Aboard Silver Ray with Silversea
Cruise Overview
On one of the best stretches of the Mediterranean, this classic luxury destination is one of the most sought-after addresses in the world.
With all the high-rise towers you have to look hard to find the Belle Époque grace of yesteryear.
But if you head to the town's great 1864 landmark Hôtel de Paris—still a veritable crossroads of the buffed and befurred Euro-gentry—or enjoy a grand bouffe at its famous Louis XV restaurant, or attend the opera, or visit the ballrooms of the casino, you may still be able to conjure up Monaco's elegant past.
Prince Albert II, a political science graduate from Amherst College, traces his ancestry to Otto Canella, who was born in 1070.
The Grimaldi dynasty began with Otto's great-great-great-grandson, Francesco Grimaldi, also known as Frank the Rogue.
Expelled from Genoa, Frank and his cronies disguised themselves as monks and in 1297 seized the fortified medieval town known today as Le Rocher (the Rock).
Except for a short break under Napoléon, the Grimaldis have been here ever since, which makes them the oldest reigning family in Europe.
In the 1850s a Grimaldi named Charles III made a decision that turned the Rock into a giant blue chip.
Needing revenue but not wanting to impose additional taxes on his subjects, he contracted with a company to open a gambling facility.
The first spin of the roulette wheel was on December 14, 1856.
There was no easy way to reach Monaco then—no carriage roads or railroads—so no one came.
Between March 15 and March 20, 1857, one person entered the casino—and won two francs.
In 1868, however, the railroad reached Monaco, and it was filled with Englishmen who came to escape the London fog.
The effects were immediate.
Profits were so great that Charles eventually abolished all direct taxes.
Almost overnight, a threadbare principality became an elegant watering hole for European society.
Dukes (and their mistresses) and duchesses (and their gigolos) danced and dined their way through a world of spinning roulette wheels and bubbling champagne—preening themselves for nights at the opera, where such artists as Vaslav Nijinsky, Sarah Bernhardt, and Enrico Caruso came to perform.
Along with the tax system, its sensational position on a broad, steep peninsula that bulges into the Mediterranean—its harbor sparkling with luxury cruisers, its posh mansions angling awnings toward the nearly perpetual sun—continues to draw the rich and famous.
One of the latest French celebrities to declare himself "Monégasque," thus giving up his French passport, is superchef Alain Ducasse, who said that he made the choice out of affection for Monaco rather than tax reasons.
Pleasure boats vie with luxury cruisers in their brash beauty and Titanic scale, and teams of handsome young men—themselves dyed blond and tanned to match—scour and polish every gleaming surface.
As you might expect, all this glitz doesn't come cheap.
Eating is expensive, and even the most modest hotels cost more here than in nearby Nice or Menton.
As for taxis, they don't even have meters so you are completely at the driver's mercy (with prices skyrocketing during events such as the Grand Prix).
For the frugal, Monaco is the ultimate day-trip, although parking is as coveted as a room with a view.
At the very least you can afford a coffee at Starbucks.
The harbor district, known as La Condamine, connects the new quarter, officially known as Monte Carlo with Monaco-Ville (or Le Rocher), a medieval town on the Rock, topped by the palace, the cathedral, and the Oceanography Museum.
Have no fear that you'll need to climb countless steps to get to Monaco-Ville, as there are plenty of elevators and escalators climbing the steep cliffs.
But shuttling between the lovely casino grounds of Monte Carlo and Old Monaco, separated by a vast port, is a daunting proposition for ordinary mortals without wings, so hop on the No.
1 bus from Saint Roman, or No.
2 from the Jardin Exotique - Both stop at Place du Casino and come up to Monaco Ville.
Since being designated a European Capital of Culture for 2013, with an estimated €660 million of funding in the bargain, Marseille has been in the throes of an extraordinary transformation, with no fewer than five major new arts centers, a beautifully refurbished port, revitalized neighborhoods, and a slew of new shops and restaurants.
Once the underdog, this time-burnished city is now welcoming an influx of weekend tourists who have colonized entire neighborhoods and transformed them into elegant pieds-à-terre (or should we say, mer).
The second-largest city in France, Marseille is one of Europe's most vibrant destinations.
Feisty and fond of broad gestures, it is also as complicated and as cosmopolitan now as it was when a band of Phoenician Greeks first sailed into the harbor that is today's Vieux Port in 600 BC.
Legend has it that on that same day a local chieftain's daughter, Gyptis, needed to choose a husband, and her wandering eyes settled on the Greeks' handsome commander Protis.
Her dowry brought land near the mouth of the Rhône, where the Greeks founded Massalia, the most important Continental shipping port in antiquity.
The port flourished for some 500 years as a typical Greek city, enjoying the full flush of classical culture, its gods, its democratic political system, its sports and theater, and its naval prowess.
Caesar changed all that, besieging the city in 49 BC and seizing most of its colonies.
In 1214 Marseille was seized again, this time by Charles d'Anjou, and was later annexed to France by Henri IV in 1481, but it was not until Louis XIV took the throne that the biggest transformations of the port began; he pulled down the city walls in 1666 and expanded the port to the Rive Neuve (New Riverbank).
