Luxury Cruise Holidays Your Way

Experience two of Turkey’s most wondrous icons with an overnight stay in a nexus of civilization – the city of Istanbul – and a visit to the remarkably restored ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Ephesus. Along the way, go Greek island hopping through whitewashed villages dripping in bougainvillea from Skiathos to Mykonos.

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.

Join PONANT aboard  Le Bellot for an  8-day cruise  on an exceptional itinerary to discover the beauty of the  Norwegian fjords . 

Begin your trip to Oslo , the vibrant Norwegian capital. 

Sail first towards the lively harbor town of Gothenburg, Sweden . As the home of Volvo, the city boasts the World of Volvo , which features interactive exhibits from the brand's first vehicles through future technological solutions. The stunning Museum of Fine Arts includes works by Carl Larsson, Edvard Munch, Anders Zorn, Van Gogh, Picasso, Chagall, and Monet.

From Arendal , visit the Næs Ironworks Museum, which chronicles how iron production changed between 1665 and 1959, and stop in Tvedestrand , a charming village of white wooden houses. Or visit Raet National Park , which was established in 2016 to protect the region's unique topography.

Le Bellot then sails to Stavanger . Here, the reconstructed Iron Age village in Ullandhaug introduces you to the life of Norway's earliest inhabitants. The region's pristine coastal wilderness also offers an opportunity to take an invigorating hike . This afternoon, sail the beautiful Lysefjorden .

Next stop in Alesund , famous for the art nouveau architectural style in which its downtown was rebuilt after a terrible fire in 1904. Here you will also find the Atlantic Ocean Park , a unique aquarium featuring marine life found along Norway's Atlantic coast.

Be sure to be on the outside decks as Le Bellot traverses the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Geirangerfjord. Explore the fjord region overland – including a stop at the Jostedal Glacier National Park Center – from  Hellesylt .

Your final call is in  Olden . From this small and charming village, located a few miles from Jostedalsbreen National Park, home to one of the last ice caps in Europe, you are able to admire the magnificent  Briksdal Glacier .

Your cruise ends in  Bergen , famous for its Hanseatic wharf, Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site which still carries traces of the rich historic past of the city founded by the Vikings.

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.