MSC VIRTUOSA: Southampton (London),United Kingdom - Southampton (London),United Kingdom - 03.10.2026. - 13 days

Lisbon, the capital and largest city of Portugal, is situated at the mouth of the Tagus River along the Atlantic coast. This historic and dynamic city is known for its unique blend of traditional charm, modern culture, and impressive architecture, making it one of Europe’s most attractive metropolitan destinations.

The city boasts a rich history dating back to Roman times, with vibrant neighborhoods like Alfama, Bairro Alto, and Belém exuding an authentic Mediterranean spirit. Narrow streets, picturesque squares, vintage trams, and the aromas of traditional cuisine create a special atmosphere that captivates visitors. Lisbon is also famous for its historic landmarks, including the imposing Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery, and São Jorge Castle, which offers magnificent panoramic views of the city and the river.

A special highlight of Lisbon is fado – traditional Portuguese music filled with emotion and melancholy, often performed in small, intimate venues in the old quarters of the city. This unique musical form is deeply connected to the spirit of Lisbon and is a must-experience for anyone seeking authentic Portuguese culture. The gastronomy scene is especially notable, ranging from traditional pastéis de nata to top-tier restaurants blending Portuguese and international flavors.

The promenade along the Tagus River and lively squares such as Praça do Comércio are ideal spots for leisurely walks, coffee breaks, or evening outings. The city also offers numerous green spaces, parks, and viewpoints perfect for relaxation and enjoying the views.

Lisbon is a perfect destination for those wanting to experience a blend of history, culture, art, and modern urban life, with a warm Mediterranean atmosphere and welcoming local people.

Funchal, the capital and largest city of the Portuguese island of Madeira, is located on the southeastern coast of this beautiful Atlantic island. Known as the “Flower City,” Funchal stands out for its lush vegetation, picturesque streets, and pleasant Mediterranean climate, making it a favorite destination for nature lovers, culture enthusiasts, and those seeking a relaxing getaway.

The city is rich in history and tradition, with its old town exuding charm through narrow cobblestone streets, markets filled with exotic fruits and spices, and colorful houses climbing the hillsides. Funchal is also famous for its gardens, such as the Botanical Garden and Monte Palace Garden, which offer stunning panoramic views and tranquility in the heart of the city. The port of Funchal is lively and colorful, with numerous yachts, fishing boats, and ferries, while the seaside promenade provides an ideal spot for leisurely walks along the coast, relaxing in cafes, and enjoying views of the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors often enjoy cable car rides up to the surrounding hills and hiking on the scenic trails that encircle the city.

Among the city’s most notable attractions are the Sé Cathedral, Mercado dos Lavradores market, museums, as well as numerous churches and historic buildings that tell the story of Madeira’s rich cultural heritage.

The gastronomic scene offers an excellent mix of traditional Portuguese dishes, fresh seafood, and local delicacies, further enriching the experience of this unique island.

Funchal is a perfect destination for those looking to combine natural beauty, rich history, and a relaxed island lifestyle, and its accessibility and charm make it an essential place to visit on Madeira.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the largest city in the Canary Islands, is located on the northeastern coast of the island of Gran Canaria. This vibrant city combines a rich history, a cosmopolitan atmosphere, and a relaxed Mediterranean-Atlantic lifestyle. The historic heart of the city, Vegueta, is the perfect place to explore colonial architecture and cultural heritage. Its cobbled streets are home to important museums, churches, and buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the House of Christopher Columbus. In contrast, the modern parts of the city offer a wide range of shops, restaurants, galleries, and the dynamic rhythm of urban life.

One of the city’s main attractions is Las Canteras Beach, over three kilometres long and located right in the city centre. Thanks to a natural reef that softens the waves, it's ideal for swimming, snorkelling, and seaside walks. The city hosts numerous cultural events throughout the year, including the well-known carnival, famous for its costumes, parades, and music. The cultural scene is enriched with theatres, concert halls, and museums.

The local cuisine features traditional Canarian flavours – fresh fish dishes, local vegetables, papas arrugadas with mojo sauce – along with influences from Latin America and Africa, reflecting the city’s historical ties to trade and the sea.

Thanks to its mild year-round climate and excellent transport connections, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is an ideal destination for those looking to combine culture, the sea, nature, and urban life all in one place.

Tenerife, the jewel of the Canary archipelago, captivates with its blend of wild nature, rich history, and passion rooted in every street and flavor. This island, once inhabited by the Guanches, now carries layers of culture — traces of Spain, Africa, and the Atlantic woven into a unique story. In the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the modern heart of the island beats between the futuristic Auditorio de Tenerife and the colorful stalls of the Nuestra Señora de África market, where locals and visitors come together to share flavors and stories. Historic churches and squares here are not just landmarks, but witnesses of time and the soul of its people.

The island is home to natural wonders — Teide, a national park and majestic volcano that rises above the clouds, offers breathtaking views, while La Laguna, a charming colonial town and UNESCO World Heritage Site, invites you on a gentle walk through history. The shores, adorned with the golden sands of Playa de Las Teresitas and the vibrant energy of Los Cristianos, call for moments of sun-soaked relaxation.

What truly enchants on Tenerife is its cuisine — “papas arrugadas”, or wrinkled potatoes with mojo sauce, fragrant gofio, and freshly caught fish bring tables to life with the same passion the sea pours onto the coast. Local cheeses and desserts like bienmesabe leave a lasting impression on the palate, while wines from volcanic soils turn each evening into an unforgettable memory.

Tenerife is more than an island — it's a feeling. A place where nature whispers, history speaks, and every sunset feels as though it was created just for you.

Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, has a rich history that begins with its first inhabitants, the Guanche tribe. Europeans arrived in the 14th century, and during the 16th and 17th centuries, the island was frequently subjected to pirate attacks, which led to the construction of defensive fortresses. Agriculture, especially viticulture, played an important role in the island’s development. The artist César Manrique had a significant influence on the modern development of Lanzarote, being known for preserving its natural and cultural heritage.

Arrecife is the island’s capital and commercial port, famous for its historic fortresses such as Castillo de San Gabriel and Castillo de San José, which today serve as museums and galleries. The port is crucial to the island’s economy, connecting Lanzarote with the rest of Spain and the world. The most famous attractions include Timanfaya National Park with its volcanic landscapes, the Cueva de los Verdes caves, and Jameos del Agua — an artistic complex created by César Manrique. Historic villages like Teguise offer cultural heritage and local markets. The island is also known for its beautiful beaches, such as Playa Blanca and Playa de Papagayo.

The local cuisine is based on fresh fish and seafood, traditional goat cheese, and excellent wines from the La Geria vineyards, where grapes are grown in special volcanic pits.

Lanzarote is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, known for its natural beauty and commitment to sustainable tourism. Viticulture on volcanic soil is unique and gives the wines a distinctive flavor recognized worldwide. With its volcanic landscape, Lanzarote offers visitors a unique experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

     Santiago de Compostela is one of the most famous holy places of Christianity; in Mediaeval times it was just as important as Jerusalem or Rome. According to legend, James the Apostle (Santiago) came to Spain after the death of Jesus to preach the Gospel. Later he returned to Judea where, under the orders of Herod, he was decapitated.
     His disciples took his body back to Spain to be buried. At first the faithful came to his tomb to pray but, after years of war and disorder, it lay abandoned and forgotten. At the beginning of the 9th century a hermit noticed a star shining above a hill in a field ("campus stellae" or "field of the star"). An altar and a tomb were discovered on the site, containing a decapitated body. King Alfonso II of Asturias ordered a church to be built on the tomb of the saint, which was later replaced by a larger one in 900 AD. Al-Mansur sacked the city in 997 and destroyed the church, but the tomb was left intact.
     The present cathedral was largely rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries. The cult of Saint James grew more and more with stories of his presumed brave intervention in the battles against the Moors. The Saint was seen to appear for the first time at the battle of Clavijo in 884. Over the years, Saint James killer of the Moors, who went down in history as "Santiago Matamoros", was honoured as the Patron Saint of the country. Pilgrims from all over Europe, ever greater in number, travelled along the so-called "Camino de Santiago" (The Way of Saint James) to the sanctuary, around which grew up a town.
     Along the way they found hospitality with monks and knights of religious orders. With their rough cloaks, robust sandals and wide brimmed hats decorated with a mollusc shell - the symbol of the saint - the pilgrims on their way to Santiago were easy to recognise. Many visitors are surprised to find a baroque rather than a mediaeval cathedral at Santiago. The first view of the cathedral in fact is the highly ornate Obradoiro facade, added in the 18th century. Behind this, however, is the old church with its magnificent doorway, the Pórtico de la Gloria (1188), a Roman masterpiece by Maestro Matheo. The narthex is comprised of three portals decorated with figures and sculptures in relief.
     In front of the central column, where there is a statue of St. James with a pilgrim's stick, the faithful would lean with their hands on the stone, which, repeated so often over the centuries, has left fingerprints in the stone. The inside of the cathedral, always in semi-darkness, is simple but enlivened by the magnificent ceremonies that take place on festival days, when eight men dressed in red carry an enormous silver thurible ("botafumeiro"), hang it from the vault and let it swing. Whistling and throwing off sparks, the thurible spreads the scent of incense throughout the cathedral evoking ancient rites. The immense Plaza de España, on the west side of the cathedral is lined with beautiful buildings from various eras and in various styles, but which nevertheless blend together harmoniously.
     The Hostal de los Reyes Católicos was built by King Fernando and Queen Isabel, "The Catholic Monarchs", as a hostel and hospital for the pilgrims. Its plateresque facade conceals a magnificent hotel. You can treat your palate to some Spanish specialities par excellence: paella and gazpacho vary widely from one place to the next. In fact there are at least thirty recipes for gazpacho, a chilled soup of Moorish origin, whose main ingredients are tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, oil, vinegar and basil. The saffron rice in paella can be accompanied by chicken, rabbit, sausage, ham, prawns, shellfish, squid and lobster.
     The region produces the good white wines Albarino and Ribeiro; Agullo and Condado are slightly sparkling and go especially well with shellfish. As for shopping, we recommend leather goods, candlesticks and other handmade wrought-iron articles and silver jewellery, for which the Galicians are famous. In Santiago look for the pilgrim's symbol, the silver mollusc shell.

Cruises from Southampton are part of a rich maritime heritage. Some of the most famous ships have set sail from this port, which, before the rise of commercial air travel, was the main gateway to the world. Hollywood stars like Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor passed through here to board cruises from Southampton, and it is also known as the port from which the Titanic departed in 1912.

In the picturesque Old Town, walking along cobbled streets reveals 12th-century churches, Tudor-style houses, and one of the best-preserved medieval city walls in the UK, featuring the historic Bargate entrance. The city also offers lively marina-side bars, modern shopping districts, and a cultural quarter where the Mayflower Theatre stages popular West End musicals, while the SeaCity Museum documents Southampton’s rich maritime past.

Some of England’s most famous landmarks are just a short drive away: the Neolithic wonder Stonehenge, the picturesque spa city of Bath, or iconic London attractions like Buckingham Palace, Tate Modern, and Tower Bridge.

Discover 5,000 years of history and much more on a cruise from Southampton.