Premium Solar Eclipse Cruise: Greece, Turkey and Italy

You could spend a lifetime in Europe’s oldest city and still not see everything it has to offer. Settled over 3,500 years ago, Athens is like a mythological crossroads of the past and present, where modern buildings share the skyline with spectacular ruins like the Parthenon.

To see a veritable “greatest hits” line-up, make your way to Vasilissis Amalias Street for the archaeological walk. Winding through the heart of the ancient city, the route leads to landmarks like the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Ancient Agora, Arch of Hadrian, and of course, the Acropolis.

Sure, we could chat about the resort town of Kusadasi and its beaches and restaurants, or nearby places like Dilek Peninsula National Park, but let’s talk Turkey: The star attraction in this neck of the woods is Ephesus. Once the second largest city in the Roman Empire, eclipsed only by Rome, here are just a few of the incredible sights just waiting to be gobbled up! (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)

There’s the Library of Celsus, still magnificent almost 2,000 years later; the Odeon, home of our “Ephesus: Back to Ancient Times” AzAmazing Evenings eventSM; and the 24,000-capacity Great Theatre, where St. Paul used to preach. Stretching from this jaw-dropping amphitheatre to the harbor is the marble-made Arcadian Street. Stroll past the marketplaces, colonnades, and fields of wild fennel, and into bath complexes that once offered piped-in hot water and a sauna.

Many people only know of Sicily from The Godfather, but it’s an incredible island worth discovering. So if you get the chance to visit with Azamara®, it’s an offer you really shouldn’t refuse.

For a little rest and relaxation, Giardini Naxos is just the ticket. The coast seems to stretch on for miles, and there are many lidos dotting the beaches, where you can rent a chair and umbrella, and maybe even have a little afternoon riposo (the Italian version of a siesta). If it gets too hot, treat yourself to a delicious granita.

A warming sun and gentle sea breezes have been attracting visitors to this fair spot for two millennia. Its reputation as a playground of the ancient rich and famous resulted in the building of lavish villas and palaces, an emperor relocated to the Isle of Capri nearby, and over the centuries it has been a haven for artists and artisans, writers and poets, politicians and philosophers, and all manner of aristocrats. You will be a welcome addition. The massive eruption of nearby Vesuvius in 79 AD caused considerable damage, but the resulting volcanic ash is responsible for Sorrento’s modern day fertility, thriving olive orchards, and excellent wine.

Rome has something special to offer to all visitors, no matter their interests and tastes. Whether you daydream about fighting with gladiators in the Coliseum, debating with togaed senators in the Forum, tossing a coin in a fabled fountain, or being awestruck by the magnificence of St Peter’s Basilica and Michelangelo’s masterpieces, Rome seems to live up to its sobriquet – the Eternal City. When you need sustenance, today’s Rome will provide delizioso pasta e vino. Or perhaps you draw strength from a little retail therapy – the Italians are also renowned for their sense of style.

Ah, Florence – sublime birthplace of the Renaissance, its historic center full to bursting with elegant squares, imposing palaces, magnificent churches, and museums with such an abundance of riches it could make an art lover weep for joy. The list of illustrious names connected with this city is mind-boggling: Botticelli, Dante, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo. Other colorful and fascinating characters were of dubious reputation: Machiavelli, and the religious extremist Savonarola, with his bonfire of the vanities. For many years the city was ruled by the powerful Medici family, patrons of the arts and bankers to the papacy, whose line included six kings and two popes.

Nice, Queen of the Riviera, is imbued with the joie de vivre that epitomizes this fabled coastline. Perhaps it is that famous light and color that has long attracted artists, that makes one feel so alive, makes a stroll down the wide seaside Promenade des Anglais so exhilarating. The old town is a warren of meandering lanes edged by tall houses, and small, alluring shops. A treasure trove of archaeological and fine art museums is not to be ignored, nor is the famous flower market, awash in the heady scent and glowing hues of blossoms, and amazing displays of produce.

Prepare to be blown away by Toulon—both literally (the climate is distinctive for more than 30 different types of wind that blow in from all points) and figuratively (by the many charms of this ancient port).

Toulon is the capital of Provençe, so you can find specialties like lavender, wine and fine herbs at one of the best markets in all of southern France, the Cours Lafayette. Indulge in plenty of fresh seafood and tasty treats like chichi frégi, a type of donut, and cade toulonnaise, a savory pancake made from chickpea flour.

The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 begins in the morning. Azamara Onward is positioned in the Mediterranean’s path of totality, where the moon’s shadow will reduce daylight to darkness for up to three minutes depending on the ship’s precise position. The Lowell Observatory astronomers who have been on board since Athens will guide the experience from the open deck: the approach of the moon’s shadow moving across the sea toward the ship at 1,600 kilometres per hour in the minutes before first contact, the temperature drop and the wind change that precede totality, the appearance of Venus and Jupiter in the darkened sky, the solar corona visible with the naked eye for the only time possible without specialist equipment, and the sudden return of daylight as the shadow passes. A total solar eclipse viewed from the open Mediterranean with a professional astronomer at your side explaining every second of it is an experience that cannot be replicated, cannot be scheduled and cannot be indefinitely postponed — the next total solar eclipse visible from the central Mediterranean will not occur until the 2070s.

Dynamic Barcelona is all about architecture, from the magnificent medieval buildings of the Gothic Quarter to the Modernist movement typified by the work of Antoni Gaudi. Though his materials were stone and metal, his forms were organic, awash in curves, swirls, and colors. His masterpiece is the amazing Church of the Sagrada Familia, colossal and as yet unfinished, though construction began in 1882. A contemporary contribution to the scene is Ricardo Bofill’s post modernist National Theater of Catalonia, an imaginative combination of classical and modern design, with a greenhouse-like lobby.