Day 1 Rome, Italy
Board your independent flight to Italy. Arrive in Rome and transfer to our hotel with the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Gather at the hotel this evening for a welcome dinner.
Day 2 Embark Le Champlain
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
After breakfast, join a walking tour highlighting the many ancient monuments scattered around Rome’s city center. After lunch at a local restaurant, embark Le Champlain.
Day 3 Porto Vecchio, Corsica
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Join a walking tour of Porto Vecchio, also known as “salt city” due to its salt marshes that have been in use since antiquity. Take in fantastic views of the natural, lagoon-like harbor from the 16th-century citadel, then wind your way through a maze of narrow alleyways dotted with pretty piazzas, stone stairways, and arched passages to discover cute restaurants, lively bars, and stylish boutiques. Or choose to visit the Natural Reserve of Bouches de Bonifacio where you will find a variety of
seabirds including European shags, Audouin gulls, storm petrels, and Cory’s shearwaters.
Day 4 At Sea
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Spend today at sea and enjoy a series of lectures on the history, culture, art, and current affairs of Tunisia and Algeria.
Day 5 Sousse, Tunisia
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
From the port city of Sousse, choose from two options today: a visit to Kairouan, “the city of fifty mosques” and the spiritual center of Tunisia, or a drive inland to the World Heritage Site of El-Jem. In Kairouan, explore the walled and turreted medina enclosing a delightful old Arab quarter with a fascinating casbah, the Great Mosque, and a fortified Islamic monastery. Those visiting El-Jem venture through the countryside to this amazing ancient Roman city boasting an enormous, well-preserved 35,000-seat coliseum, almost as large as Rome’s.
Day 6 Tunis
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
This morning, explore ancient Carthage, a World Heritage Site. From the heights of Mount Byrsa, scan the horizon as Hannibal did millennia ago, before visiting the ruins of Hadrian’s theater, the vast thermal baths, and the amphitheater. The Romans built many elegant villas here with mosaic-covered floors. After lunch, visit the delightful Bardo Museum located in a centuries-old Ottoman-style palace. Housing the largest collection from Roman Africa, this museum showcases the extravagant mosaics that once covered the floors and walls of villas.
Day 7 Annaba (Hippo Regius), Algeria
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
This ancient port close to the Tunisian border was the home of Augustine of Hippo and a center of early Christianity known as Hippo Regius. This morning, visit the Basilica of St. Augustine, an imposing structure built in Roman, Byzantine, and Arabian styles (and resembling Sacré Coeur in Paris), which overlooks the city and sea from a superb hilltop position. Nearby is the site of Hippo Regius whose network of large, flat stone roads, constructed with the help of elephants, connects the large forum, Christian quarter, and basilica. After a late lunch on the ship, explore the heart of Annaba. Highlights include Revolution Court Park, the casbah with the Great Mosque, and a Koranic school.
Day 8 Bejaia / Djemila
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
The seaside town of Bejaia is a jumble of narrow, winding streets nestled between beach and mountains. Its strong Berber roots are evident throughout the city in landmarks such as Fort Abdelgader, the Sarazzin Gate, and the casbah, along with nearby Park De Gourya and the remarkable view of Cap Carbon and its lighthouse. Choose to explore the highlights of Bejaia today, or choose a full-day tour of Djémila, a World Heritage Site encompassing some of the finest Roman ruins in North Africa. Founded in the first century to capitalize on the region’s rich agricultural potential, Djémila’s citizens once enjoyed two forums, public baths, a 3,000-seat theater, temples, and a basilica and baptistry. A museum on the site is bursting with an incredible collection of mosaics.
Day 9 Algiers / Tipasa
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Enjoy a full day in Algiers and its environs with a morning excursion west to the scenic Roman ruins of Tipasa, a World Heritage Site. Explore the villas, theater, fountains, baths, and museum of this Roman seaside town which once boasted 20,000 inhabitants. Nearby, situated on a hillside overlooking the valley and sea, is the enormous Mausoleum of Mauritania, an imposing circular structure over 550 feet in circumference. After lunch on board, explore the city itself and another World Heritage Site—the alleys, passageways, and markets of the labyrinthine Casbah of Algiers. You’ll also visit the museum of National Antiquities and Islamic Art, and the Notre Dame d’Afrique Basilica.
Day 10 At Sea
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Lecturers offer insights about your time in Algeria and present interesting facts on our last North African country: Morocco.
Day 11 Tangier, Morocco / Chefchaouen
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Disembark in Tangier this morning and enjoy an in-depth exploration of Tangier, or depart overland into the Rif Mountains to visit the town of Chefchaouen, famous for its beautiful blue buildings that tumble photogenically down the hillside. Browse the medina for a variety of handicrafts, including hand-woven textiles, gleaming brass work, clay pots, intricate silver jewelry, and traditional spices.
Day 12 Tangier / Gibraltar, UK
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Step ashore on the Rock of Gibraltar, a tiny outpost of Britain that is surrounded on three sides by Spain. Take a cable car up to Europa Point for superb views of the strait and the northern coast of Morocco. Enjoy a walk through the labyrinthine St. Michael’s cave and meet the Barbary apes, introduced macaques that are photogenic icons of The Rock.
Day 13 At Sea
- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Lecturers recap your journey during a relaxing day at sea.
Day 14 Lisbon, Portugal | Disembark
Disembark and transfer to the airport of your independent homeward flight.
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