26 nightsFrom Southampton16 ports of call
Rivieras & Islands of the Mediterranean
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines · Balmoral
Overview
A 26-night voyage aboard Balmoral, departing Southampton on 30 Sept 2027 and arriving in Athens (Piraeus), Greece, calling at 16 destinations along the way.
SouthamptonGibraltarCartagena, SpainAlicanteMahon, SpainLa SpeziaNice (Villefranche)ToulonAjaccioAlicanteProprianoGolfo Aranci, SardiniaMilazzo (Sicily)VallettaSouda BayAthens (Piraeus), Greece
Cabin prices
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Itinerary
26 nights · 28 ports of call- 1
Day 1 ·Southampton, UKEmbark
30 Sept 2027Southampton offers fast and efficient check-in areas, spacious departure lounges with seating areas, café-bars and smart washrooms. If you wish to travel by car and park for the duration of your cruise, you can pay for and reserve parking in advance directly with the relevant company. Alternatively, if being dropped off or collected by taxi or private car, they can drive right up alongside the terminal building. - 2
Day 2 ·At Sea
1 Oct 2027 - 3
Day 3 ·At Sea
2 Oct 2027 - 4
Day 4 ·Matosinhos
3 Oct 2027 - 5
Day 5 ·At Sea
4 Oct 2027 - 6
Day 6 ·Gibraltar
5 Oct 2027Dominated by ‘the Rock', a towering 1, 396 ft sentinel that guards the Straits, the Arabs' Gebel el Tarik or Tarik's Rock is today simply ‘Gib'. Resolutely British for nearly 300 years, its unique setting unites the oddly familiar - from the helmeted policemen to Marks & Spencer - with an extrovert Mediterranean mood. Test the shops and pubs in Main Street and Irish Town, take a cable-car ride to enjoy the grandstand views to a nearby Africa, and of course make a call on those Barbary apes! - 7
Day 7 ·Cartagena, Spain
6 Oct 2027Today 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. Founded in 221 BC by Hasdrubal, leader of the Carthaginians (hence the name) from North Africa, it has a fascinating history - and as Nova Carthage was long the Romans' principal settlement in their Iberian stronghold. Attractive promenades extend along the harbour, while to the northeast is the famous beach and watersports resort area of the lagoon-like Mar Menor. - 8
Day 8 ·Alicante, Spain
7 Oct 2027Alicante's splendid Paeso Maritimo stretches northeast from the harbour, bristling with pleasure boats, to the expansive beach of Playa del Postiguet. The Rambla de Mendez Nunez leads to a lively market, while the Cathedral de San Nicolas de Bar is dedicated to the patron saint of Alicante. Most famous city landmark, the 3rd century Castillo de Santa Barbara, perched above the city on Mount Benecantil, affords marvellous city panoramas. - 9
Day 9 ·Alicante, Spain
8 Oct 2027Alicante's splendid Paeso Maritimo stretches northeast from the harbour, bristling with pleasure boats, to the expansive beach of Playa del Postiguet. The Rambla de Mendez Nunez leads to a lively market, while the Cathedral de San Nicolas de Bar is dedicated to the patron saint of Alicante. Most famous city landmark, the 3rd century Castillo de Santa Barbara, perched above the city on Mount Benecantil, affords marvellous city panoramas. - 10
Day 10 ·Mahon, Menorca
9 Oct 2027The second of Spain's four Balearic Islands, Menorca has an engaging charm perfectly embodied in the easily explored capital of Mahon with its attractive shops, outdoor market and the traditional buildings of its hilly old quarter. One of Europe's best natural harbours - where the 18th century British fleet sheltered when Menorca was ruled from London (Admiral Nelson's visits are commemorated still by the local Nelson Gin!) - 11
Day 11 ·At Sea
10 Oct 2027 - 12
Day 12 ·La Spezia, Italy
11 Oct 2027 - 13
Day 13 ·Villefranche, France
12 Oct 2027One of the most picturesque old fishing ports of the Cote d'Azur, Villefranche lies at peace between the more energetic pace of its famous close neighbours, Nice and Monte Carlo. Its tall brightly coloured and almost Italianate buildings rise beside narrow streets and stairways from the sheltered harbour, where fishing boats and yachts are moved and enticing restaurant terraces look out to sea. From here shore visits will take you to Monaco, Nice, Cannes and other legendary highlights of the Riviera! - 14
Day 14 ·Toulon, France
