Aboard Silver Whisper with Silversea
Cruise Overview
Malta's capital, the minicity of Valletta, has ornate palaces and museums protected by massive fortifications of honey-color limestone.
Houses along the narrow streets have overhanging wooden balconies for people-watching from indoors.
Generations ago they gave housebound women a window on the world of the street.
The main entrance to town is through the City Gate (where all bus routes end), which leads onto Triq Repubblika (Republic Street), the spine of the grid-pattern city and the main shopping street.
Triq Mercante (Merchant Street) parallels Repubblika to the east and is also good for strolling.
From these two streets, cross streets descend toward the water; some are stepped.
Valletta's compactness makes it ideal to explore on foot.
City Gate and the upper part of Valletta are experiencing vast redevelopment that includes a new Parliament Building and open-air performance venue.
The complex, completed mid-2013, has numerous pedestrian detours in place along with building noise and dust.
Before setting out along Republic Street, stop at the tourist information office on Merchant Street for maps and brochures.
Malta is situated approximately 58 miles (about 93 kilometres) south of Sicily, and approximately 179 miles (about 288 kilometres) north of Africa.
The Maltese Archipelago lies at the centre of the Mediterranean.
Gozo, the ‘Isle of Calypso’, is a unique island that forms a part of the Maltese Archipelago, and is famous for its mythical legends, folklore and crafts.
Some parts of Gozo are still undiscovered and unspoilt.
The southern part of the island facing Malta is low-lying, but it rises near the coast and forms the vertical cliffs of Ta’ Cenc that jut out like a bastion into the sea.
Several narrow valleys cut through and dissect the plateau; the best-known being Xlendi.
Siracusa, known to English speakers as Syracuse, is a wonder to behold.
One of the great ancient capitals of Western civilization, the city was founded in 734 BC by Greek colonists from Corinth and soon grew to rival, and even surpass, Athens in splendor and power.
It became the largest, wealthiest city-state in the West and a bulwark of Greek civilization.
Although Siracusa lived under tyranny, rulers such as Dionysius filled their courts with Greeks of the highest cultural stature—among them the playwrights Aeschylus and Euripides, and the philosopher Plato.
The Athenians, who didn't welcome Siracusa's rise, set out to conquer Sicily, but the natives outsmarted them in what was one of the greatest military campaigns in ancient history (413 BC).
The city continued to prosper until it was conquered two centuries later by the Romans.Present-day Siracusa still has some of the finest examples of Baroque art and architecture; dramatic Greek and Roman ruins; and a Duomo that's the stuff of legend—a microcosm of the city's entire history in one building.
The modern city also has a wonderful, lively, Baroque old town worthy of extensive exploration, as well as pleasant piazzas, outdoor cafés and bars, and a wide assortment of excellent seafood.
There are essentially two areas to explore in Siracusa: the Parco Archeologico (Archaeological Zone), on the mainland; and the island of Ortygia, the ancient city first inhabited by the Greeks, which juts out into the Ionian Sea and is connected to the mainland by two small bridges.
Ortygia is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, and is starting to lose its old-fashioned charm in favor of modern boutiques.Siracusa's old nucleus of Ortygia, a compact area, is a pleasure to amble around without getting unduly tired.
In contrast, mainland Siracusa is a grid of wider avenues.
At the northern end of Corso Gelone, above Viale Paolo Orsi, the orderly grid gives way to the ancient quarter of Neapolis, where the sprawling Parco Archeologico is accessible from Viale Teracati (an extension of Corso Gelone).
East of Viale Teracati, about a 10-minute walk from the Parco Archeologico, the district of Tyche holds the archaeological museum and the church and catacombs of San Giovanni, both off Viale Teocrito (drive or take a taxi or city bus from Ortygia).
Coming from the train station, it's a 15-minute trudge to Ortygia along Via Francesco Crispi and Corso Umberto.
If you're not up for that, take one of the free electric buses leaving every 10 minutes from the bus station around the corner.
Houses along the narrow streets have overhanging wooden balconies for people-watching from indoors.
Generations ago they gave housebound women a window on the world of the street.
The main entrance to town is through the City Gate (where all bus routes end), which leads onto Triq Repubblika (Republic Street), the spine of the grid-pattern city and the main shopping street.
Triq Mercante (Merchant Street) parallels Repubblika to the east and is also good for strolling.
From these two streets, cross streets descend toward the water; some are stepped.
Valletta's compactness makes it ideal to explore on foot.
City Gate and the upper part of Valletta are experiencing vast redevelopment that includes a new Parliament Building and open-air performance venue.
The complex, completed mid-2013, has numerous pedestrian detours in place along with building noise and dust.
Before setting out along Republic Street, stop at the tourist information office on Merchant Street for maps and brochures.