The city was devastated by plague in 1720, losing more than half its population.
By the time of the Revolution, Marseille was on the rebound once again, with industries of soap manufacturing and oil processing flourishing, encouraging a wave of immigration from Provence and Italy.
With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Marseille became the greatest boomtown in 19th-century Europe.
With a large influx of immigrants from areas as exotic as Tangiers, the city quickly acquired the multicultural population it maintains to this day.
One of the best ways to arrive in Catalonia is by sea, especially via the Costa Brava.
This coastline, also known as the Rugged or Wild Coast, stretches from Blanes to the French border.
Its name aptly refers to the steep cliff of ancient twisted rocks, which runs its entire length and is bounded inland by the Catalan mountain ranges.
The intensity of the coast’s colour, the ruggedness of the rocks and the scent of the plants all combine to add to its attraction.
The history of this region is long and varied.
Traces can be found of the advanced culture of the Iberians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs.
With Wilfred I and the independence of Catalan countries, the Catalan dynasty was born.
Later, in 1479, Catalonia became a part of unified Spain following the marriage of Isabel, Queen of Castile, and Fernando, King of Aragon.
The port of Palamos, some 36 miles northeast of Barcelona, has been in existence for nearly 700 years thanks to its location on one of the deepest natural bays in the western Mediterranean.
The town itself is the southernmost of a series of resorts popular with sun worshippers.
For the most part, Palamos has managed to retain some of the charm of a fishing village.
The port also serves as a gateway to such inland locations as Girona, the capital of the province.
Art lovers may want to visit Figueras, famous for its bizarre Teatre-Museu Dali, the foremost of a series of sites associated with the eccentric surrealist artist, Salvador Dali.
If you choose to stay in Palamos, you can enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the town or spend some time at a nearby beach.
The town has a long seagoing tradition and busy harbour.
The fish auction, prompted by the arrival of the fishing boats, is a spectacle worth seeing.
The Fishing Museum illustrates the history and the life of the families who live off the sea.
With all the high-rise towers you have to look hard to find the Belle Époque grace of yesteryear.
But if you head to the town's great 1864 landmark Hôtel de Paris—still a veritable crossroads of the buffed and befurred Euro-gentry—or enjoy a grand bouffe at its famous Louis XV restaurant, or attend the opera, or visit the ballrooms of the casino, you may still be able to conjure up Monaco's elegant past.
Prince Albert II, a political science graduate from Amherst College, traces his ancestry to Otto Canella, who was born in 1070.
The Grimaldi dynasty began with Otto's great-great-great-grandson, Francesco Grimaldi, also known as Frank the Rogue.
Expelled from Genoa, Frank and his cronies disguised themselves as monks and in 1297 seized the fortified medieval town known today as Le Rocher (the Rock).
Except for a short break under Napoléon, the Grimaldis have been here ever since, which makes them the oldest reigning family in Europe.
In the 1850s a Grimaldi named Charles III made a decision that turned the Rock into a giant blue chip.
Needing revenue but not wanting to impose additional taxes on his subjects, he contracted with a company to open a gambling facility.
The first spin of the roulette wheel was on December 14, 1856.
There was no easy way to reach Monaco then—no carriage roads or railroads—so no one came.
Between March 15 and March 20, 1857, one person entered the casino—and won two francs.
In 1868, however, the railroad reached Monaco, and it was filled with Englishmen who came to escape the London fog.
The effects were immediate.
Profits were so great that Charles eventually abolished all direct taxes.
Almost overnight, a threadbare principality became an elegant watering hole for European society.
Dukes (and their mistresses) and duchesses (and their gigolos) danced and dined their way through a world of spinning roulette wheels and bubbling champagne—preening themselves for nights at the opera, where such artists as Vaslav Nijinsky, Sarah Bernhardt, and Enrico Caruso came to perform.
Along with the tax system, its sensational position on a broad, steep peninsula that bulges into the Mediterranean—its harbor sparkling with luxury cruisers, its posh mansions angling awnings toward the nearly perpetual sun—continues to draw the rich and famous.
One of the latest French celebrities to declare himself "Monégasque," thus giving up his French passport, is superchef Alain Ducasse, who said that he made the choice out of affection for Monaco rather than tax reasons.
Pleasure boats vie with luxury cruisers in their brash beauty and Titanic scale, and teams of handsome young men—themselves dyed blond and tanned to match—scour and polish every gleaming surface.
As you might expect, all this glitz doesn't come cheap.
Eating is expensive, and even the most modest hotels cost more here than in nearby Nice or Menton.
As for taxis, they don't even have meters so you are completely at the driver's mercy (with prices skyrocketing during events such as the Grand Prix).
For the frugal, Monaco is the ultimate day-trip, although parking is as coveted as a room with a view.
At the very least you can afford a coffee at Starbucks.
The harbor district, known as La Condamine, connects the new quarter, officially known as Monte Carlo with Monaco-Ville (or Le Rocher), a medieval town on the Rock, topped by the palace, the cathedral, and the Oceanography Museum.
