Luxury Cruise Holidays Your Way

At the heart of the Baltic Sea, discover the emblematic towns and capitals of the region, a blend of History and sumptuous landscapes. During this 9-day cruise aboard Le Champlain fall under the spell of the majestic panoramas of northern Europe.

Over the course of your trip, at every port of call each guest will be able to choose one included excursion from the selection offered by PONANT. During this cruise, enjoy a visit to Gdansk and fall under the spell of the music at a Chopin concert; dive into the history and tunes of ABBA from Stockholm; or attend a folkloric show in Tallinn. The range of experiences on offer promises intense and varied moments (for the full list of excursions, click on the Itinerary tab).

Your cruise will start at Helsinki. Located on a peninsula surrounded by almost 300 islands, the verdant capital of Finland will charm you with its Art Nouveau architecture. 

You will visit Tallinn, emblematic city of the Hanseatic League, the large trading network that dominated the Baltic Sea for several centuries. Listed as UNESCO Heritage Site, this once opulent city still has remarkably well-preserved public buildings, merchant houses and warehouses.

On Saaremaa, dive into the complex history of this island, Estonia’s largest. First invaded by the Vikings, it became Danish then Swedish before being taken by the Russian Empire and later occupied by the Germans. In 1991, it finally became Estonian when the country gained its independence.

Le Champlain will then chart a course for Stockholm. Built on water, the Swedish capital embraces nature, which is omnipresent there. Its blend of medieval architecture, colourful houses and trendy neighbourhoods makes it a particularly enjoyable city to visit.

You will then sail to the Swedish island of Gotland and call at Visby, a site that was important for the Hanseatic League in the Baltic Sea around the 13th century. UNESCO Heritage Site, this once opulent city still has remarkably well-preserved ramparts, public buildings, merchant houses and warehouses.

Your ship will then call at Gdansk, famous for its amber stone and its shipyards. The former Hanseatic city will reveal some of its architectural treasures, in Gothic and Baroque styles, restored or rebuilt.

You will set a course for the charming fishing village of Gudhjem. Located on the small Danish island of Bornholm, it is very popular among the Danes for its gentle way of life and its beautiful landscapes of rock formations.

Your ship will finally reach Copenhagen, where you can explore its canals and historic districts.

The mildness of summer on the waters of the Mediterranean Sea promises you an unforgettable 13-day journey between Greece, Corsica and Italy. Aboard Le Boréal, fall under the spell of the Mediterranean landscapes and the ancient vestiges that will tell you a fascinating story.

Throughout your journey, you will benefit from an excursion included per person per port of call, to choose from a selection offered by PONANT. During this cruise, discover the monastery of Saint John and the Cave of the Apocalypse where the last book of the New Testament was revealed to John the Apostle, from Patmos, set off from Taormina to climb the mythical Mount Etna, or admire the sumptuous archaeological sites, from the Temples of Zeus, Apollo and Athena to the Terrace of the Lions, from Delos. The diversity of experiences on offer promises you intense and varied moments (to discover the full range of excursions, go to the itinerary tab). The diversity of experiences on offer promises you intense and varied moments (to discover the full range of excursions, go to the itinerary tab).

From Athens, your ship will set sail for Patmos. Known as “the Jerusalem of the Aegean Sea”, the island reveals itself to offer you a dazzling time between unique landscapes of white-sand beaches and rocky bays.

In the south-eastern Aegean Sea, the Cyclades archipelago invites you to enjoy the wild and appealing beauty of its islands. Delos, a veritable open-air museum, offers a unique testimony of the succession of different civilisations during the Aegean period. Le Boréal will then head towards Paros. Nestling in the heart of the Cyclades archipelago, this island reputed for its sublime white marble offers a real concentration of Greek beauty, from whitewashed houses to olive groves to ancient monuments. On Milos, the limestone cliffs and small hidden coves are yours to discover in a soothing atmosphere.

The Peloponnese and Nafplio - the starting point to discover the Epidaurus theater and the site of Mycenae, both classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites - beckon you, preceding the exploration of the island of Hydra, famous for its incomparable light and the tranquility of its streets where all car traffic is banned.

You will cross the emblematic Corinth Canal to arrive in picturesque Galaxidi. You will fall in love with the authentic character of this town, encircled by captivating arid mountains and a sea front of unrivalled beauty, with its paved little streets edged with former neo-classical residences, remnants of the naval era, and sumptuous religious buildings.

It will now be time to set sail towards Italy. Taormina, overlooking Etna’s blanket of snow. Its streets will lead you to its famed ancient Greek theatre, where the quality of the acoustics is exceptional. After a timeless moment at sea, you sail further north to Gaeta. Clinging to the cliffs facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, the ancient city with its narrow streets redolent of a fascinating past will captivate you with its many architectural treasures, like the cathedral, an elegant Romanesque and Moorish building with ceramic decoration.

You will then stop at Porto Santo Stefano, a town built along a hillside and surrounded by a 17th century fortress.

Next, the Cap Corse peninsula reveals itself a little further south. You set sail for Calvi in the heart of the Balagne region. Between steep peaks and sublime beaches with turquoise waters, experience a wild and authentic Corsica.

Your cruise ends in Nice, capital of the French Riviera.

In alliance with Smithsonian Journeys.

This cruise is part of a collection of PONANT voyages that are specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers who want to engage with the world. In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that encourages guests to embrace the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the local environment and culture.