13 Oct 2027Historic Toulon has been a principal naval base of France for three centuries and, despite post-war reconstruction, a sense of its traditional charm survives amid the old town's narrow streets behind the waterfront and Vieux Port. Enjoy the fine views from Mount Faron and the colours of the flower market – or head east for the glamour of the Riviera, where St Tropez, Nice, Cannes, Antibes and Monte Carlo are now the glittering haunts of the beau monde of the Cote d'Azur! - 15
Day 15 ·Ajaccio, Corsica
14 Oct 2027Friendly capital of this captivating ‘Isle of Beauty', whose rugged coastline and flawless beaches enclose a fragrant maquis-carpeted interior dotted with mellow old hill-towns. Fought over by Greek, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine and Saracen, Corsica was sold by Genoa to France in 1768 - a fateful day for Europe, for a year later one Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio (his birthplace is now a museum). - 16
Day 16 ·At Sea
15 Oct 2027 - 17
Day 17 ·Alicante, Spain
16 Oct 2027Alicante's splendid Paeso Maritimo stretches northeast from the harbour, bristling with pleasure boats, to the expansive beach of Playa del Postiguet. The Rambla de Mendez Nunez leads to a lively market, while the Cathedral de San Nicolas de Bar is dedicated to the patron saint of Alicante. Most famous city landmark, the 3rd century Castillo de Santa Barbara, perched above the city on Mount Benecantil, affords marvellous city panoramas. - 18
Day 18 ·Ibiza
17 Oct 2027Ibiza is most famous for it's summer parties, with thousands of people descending upon the island to enjoy the nightlife. However, large parts of the island are World Heritage Sites. One spectacular site is El Vedra, a nature reserve said to be the third most magnetic point on earth. - 19
Day 19 ·At Sea
18 Oct 2027 - 20
Day 20 ·Propriano, Corsica
19 Oct 2027The dramatic maquis-covered landscapes of Corsica - ruled by the Genoese for centuries and often seemingly more Italian than French - span 650 square miles of fretted, beach-fringed coastline, alp-like mountains that soar to 9,00ft, cool pine and chestnut forests, sunburst vineyards and olive groves. From the little resort of Propriano by the sands of the Gulf of Valinco you can explore the capital, Ajaccio (birthplace of Napoleon), and the unspoilt scenery of Corsica's wild interior. - 21
Day 21 ·Golfo Aranci, Sardinia
20 Oct 2027 - 22
Day 22 ·Cruise Amalfi Coast
21 Oct 2027 - 23
Day 23 ·Cruising by Stromboli
22 Oct 2027 - 23
Day 23 ·Milazzo, Sicily, Italy
22 Oct 2027Dating back as far as 648 BC, when the Greeks founded a colony called Mylae, Milazzo’s colourful history has helped to shape the town today. Perched on top of a hill overlooking the town, is Castello di Milazzo, a sprawling citadel that was originally the site of a Greek acropolis. The site changed hands many times throughout history, with the Arabs, Normans, Aragonese and Swabians among the groups to have added to the original site.
Today, the citadel’s sprawling grounds are a great place to wander around, with the cathedral and Benedictine convent particular highlights, in addition to the excellent views over the bay below. Milazzo is also a popular starting point to explore the Aeolian Islands, situated north of Sicily in the Tyrrhenian Sea. This group of seven islands have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an excellent example of volcanic island-building. The islands are wonderfully varied and dramatic, with rocky coastlines, mountainous landscapes and black sandy beaches, as well as Stromboli, one of Italy’s three active volcanoes, on the island of the same name. - 24
Day 24 ·Valletta
23 Oct 2027 - 25
Day 25 ·At Sea
24 Oct 2027 - 26
Day 26 ·Souda Bay, Crete
25 Oct 2027 - 27
Day 27 ·Piraeus (Athens), GreeceDisembark
26 Oct 2027The port of Piraeus brings you to Athens, one of the great names of antiquity, the city of Plato and Socrates, a cradle of Western civilisation and birthplace of democracy. You can step in to that history on the heights of the Acropolis with its glorious 2,500-years-old Parthenon dating from the Golden Age of Classical Greece. Below, in the heart of the city lies the ancient Plaka District's honeycomb of streets, little shops - and tavernas that come alive at night with the pulse of bouzouki.
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