Aboard Queen Victoria with Cunard Line
Cruise Overview
Up until the end of World War I, Trieste was the only port of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire and therefore a major industrial and financial center.
In the early years of the 20th century, Trieste and its surroundings also became famous by their association with some of the most important names of Italian literature, such as Italo Svevo, and English and German letters.
James Joyce drew inspiration from the city's multiethnic population, and Rainer Maria Rilke was inspired by the seacoast west of the city.
Although it has lost its importance as a port and a center of finance, it has never fully lost its roll as an intellectual center.
The streets hold a mix of monumental, neoclassical, and art-nouveau architecture built by the Austrians during Trieste's days of glory, granting an air of melancholy stateliness to a city that lives as much in the past as the present.
Dalmatia's capital for more than 1,000 years, Zadar is all too often passed over by travelers on their way to Split or Dubrovnik.
What they miss out on is a city of more than 73,000 that is remarkably lovely and lively despite—and, in some measure, because of—its tumultuous history.
The Old Town, separated from the rest of the city on a peninsula some 4 km (2½ miles) long and just 1,640 feet wide, is bustling and beautiful: the marble pedestrian streets are replete with Roman ruins, medieval churches, palaces, museums, archives, and libraries.
Parts of the new town are comparatively dreary, a testament to what a world war followed by decades of communism, not to mention a civil war, can do to the architecture of a city that is 3,000 years old.
A settlement had already existed on the site of the present-day city for some 2,000 years when Rome finally conquered Zadar in the 1st century BC; the foundations of the forum can be seen today.
Before the Romans came the Liburnians had made it a key center for trade with the Greeks and Romans for 800 years.
In the 3rd century BC the Romans began to seriously pester the Liburnians, but required two centuries to bring the area under their control.
During the Byzantine era, Zadar became the capital of Dalmatia, and this period saw the construction of its most famous church, the 9th-century St.
Donat's Basilica.
It remained the region's foremost city through the ensuing centuries.
The city then experienced successive onslaughts and occupations—both long and short—by the Osogoths, the Croatian-Hungarian kings, the Venetians, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the French, the Habsburgs again, and finally the Italians before becoming part of Yugoslavia and, in 1991, the independent republic of Croatia.
Zadar was for centuries an Italian-speaking city, and Italian is still spoken widely, especially by older people.
Indeed, it was ceded to Italy in 1921 under the Treaty of Rapallo (and reverted to its Italian name of Zara).
Its occupation by the Germans from 1943 led to intense bombing by the Allies during World War II, which left most of the city in ruins.
Zadar became part of Tito's Yugoslavia in 1947, prompting many Italian residents to leave.
Zadar's most recent ravages occurred during a three-month siege by Serb forces and months more of bombardment during the Croatian-Serbian war between 1991 and 1995.
But you'd be hard-pressed to find outward signs of this today in what is a city to behold.
There are helpful interpretive signs in English all around the Old Town, so you certainly won't feel lost when trying to make sense of the wide variety of architectural sites you might otherwise pass by with only a cursory look.
Split's ancient core is so spectacular and unusual that a visit is more than worth your time.
The heart of the city lies within the walls of Roman emperor Diocletian's retirement palace, which was built in the 3rd century AD.
Diocletian, born in the nearby Roman settlement of Salona in AD 245, achieved a brilliant career as a soldier and became emperor at the age of 40.
In 295 he ordered this vast palace to be built in his native Dalmatia, and when it was completed he stepped down from the throne and retired to his beloved homeland.
Upon his death, he was laid to rest in an octagonal mausoleum, around which Split's magnificent cathedral was built.In 615, when Salona was sacked by barbarian tribes, those fortunate enough to escape found refuge within the stout palace walls and divided up the vast imperial apartments into more modest living quarters.
Thus, the palace developed into an urban center, and by the 11th century the settlement had expanded beyond the ancient walls.Under the rule of Venice (1420–1797), Split—as a gateway to the Balkan interior—became one of the Adriatic's main trading ports, and the city's splendid Renaissance palaces bear witness to the affluence of those times.
When the Habsburgs took control during the 19th century, an overland connection to Central Europe was established by the construction of the Split–Zagreb–Vienna railway line.After World War II, the Tito years saw a period of rapid urban expansion: industrialization accelerated and the suburbs extended to accommodate high-rise apartment blocks.
Today the historic center of Split is included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
In the early years of the 20th century, Trieste and its surroundings also became famous by their association with some of the most important names of Italian literature, such as Italo Svevo, and English and German letters.
James Joyce drew inspiration from the city's multiethnic population, and Rainer Maria Rilke was inspired by the seacoast west of the city.
Although it has lost its importance as a port and a center of finance, it has never fully lost its roll as an intellectual center.
The streets hold a mix of monumental, neoclassical, and art-nouveau architecture built by the Austrians during Trieste's days of glory, granting an air of melancholy stateliness to a city that lives as much in the past as the present.
Dalmatia's capital for more than 1,000 years, Zadar is all too often passed over by travelers on their way to Split or Dubrovnik.
What they miss out on is a city of more than 73,000 that is remarkably lovely and lively despite—and, in some measure, because of—its tumultuous history.
