11 Night Cruise sailing from Southampton roundtrip aboard Azura.

Cruise Overview:
Join Azura for an 11-night cruise along the coastline of Portugal and Spain, taking in the Mediterranean port of Gibraltar and the garden island of Madeira on the way.

Your holiday starts the moment you leave Southampton for your first destination, the Spanish port of La Coruna. Here you'll have plenty of time to explore its fascinating museums, aquarium and planetarium or just stroll around its many shops, bars and restaurants. You then have two days to enjoy Azura's first class facilities before arriving at Madeira's capital Funchal. Why not visit the large and colourful flower markets, one of the most arresting features of the city, during your day trip? Of course, you'll also want to find time to sample its famous wine! Gibraltar is next, where you'll find stunning views from the Rock which is also home to its famous Barbary apes.

Lisbon, the small but perfectly formed Portuguese capital, will provide you with your next set of delights. Spend your time at leisure, exploring the heady mix of medieval and Moorish influences that make up this city. Your final port of call takes in the atmospheric streets and amazing daily fish market of the bustling Spanish port of Vigo.

Highlights of this cruise:

About Corunna
The name of Corunnas cruise dock - Transatlantic Quay - reflects its location on the northwestern tip of the Iberian Peninsular making it - you might be surprised to learn - the closest European port to New York.
It is a charming mixture of old town and new town also with a couple of beaches along the two-mile stretch of coastline it overlooks. The colonnaded Maria Pita Square is at the heart of the old town, with many shops, bars and restaurants all around. There are various fascinating museums including the interactive House of Mankind plus an aquarium and planetarium.
Corunna is also the main Atlantic gateway to one of the most ruggedly scenic regions in Spain - Galicia. Among its attractions is one of the worlds great pilgrimage destinations: Santiago de Compostela, with its Romanesque cathedral.

About Madeira
When you embark on one of our Madeira cruises it will become clear why this destination is known as the Garden Island - it is simply awash with colour from a breathtaking display of sub-tropical plants and flowers. So it is hardly surprising that large and colourful flower markets are one of the most arresting features of Funchal, Madeiras capital. Cruise visitors here will discover that the market town is easily walkable although, the further inland you explore, the steeper and narrower some of the streets become. Locally made wicker furniture, lacework and tapestries all make good buys along with the ubiquitous Madeira wine.

Funchal is also the base for tours to the islands botanical gardens; the fishing village of Camara de Lobos where Churchill went to paint; Camacha, the wicker centre; the levada walks, part of an ancient irrigation system; and to Reids Hotel for traditional afternoon tea, making cruises to Madeira a must see.

About Lisbon
Some of the best views of the Portuguese capital come as your ship cruises along the Tagus River. You pass the Belem Tower and the impressive Monument to the Discoveries with its statue of Henry the Navigator before arriving at the Lisbon cruise terminal.

Although small for a European capital, this city does sprawl a little so you would do best to concentrate on three districts - Baixa, Bairro Alto and Alfama, each with its own distinctive style, making Lisbon cruises a must see.

Baixa has busy streets of inviting shops, cafes and restaurants while Alfama is the atmospheric old town with narrow cobblestone streets, medieval and Moorish-style buildings, wrought-iron balconies with trailing flowers and a mix of small shops and bars. Bairro Alto is another historic district with narrow streets and is a steep climb from Baixa so look out for the 100-year-old lift (Elevador do Carmo) near Rossio Square. With such a variety of destinations to explore, cruises to Lisbon bring to your holiday a balance of both modern and historical grounds.

About Vigo
Spains busiest fishing port, Vigo sits on the rugged west coast of the province of Galicia. Over the centuries, this charming town and its resilient residents have been the target for many naval attacks including a couple from Sir Francis Drake.

In these more peaceful days, you will still find the best view of Vigo is from the fort (Castillo del Castro) built to defend it from the hill overlooking the harbour. From here, your Vigo cruise tour will lead you through the steep, narrow streets of the atmospheric old town (Barrio del Berbes) to see (and smell...) the daily fish market.

Try one of the oysters which are fresh from beds in Vigos 'ria' - one of the sunken sea-filled valleys for which Galicias coastline is renowned. And our Vigo cruises are also a chance to visit nearby Santiago de Compostela, the subject of pilgrimages since the Middle Ages.