Lisbon to Southampton

Aboard Silver Dawn with Silversea Cruises

Departure Date

3 April 2025

Duration

9 Nights

Fly Cruise From

£4,800pp

Cruise Reference

ART-7LISI20

Cruise Overview

Set on seven hills on the banks of the River Tagus, Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal since the 13th century.

It is a city famous for its majestic architecture, old wooden trams, Moorish features and more than twenty centuries of history.

Following disastrous earthquakes in the 18th century, Lisbon was rebuilt by the Marques de Pombal who created an elegant city with wide boulevards and a great riverfront and square, Praça do Comércio.

Today there are distinct modern and ancient sections, combining great shopping with culture and sightseeing in the Old Town, built on the city's terraced hillsides.

The distance between the ship and your tour vehicle may vary.

This distance is not included in the excursion grades.
Time in Bilbao (Bilbo, in Euskera) may be recorded as BG or AG (Before Guggenheim or After Guggenheim).

Never has a single monument of art and architecture so radically changed a city.

Frank Gehry's stunning museum, Norman Foster's sleek subway system, the Santiago Calatrava glass footbridge and airport, the leafy César Pelli Abandoibarra park and commercial complex next to the Guggenheim, and the Philippe Starck AlhóndigaBilbao cultural center have contributed to an unprecedented cultural revolution in what was once the industry capital of the Basque Country.Greater Bilbao contains almost 1 million inhabitants, nearly half the total population of the Basque Country.

Founded in 1300 by Vizcayan noble Diego López de Haro, Bilbao became an industrial center in the mid-19th century, largely because of the abundance of minerals in the surrounding hills.

An affluent industrial class grew up here, as did the working class in suburbs that line the Margen Izquierda (Left Bank) of the Nervión estuary.Bilbao's new attractions get more press, but the city's old treasures still quietly line the banks of the rust-color Nervión River.

The Casco Viejo (Old Quarter)—also known as Siete Calles (Seven Streets)—is a charming jumble of shops, bars, and restaurants on the river's Right Bank, near the Puente del Arenal bridge.

This elegant proto-Bilbao nucleus was carefully restored after devastating floods in 1983.

Throughout the Casco Viejo are ancient mansions emblazoned with family coats of arms, wooden doors, and fine ironwork balconies.

The most interesting square is the 64-arch Plaza Nueva, where an outdoor market is pitched every Sunday morning.Walking the banks of the Nervión is a satisfying jaunt.

After all, this was how—while out on a morning jog—Guggenheim director Thomas Krens first discovered the perfect spot for his project, nearly opposite the right bank's Deusto University.

From the Palacio de Euskalduna upstream to the colossal Mercado de la Ribera, parks and green zones line the river.

César Pelli's Abandoibarra project fills in the half mile between the Guggenheim and the Euskalduna bridge with a series of parks, the Deusto University library, the Meliá Bilbao Hotel, and a major shopping center.On the left bank, the wide, late-19th-century boulevards of the Ensanche neighborhood, such as Gran Vía (the main shopping artery) and Alameda de Mazarredo, are the city's more formal face.

Bilbao's cultural institutions include, along with the Guggenheim, a major museum of fine arts (the Museo de Bellas Artes) and an opera society (Asociación Bilbaína de Amigos de la Ópera, or ABAO) with 7,000 members from Spain and southern France.

In addition, epicureans have long ranked Bilbao's culinary offerings among the best in Spain.

Don't miss a chance to ride the trolley line, the Euskotram, for a trip along the river from Atxuri Station to Basurto's San Mamés soccer stadium, reverently dubbed "la Catedral del Fútbol" (the Cathedral of Football).
Bordeaux as a whole, rather than any particular points within it, is what you'll want to visit in order to understand why Victor Hugo described it as Versailles plus Antwerp, and why the painter Francisco de Goya, when exiled from his native Spain, chose it as his last home (he died here in 1828).

The capital of southwest France and the region's largest city, Bordeaux remains synonymous with the wine trade: wine shippers have long maintained their headquarters along the banks of the Garonne, while buyers from around the world arrive for the huge biennial Vinexpo show (held in odd-number years).Bordeaux is, admittedly, a less exuberant city than many others in France, but lively and stylish elements are making a dent in its conservative veneer.

The cleaned-up riverfront is said by some, after a bottle or two, to exude an elegance reminiscent of St.

Petersburg, and that aura of 18th-century élan also permeates the historic downtown sector—“le vieux Bordeaux"—where fine shops invite exploration.

To the south of the city center are old docklands undergoing renewal—one train station has now been transformed into a big multiplex movie theater—but the area is still a bit shady.

To get a feel for the historic port of Bordeaux, take the 90-minute boat trip that leaves Quai Louis-XVIII every weekday afternoon, or the regular passenger ferry that plies the Garonne between Quai Richelieu and the Pont d'Aquitaine in summer.

A nice time to stroll around the city center is the first Sunday of the month, when it's pedestrian-only and vehicles are banned.

Cruise Itinerary

Aboard Silver Dawn

Launch Year: 2022 Length: 213 Width: 26 Currency: USD Capacity: 596 Crew Count: 411 Deck Count: 8 Cabin Count: 288

A new Dawn has arrived! Our tenth ultra-luxury ship joined our fleet in April 2022, sailing a worldwide itinerary that promises authentic, immersive experiences.

A new world of luxury is waiting aboard Silver Dawn. Elegant and modern, Silver Dawn is the natural evolution of our fleet. Large enough to offer eight dining options – including the superb Sea and Land Taste (S.A.L.T.) programme – yet small enough for the famed Silversea onboard ambience, Silver Dawn inherits the best features of her sister ships Silver Muse and Silver Moon, but is in a class all of her own. With sumptuous suites, outstanding itineraries, plus cutting-edge design and technology and the outstanding OTIVM wellness concept, Silver Dawn sets new standards of luxury. Isn’t it time you woke up to a new dawn with Silversea?

Silver Dawn Facilities

Silver Dawn Includes

Cabin Details

Silversea suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All of our suites feature ocean views, and most with a private teak veranda. All guests will be pampered by the personalised services of an attentive butler, sailing in style aboard the best luxury cruise line. 

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