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This Mediterranean Sea cruise takes in Provence, the French Riviera, Italy's Amalfi Coast, and remote Mediterranean islands by land and yacht. Explore Malta, and board your 60-passenger motor-sailing yacht to discover the islands of Lipari, Ponza, Stromboli, Corsica and Sicily; feel like a jetsetter pulling into ports aboard Le Ponant, designed to access the small harbors and remote destinations that large ships can’t maneuver. See fortified medieval towns, ornate cathedrals, ancient castles, and the incredible cliff-side drive along the Amalfi Coast. Experience glittering Monte-Carlo, and prepare for sheer enchantment (and lots of walking) in Provence, where sights include a hilltop citadel, charming Aix-en-Provence, Avignon’s Palace of Popes, a Roman aqueduct, and legendary wineries.
2008 Northbound Itinerary
Click here for southbound itinerary.
• Indicates day of cruising
Day 1: Arrive in Malta
Tauck’s Mediterranean Sea cruise begins at 6:00 PM at Le Méridien Phoenicia, Valletta, Malta. A transfer is included from Malta International Airport to Le Méridien Phoenicia. Meet your travel companions this evening at the welcome dinner.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: Le Méridien Phoenicia, Valletta, Malta
• Day 2: Make Malta memories and embark your ship
On the island of Malta, tour the medieval walled city of Mdina, and discover Valletta, founded by the Knights of St. John in the 16th century, on a walking tour. See the art treasure-filled Co-Cathedral of St. John, one of the world’s finest examples of Baroque architecture, before boarding Le Ponant for the start of your Mediterranean Sea cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
• Day 3: Taormina on Sicily
Admire the view as you sail toward Taormina, a terraced town clinging to high cliffs on the east coast of Sicily with Mt. Etna towering in the distance. Guided sightseeing includes a stroll along the Corso Umberto, Old Town’s main pedestrian street lined with cafés and patisseries; visit the Greek Theater. Continue your cruise to Lipari tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
• Day 4: Sailing the Aeolian Isles
Travel by tender for a shore excursion to Lipari, the largest of the seven Aeolian Islands; tour the island and visit the Archaeological Museum. Sail by the island of Stromboli, and see if its constantly active volcano will provide a natural show.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
• Day 5: The Amalfi Coast to Ravello
Go ashore today to set out on the mountainous route along Italy's Amalfi Coast, one of the most spectacular drives in the world. Arrive in stunning Ravello, perched on cliffs overlooking the sea. Visit Villa Rufolo, the former residence of several popes, where you'll get some pretty spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea during a lunch of regional specialties.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
• Day 6: Island life on Ponza
Stop to explore Ponza, the largest island in Italy’s Pontine Archipelago. The island features dramatic coves and cliffs, while the main town features yellow and pink houses, and a harbor full of fishing boats. Sail for Bonifacio on Corsica.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
• Day 7: Hidden Bonifacio
Sail into the nearly hidden Corsican port of Bonifacio with a deep, narrow harbor sitting at the base of sheer limestone cliffs – a highlight of your Mediterranean Sea cruise. The fortified 12th-century town is built on the top of the cliffs with great views of the sea. Tour the walled fortress, explore medieval lanes, and see the former barracks of the French Foreign Legion.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
• Day 8: Able was I ere I saw… the Island of Elba
Aboard Le Ponant in the Mediterranean Sea cruise to the picturesque island of Elba and the secluded harbor of Porto Azzuro. Today you'll learn about the isolated life of Napoleon Bonaparte on Elba, who spent a brief exile here in 1814 prior to his daring escape. There's local entertainment aboard the ship this evening as you sail for the French Riviera.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cruising aboard Le Ponant
Day 9: Discover Nice and Monte-Carlo
Disembark Le Ponant in Nice for the end of your Mediterranean Sea cruise. Take a city tour before continuing on to Monte-Carlo, capital of the Principality of Monaco, where your luxurious hotel is located above the harbor, near the world-famous Monte-Carlo Casino.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Fairmont Monte Carlo, Monaco
Day 10: The medieval magic of Provence
Drive to the medieval hill town of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and poke around this long-time artists’ magnet this morning. After lunch, travel to beautiful Aix-en-Provence – the city of a thousand fountains, featured in many paintings by Paul Cezanne – for a walking tour and time at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Grand Hotel Mercure Roi René, Aix-en-Provence, France
Day 11: Citadel of Les Baux
Check out Van Gogh Bridge, and then walk up to the Citadel of Les Baux, once a hilltop stronghold of feudal lords. (Note: Sightseeing in the Citadel of Les Baux and most sites in Provence involves significant walking; these venues are not accessible to vehicles.) Tour the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine-growing region, and enjoy a local wine and food event. Stop at the heavily fortified 14th-century Palace of the Popes in Avignon before arriving in Arles, one of Vincent Van Gogh’s favorite painting subjects, for a two-night stay.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hôtel Jules César, Arles, France
Day 12: Roman ruins and wine in Provence
See Pont du Gard, a 2,000-year-old, three-tiered Roman bridge and aqueduct with impressive arches spanning the Gardon River, then return to Arles. Take a walking tour of the Gothic cloisters at the Church of St-Trophime, dating from the 12th century. Please join us this evening for a farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hôtel Jules César, Arles, France
Day 13: Au revoir, Mediterranean
Tauck's incredible Mediterranean Sea cruise ends in Arles, France. A transfer is included from Hôtel Jules César to Marseille-Provence International Airport; you should allow 2 1⁄2 hours before the departure of our selected flights.
