DAY 1: Your Door to Door service will transfer you to Southampton to board Braemar.
Highlights of the cruise include:
• Cruise the Gironde Estuary.
• The beautiful River Garonne, south-west France's most important rivers and one of the region's most picturesque. Serving a number of important towns and cities, it flows through beautiful French countryside, presenting you with stunning views to enjoy from your smaller cruise ship.
• Bordeaux offering far more than just vineyards and claret. This city of art and history is home to 362 historic monuments, with some buildings dating back to Roman times. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2007, Bordeaux’s historic centre is home to the Gothic Saint-André Cathedral, 18th century mansions and popular art museums, such as the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
• Santander. Located between Gijon and Bilbao on Spain’s north coast, Santander is an elegant city with impressive buildings set against a natural backdrop of sea and mountains. The Paseo de Pereda promenade runs alongside the Pereda Gardens and the pretty houses with their miradors, or balconies, are a favourite feature of this lively boulevard. The beaches in Santander are protected from the wind by the bay, resulting in wonderful, calm waters. Visitors can also discover the region's prehistoric caves, situated a few miles from the city, which contain some of the most important cave paintings of Quaternary art.
• Aviles in the north-western province of Asturias, is steeped in history and architectural gems just waiting to be discovered. A former maritime and farming town, the scenic city of Aviles is now one of the country’s most important industrial centres. The city centre remains stylish and easy to navigate, with plenty of pretty cafes and a number of museums and galleries to visit, while the Old Town quarter is Aviles’ finest feature. Largely pedestrianised, it consists of several historic squares and plazas, nterlinked by a series of pretty boulevards from centuries past.
• La Coruña in the Galicia region of northwest Spain boasts an impressive seafront promenade, beautiful beaches and a host of attractions such as the Domus Museum, the Casa del Hombre and Torre De Hercules. Said to be the only Roman lighthouse in existence it offers sweeping coastal views from the top of its 60 metre high tower. The Paseo Marítimo, or sea-promenade, is a lovely 13km walkway and bike path, running from the port, around the peninsula and along the ocean beaches. La Coruña’s old quarter is a must-visit medieval centre containing remains of the Roman wall that once protected it. The arcaded Plaza de María Pita, surrounded by narrow pedestrianized lanes, is a popular spot and features the statue of María Pita, a 16th century woman who warned the town of an invasion by Sir Francis Drake.
• 2 days at sea.
DAY 9: We cruise back into Southampton to meet your Door to Door service home.