Malta is situated approximately 58 miles (about 93 kilometres) south of Sicily, and approximately 179 miles (about 288 kilometres) north of Africa.
The Maltese Archipelago lies at the centre of the Mediterranean.
Gozo, the ‘Isle of Calypso’, is a unique island that forms a part of the Maltese Archipelago, and is famous for its mythical legends, folklore and crafts.
Some parts of Gozo are still undiscovered and unspoilt.
The southern part of the island facing Malta is low-lying, but it rises near the coast and forms the vertical cliffs of Ta’ Cenc that jut out like a bastion into the sea.
Several narrow valleys cut through and dissect the plateau; the best-known being Xlendi.
Siracusa, known to English speakers as Syracuse, is a wonder to behold.
One of the great ancient capitals of Western civilization, the city was founded in 734 BC by Greek colonists from Corinth and soon grew to rival, and even surpass, Athens in splendor and power.
It became the largest, wealthiest city-state in the West and a bulwark of Greek civilization.
Although Siracusa lived under tyranny, rulers such as Dionysius filled their courts with Greeks of the highest cultural stature—among them the playwrights Aeschylus and Euripides, and the philosopher Plato.
The Athenians, who didn't welcome Siracusa's rise, set out to conquer Sicily, but the natives outsmarted them in what was one of the greatest military campaigns in ancient history (413 BC).
The city continued to prosper until it was conquered two centuries later by the Romans.Present-day Siracusa still has some of the finest examples of Baroque art and architecture; dramatic Greek and Roman ruins; and a Duomo that's the stuff of legend—a microcosm of the city's entire history in one building.
The modern city also has a wonderful, lively, Baroque old town worthy of extensive exploration, as well as pleasant piazzas, outdoor cafés and bars, and a wide assortment of excellent seafood.
There are essentially two areas to explore in Siracusa: the Parco Archeologico (Archaeological Zone), on the mainland; and the island of Ortygia, the ancient city first inhabited by the Greeks, which juts out into the Ionian Sea and is connected to the mainland by two small bridges.
Ortygia is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, and is starting to lose its old-fashioned charm in favor of modern boutiques.Siracusa's old nucleus of Ortygia, a compact area, is a pleasure to amble around without getting unduly tired.
In contrast, mainland Siracusa is a grid of wider avenues.
At the northern end of Corso Gelone, above Viale Paolo Orsi, the orderly grid gives way to the ancient quarter of Neapolis, where the sprawling Parco Archeologico is accessible from Viale Teracati (an extension of Corso Gelone).
East of Viale Teracati, about a 10-minute walk from the Parco Archeologico, the district of Tyche holds the archaeological museum and the church and catacombs of San Giovanni, both off Viale Teocrito (drive or take a taxi or city bus from Ortygia).
Coming from the train station, it's a 15-minute trudge to Ortygia along Via Francesco Crispi and Corso Umberto.
If you're not up for that, take one of the free electric buses leaving every 10 minutes from the bus station around the corner.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Whisper
Launch Year: 2001 Length: 186 Width: 24 Currency: USD Capacity: 392 Crew Count: 302 Deck Count: 7 Cabin Count: 194
Silver Whisper, sports a relaxing, sophisticated and genuinely elegant atmosphere. A multi-million dollar refit in 2018 makes her one of the most technically up-to-date ships at sea.
The amenities of a larger ship with the charm of a boutique hotel. Silversea’s Millennium Class ships Silver Whisper and sister ship Silver Shadow invite you to enjoy Silversea’s world-class accommodation, shipboard conviviality and warm, personal service. Revel in the pampering treatments of an expanded spa, enjoy dynamic full-scale productions in a multi-tiered show lounge and dine on delectable cuisine in her four superlative restaurants. Silver Whisper has it all.
Small and nimble, Silver Whisper features four restaurants and many suite options. She emphasises the hallmarks of boutique ship passenger pampering, including fine dining and spaciousness throughout. View her deck plan here.
Silver Whisper Facilities
Silver Whisper Includes
Cabin Details
Silversea’s suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All Silversea suites have ocean views, and most include a private teak veranda so that you can breathe in the fresh sea air simply by stepping outside your door. And regardless of the ship or suite category, all guests will be pampered with the personalised services of an attentive butler.
For a truly personal experience, customise your suite with an abundance of thoughtful options and luxurious amenities from Bulgari toiletries and personalised stationery to a bar with your favourite wines and liquors. Settle in with a complimentary movie or choose instead to simply watch the ocean swim by. You can even have dinner in-suite served course by course by your butler. Then, when it’s time to retire, curl up beneath Egyptian cotton linens and a fluffy duvet, with your choice of nine different pillow types. The ultimate in luxury cruise accommodations, Silversea’s suites are your home away from home.
