17 Night Cruise sailing from Southampton roundtrip aboard Oriana.

Join Oriana for a 17 night Easter exploration of the Central Mediterranean taking in the spectacular cities of Dubrovnik and Venice.

Found on Spain's rugged west coast Vigo, with its daily fish market, offers a traditional taste of the Galicias region - oysters fresh from its sunken sea-filled valleys - but is also an ideal base for visiting nearby Santiago de Compostela. Your next stop, Valletta, capital of Malta GC, presents plenty of photo opportunities from the impressive St John's Co-Cathedral to the Grand Master's Palace and splendid views from the Barrakka Gardens. Then it's on to another capital, this time Argostoli in charming Cephalonia (the setting for the best-selling Captain Corelli's Mandolin), an excellent opportunity to experience an authentic Greek island community.

Sailing into the beautiful 12th century Croatian walled city of Dubrovnik is one of the great cruising experiences whilst in Venice you'll find all the iconic sights, including St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge, within walking distance of your cruise ship. From the Sicilian cruise port of Messina, you can visit Mount Etna and the magnificent hill-top town of Taormina before setting sail for Lisbon, your final port of call. Some of the best views of the Portuguese capital come as Oriana cruises along the Tagus River, passing the impressive Monument to the Discoveries and statue of Henry the Navigator - a somewhat fitting finale to your Central Mediterranean adventure.

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.

About Dubrovnik
Sailing into the beautiful 12th century Croatian walled city of Dubrovnik is one of the great cruising experiences.
The spectacular Old Town - with its pretty harbour, towering ramparts, creamy stone pavements and red-roofed buildings - is crammed with architectural wonders like Onofrio's Fountain - constructed in the 1430s - and the 14th century Franciscan Monastery, home to a wonderful statue of the Pieta carved in 1498, and the world's oldest pharmacy (est. 1391).
Visit, too, the magnificently Gothic Sponza Palace and the 18th century Baroque Church of St Blaise, Dubrovnik's patron saint.
And, when you have had your fill of sightseeing, you will find pretty restaurants and cafes tucked away on Dubrovnik's narrow side streets - worth exploring as they also contain offbeat shops and art galleries.
Lacework, oil paintings and ceramics are good buys but take plenty of cash with you, as some shops do not accept credit cards.

About Venice
This World Heritage city is just about the perfect cruise call because everything you want to see is so easily accessible whether the ship docks just down from St Marks Square or further up the Grand Canal at the main Venice cruise terminal complex.
Cars are banned from the maze of narrow cobbled streets and 500 historic bridges within the city centre so there are just the two choices for getting around: the vaporetto (water-bus) network or just plain walking. A gondola ride is really for fun and romance rather than transportation.
Start walking from St Marks Square, with its ancient Basilica, lavish Doges Palace and imposing bell tower, then follow signs for the shop-lined Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs. But wherever you walk, there are intriguing arty shops, museums and galleries plus some tasty cafes and restaurants along the way.

About Messina
An earthquake in 1908 flattened much of the original town, but the Sicilian cruise port Messina bounced back and it has since enhanced one of its major surviving attractions - the Duomo, a 12th century Norman church built by the unusually-named Count Roger II - with the installation of an astronomical clock in the bell tower. Made in Strasbourg in 1933, the clock face shows the planetary system representing the days of the week and the age of man.
There are more Norman churches, several beautiful medieval fountains and a fascinating museum to see and visit in the town centre before you head for the areas main attractions: Mount Etna or the magnificent hill-top town of Taormina, overlooking the Bay of Giardini, which has one of the largest Greco-Roman theatres in the world and is full of fascinating nooks and crannies, arty stores, and tasty caf"s and restaurants.

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.