Europe´s Atlantic Highlights - From Lisbon to Hamburg

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.

Set out from this enchanting city

The Portuguese capital is rich in history and culture, shaped by centuries of exploration and a restless curiosity for discovering the world. After disembarkation, take a stroll through the classical streets of Baixa, the bohemian energy of Bairro Alto and Chiado, or the winding lanes of Alfama, the old Islamic quarter, where a Roman theatre and Moorish fortress still stand. 

 A short trip from the centre brings you to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery before you set sail. 

 MS Fridtjof Nansen, your platform for discovery, awaits you in the harbour. After being welcomed aboard, settle into your cabin and begin your adventure at sea.  

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.

The city of white and blue wonders 

Settle into life on board as we approach our first stop: Leixões, gateway to Portugal's northern coast. Before heading ashore, there's time to explore locally: the lighthouse of Leça, the Boa Nova Chapel, and the beautiful Praia Azul beach are all within reach. 

A shuttle bus takes you into Porto, famed for its port wine and UNESCO-listed historic centre. This is a city made for walking: pastel houses, colourful tiled façades, ornate churches, and panoramic views across the Douro River unfold at every turn. Stroll the bustling Ribeira docks, cross the Dom Luís I Bridge, snack on petiscos, and finish with a port wine tasting at the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. 

El Ferrol has been inextricably linked to the sea for more than two millennia, being a major shipbuilding centre for most of its history. From its beginnings as a tiny fishing port in the 1st century BC, it endured conquests by Vandals, Suebis, Arabs and Christians. With the arrival of the Bourbons in the 18th century, Ferrol became a leading maritime centre, largely due to its large natural harbour on the Ferrol Inlet, an arm of the Atlantic. Now a large commercial port, Ferrol is also the gateway to the northern Spanish province of Galicia, a region noted for its green mountains, deep gorges and fast-flowing rivers. It is also well placed for visiting the medieval holy city of Santiago de Compostela. Interestingly, Ferrol's city centre is modelled on Lisbon in Portugal, a country with which it has strong historical and linguistic ties. The layout comprises of a rectangle lined with six parallel streets, with two squares on each side. These squares have the city's best shops, restaurants and bars.

See Galicia's heritage in Ferrol

Enjoy a relaxing morning on board, perhaps enjoy the wellness facilities, or attend a lecture with the Expedition Team. 

As we enter the Ría de Ferrol early in the morning, head to the observation deck and take in the imposing forts of La Palma and San Felipe, standing guard on either side of the headland. 

Ferrol is one of Spain's best-preserved 18th-century port cities. Criss-cross the grid of streets in Barrio de la Magdalena and visit the city's maritime museums. Ferrol is also the starting point of El Camino Inglés, one of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes, and you may be able to join an excursion to Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Christianity's most important pilgrimage destinations. 

The Campo Valdés baths, dating back to the 1st century AD, and other reminders of Gijón's time as an ancient Roman port remain visible downtown. Gijón was almost destroyed in a 14th-century struggle over the Castilian throne, but by the 19th century it was a thriving port and industrial city. The modern-day city is part fishing port, part summer resort, and part university town, packed with cafés, restaurants, and sidrerías.

A unique cultural flavour in Asturias 

Enjoying a prime position on the Bay of Biscay, Gijón is the cultural heart of Asturias, a city that grew from a Roman-era fishing village into a prominent port. Explore old town charm in the Cimadevilla quarter and Barrio del Carmen, with their Baroque churches and the Plaza del Marqués, or hike up to Mirador de la Providencia, an unusual viewpoint shaped like the hull of a ship with panoramic coastal views. 

Afterwards, relax on the golden sands of Playa de San Lorenzo, take a coastal walk, or settle in for freshly caught fish and Asturian delicacies with a glass of local cider. 

Discover the jewel of the Basque Country

Our voyage continues to the Basque region.  

We berth at Pasajes, a port tucked into a narrow sea inlet with over 1,000 years of maritime history, and from here San Sebastián is a short journey away. Wander the Parte Vieja quarter with its Gothic church, Baroque façades, and lively squares, then head to La Concha beach or take the cable car up Monte Igueldo for sweeping coastal views.  Make sure you find time to sample some traditional Basque cuisine. The delicious pintxos are perfect small bites to snack on as you tour the city. 

Before returning on board, take time to explore Pasajes itself, where 17th century residences line quiet streets above the water. 

