossa,La Granja,Almudaina Palace,La Granjade Esporlas,Caves of Drach,Manacor Pearl Factory.

PIRAEUS:Athens,Acropolis,Parthenon,Old Olympic Stadium,Propylea,Temple of Athena Nike, Erechtheion,The Plaka,Temple of Poseidon,
Ancient Corinth,Corinth Canal.

PORT SAID:Cairo,Pyramids of Giza,Memphis, Chephren or Mycerinus Pyramid,Sphinx,Egyptian Antiques Museum,Nile Cruise,Citadel of Saladin,
Mohamed Ali Mosque,Manial Palace.

RHODES:Old Town,Palace of Grand Masters,Lindos Acropolis,Archangelos Village,Mount Philerimos,
Palace of the Grand Masters.

SANTORINI:Thera,Akrotiri,Oia village.

SPLIT:Diocletian Palace,St.Jacob's Cathedral, Solin,Trogir,Omis and Cetina Countryside,
Sibenik.

SYRACUSE:Greek theatre & temples,Pantalica Gorge,Akrai remains,Spring of Arethusa,The Cathedral,Ampitheatre,Greek Theatre, Ropemaker's Grotto and Dionysius Ear,Eurialo Castle,Ciane River Cruise,Santuario Madonna della Lacrima,Ancient Noto.

VENICE:Canals,St.Mark's Square,Doge's Palace, Gondola Ride,St.Mark's Cathedral,San Georgio Maggiore,Murano Glass Factory,Burano Island,
Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari,Campo San Polo,
Rialto Bridge,La Pieta,Grand Canal,Bridge of Sighs.

YALTA:Levadia,Messandra & Vorontsov Palaces, Nikita Botanical Gardens,Alupka Palace,
Swallows Nest,Alexander Nevsky Cathedral,
Sevastopol,Primorsky Boulevard,Chersonessos.

ZAKINTHOS:Church of Aghia Mavra,Bokhali,Kampi,
Ceramic Folk Art Workshop at Macheratho.