Quick Getaways: Almería, Gibraltar & Tangier

Cruise overview

Cross two continents in four days, threading through three countries via one of the world’s most storied straits. Trace the Strait of Gibraltar’s ancient crossroads of empires, where Spain, Britain, and Morocco sit within sight of one another — best explored in the quieter seasons when the Mediterranean sun is warm but gentle and the medinas breathe easy without the summer rush. Wander Málaga’s sun-bleached streets, birthplace of Picasso, before setting sail. Dock in Almería, where the Alcazaba, Andalusia’s second-greatest Moorish fortress, crowns the hillside above the sea, or head inland to Granada, where the Alhambra’s tiled courtyards and reflecting pools rival even that storied citadel. Watch for Barbary macaques scrambling the limestone face of the Rock of Gibraltar before making the short but remarkable crossing into Africa, two continents connected by a single strait, where Tangier’s centuries of Berber, Arab, and European influence converge in a labyrinth of medina alleyways scented with mint tea and cumin.