West Mediterranean

About Palma

Dominated by its iconic Gothic cathedral, the Majorcan capital and cruise port Palma has been transformed in recent years into one of the most sophisticated hotspots of the Mediterranean. Fine shops rub shoulders with authentic Balearic restaurants and tapas bars in this easy to navigate city.

From the harbour filled with expensive yachts, wander up to the magnificent cathedral and stand in awe when you realise it took 500 years to complete. Spreading out around this ancient structure with its impressive views is a collection of side streets and alleys which give a sense of the city’s cultural past and Moorish influences.

Walking from the old town you reach the thoroughfare of Passeig d’es Born with its many cafés where you can sample freshly baked spiral pastries called ensaimadas, a local speciality. It is also well worth exploring the unusual circular Castell de Bellver, overlooking the bay to the west.

About Messina

An earthquake in 1908 flattened much of the original town, but the Sicilian cruise port Messina bounced back and it has since enhanced one of its major surviving attractions - the Duomo, a 12th century Norman church built by the unusually-named Count Roger II - with the installation of an astronomical clock in the bell tower. Made in Strasbourg in 1933, the clock face shows the planetary system representing the days of the week and the age of man.

There are more Norman churches, several beautiful medieval fountains and a fascinating museum to see and visit in the town centre before you head for the areas main attractions: Mount Etna or the magnificent hill-top town of Taormina, overlooking the Bay of Giardini, which has one of the largest Greco-Roman theatres in the world and is full of fascinating nooks and crannies, arty stores, and tasty cafés and restaurants.

About Bari

Located on the Adriatic Sea, the ancient Italian capital of Bari has often been neglected by visitors, but this atmospheric and architecturally adorned city is a little gem that embraces a rich cosmopolitan past. Many civilisations have left their mark and many cultures are still represented, from Byzantine and Arabic to Gothic and Greek.

Separating the town is a wide boulevard, home to the Piccinni Theatre and the renowned red-brick government palace. To the north, pastel houses litter the labyrinth of lanes, arched alleyways and ancient churches that make up the old town. From here explore the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the 12th century Cathedral of San Sabino and the Swabian castle of Castello Svevo.

To the south, in the new town of Murattiano, you’ll find a stunning promenade by the sea as well as the major shopping districts of Via Sparano and Via Argiro. Just outside of Bari is the mysterious octagonal Castel del Monte built in 1240, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

About Dubrovnik

Sailing into the beautiful 12th century Croatian walled city of Dubrovnik is one of the great cruising experiences.

The spectacular Old Town – with its pretty harbour, towering ramparts, creamy stone pavements and red-roofed buildings – is crammed with architectural wonders like Onofrio’s Fountain - constructed in the 1430s – and the 14th century Franciscan Monastery, home to a wonderful statue of the Piéta carved in 1498, and the world’s oldest pharmacy (est. 1391).

Visit, too, the magnificently Gothic Sponza Palace and the 18th century Baroque Church of St Blaise, Dubrovnik’s patron saint.

And, when you have had your fill of sightseeing, you will find pretty restaurants and cafés tucked away on Dubrovnik’s narrow side streets – worth exploring as they also contain offbeat shops and art galleries.

Lacework, oil paintings and ceramics are good buys but take plenty of cash with you, as some shops do not accept credit cards.

About Venice

This World Heritage city is just about the perfect cruise call because everything you want to see is so easily accessible whether the ship docks just down from St Marks Square or further up the Grand Canal at the main Venice cruise terminal complex.

Cars are banned from the maze of narrow cobbled streets and 500 historic bridges within the city centre so there are just the two choices for getting around: the vaporetto (water-bus) network or just plain walking. A gondola ride is really for fun and romance rather than transportation.

Start walking from St Marks Square, with its ancient Basilica, lavish Doges Palace and imposing bell tower, then follow signs for the shop-lined Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs.  But wherever you walk, there are intriguing arty shops, museums and galleries plus some tasty cafés and restaurants along the way.

About Cephalonia

As a setting for a love story - remember Captain Corellis Mandolin - the unspoilt, rugged but timeless Greek island of Cephalonia is hard to beat.  Although the largest of the Ionian islands, Cephalonia is defiantly untouristy and delights in giving visitors a real opportunity to experience the flavour of an authentic Greek island community.

Just 30,000 live on the island, mainly in the coastal towns and resorts with the rest living much as they have done for centuries in the mountain villages. Pause for a drink in one of the pretty harbourfront tavernas in the cruise port town of Sami before exploring.

There are sandy beaches near the west coast town of Argostoli along with a couple of interesting caves. At Melissani, near Agia Egfymia, the sun shining down through a hole in the caves roof creates a spectacular lighting effect on the water.

About Heraklion

The proud city of Heraklion is the modern capital of Crete, largest and most ruggedly beautiful of the Greek Isles.

Just along the coast, you’ll find the scrupulously renovated remains of Knossos, the Palace of King Minos and the island’s capital under the Minoans. Here, the endless maze of salons, staircases and courtyards gave rise to the legend of the Labyrinth, housing the evil Minotaur at its heart. See the legend come vividly to life!

About Athens

The Acropolis – ‘High City’ - will always be the top attraction from Athens cruise port Piraeus.

With its 2,500-year-old Parthenon, temple to Poseidon and Athena, Odeon of Herodus Atticus and Theatre of Dionysus, it quite literally stands out as an oasis of calm in the frenetic Greek capital.

As part of the major revamp the city had for the 2004 Olympics, 400 modern buildings were cleared from the ancient meeting place next to the Acropolis, the Agora, which was then restored and linked by walkways to the Acropolis, Hadrians Arch, the Academy of Plato and the Monastery of Daphne.

Other nearby ancient sites include the Roman Tower of the Winds and the Hill of the Muses where Socrates is said to have drunk hemlock. Below the Acropolis is the fun place to shop or barter, eat moussaka or Greek salad, drink wine or ouzo and, of course, to people-watch: the 3,000-year-old Plaka.

About Cadiz

You cruise right into the heart of historic Cadiz as immediately across the busy Avenida del Puerto from the Spanish port is the main square and shopping area. From there, it is easy to find your own way around this compact city. Behind is the 18th century cathedral (El Nueva) and the view from the top is worth the long climb up its internal stairs.

The narrow streets of the old town below are lined by tall Moorish-style houses with flower-decked balconies mixed in amongst some small shops and tapas bars. Cadiz dates back to the 12th century BC so is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the western world but sultry Seville has long since outgrown its neighbour.

La Giralda (the bell-tower next to its Gothic cathedral), is in Sevilles historic Jewish quarter which also has the whitewashed houses and exquisitely coloured bougainvillea that everyone associates with this lovely city.