European Coastal Cruise

Home City/ Lisbon, Portugal

Depart your home city and arrive the next day in Lisbon. Arrive in Lisbon and transfer to a group hospitality room and enjoy lunch on your own. Later this afternoon, embark the deluxe World Traveller.

Leixões for Oporto

Dock in Leixões and transfer to Oporto, a former Celtic hamlet, then Roman outpost and center of the port wine trade since the 13th century. The cultural legacy of the Moors—who occupied Spain and Portugal from A.D. 711 to 1492—finds expression in Oporto’s rich architectural details, including famed azulejos with Moorish geometric and floral motifs. The city is indelibly influenced by Greek and Roman heritages, the Moorish period and a coalescence of faiths, creating a culture of tolerance in which the disciplines of mathematics, medicine, optics, horticulture, art and architecture flourished. Fall under the spell of Ribeira, Oporto’s historical center, declared a UNESCO world Heritage site for its extraordinary architectural timeline and living history status. For 2,000 years, the cultural and commercial growth of Portus Cale (so named by the Romans) has been inextricably linked to the sea. Experience daily rituals unfolding along a tangle of medieval alleyways where splendid spires, Baroque domes and Neoclassical mansions form a timeless silhouette. Visit the Gothic Igreja de São Francisco, hailed for its lavish gold‑plated Baroque interior, and the Neoclassical Palácio da Bolsa, where the swirling arabesques and ornate stained glass of the gilded Arabian Hall were inspired by the Alhambra in Granada. Attend the Captain’s Welcome Reception and Dinner this evening.

A Coruña, Spain, for Santiago de Compostela

Visit Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stroll along medieval stone streets to the Praza do Obradoiro flanked by the glorious Romanesque cathedral. As a pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages, the cathedral enshrines the tomb of Saint James and is recognized for its intricately carved Baroque façade, original medieval portico, and glittering Churrigueresque altar.

Santander/Bilbao

Frank Gehry’s titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum hailed Bilbao’s cultural renaissance as modernist marvels from Santiago Calatrava and Philippe Starck redefined the post‑industrial skyline. An afternoon excursion in the city will give you two options for included activities. Choose between touring the Guggenheim’s renowned art collection or enjoy a Basque cooking demonstration and a panoramic tour of Bilbao. Conclude the day with a guided visit to the old quarter, followed by time at leisure.

Cruising the Bay of Biscay

St. Malo for Mont-St-Michel, France

Rising from a tidal plain that appears to be suspended above the sea, the UNESCO World Heritage‑designated Mont‑Saint‑Michel is a sight of soaring spires isolated beyond a stretch of saltwater marsh. This fortified village began as a humble oratory and became a renowned medieval center of learning. Cobblestone streets weave through the village, culminating in the Abbaye du Mont‑Saint‑Michel, a three‑story Gothic masterpiece. Admire the serene cloisters, barrel-roofed réfectoire, and Gothic Salle des Hôtes of the 13th‑century La Merveille and the magnificent Église Abbatiale.

Caen for Normandy Beaches

Dock in Caen and make the solemn pilgrimage to the historic Normandy beaches, site of the largest seaborne invasion in history. Following lunch, opt to continue to Arromanches to see the remnants of the Mulberry “A” harbor that was taken across the English Channel to support Allied landings on the Normandy beaches or choose to see the 230-foot‑long Bayeux Tapestry, which chronicles the Norman Conquest of 1066, or continue to explore the region at leisure.

Cruising the English Channel/River Thames/ London, England (Tower Bridge)

Cruise the English Channel across the Strait of Dover and continue up the River Thames, a memorable passage possible only by small ship. See Britain’s history revealed as you pass the towering skyline of Canary Wharf and take in monumental views of Greenwich’s Observation Tower, the Tower of London, Norman Foster’s emerald‑hued Gherkin and Renzo Piano’s sky‑piercing Shard. Dock alongside HMS Belfast—whose guns fired some of the first shots on D-Day—in view of Tower Bridge. Attend the Captain’s Farewell Reception this evening.

London/Disembark ship/ Return to the U.S.

Following breakfast, disembark and continue on the London’s Enduring History Post‑Program Option or transfer to the airport for your return flight home.