Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) to Lisbon
11 nights
Crystal Serenity
3 Aug '26Cruise overview
After leaving Amsterdam, a full day at sea awaits – perfect for settling into the joys of life onboard. Our first stop is Saint Malo, a medieval walled city overlooking the English Channel with a fascinating history of piracy. Then we move westwards along the French coast to Brest, an important naval base with a rich maritime history, before heading down to Montoir-de-Bretagne, from where you can visit the city of Nantes, the former home of the Dukes of Brittany. La Pallice (La Rochelle) is next, with its Renaissance architecture and timbered houses, before we cross into Spain. Visit the pinxto bars of San Sebastian, sample the cheeses and natural cider of Gijón and feast on Galician seafood beneath the Tower of Hercules in La Coruña. Our next sea day has a thrilling twist, as it coincides with a solar eclipse. Finally, we enter Portuguese waters, sampling port wine in Leixões and the famed pastries of Lisbon, where we end our journey.
Itinerary
IJmuiden
North Holland’s ‘Gate to the North Sea’, IJmuiden has four harbours: the Vissershaven, Haringhaven, IJmondhaven and the Seaport Marina – the latter used by pleasure craft. It is the largest Dutch fishing port, but is a relatively young town: it grew up in the 1870s when the North Sea Canal was opened. During World War II, the German Navy demolished much of the town and built huge fortified concrete bunkers for their torpedo boats and submarines. After 1945, the town was rebuilt by the architect Willem Marinus Dudok. He designed IJmuiden’s most impressive building, the Stadhuis van Velsen, which houses local government offices. For cruise passengers IJmuiden is the gateway to Amsterdam, the Dutch capital and one of Europe’s truly great cities, where elegant canals are lined by old brick gabled houses, and superb art galleries and museums are home to some of the world’s best-known paintings. Please note that complimentary shuttle buses operate from the port to the centre of IJmuiden, not to Amsterdam.
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At sea
Saint-Malo
Brest
Montoir-de-Bretagne
Montoir-de-Bretagne
San Sebastian
Gijón
La Coruña
At sea
Porto
Lisbon
Double Guest Room with Ocean View
Elegant ocean-view accommodation offering comfort and style with large picture windows.
Amenities
- Queen-sized bed
- Marble bathroom
- Flatscreen TV
- Minibar
- WiFi
- 24-hour Butler service
- Safe
Ship features
Crystal Serenity blends five-star service with elegant design and an inviting, residential ambience that captures the essence of contemporary cruising.
- 740-guest luxury cruise ship
- Comprehensive refurbishment by A&K in 2023
- All suites with butler service
- Dedicated single-occupancy staterooms
- Multiple gourmet dining venues
- Crystal Life Spa and wellness centre
- Outdoor pool and sports deck
- Children’s Fantasia & Waves club
- Award-winning service and enrichment programmes
- Immersive pre- and post-cruise experiences by A&K
