It is difficult to imagine a better time than late September for our journey, just about everything is as perfect as it can be, from the comfortable temperatures to the relatively crowd free sites and our itinerary has been planned to ensure that the balance is just right between exploring ashore, relaxing on board and time at leisure for individual exploration.
Exploring in the company of just or so like-minded travel companions, and with the aid of our knowledgeable local guides and excellent Guest Speaker, makes for an endlessly fascinating cultural experience. For those wishing to spend more time in Morocco, we have arranged for a three night post-cruise extension to the enchanting city of Marrakech. Both vessels were built in the same ship yard in Italy at similar times and share the same excellent attributes that make them two of the finest small ships in the world.
Fly by scheduled flight to Oporto. Sail this evening. This morning we will have a choice of tours. You can choose to explore Oporto seeing the impressive St Francis Church and the Ribeira before continuing to a local port wine cellar.
Here we will be able to learn all about these wines and how they are produced before we enjoy a tasting. During the tour we will view the 10th century castle and visit the Palace of the Dukes. After a walking tour along the charming cobblestone streets and past the wonderful Medieval buildings we will return to the ship for lunch.
This afternoon relax on board or explore Oporto independently. However, the reason for our call is to visit the nearby city of Coimbra, the Medieval capital of Portugal for over years.