The Old Town, separated from the rest of the city on a peninsula some 4 km (2½ miles) long and just 1,640 feet wide, is bustling and beautiful: the marble pedestrian streets are replete with Roman ruins, medieval churches, palaces, museums, archives, and libraries.
Parts of the new town are comparatively dreary, a testament to what a world war followed by decades of communism, not to mention a civil war, can do to the architecture of a city that is 3,000 years old.
A settlement had already existed on the site of the present-day city for some 2,000 years when Rome finally conquered Zadar in the 1st century BC; the foundations of the forum can be seen today.
Before the Romans came the Liburnians had made it a key center for trade with the Greeks and Romans for 800 years.
In the 3rd century BC the Romans began to seriously pester the Liburnians, but required two centuries to bring the area under their control.
During the Byzantine era, Zadar became the capital of Dalmatia, and this period saw the construction of its most famous church, the 9th-century St.
Donat's Basilica.
It remained the region's foremost city through the ensuing centuries.
The city then experienced successive onslaughts and occupations—both long and short—by the Osogoths, the Croatian-Hungarian kings, the Venetians, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the French, the Habsburgs again, and finally the Italians before becoming part of Yugoslavia and, in 1991, the independent republic of Croatia.
Zadar was for centuries an Italian-speaking city, and Italian is still spoken widely, especially by older people.
Indeed, it was ceded to Italy in 1921 under the Treaty of Rapallo (and reverted to its Italian name of Zara).
Its occupation by the Germans from 1943 led to intense bombing by the Allies during World War II, which left most of the city in ruins.
Zadar became part of Tito's Yugoslavia in 1947, prompting many Italian residents to leave.
Zadar's most recent ravages occurred during a three-month siege by Serb forces and months more of bombardment during the Croatian-Serbian war between 1991 and 1995.
But you'd be hard-pressed to find outward signs of this today in what is a city to behold.
There are helpful interpretive signs in English all around the Old Town, so you certainly won't feel lost when trying to make sense of the wide variety of architectural sites you might otherwise pass by with only a cursory look.
Split's ancient core is so spectacular and unusual that a visit is more than worth your time.
The heart of the city lies within the walls of Roman emperor Diocletian's retirement palace, which was built in the 3rd century AD.
Diocletian, born in the nearby Roman settlement of Salona in AD 245, achieved a brilliant career as a soldier and became emperor at the age of 40.
In 295 he ordered this vast palace to be built in his native Dalmatia, and when it was completed he stepped down from the throne and retired to his beloved homeland.
Upon his death, he was laid to rest in an octagonal mausoleum, around which Split's magnificent cathedral was built.In 615, when Salona was sacked by barbarian tribes, those fortunate enough to escape found refuge within the stout palace walls and divided up the vast imperial apartments into more modest living quarters.
Thus, the palace developed into an urban center, and by the 11th century the settlement had expanded beyond the ancient walls.Under the rule of Venice (1420–1797), Split—as a gateway to the Balkan interior—became one of the Adriatic's main trading ports, and the city's splendid Renaissance palaces bear witness to the affluence of those times.
When the Habsburgs took control during the 19th century, an overland connection to Central Europe was established by the construction of the Split–Zagreb–Vienna railway line.After World War II, the Tito years saw a period of rapid urban expansion: industrialization accelerated and the suburbs extended to accommodate high-rise apartment blocks.
Today the historic center of Split is included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Queen Victoria
Launch Year: 2007 Length: 294 Width: 32.3 Currency: USD Capacity: 2061 Crew Count: 981 Deck Count: 12 Cabin Count: 1007
Queen Victoria will delight you with her special appeal, where elegance and unique features combine seamlessly with outstanding hospitality. You’ll discover an extraordinary way to see the world.
Take a voyage on Queen Victoria and you’ll soon discover why she’s established herself as a favourite among many of our guests. You’ll find her unique atmosphere and warmth encourages a sense of escapism. This special appeal has recently been elevated still further with the introduction of an expanded sun deck and Britannia Club dining, as well as a newly enhanced Chart Room and Winter Garden. These new levels of refinement combine perfectly to offer you an extraordinary base for your holiday.
Queen Victoria Facilities
Queen Victoria Includes
Cabin Details
From comfortable inside staterooms, to a lavish Queens Grill Duplex, complete with expansive balcony and private butler service - Queen Victoria provides something to suit every taste and budget.
Queen Grill Suites - All grades of Queens Grill and Princess Grill suites received an interior refresh during Queen Victoria’s refit, to maximise space while ensuring unsurpassed levels of elegance and comfort. In the Grand Suites, a clever configuration of furniture maximise the comfort and spacious appeal of this accommodation, creating an even more desirable sanctuary or space to entertain.
Britannia Club - The introduction of 43 new Britannia Club staterooms in prime locations on decks seven and eight feature all the hallmarks of Cunard style and comfort. Britannia Club is enhanced with premium balconies, a nine-pillow concierge menu and the freedom to dine whenever you choose between 6.30pm and 9.00pm in the new Britannia Club restaurant. This restaurant is located on deck two.
Britannia Staterooms - All Britannia staterooms feature newly designed carpets and soft furnishings, taking inspiration from Cunard’s heritage and bold colour palettes. For extra comfort, tea and coffee making facilities and new flat screen HD televisions are available in all staterooms.
