Gourmet & Glamour: Southampton Return

Touch down in London and settle in with a private transfer straight from the airport to your hotel, where three nights of 5-star accommodation set an unhurried tone before the cruise begins.

Three nights to take in London at your own pace before a private transfer carries you from hotel to port in Southampton to begin the cruise.

A third London day before embarkation tomorrow. The National Portrait Gallery, recently reopened after a complete restoration, holds the most intimate collection of British history in a single building. The Borough Market at London Bridge is at its finest on a Thursday morning, the stalls at full operation before the weekend crowds arrive. If the weather holds, the Serpentine in Hyde Park and the Long Water are the finest open-air spaces in central London in late August.

Board Seven Seas Voyager in Southampton. With departure not until 5:00 PM, there’s time for a final morning in London before the ship sails for the West Country.

An early arrival in Cornwall’s Falmouth gives a full day to explore this historic harbour town before the ship continues south.

A day at sea to make full use of Seven Seas Voyager’s suite life, specialty dining, the spa, or simply a lounger and an open bar, as the ship makes way toward France.

An overnight stay in Bordeaux’s wine country, docked from mid-morning through to the following evening, time enough for a leisurely exploration of the region’s renowned vineyards and chateaux.

A second full day in the Bordeaux wine country and the range becomes apparent. Saint-Emilion, 35 kilometres east of Pauillac, is the most beautiful of the Bordeaux appellations, its 12th-century monolithic church carved directly into the limestone and its medieval village intact above the vines. The Medoc route north of Bordeaux passes Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton Rothschild, three of the five First Growths of the 1855 classification, all accessible by organised tour. Seven Seas Voyager departs this evening.

A tendered call at the elegant seaside resort of Biarritz, with the day’s length allowing time to soak up its Basque coastal charm.

An early arrival in Bilbao opens a full day to discover the city’s vibrant Basque culture and architecture.

A mid-morning to evening call at the Brittany port of Lorient, with the later departure allowing an unhurried day ashore.

A further day at sea as the ship tracks north toward the Channel Islands, the ideal window for a specialty dinner or spa treatment.

An early tendered arrival at the medieval walled city of Saint-Malo gives a full day to wander its storied streets.

A morning-to-afternoon call at Guernsey’s picturesque St. Peter Port, tendered ashore to explore this Channel Island harbour.

An early arrival at Le Havre and a late evening departure allow a full day, and into the evening, to discover Paris or the surrounding Normandy coast.

An early morning arrival back in Southampton marks the end of the cruise, with a private transfer taking you from port straight to the airport.