DEPARTURE DATE AND PRICING

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The Itinerary

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Day 1 – Arrive In Bordeaux

Day 2 – Chateaux, Terroir, and Royal Legacy in Aquitaine

Château de Cérons

Depart your hotel in Bordeaux by coach for Château de Cérons, a listed historic monument and early-17th-century manor house overlooking the Garonne River. Set within stone walls in the heart of the village of Cérons in the Graves region, the château stands opposite a picturesque 12th-century church.

Since 2012, Xavier and Caroline Perromat have managed the family estate, producing exceptional wines in Cérons, one of Bordeaux’s oldest and rarest appellations. Meet one of the owners for a guided tour of the estate and cellars, followed by a tasting of three wines. Enjoy a traditional French lunch featuring grilled steak or roasted poultry prepared in the château’s chimney.

In the afternoon, travel through the Sauternes wine region to Château de Cazeneuve, originally built in the 11th century on a Gallo-Roman stronghold. Once home to the Dukes of Albret and the Kings of Navarre, it remains owned by their descendants, the Sabran-Pontèves family. Explore richly furnished historic rooms and conclude with a glass of Sauternes before returning to Bordeaux to embark your ship.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 3 – From Estuary to Open Sea

Studio PONANT

The Pool on Le Boréal

Enjoy a day at sea attending lectures from your accompanying expert, enjoying the amenities of the ship, or simply relaxing on deck as Le Boréal makes its way through the Gironde estuary and south along the coast of Aquitaine toward the village of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 4 – Grottes de Sare: Prehistoric Basque Heritage

Note: Please note, reservations to visit these caves only open in mid-February. This tour is still in development, but we can visit the Grottes de Sare if desired.

Grottes de Sare

The Grottes de Sare, among the most important prehistoric sites in the Basque Country, offer a fascinating glimpse into human life spanning tens of thousands of years. Used by Neanderthals and later early modern humans, these vast limestone caves reveal evidence of habitation dating back to the Paleolithic period, when the region served as a vital crossroads between the Iberian Peninsula and northern Europe.

Accompanied by your expert and a local guide, explore the dramatic underground chambers while learning about the daily lives, tools, and artistic expression of prehistoric communities, as well as the geological forces that shaped the caves over millennia. Your visit also illuminates the deep cultural continuity of the Basque people, whose traditions and language are considered among the oldest in Europe.

This immersive experience provides a compelling introduction to the ancient foundations of Basque identity and the enduring relationship between humans and the natural landscape.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 5 – Catalans, Caves, and Cobblestones

Capricho de Gaudi

Spend the morning in the architecturally rich coastal town of Comillas, where your time is divided between the late-19th-century Neo-Gothic Sobrellano Palace, designed by Catalan architect Juan Martorel, and the nearby Capricho de Gaudi, one of only three Gaudi-designed buildings outside of Catalonia. Then travel to Altamira, the World Heritage Site where cave paintings dating to some 36,000 years ago were discovered in 1879. The actual cave was closed to the public in 2002, but painstakingly detailed reproductions of the paintings are on display in a replica cave and museum.

After the visit to Altamira, enjoy lunch at the parador in nearby Santillana del Mar, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in western Europe. Established in the 8th century as a waystation on the Camino de Santiago, this cobblestoned city is built around the Church of Santa Juliana and contains some of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Galicia.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch ashore, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 6 – Kings, Pilgrims, and Sacred Architecture

Oviedo

Oviedo is the capital of Spain’s province of Asturias and one of the most charming and historic cities in northern Spain. Established in the 8th century as the first Christian kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula after the Moorish conquest, Oviedo is considered a “cradle of the Reconquista.” It became a political, religious, and cultural center under king Alfonso II, who initiated the Camino de Santiago by undertaking the first recorded pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James after its discovery. Alfonso also commissioned numerous churches and palaces, many of which survive today in Oviedo as Romanesque architectural masterpieces.

