Copenhagen to Lisbon

Cruise overview

We leave fairytale Copenhagen for Sweden’s west-coast town of Lysekil, framed by red-hued cliffs, before crossing to Kristiansand in Norway, with its wooden houses and white-sand beaches. Two more Norwegian ports follow: Haugesund, with its Viking history and coastal walks, and Bergen, gateway to magnificent fjords and mountains. A day at sea brings us to Scotland and a trio of its islands – the Shetlands, Orkneys and Isle of Lewis – for dramatic landscapes, and, of course, a dram or two. We call at Greencastle, on the Irish coast, before arriving in Liverpool to enjoy all that this former European Capital of Culture has to offer. Then it’s over the Irish Sea to Douglas, on the Isle of Man, where you can find out more about the influence of the Celts and Vikings at the Manx Museum. We travel on to Ireland, to Dublin, where highlights include viewing the 1,200-year-old illustrated manuscript of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and Cobh, close to Cork, the country’s foodie capital. Then it’s back to Britain at the Cornish fishing port of Fowey before hopping over the Channel to Honfleur, a harbor famously captured on canvas by Monet and Boudin. Next, we have an overnight at Ijmuiden, gateway to Amsterdam, before France beckons. We visit the medieval walled city of Saint Malo; Brest, with its rich maritime history and Montoir-de-Bretagne, gateway to Nantes, former home of the Dukes of Brittany. Then we cross into Spain to visit the pinxto bars of San Sebastian, sample the natural cider of Gijón, and feast on Galician seafood in La Coruña. Our next sea day has a thrilling twist, coinciding with a total solar eclipse. Finally, we arrive in Portuguese waters, with a chance to sample the port wine of Leixões before we end our journey in Lisbon.