Europe´s Atlantic Highlights - From Hamburg to Lisbon

Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city with a history dating back to Charlemagne. A major port, this vibrant city is home to art and culture, extensive shopping facilities, Baroque buildings and waterfront vistas. With its well-known fish market, art galleries and Museums together with several beautiful parks including a botanical garden, this is a city with something for everyone. British visitors who remember the Swinging Sixties may like to visit the streets around Grosse Freiheit, where an unknown pop group called The Beatles gave their first public performances in various local clubs before achieving worldwide fame.

Get to know the Frisian port of Harlingen

Walk or bike around Harlingen, a town of canals and pretty harbors, and home to the last traditional pottery factory in the Netherlands. It lies on the shores of the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You’ll find traditional sailing ships and historic warehouses around the old harbors of Noorderhaven and Zuiderhaven. Don’t miss the Harlingen Aardewerk Museum, where you can admire displays of distinctive Frisian pottery.

Rich medieval architecture among winding streets

The strategic port of Oostende was first a fishing village, then a medieval city, and later a royal seaside resort; this place is steeped in European history. Despite the ravages of war and time, many of its medieval features have survived to the present day.

It’s a great base from which to visit Bruges. Lose yourself in this beautifully preserved medieval town as you explore winding streets, picturesque canals, and grand 14th-century buildings.

Reflect and relax on a calming day at sea

Enjoy the day relaxing while we navigate the channel separating continental Europe from the British Isles.

While the British call it the ‘English Channel’, it’s more commonly known on the continent as ‘La Manche’, or derivations of that. The Dutch may have the most diplomatic name for it, as they simply call it ‘Het Kanaal’ (‘the Channel’).

Whatever the name, a quarter of the world’s maritime trade navigates through this passage, and our Expedition Team will be happy to share their knowledge about these historic waters with you.

Thrust out into the sea and bound to the mainland only by tenuous man-made causeways, romantic St-Malo has built a reputation as a breeding ground for phenomenal sailors. Many were fishermen, but others—most notably Jacques Cartier, who claimed Canada for Francis I in 1534—were New World explorers. Still others were corsairs, "sea dogs" paid by the French crown to harass the Limeys across the Channel: legendary ones like Robert Surcouf and Duguay-Trouin helped make St-Malo rich through their pillaging, in the process earning it the nickname "the pirates' city." The St-Malo you see today isn’t quite the one they called home because a weeklong fire in 1944, kindled by retreating Nazis, wiped out nearly all of the old buildings. Restoration work was more painstaking than brilliant, but the narrow streets and granite houses of the Vieille Ville were satisfactorily recreated, enabling St-Malo to regain its role as a busy fishing port, seaside resort, and tourist destination. The ramparts that help define this city figuratively and literally are authentic, and the flames also spared houses along Rue de Pelicot in the Vieille Ville. Battalions of tourists invade this quaint part of town in summer, so arrive off-season if you want to avoid crowds.

Visit Locronan, France’s most picturesque medieval village. Once there, you will have a guided visit and will see the church with its 15th century stained glass depicting the passion of Saint Ronan. At Le Guillou bakery you can taste the traditional Breton butter cake known as “kouign amann” before watching a group of Breton dancers in their traditional costumes, introducing you to Brittany’s rich culture and identity.

Unwind and enjoy the natural world around you

Today is a perfect day to relax on deck with your binoculars and watch for whales, dolphins, and porpoises. This is one of the few places in the world where you can spot beaked whales. They’re drawn to the bay’s nutrient-rich waters.

You can learn about the marine biology of the seas we’re sailing, with hands-on demonstrations and in-depth lectures about the history, geography, and environment of the destinations to come. Don’t forget about the leisure amenities on board the ship. This is the perfect time to rejuvenate in the panoramic sauna.

Explore Ferrol and get a taste of Galicia

Our next stop is Ferrol, on the rugged coast of Galicia. Once a small fishing hamlet, for the past three centuries it has been Spain’s main naval base. There are more forts, citadels, and barracks here than any other harbor in the country.

An overnight stay in Ferrol gives us two full days to explore the highlights of northern Galicia. Get to know the historic downtown areas of Ferrol and A Coruña on guided tours, walk a section of the ancient pilgrimage trails that crisscross Galicia, or join optional excursions to the UNESCO-listed towns of Lugo and Santiago de Compostela.

Dating from Roman times, the Galician city of Vigo has a fine natural harbour and is renowned as the biggest fishing port in the world. It is also full of history - it was in this fjord-like quay that the English and Dutch defeated the French and Spanish fleets in 1702. Today, the attractive marinas stand in contrast to the industrialised areas of the city, while further exploration will reveal the characteristic 17th-century architecture and attractive countryside beyond. The charming Old Town is a delight, with its labyrinth of winding narrow streets and shaded squares. Nearby is the Cathedral city of Tui, and further to the north is the pilgrimage centre of Santiago de Compostela, which can be reached by car in approximately 1¼ hours.

Lively, commercial Oporto is the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon. Also called Porto for short, the word easily brings to mind the city's most famous product - port wine. Oporto's strategic location on the north bank of the Douro River has accounted for the town's importance since ancient times. The Romans built a fort here where their trading route crossed the Douro, and the Moors brought their own culture to the area. Oporto profited from provisioning crusaders en route to the Holy Land and enjoyed the riches from Portuguese maritime discoveries during the 15th and 16th centuries. Later, port wine trade with Britain compensated for the loss of the spice trade and the end of gold and gem shipments from Brazil. In the 19th century, the city went through a period of new prosperity with the rise of industries. In its wake followed the building of workers' quarters and opulent residences. Since the declaration of Oporto as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the city aims to build up a cultural reference that will provide it with a new image, based on deep historical roots. Among the attractions that make Oporto such an interesting place are its graceful bridges spanning the Douro River, a picturesque riverfront quarter and, most notable, its world-famous port wine lodges. Although Oporto is a bustling centre and home to many different businesses, the source of its greatest fame is the rich, sweet fortified red wine we know as port.

Set on seven hills on the banks of the River Tagus, Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal since the 13th century. It is a city famous for its majestic architecture, old wooden trams, Moorish features and more than twenty centuries of history. Following disastrous earthquakes in the 18th century, Lisbon was rebuilt by the Marques de Pombal who created an elegant city with wide boulevards and a great riverfront and square, Praça do Comércio. Today there are distinct modern and ancient sections, combining great shopping with culture and sightseeing in the Old Town, built on the city's terraced hillsides. The distance between the ship and your tour vehicle may vary. This distance is not included in the excursion grades.