Ocean cruises

Sail the Greek and Turkish shores during an exceptional journey, an 10-day cruise aboard Le Dumont d’Urville, during which you will fall under the spell of these island jewels and secular cities, featuring ancient ruins and splendid scenery, which people the Eastern Mediterranean.

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, visit the archaeological site of Ephesus from Kusadasi, discover the ruins of Mycenae and Epidaurus from Nafplio, 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 Antalya, a former Roman port with picturesque alleyways and fine Ottoman residences, Le Dumont d’Urville will sail south for the Dodecanese archipelago. On the mythical island of Rhodes, let yourself be swept away by the charm of this medieval city with its gothic architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Le Dumont d’Urville will leave Greece to reach Kusadasi in Turkey. An old fishing village with history going back 5,000 years, not far from the Ephesus site, the town is now one of the country’s most famous seaside resorts. You will discover Patmos, known as the “Jerusalem of the Aegean Sea”. This island, where Saint John is said to have written the Apocalypse, offers unique landscapes combining white sandy beaches and rocky coves.

Your ship will sail to the southern Aegean Sea to discover the capital of Crete, Heraklion, built on a hillside overlooking the port and encircled by formidable Venetian walls.

You will then sail north-west for the charming Monemvasia. A romantic haven for the Athenians, this magnificent peninsula conserves treasures of Venetian and Byzantine architecture in the small vaulted streets of its fortified medieval village, which feature thousands of shades of ochre.

Further north, you will arrive in Nafplio, the departure point for discovering the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and the Mycenae archaeological site, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

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. Then there's Paros, renowned for its sublime white marble, a veritable concentration of Greek beauty, with its olive groves and ancient monuments. The island of Syros is the last port of call on your cruise: the Cyclades capital will surprise you with its authenticity and neo-classical architecture.

With featured guest Cindy Miller Hopkins, American Photo Ambassador.

The theatre of the greatest expeditions, a refuge for the rarest wildlife and an endless ice desert, the Weddell Sea promises you intense emotions during a voyage of exploration aboard Le Commandant Charcot, an enveloping cocoon that is wide open onto the exterior polar setting. This place is home to emperor penguins, majestic birds endemic to the Antarctic, rarely observed and only in the most southern latitudes. The ultimate quest and the promise of all-new, unforgettable encounters.

From Drake Passage, as the wind blows and the waves crash against the stern of your ship, you will enter the southern seas, to the extreme and captivating Weddell Sea. Ice floe as far as the eye can see and gigantic tabular icebergs form the horizon of the colonies of Adelie penguins that populate this expanse. Contemplating these curious and quirky birds is a real privilege and the guarantee of an equally fascinating and touching show. Yet the ultimate challenge of this exploration is the search for and the encounter with their majesties, the emperor penguins. In this season, as the winter gradually makes way for the southern spring, you will perhaps witness a magical show - that of the largest penguins in the world waddling along the ice floe or the younger penguins learning to swim. It is rare to discover their elegance, so the encounter will be priceless.

During your exploration of the Weddell Sea, you will follow in the footsteps of the great polar epics like that of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Our passionate naturalists will also share the history of the gigantic tabular icebergs with you, including their birth in the heart of the immense Larsen Ice Shelf. The ice here boasts all possible shades and the white takes different forms in the surrounding reliefs. Let yourself be guided and set off on an adventure into the heart of incredible and unexpected nature. Your Captain and the expert naturalists humbly seize these opportunities to give you an experience that will remain unique.

It is a challenge and a privilege to sail upon the Weddell Sea; welcome to an extraordinary universe with compelling appeal.

We are privileged guests in these extreme lands where we are at the mercy of weather and ice conditions. Our navigation will be determined by the type of ice we come across; as the fast ice must be preserved, we will take this factor into account from day to day in our itineraries. The sailing schedule and any landings, activities and wildlife encounters are subject to weather and ice conditions. These experiences are unique and vary with each departure. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while respecting safety instructions and regulations imposed by the IAATO.

During an exceptional 8-day musical cruise, in partnership with RADIO CLASSIQUE, and with the presence of Alain Duault, Artistic Director, sail the Greek and Turkish shores of the Aegean Sea and fall under the charm of its island gems and secular cities. Between ancient vestiges and splendid scenery, the eastern Mediterranean offers a first-rate stage for the musicians of the prestigious Trio Wanderer and Trio Arnold, whose solos, duos, trios, quartets and quintets will punctuate the cruise.

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, visit the archaeological site of Ephesus from Kusadasi, 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, 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).

Your cruise begins with trips from Nafplion to two of Greece's major sites: the ruins of Mycenae and the theatre at Epidaurus. 

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. Next comes Mykonos, its beaches and windmills, with Alefkandra, a district that is typical of the island, with houses built right on the water’s edge. Santorini, one of the pearls of the archipelago, awaits you for an enchanted interlude, unfurling the grandiose crater of its caldera.

Then, the island of Patmos, known as “the Jerusalem of the Aegean Sea”, reveals itself to offer you a moment suspended between unique landscapes of white-sand beaches and rocky bays.

Le Lapérouse will leave Greece to reach Kusadasi in Turkey. An old fishing village with history going back 5,000 years, not far from the Ephesus site, the town is now one of the country’s most famous seaside resorts.

On the mythical island of Rhodes, let yourself be swept away by the charm of this medieval city with its gothic architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You will finally reach Antalya, the end of your journey.