12-night Grand Voyage: Lisbon To Nice

Apr 12, 2027 - Lisbon

Portugal’s capital is an 18th-century city - elegant, open to the sea and carefully planned. Most places of interest are within easy walking distance. Rossio Square, the heart of Lisbon since medieval times, is an ideal place to start exploring. Many rebuilt houses with original façades provide stores and restaurants with modern interiors. High above Baixa is Bairro Alto - with its teeming nightlife. There are many monuments and museums, such as San Jeronimos Monastery, Royal Coach Museum and Gulbenkian Museum. Two well-known landmarks are the Monument to the Discoveries and the Tower of Belem. A statue of Christ looms above Europe’s longest suspension bridge. Madragoa, Bica and Bairro Alto, Lisbon’s older sections, offer a variety of sights: the Church of Sao Roque, with its beautiful tiles; St. George Castle, which offers a splendid view from its location above the Alfama quarter; the botanical gardens, featuring an unusual, cold greenhouse; and the cathedral, stunning with its Moorish design. Renowned Gulbenkian Museum is the cultural center of Portugal.

Apr 13, 2027 - Portimao

Founded as Portus Hannibalis by the Romans, Portimão is a port and one of the major resorts on the craggy Atlantic shores of Portugal's sunny Algarve. It boasts a bustling harbour overlooked by two castles and a pedestrian centre abounding in shops, bays and restaurants - while just two miles away is delightful Praia da Rocha, setting of a stunning beach, honey-hued cliffs and striking wind-and-sea-sculpted rock formations. Also from here you can visit Albufeira, the area's largest resort, the 12th century sandstone fortress at Silves, Fortaleza de Sagres and Cabo de Sao Vicente.

Apr 14, 2027 - Tangier

The "Gateway to Africa," located at its northwestern tip, Tangier is a fashionable resort retaining its age-old mystery and excitement. French and Islamic influences meet and merge in this fascinating old city. Mosques and minarets overlook the shadowy streets of the bazaar, while the higher part of town, with its broad boulevards and lovely parks, looks down on the ocean.

Apr 15, 2027 - Gibraltar

Gibraltar is the famous promontory located at the western entrance of the Mediterranean, with Spain to the north and, across the Straits, Morocco to the south. The Straits are a channel connecting the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. Africa is clearly visible on a fine day. In ancient times, the Rock, as Gibraltar is popularly called, and its counterpart on the African side, Mount Abyla, were known as the Pillars of Hercules. Visitors enjoy historical sites, magnificent views and beautiful beaches. A favorite pastime is strolling along Main Street to browse and shop in the duty-free shops or stop in one of the pubs. Many visitors come to see Gibraltar's curiosity, the Barbary Apes. According to legend, the British will remain as long as the apes survive. Alemeda Botanical Gardens is where the British troops mustered for their parades. Trafalgar Cemetery was named for the casualties of the Battle of Trafalgar. On the fringe of the downtown area is the Cable Car Base Station where the car runs to the rock top.

Apr 16, 2027 - Puerto Banus

Apr 17, 2027 - Malaga

Malaga is a popular holiday destination - known as the birthplace of Picasso and for sweet Malaga dessert wines from vineyards outside of town. Points of interest include impressive Gothic architecture, remains of a Moorish castle and interesting museums. Malaga is a popular starting point for trips to Granada and resorts along Costa del Sol. Splendid Granada and famed Alhambra are the region’s most outstanding attractions. Magnificent Moorish palaces and fortifications contrast sharply with Christian churches from Spain’s 1492 Reconquest era. Ronda's incredible location affording spectacular views over the valley and distant hills. Malaga Fine Arts Museum holds works by Spanish artists of the 16th to 20th centuries and by artists from Malaga, including Picasso. Marbella, which has been favored by the rich and famous, is a very popular holiday and yachting resort destination. One of the first resorts of the Costa del Sol, Torremolinos has luxury hotels, busy plazas and shopping streets, a lively art scene, a Wax Museum created by Madame Tussaud, and a glitzy casino.

Apr 18, 2027 - Granada (Motril)

Located beneath the coastal hills of the sun-warmed shores of the Andalusian coast, midway between Malaga and Almeria, ancient Motril is a seaport and thriving beach resort that has drawn Phoenicians, Romans and Moors during its long history. Visit beautiful churches, Carchuna Fortress and the 16th century Casa de la Palma. This Andalusian city is gateway to Granada and the famed Alhambra, located inland at the foothills of the former capital to the Caliphs and Almoravids, which is 40 miles away.

Apr 19, 2027 - Cartagena (Spain)

Today Spain's major commercial port and naval base, Cartagena lies on the coast of Murcia, its great indented bay guarded by rocky promontories, each topped by a fort. The city contains the remains of old walls, a castle constructed probably in Carthaginian times, and a church that was formerly a 13th-century cathedral. Attractive promenades extend along the harbour, while to the northeast is the famous beach and watersports resort area of the lagoon-like Mar Menor.

Apr 20, 2027 - Peniscola

Apr 21, 2027 - Barcelona

Barcelona, the self-confident and progressive capital of Spain, is a tremendous place to be. Though it boasts outstanding Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings, and some great museums – most notably those dedicated to Picasso and Catalan art – it is above all a place where there's enjoyment simply in walking the streets, stopping in at bars and cafés, drinking in the atmosphere. A thriving port and the most prosperous commercial centre in Spain, it has a sophistication and cultural dynamism way ahead of the rest of the country. In part this reflects the city's proximity to France, whose influence is apparent in the elegant boulevards and imaginative cooking. But Barcelona has also evolved an individual and eclectic cultural identity, most perfectly and eccentrically expressed in the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. Scattered as Barcelona's main sights may be, the greatest concentration of interest is around the old town (La Ciutat Vella). These cramped streets above the harbor are easily manageable, and far more enjoyable, on foot. Start, as everyone else does, with the Ramblas.

Apr 22, 2027 - Roses (Rosas)

Roses is located in the Spanish region of Catalonia on the Costa Brava. Those interested in the region's rich history and culture will be delighted by the wealth of ancient sites, monuments and buildings which still remain as reminders of ancient civilisations.

Apr 23, 2027 - St. Tropez

Glitz and glamour are the two key-words to St. Tropez’s reputation. Set like a jewel in the crown of the Mediterranean, St. Tropez has long been a mecca to artists and the summer vacationers alike, who are drawn to the picturesque setting and the old-world charm of the town’s architecture. In the 1920s, St. Tropez became a fashion headquarters and an international playground, an association that has hardly been dispelled with time.

Apr 24, 2027 - Nice

Nice is undoubtedly the place for the opening up of art and culture. The Côte d'Azur has inspired, from time immemorial, the greatest painters, writers and musicians. It has compelled recognition of its avant-garde across the Atlantic, its museums are holding prestigious collections in edifices of renowned architecture. Nice is full of an extraordinary artistic and cultural heritage. The gentle way of life sustains the imaginary world of artists and stimulates their creativeness. A cultural and aesthetic atmosphere prevails here; the cultural life is intense. It is punctuated by temporary exhibitions in the museums and the municipal galleries, by the programming of the theatres of which the most important is the Theatre of Nice - National Dramatic Centre - directed by Jacques Weber. The Opera House of Nice's Theatre proposes events of great quality.