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From the city of Gods to the Eternal city Cruise

  • Departure DateTue 22nd Apr 2025
  • Ponant Le Bougainville
  • 11 Night Cruise From Athens
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Itinerary

  • Athens
  • Heraklion
  • Chania, Crete
  • Malta
  • Porto Empedocle, Sicily
  • Catania, Sicily
  • Salerno
  • Gaeta
  • Rome

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Day 1 - Athens

Arrive: Tue 22 April 2025 / Depart: Tue 22 April 2025 at 20:00

The Greek capital city is located on the edge of the Saronic gulf, in the east of the country. It bears a plural name in reference to the first villages that surround the Acropolis. You will be enchanted by the rocky plateau presided by its monuments listed as UNESCO World Heritage. In the city below, you can visit some of the liveliest districts in Athens: Plaka, with its maze of colourful streets, and where, in the evenings the drifting aroma of moussaka and garlic prawns will tickle your taste buds. The National Archaeological museum and the Cycladic Art Museum are also some of the city’s key attractions and allow visitors to discover Athens’ cultural past.

Day 2 - Heraklion

Arrive: Wed 23 April 2025 / Depart: Wed 23 April 2025

Heraklion, the capital of Crete, is the island’s most populous city. The hustle and bustle of this seaport is an integral part of its charm. It is built on a hillside overlooking the port and is encircled by impressive Venetian walls. From the top of these, you will be able to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city. The old town is teeming with small shops, squares, cafés and vibrant architectural evidence of the city’s long history. The Palace of Knossos illustrates the wealth and power of its legendary sovereign, King Minos. The archaeological museum houses one of the largest collections of Minoan artefacts and is worth a visit.

Day 3 - Chania, Crete

Arrive: Thu 24 April 2025 / Depart: Thu 24 April 2025

Chania is a city on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. It’s known for its 14th-century Venetian harbor, narrow streets and waterfront restaurants. At the harbor entrance is a 16th-century lighthouse with Venetian, Egyptian and Ottoman influences. Opposite, the Nautical Museum has model ships, naval objects and photographs. The former monastery of St. Francis houses the Archaeological Museum of Chania.

Day 4 - At Sea

Day 5 - Malta

Arrive: Sat 26 April 2025

Day 6 - Malta

Depart: Sun 27 April 2025

Day 7 - Porto Empedocle, Sicily

Arrive: Mon 28 April 2025 / Depart: Mon 28 April 2025

Porto Empedocle is a town and comune in Italy on the coast of the Strait of Sicily, administratively part of the province of Agrigento. It is the namesake of Empedocles, a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of Akragas, in his day a Greek colony in Sicily.

Day 8 - Catania, Sicily

Arrive: Tue 29 April 2025 / Depart: Tue 29 April 2025

Sicily’s second city Catania is dominated by the majestic silhouette of Mount Etna. Nourishing and devastating at the same time, this giant crowned with smoke rings brought about the destruction of the city at the end of the 17th century. Catania was then rebuilt in the late Baroque style, and the many monuments of this epoch have earned its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The baroque churches of the harmonious Via dei Crociferi perfectly illustrate the riches of this architectural heritage. During your stop, be sure to visit Saint Agatha Cathedral with its apses made of lava stones, and its square decorated with a fountain of the Elephant, the animal which allegedly has the power to calm the fury of Mount Etna …

Day 9 - Reggio Di Calabria

Day 10 - Salerno

Arrive: Thu 01 May 2025 / Depart: Thu 01 May 2025

Generating a veritable explosion of intense emotions, the province of Salerno fascinates and enchants travellers. Its fascinating history will lead you to the extraordinary archaeological site of Pompeii, whose sprawling ruins provide a grandiose and moving vision of what a Roman city looked like in Imperial times. The city which was frozen in time under the ashes from the eruption of Mont Vesuvius offers you its peerless historical and cultural wealth, as well as the unique beauty of its location, which has earned it classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 11 - Gaeta

Arrive: Fri 02 May 2025 / Depart: Fri 02 May 2025

Gaeta takes its name from the legend of the nanny of Aeneas. This illustrious relationship can be seen in the nobility of this old town, built on a peninsula, at the end of a headland. In Roman times, Gaeta was already a renowned seaside destination; it fell under Byzantine domination then became an autonomous duchy and an independent republic. The fortifications that surround this ancient fort remind us of this rich history, as does the cathedral bell tower, an elegant building of both Roman and Moor influence, decorated with ceramic in the style of bell-towers of Amalfi.

Day 12 - Rome

Arrive: Sat 03 May 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 03 May 2025

Your gateway to the Eternal City, Civitavecchia has served as Rome's seaport since the 13th century. The port has a long and venerable history. The emperor Trajan built a pleasure villa near the modern city, while Bernini and Michelangelo designed the harbor fortifications. Yet the Eternal City eternally beckons. The ancient capital of the Western World and the center of Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, Rome provides an inexhaustible feast. Visit the ruins of the Forum, view the splendors of the Sistine Chapel, or climb the Spanish Steps, once the heart of Rome's Bohemian Quarter. Rome has been a magnet luring the world's greatest artists, architects, and philosophers since the days of the Caesars.

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