Detailed Itinerary
Monte Carlo epitomizes the French Rivera, it is famous for being famous. This is where you’ll find the Casino de Monte Carlo which was center stage for 007s first visit to Monaco in Never Say Never Again and a sight to behold from the outside as well as in. It is home since 1929 to the Monaco Grand Prix, considered to be one of the most demanding Formula One circuits of the season due to its insanely narrow streets with tight corners and elevation changes. There is also Monaco Cathedral, the Napoleon Museum, the Oceanographic Museum and the Prince's Palace where Prince Rainier III and his wife Grace Kelly began their restoration of Monaco with his accession to the throne in 1949. One of the best views you’ll find is from Vista Palace Hotel and be sure to have a drink in Le Bar Américain at Hotel de Paris. You can't find a bar with better service and the Hotel is truly one of the best in the world. If you want to spend money on dinner, the restaurant Le Louis XV has 3 stars in the Michelin guide and a wine cellar with 400,000 bottles. Appropriately enough all the hands on the clocks are stopped on 12 as a reminder that inside this Palace of Pleasure, time is of no consequence.
Port Explorer Guide - Monte Carlo
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Overnight: At Sea
Cannes is a former fishing village in southern France turned international hotspot for the jet set particularly each year in May. Pack your Dolce & Gabbana’s, the Cannes Film Festival shines a dazzling light on this town unlike any you’ve ever seen. There will be no shortage of actors, celebrities and directors on the famous steps of the Palais des Festivals but don’t shortchange this visit. Make your way to Le Suquet, the old quarter of Cannes famous for its winding cobbled streets lined with local restaurants. A selfie from the clock tower looking over the Bay of Cannes and the city will look smashing on your Facebook page. Options just out of town include Grasse where you can create your own perfume and historic St. Paul de Vence, one of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries.
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
GOLF: Only 20 minutes from Cannes is the five star Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort where you will play the more challenging of their two courses, Le Château. Billionaire German businessman Dietmar Hopp, one of the SAP AG founders, gave former Ryder Cup golfer turned architect Dave Thomas a spectacular 300 hectare site and a healthy budget to do something special and he has. Le Château winds through pine and oak clad hills and valleys providing sweeping panoramas of neighboring Provence villages and the Southern Alps. It is immaculately maintained and most recently rated as the 14th best club in continental Europe.
Overnight: In Port - Cannes
Brigitte Bardot is credited with putting St Tropez on the map with her 1956 film And God Created Woman. Mick Jagger added swagger in 1971 when he married at Chapelle Ste-Anne, a small Provençal-style chapel built in 1618 on a hilltop overlooking the Place des Lices. This is where the champagne craving world comes play. Where you can always find the most astounding yachts, the most astounding yacht parties, provocative beaches and the most outrageous night clubs like Les Caves du Roy. There is yet a serene side to this fishing village which you’ll be able to appreciate in advance of the summer apex meaning a meander along the cobbled lanes in the old fishing quarter of La Ponche. Sipping pastis or a rare rosé at a Place des Lices café. Walking along the coastal path. Be sure to sample the town’s namesake cake, La Tarte Tropezienne. The keepsake to bring home is a pair of Rondini Sandals. They can be purchased on line but why would you want to miss the opportunity of running in to almost anybody in their store?
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Port Explorer Guide - St Tropez
Overnight: At Sea
Palamós is found in the heart of the Costa Brava, the Wild or Rough Coast, its name derived from the rugged, rocky shoreline punctuated by excellent beaches and picturesque fishing villages. Next to the pier is the Palamós Fishing Museum, which is well worth your time for fascinating look at this livelihood so important to the Mediterranean. Afterwards around mid-afternoon watch to see how the day’s catch is off loaded and sold to the highest bidder. Be sure to sample famous Palamós prawns which are particularly enjoyable for lunch at nearby L'Espardenya or dinner at La Selvatana which gets its supplies straight from the boats. For a change of pace, consider a trip to Figures – home to the museum of its famous and eccentric native son, Salvador Dali, he of the extravagant mustache and melting pocket watches. Dali spent many years designing and painting the facility—in essence it is itself his single largest work, and contains not only his own creations, but his personal art collection as well.
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
GOLF: The PGA Catalunya Stadium Course is rated as the 3rd best club in continental Europe according to Golf Monthly – and #1 in Spain and was designed for professional events hence the “stadium” features for spectators. It opened in 1999 and promptly hosted the Gene Sarazen World Open and the European Tour’s Spanish Open in 2000. The Spanish Open returned in 2009, then again in 2014 after which the club announced its intent to bid for the 2022 Ryder Cup. We couldn’t imagine a better venue.
Overnight: At Sea
The popular resort town of Alcudia is located on the northern end of Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands found 200 miles due east of Valencia. It was the Phoenicians and Greeks who first settled here, followed in the 2nd century BC by the Romans who made Alcudia the capital. Visitors to the Old Town enter the narrow streets through one of the two gates that were constructed, along with the impressive city walls, after the conquest of the island by King Jaime I of Spain. It is possible to step up on the well preserved wall and follow it almost all around the village. The largest wetland area in the Balearic Islands—S’Albufera Natural Park—is wonderful for a view of over 250 different bird species.
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
GOLF: Alcanada was designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr, and opened for play in 2003. Situated in the northern part of the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, it is located right by the sea with its beautifully manicured layout blending perfectly into the typical Mallorcan landscape. The club takes its name from a nearby island just off the shore which, complete with its own lighthouse, can be seen from most of the holes. Apart from the magnificent sea view, players are surrounded by pine and olive groves throughout their round. Although a relatively well kept secret the course has already received a number of accolades from various magazines and publications.
Overnight: At Sea
Valencia has come a very long way since 138 BC when it was founded as a Roman colony. Today it is Spain’s third largest city after Madrid and Barcelona. It has one of the world’s most prosperous local economies. The story you’ll probably take home however is about one of the most striking ranges of architecture imaginable. Of course you’ll find antiquity in many forms such as Valencia’s Gothic cathedral which was built over a mosque after the Christian reconquest of 1238. You will also find the space-age City of Arts and Sciences, a massive project by neofuturistic architect Santiago Calatrava (World Trade Center Transportation Hub) whose showpiece is Oceanogràfic – one of the world’s biggest aquariums, with polar zones, underwater tunnels and an underwater restaurant. The juxtaposition is startling. And you’ll have two full days to immerse yourself in it!
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Barcelona is the 11th most visited city in the world according to MasterCard’s 2014 Global Destinations Index and 3rd most popular in Europe behind London and Paris. There’s a lot to like in this Olympic City (1992) from the food to the beaches, the weather and the night life. For many visitors however Barcelona is about architecture, especially the work of Antoni Gaudi. His Sagrada Familia in the city center is astounding. Construction began on the church in 1882; it is scheduled for completion in 2026 on the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Azamara ships will almost always dock at the foot of Las Ramblas just steps from the Christopher Columbus statue. You will literally walk off the ship and into the city. No taxi required!
Enjoy it on your own arrangements or via Azamara Shore Excursions®.
Port Explorer Guide - Barcelona
GOLF: Real Club de Golf El Prat is located to the north of Barcelona at Terassa. It was the first golf course in continental Europe to be designed by Greg Norman to give it a unique character that places an emphasis both on aesthetic appeal and playability. Norman's designs have traditionally given the impression they have been part of the landscape for generations.
Overnight: In Port – Barcelona, Spain
Fitness Center and
Spa
Cabaret Lounge
Indulgences
Guest Laundry Facility