Bordeaux as a whole, rather than any particular points within it, is what you'll want to visit in order to understand why Victor Hugo described it as Versailles plus Antwerp, and why the painter Francisco de Goya, when exiled from his native Spain, chose it as his last home (he died here in 1828). The capital of southwest France and the region's largest city, Bordeaux remains synonymous with the wine trade: wine shippers have long maintained their headquarters along the banks of the Garonne, while buyers from around the world arrive for the huge biennial Vinexpo show (held in odd-number years).Bordeaux is, admittedly, a less exuberant city than many others in France, but lively and stylish elements are making a dent in its conservative veneer. The cleaned-up riverfront is said by some, after a bottle or two, to exude an elegance reminiscent of St. Petersburg, and that aura of 18th-century élan also permeates the historic downtown sector—“le vieux Bordeaux"—where fine shops invite exploration. To the south of the city center are old docklands undergoing renewal—one train station has now been transformed into a big multiplex movie theater—but the area is still a bit shady. To get a feel for the historic port of Bordeaux, take the 90-minute boat trip that leaves Quai Louis-XVIII every weekday afternoon, or the regular passenger ferry that plies the Garonne between Quai Richelieu and the Pont d'Aquitaine in summer. A nice time to stroll around the city center is the first Sunday of the month, when it's pedestrian-only and vehicles are banned.

Raise a glass in Bordeaux

Bordeaux's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bursting with culture and art at every turn. From the famous water mirror at Place de la Bourse, to the Gothic St André Cathedral and the Musée des Beaux-Arts Bourdeax, if you love art and architecture, you're spoilt for choice. 

But it's wine that's the true soul of Bordeaux. With over 8,500 châteaux and producers in the region, and vineyards just a short tram ride from town, you can taste and compare some of the 60 appellations, from the stellar red Bordeaux Supérieur to sweet Sauternes.  

Explore the many charms of Île-d’Yeu

What Île-d’Yeu lacks in size, it more than makes up for in diversity of landscapes. This pretty little island is home to rocky shores, dunes, pine forest, and lush meadows.  

Inhabited over 5,000 years ago by farmers of the Neolithic period, the island has many historical sites, ranging from superbly preserved dolmens and menhirs to medieval castles and tiny villages. You can rent a bike, or just discover the island’s treasures on foot. 

Ports in Île-d’Yeu are too small for our ship, so if the conditions are favourable, we’ll anchor off the island and use our small boats to take you ashore.   

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.

Inspiring coastal scenery and maritime history

We’ll use our Zodiacs to go ashore at the picturesque seaside town of Douarnenez, where you'll find the colourful quaysides, sandy beaches, and steep cliffs that inspired famous painters like Renoir and Boudin. As well as fishermen’s huts and seamen’s chapels, Douarnenez hosts a wonderful maritime museum with boats from around the world.  

While here, you can choose to discover the wild beauty of Pointe Du Raz, a promontory facing the elements of the Atlantic Ocean, where Finistère really does feel like the ‘End of the Earth’.  Or explore the charming Breton town of Quimper, whose skyline is dominated by the twin spires of Saint Corentin Cathedral. 

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.

A beautiful Breton town steeped in history

Viewed from the sea, Saint-Malo is an impressive sight, fringed by fortified bastions and gently sloping beaches. We’ll anchor off the town and use our Zodiacs to go ashore. 

A circular walk along the ramparts offers the best views of the town and surrounding islands. Follow the historical trail within the old city walls through a maze of cobbled streets and visit Demeure De Corsaire to learn about the feared corsairs and the town’s pirate heritage.  

You can walk to Île de Grand Bé at low tide or join an excursion to visit the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. The island has the remains of an ancient fort, and this is where the renowned local writer Chateaubriand is buried. 

The Frisian port city of Harlingen 

Harlingen sits on the edge of the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site and is Friesland’s only seaport city. It’s also the gateway to the Wadden Islands of Vlieland and Terschelling, with a charming historic centre of canals, warehouses, and maritime heritage. 

Explore on foot, by bike, or, if conditions allow, by Zodiac through the waterways. Traditional sailing ships and historic warehouses line the old harbours of Noorderhaven and Zuiderhaven. Don't miss the Harlingen Aardewerkmuseum, with its displays of distinctive Frisian pottery. 

Discover clifftop trails, beaches, and wildlife 

Just off the German mainland, tiny Heligoland was once a base for pirates and the strategic prize for a string of warring nations. Now this peaceful, traffic-free island is better known for its stunning nature, and at certain times of the year, its birdlife.

If conditions allow, local boats will take us ashore to explore both of Heligoland's distinctive islands. On one, walk scenic trails along the red cliffs looking out for nesting northern gannets and common guillemots. On the other, stroll fine white sands lined by dunes in search of seals lounging on the shore. 

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.

End your cruise in Germany’s second city

Your expedition cruise comes to an end as we arrive in Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany and one of the greenest urban areas in Europe. 

There’s much to see and do in Hamburg. If you have time, you'll find many attractions in the old town district of Altstadt, including the St Nikolai Memorial and the historic street of Deichstraße.