Arrive in Bilbao and embark on the Sea Cloud II. Have an early dinner on board before a guided tour of the famous Guggenheim Museum.

Explore the beautiful old town of San Sebastián and its culinary diversity during a relaxed walk.

Today enjoy a day at sea aboard the Sea Cloud II.

The Vieux Port dock and the beautiful front, which teems with cafés, form the center of the picturesque old town. Two imposing towers once served as lookout posts for the harbor and town, and are now the symbol of La Rochelle. The medieval town walls, town hall, churches and shipowners' offices bear testament to its former glory. Today, the Les Minimes marina is one of the largest examples of its kind in Europe. A bridge spans the 3km gap between the mainland and the Ile-de-Ré. With its enchanting beaches and dunes, little villages, cottages with green shutters and alleyways lined with hollyhocks, the 'White Isle' is a paradise for cyclists.

At 54 square miles, Belle-Île-en-Mer, south of Lorient is the largest of Brittany's islands. For a few weeks every summer, the storms, and crashing waves subside and the island takes on a laid-back holiday atmosphere, with lots of bicycles, beach towels, and music. On the west coast, the waves break on the rocks causing white crests to dance on the water. Small, idyllic bays and beaches nestle in deep inlets in the rocky coastline, sometimes only accessible from the sea. The island's capital is the port of Le Palais with its imposing citadel and countless street cafés along the harbor and in the Place de la République. Claude Monet spent two and a half months on the island, producing 39 paintings of the wild Côte Sauvage.

Today enjoy a day at sea aboard the Sea Cloud II.

This former 'corsaire' town in northern Brittany has always had a close relationship with the sea. Although the buccaneers have left, St. Malo is now the start or endpoint for many famous sailing regattas. Behind the legendary town defenses lies the historic center, which is surrounded by water on three sides and has always been impregnable. On one side of the town walls, you will see the narrow alleyways and tall houses of the old town which bear testament to the prosperity of past traders and sailors. The other side offers exquisite views of the emerald sea, dazzling white sandy beaches, harbor, and forts. Tidal variations in the Bay of Saint-Malo provide an impressive natural spectacle with twelve meters difference between high and low tides.

'A piece of France fallen into the sea and grabbed up by the English' is how Victor Hugo described his place of exile in the Bay of St. Malo, which is closer to the northern coast of France than the south coast of England. Guernsey, the second-largest British Channel Island, later inspired Auguste Renoir to produce a whole series of paintings. Narrow, meandering roads bordered by hedges and embankments wind through the interior of the island, which boasts luscious vegetation courtesy of the mild Gulf Stream climate, while in the south, green hills give way to rocky cliffs on the sea's edge. Here, spectacular crags, bays and sandy beaches have been shaped by the vast tidal range pummelling the rock. The pretty island capital of St. Peter Port overlooking the large sheltered harbor and castle boasts a fascinating mixture of styles in a tangle of terraces and stepped gardens.

After one final breakfast on board, disembark in Honfleur.

Many famous impressionists caught the quaint atmosphere of this town at the mouth of the Seine on canvas in the 19th century. This small town in Calvados is still one of the most charming places in Normandy. Tall and narrow slate-clad buildings crowd around the quayside, the exquisite Vieux Bassin and the old 17th-century dock. Honfleur honors its famous sons, painter Eugène Boudin and composer Eric Satie, in a museum. East of Honfleur, the breathtaking Pont de Normandie spans the Seine estuary and links Honfleur with Le Havre, an engineering masterpiece and one of the longest bridges in Europe.