butler and there’s a lavish spa
and a choice of restaurants.
You’ll sail from Venice to
terracotta-roofed Piran in
Slovenia, the Croatian ports
of Zadar, Dubrovnik, Split and
Rovinj, and medieval Kotor in
Montenegro, nestled at the
end of a long fjord.
Details Seven nights’
all-inclusive from £5,200pp,
including flights, home pick-
up, crew tips and excursions,
departing on August 14, 2023
(silversea.com)
WALTZ ALONG THE DANUBE
Uniworld’s opulent SS Maria
Theresa, a baroque and
rococo fantasy of marble,
silk-clad walls and glittering
Murano glass, sails the Danube
from Budapest to Passau with
all sorts of treats in store.
There’s a private classical
recital in Vienna, and an after-
hours visit to Schönbrunn,
Empress Maria Theresa’s
favourite palace. You can taste
organic wines in the leafy
Wachau Valley, head to
Salzburg for a Sound of Music
tour and join guided hikes or
cycling tours through glorious
countryside along the way.
Details Seven nights’
all-inclusive from £1,999pp,
including flights and
excursions, departing on
July 31 (uniworld.com)
want to while away lazy
afternoons on the river, gazing
at olive groves and vineyards
snaking along the cliffs.
Details Seven nights’ all-
inclusive from £3,445pp,
including flights, tips and
excursions, departing on
August 27 (scenic.co.uk)
BANGKOK AND BEYOND
The serene, Scandi-inspired
Viking Orion provides a cool
contrast to the steamy heat of
southeast Asia on this 13-day
itinerary. Explore Bangkok by
tuk-tuk or join a Thai cookery
class, and in Kuala Lumpur
you can whizz up the Petronas
twin towers. Other excursions
include a feng shui-themed
Clockwise from far left:
Tobago Cays in the
Grenadines; aboard the
Emerald Azzurra; spot
reindeer on a voyage into
the Arctic Circle; visit
Jerusalem with Windstar
Cruises; Independence Day
in Boston
departing on September 13
(noble-caledonia.co.uk)
VOYAGE TO THE NORTH CAPE
A new cruise line, Explora
Journeys, launches in 2023,
promising in-depth travel in
the most luxurious of settings.
The 922-passenger Explora I
comes with all balcony cabins,
masses of deck space and an
enormous spa. This 12-night
voyage from Southampton to
Tromso, deep inside the Arctic
Circle, explores Norway’s
fjord-indented coast, visiting
Geiranger, Molde, Alesund and
Trondheim before setting a
course for Honningsvag and
the wild North Cape, where
reindeer graze on the tundra
and you can stand at the very
tip of continental Europe.
Details 12 nights’ all-inclusive
from £5,985pp, departing
on July 11, 2023
(explorajourneys.com)
ECO-FRIENDLY ADRIATIC
Sail the Adriatic with a clear
conscience on Silversea’s
728-passenger Silver Nova,
launching in summer 2023
when it will possibly be the
greenest ship at sea, running
on hydrogen fuel cells, battery
power and liquefied natural
gas. There’s no compromise
on luxury; every cabin comes
with a balcony and a private
tour in Singapore and, from
the Indonesian port of
Semarang, a visit to the
towering temple of
Borobudur, the largest
Buddhist monument in the
world. Back on board the all-
balcony ship, there’s a superb
spa and a cosy little jazz club.
Details 12 nights’ full board
from £4,290pp, including
flights, some excursions and
drinks with meals, departing
on November 10
(vikingcruises.co.uk)
GREEK ODYSSEY
Explore Sicily and Greece
in depth aboard the
118-passenger Island
Sky. The ten-night
voyage from Palermo to
Istanbul gets off to a fiery start
with dinner anchored off
Stromboli volcano, molten
lava pouring constantly down
its slope. Ports of call in Greece
include unspoilt Kythira, the
fortress town of Monemvasia
and the lesser-known Cycladic
islands of Sifnos and Syros.
There’s a day each in Skyros
and Lemnos before sailing up
the Bosphorus into Istanbul.
The archaeologist David Price-
Williams accompanies
the cruise.
Details Ten nights’ full
board from £5,295pp,
including flights, drinks
with meals, excursions
and crew tips,