This leisurely voyage around Corsica and along the coast of Tuscany explores the history of the region, especially the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born on Corsica and exiled to Elba. It also allows for the discovery of the natural beauty found in the Corsican interior, in the lush forests surrounding Porto Ercole, and on the Cap Corse Peninsula. But is most particularly about la belle vie and la dolce vita as they are lived and enjoyed in the resort towns visited along the way— the sun-drenched beaches, the charming marinas, and the grand villas of Calvi, Propriano, and above all, Portofino.

Departing from Nice, France, your first port of call is on the French island of Corsica, where you may join a guided walking tour of the town of Calvi including its Citadel, with stunning views over the sea and the houses below, and the house of Christopher Columbus, who is believed to have been born here. Or you may travel outside of the city to enjoy a panoramic drive through the natural beauty of the island's interior, or to snorkel off the beach of the Revellatta Peninsula.

From the small marina-like harbor of Propriano, it is about an hour's drive to Bonifacio, stunningly perched on cliffs along Corsica's south coast. Here you stroll through the old town's winding medieval lanes of brightly colored houses and browse the stalls and shops of the old market while admiring dramatic views over rugged limestone cliffs that plunge to the sea below. For those who would prefer a day of relaxation, sun, and sand, shuttles will be available from the ship to Propriano's lovely beach.

The next four days are spent exploring the towns of Italy’s Tuscan coast, learning their history, admiring their architecture, enjoying their beauty, and savoring their cuisine. Begin with a day in Porto Ercole on an island connected to the mainland by three isthmuses and dominated by the lush forests of Monte Argentario. Choose between a hike on a mountain trail that leads to Spanish forts built in the 16th century to protect Tuscany from the Ottomans, or an e-bike tour through a nature reserve and around the Orbetello Lagoon.

On the tiny island of Giglio, visit its main town, Giglio Castello, a member of the consortium of Borghi più belli d’Italia, "The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy." There are two ways for you to reach the village—by minivan or by hiking to the hilltop along paths lined with local flora. Whichever mode of transport you choose, your guide will lead you through the town and the fortress that gives it its name, followed by a tasting of local wines.

Your exploration continues in Portoferraio, the main harbor of Elba. Most famous as the site of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile in 1814-15, Portoferraio offers a tour of Villa Dei Mulini, the Emperor’s winter residence during exile and a visit to the charming village of Porto Azzurro and enjoy a wine tasting and sampling of Tuscan mezze at a local vineyard.

Portofino, once a small fishing village and now a favored haunt of the rich and famous, is fittingly located at the southern end of the Italian Riviera. Enjoy a guided tour of this iconic resort town, walking among the brightly colored houses and pausing for stunning views at the Portofino Promontory and at the lighthouse at Punto del Capo. Or, take to a kayak and paddle through the harbor and along the coast for a perspective on Portofino from the water.

Your final day of discovery is based in the port town of Saint-Florent on Corsica's north coast, where options include a panoramic drive through the rugged and beautiful landscapes of Cap Corse Peninsula; a nature walk through the aromatic gardens of oleander, cypress, rosemary, and wild olive in Saleccia Park; and a guided tour of the town of Saint-Florent, enclosed by walls built by the Genoese in the 15th century.

Your voyage ends back in Nice.

Somewhere in the High Arctic, between 76 and 80 degrees latitude North, Spitsbergen, meaning "pointed mountains”, awaits you for seven days of unforgettable travel looking out for wild life.

You will lift the anchor in Longyearbyen, where colourful wooden homes dot the landscape with a human presence that will certainly be the last you see for a while.

The sea rolls on, and the white-striped mountains, which gave the region its name, rise up from deeply tinted waters. The polar light combines with the changing weather of the Arctic, a big blue sky, the horizon scattered with clouds, the enveloping mist erasing the border between the land and the sea: these variations all provide the magical, almost surreal, setting with new nuances.

The ship is escorted by Arctic fulmars. The first ice appears; still discreet, it seems to be dancing around you. At the end of a fjord, you will find yourself before an immense glacier. Black-legged kittiwakes share an iceberg, while Arctic terns fly over the area. Aboard the ship or a Zodiac dinghy, you will admire the power of nature while becoming aware of its fragility. The music of the thaw has begun its soft melody: a combination of cracking, roaring, murmuring and fizzing defies the silence of the polar desert.

On land, you will set foot on malleable earth, known as moraine. Only moss, lichen and a few rare flowers have managed to adapt and to take hold here, forming the tundra. On these inhospitable lands, Svalbard reindeer and Arctic foxes coexist with walruses, lying on the beach. It has been a long time since the Pomor settlers, of which traces remain, came to hunt them.

Here, the lord of the Arctic, the polar bear, is never very far away. The crucial aspects of this cruise involve searching and keeping an eye out. On board, the team of naturalists will scan the horizon so they can provide you with marvellous sightings of wildlife and, in particular, the polar bear. The region’s elusive fauna upholds its mysteries while the uncertain nature of the encounter bestows an indescribable magic upon it.

Itinerary is?subject to change according to port authorizations and government regulations. We are privileged guests in these remote lands where we are at the mercy of weather, ice, tidal and current conditions. Landings on certain sites and the observation of certain wildlife cannot be guaranteed. They vary from day to day, making each PONANT cruise a unique experience. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while complying with the safety rules and instructions imposed by the AECO.