Meals: Breakfast
Dates & Prices
May 11
Jun 1
Sep 7
Oct 19
13 Day Land / Cruise from $6,790
| Double | Single | Triple | |
| 2008 Price per Person | $6790 | $10,762 | $6190 |
Special departures where the single price is $7990: May 11 and October 19, 2008 (northbound direction, begining in Malta).
30 meals included.
International Airfare is additional. Call Tauck for special rates on international air for travel originating in the U.S. (subject to availability). Departure tax is additional.
Land / Cruise Price includes private Tauck shore excursions, cruise fare, port charges, wine with dinner aboard Le Ponant, and gratuities to ship staff.
Travel North or South: This cruise operates both Northbound from Malta and Southbound from Marseille.
Please ask at time of booking about additional hotel nights before your tour begins and about our comprehensive Cruise Protection Plan.
All prices are per person in U.S. dollars.
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Important Terms
- * This product is priced in USD (USD), AUD rates can fluctuate depending on exchange rates, final rates in AUD will be confirmed by your consultant at time of booking.
- Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes unless otherwise stated.
- Advertised price includes any bonus nights, special offers or discounts listed in the inclusions.
- Surcharges may apply due to demand, Christmas & New Year's Eve, school or public holidays, trade shows, special events & other unforeseen circumstances.
- Prices may be based on Dynamic Rates and as such, may fluctuate at anytime without notice, due to matters outside our control, such as adverse currency fluctuations, fuel surcharges, taxes and airfare increases, or at the property's discretion.
Cruise Line
Tauck Cruising
Go beyond the ordinary and experience cruise travel at its best with Tauck. What makes Tauck’s Small Ship Cruising and River Cruising unique is the focus on the destination. Each scenic ports of call connect you with people and places, which will give you a moving, compelling and heart-warming experience both onboard and ashore.
Time ashore is enriched by in-depth cultural exploration and insider access that ensures up-close-and-personal connections with the locals and daily life. Tauck’s cruise travel adventures include guided sightseeing with local experts such as naturalists, historians, and accomplished lecturers. You’ll dine on regional cuisine on land at aboard ship that showcases specialties of the destination. After a day of extraordinary sightseeing, Tauck welcome you back onboard the hand-picked vessels for warm camaraderie and lively conversation that’s inherent on every Tauck cruise travel experience. The stories are endless, the memories are timeless and the connections priceless.
You can expect to see the sights a bit differently than you would with anyone else. Tauck explores Europe’s great waterways from the Rhine and the Danube to the Rhône and the Seine in France. Their luxurious riverboats are spacious and comfortable, welcoming you to an onboard experience characterized by the Tauck. Discover river cruises that go beyond the ordinary!
Tauck Voted World’s Best River Cruise Line
For the second time in three years, Tauck has been named the “World’s Best River Cruise Line" by the readers of Travel + Leisure, one of the world’s most authoritative and respected publications for travellers. The World’s Best Awards from Travel + Leisure are selected by the magazine’s readers. Every year, T+L holds a survey for readers to fill out on their main website. The survey remains open until April.
Winners are announced in the August/September issues of Travel + Leisure. These awards are given in categories such as hotels, resorts, spas, cruises, airlines, travel companies, tour operators, cities, islands, family travel, and more.
River Cruising
The heart of history meets the art of sophisticated river cruise travel aboard Tauck’s river cruises. Experience the Tauck difference on cruise travel days along great European waterways from the Rhine to the Danube, from the canals of the Netherlands to the Rhône, from the Main to the Danube and the Moselle…
You’ll cruise aboard spacious riverboats that have been custom designed to meet American standards with well appointed outside facing cabins and suites, a choice of on-board dining venues, complimentary wine with dinner, fitness centers and attentive personal service from Tauck’s staff and the ship’s crew.
Ancient civilizations beckon on cruise travel days along the River Nile in Egypt and China’s Yangtze River on Tauck’s Exotic journeys, where 3- and 4-night river cruise travel enhances land journeys.
Small Ship Cruising
The difference in Tauck’s small ship cruise travel lies in the choreography of the total cruise travel experience – the combination of personalized cruising with cultural land exploration. How you spend your days ashore – where you go, what you do, who you meet – that’s the Tauck difference. From the moment you step ashore, with 85 years of expertise on land ensures that on every cruise travel day, every moment of your shore excursions (all included in the price) count! Smaller ships hold fewer passengers, which means more personal attention from the captain and the crew – you’ll find the on-board atmosphere to be both club-like and comfortable. The pace is more relaxed, the conversations are richer, and the day-to-day experiences are shared with like-minded travelers.