Following a guided tour of Oviedo’s Old Quarter, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to your ship in Aviles.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch ashore, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 7 – Tomb and Tower

Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela is one of the most beautiful and historic medieval cities in Spain and the third most important Christian pilgrimage site in the world, after Jerusalem and Rome. Your visit, accompanied by your expert and led by a local guide, includes the Townhall, the Palace of Saint Jerome, and the Hostel de Los Reyes Catolicos, now a luxury parador, but originally built by Ferdinand and Isabella as a hospital for weary pilgrims. The 11th-century cathedral, which marks the traditional site of the tomb of Saint James, is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture, enriched with later Gothic and Baroque additions.

After some time at leisure to explore on your own and enjoy an independent lunch, return to La Coruña, stopping at the Tower of Hercules, built by the Romans in the 1st century CE and still functioning as a working lighthouse.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 8 – Roman Rule in Galicia

Castro de Viladonga

Your second day in La Coruña focuses on Roman influence in Galicia, beginning with a visit to Castro de Viladonga, an extensive archaeological site and museum that documents how the indigenous Castro culture of hilltop communities of characteristic circular buildings adopted to and integrated with Roman rule between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE.

Lunch will be at your leisure, and afterward we will visit the nearby town of Lugo, whose Roman walls stand between 35 and 50 feet tall, completely encircling the city’s historic center and supporting 85 towers along the 1.3-mile perimeter, is one of the finest examples of Roman military architecture to be found anywhere in Europe. The Roman bridge over the River Miño is also a superb example of Roman engineering.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 9 – Cathedrals, Castros, and Columbus

Cathedral de Santa María de Tui

Your exploration of the Galician province of Pontevedra begins with a drive inland to the city of Tui to visit the fortress-like Cathedral de Santa María de Tui overlooking the Miño River and guarding the border with Portugal as it has done for more than 800 years. After a tour of this Romanesque-Gothic blend of military and ecclesiastical architecture, travel to the archaeological site atop Mount Santa Trega, where an Iron Age settlement of circular structures typical of Castro culture has been partially excavated and where there are unparalleled views of the river, the valley, and the Atlantic Ocean.

In the coastal town of Baiona, home to an important harbor and fishing fleet, a tour along walls that once protected the Castle Monte Real gives your guide a chance to tell some of the history of this village at the western tip of Galicia, including the fact it was where the caravel Pinta made landfall on its return from Columbus’ first voyage to the New World, you may enjoy lunch on your own in town or head back to the ship for an included lunch.

      Included Meal: Breakfast, Lunch (only on ship), Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 10 – Porto and Port

Porto

A walking tour of Porto’s historic town center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of granite buildings and bridges, includes stops at the 18th-century baroque Clérigos Church and the São Bento Train Station, famous for its magnificent azulejo tiles, as you make your way to the Church of St. Francis. The originally modest Gothic interior of this 13th-century church was transformed in the late 17th century into the opulent display of intricately carved panels covered with nearly 700 pounds of gold leaf that you will see during your visit.

Your tour ends at the Ribeira, a pedestrian area along the Douro River filled with shops and cafés. Pause here for a coffee break and a sampling of the eponymous fortified wine for which the region is famous.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Boréal

Day 11 – LISBON A Cidade da Luz

Lisbon

Following breakfast aboard, explore Lisbon “City of Light” (A Cidade da Luz) for its bright, sun-drenched atmosphere. A panoramic tour of Lisbon's highlights includes the historic neighborhood of Belém, where you can enjoy a coffee with views of iconic Belém Tower, the point of departure for Portuguese explorers during the 15th and 16th centuries. On the outskirts of the city, visit Fronteira Palace, famous for its extraordinary Portuguese azulejos (tiles), then return to the center of Lisbon for lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, housing one of Europe's finest private collections of art from various cultures and historical periods, before transferring to the Hotel Tivoli Avenida for overnight.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

      Accommodations: Hotel Tivoli Avenida

Day 12 – Disembark

After breakfast aboard, disembark and transfer to the Humberto Delgado Airport, is (LIS), in Lisbon, Portugal, for flights homeward.

      Included Meals: Breakfast

January 8–15, 2028

August 14-24, 2027

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