Have no fear that you'll need to climb countless steps to get to Monaco-Ville, as there are plenty of elevators and escalators climbing the steep cliffs.
But shuttling between the lovely casino grounds of Monte Carlo and Old Monaco, separated by a vast port, is a daunting proposition for ordinary mortals without wings, so hop on the No.
1 bus from Saint Roman, or No.
2 from the Jardin Exotique - Both stop at Place du Casino and come up to Monaco Ville.
Since being designated a European Capital of Culture for 2013, with an estimated €660 million of funding in the bargain, Marseille has been in the throes of an extraordinary transformation, with no fewer than five major new arts centers, a beautifully refurbished port, revitalized neighborhoods, and a slew of new shops and restaurants.
Once the underdog, this time-burnished city is now welcoming an influx of weekend tourists who have colonized entire neighborhoods and transformed them into elegant pieds-à-terre (or should we say, mer).
The second-largest city in France, Marseille is one of Europe's most vibrant destinations.
Feisty and fond of broad gestures, it is also as complicated and as cosmopolitan now as it was when a band of Phoenician Greeks first sailed into the harbor that is today's Vieux Port in 600 BC.
Legend has it that on that same day a local chieftain's daughter, Gyptis, needed to choose a husband, and her wandering eyes settled on the Greeks' handsome commander Protis.
Her dowry brought land near the mouth of the Rhône, where the Greeks founded Massalia, the most important Continental shipping port in antiquity.
The port flourished for some 500 years as a typical Greek city, enjoying the full flush of classical culture, its gods, its democratic political system, its sports and theater, and its naval prowess.
Caesar changed all that, besieging the city in 49 BC and seizing most of its colonies.
In 1214 Marseille was seized again, this time by Charles d'Anjou, and was later annexed to France by Henri IV in 1481, but it was not until Louis XIV took the throne that the biggest transformations of the port began; he pulled down the city walls in 1666 and expanded the port to the Rive Neuve (New Riverbank).
The city was devastated by plague in 1720, losing more than half its population.
By the time of the Revolution, Marseille was on the rebound once again, with industries of soap manufacturing and oil processing flourishing, encouraging a wave of immigration from Provence and Italy.
With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Marseille became the greatest boomtown in 19th-century Europe.
With a large influx of immigrants from areas as exotic as Tangiers, the city quickly acquired the multicultural population it maintains to this day.
One of the best ways to arrive in Catalonia is by sea, especially via the Costa Brava.
This coastline, also known as the Rugged or Wild Coast, stretches from Blanes to the French border.
Its name aptly refers to the steep cliff of ancient twisted rocks, which runs its entire length and is bounded inland by the Catalan mountain ranges.
The intensity of the coast’s colour, the ruggedness of the rocks and the scent of the plants all combine to add to its attraction.
The history of this region is long and varied.
Traces can be found of the advanced culture of the Iberians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs.
With Wilfred I and the independence of Catalan countries, the Catalan dynasty was born.
Later, in 1479, Catalonia became a part of unified Spain following the marriage of Isabel, Queen of Castile, and Fernando, King of Aragon.
The port of Palamos, some 36 miles northeast of Barcelona, has been in existence for nearly 700 years thanks to its location on one of the deepest natural bays in the western Mediterranean.
The town itself is the southernmost of a series of resorts popular with sun worshippers.
For the most part, Palamos has managed to retain some of the charm of a fishing village.
The port also serves as a gateway to such inland locations as Girona, the capital of the province.
Art lovers may want to visit Figueras, famous for its bizarre Teatre-Museu Dali, the foremost of a series of sites associated with the eccentric surrealist artist, Salvador Dali.
If you choose to stay in Palamos, you can enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the town or spend some time at a nearby beach.
The town has a long seagoing tradition and busy harbour.
The fish auction, prompted by the arrival of the fishing boats, is a spectacle worth seeing.
The Fishing Museum illustrates the history and the life of the families who live off the sea.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Ray
Launch Year: 2024 Length: 244 Width: 30 Currency: USD Capacity: 728 Crew Count: 556 Deck Count: Cabin Count: 363
Set sail from summer 2024 aboard the second Nova Class ship Silver Ray
Get ready for Silver Ray. Silversea’s second Nova Class ship arrives in summer 2024 and promises guests seamless destination connection. Silver Ray mirrors every aspect of her sister ship, Silver Nova, including a pioneering, asymmetrical design and extraordinary use of glass in both public areas and in suite for uninterrupted views wherever you are! What’s more, Silver Ray is one of the most spacious ships ever built, offering an exceptionally high space-to-guest ratio yet remaining nimble enough to offer purity in movement, as her name suggests. She is truly our ray of light.
Silver Ray preserves all our trademarks and delivers a new way of luxury cruising. Her revolutionary horizontal design ensures outstanding public areas, which fuse seamlessly together. Silver Ray will introduce a brand new selection of superb, spacious suites, many of which promise offer a 270˚ view from sea to sky. Eight restaurants and an unprecedented choice of bars complete the experience, offering delicious drinking and dining at any time of the day.
Silver Ray Facilities
Silver Ray Includes
Cabin Details
