Cruise and Maritime Voyages

As the capital city of Malta, Valetta provides the perfect balance between the buzz of hectic city life and the tranquillity found in its peaceful palace and gardens. The majority of the magnificent buildings found in this city are Baroque in character and date back to the 16th century during the reign of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, but there are also hints or neo-classical and modern architectural design to be found. Valetta was named after Jean Parisot de la Valette who not only laid the first foundation stone of the city, but also protected it against Ottoman invasion in 1565. Tragically, he passed away before his city was completed at the age of 74, but his remains now rest at St. John’s Co-Cathedral. Valetta is a rare urban treasure that has preserved nearly all of its original features and was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Piraeus is the gateway to Athens, the birthplace of democracy and a cradle of western civilisation. In this city of Plato and Socrates, visit the Acropolis with its mighty Parthenon, the temple of the Greek goddess Athena. Below the Acropolis lies the Theatre of Dionysos, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the honeycomb of streets that make up the Plaka district of shops and tavernas. In the heart of the city there’s the National Archaeological Museum, the Olympic Stadium used for the first modern Games in 1896, the Parliament building and Syntagma Square.

The country’s largest city and cultural capital, the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial heritage of the past mixes with the modern influences of the Sinhalese, Muslim and Tamil to make Colombo a fascinating vibrant, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city. An outstanding landmark in the centre is the huge Beira Lake, testament to the combination of land and water that dictates the geography of the city.

The fabulous island resort of Phuket is an oriental gem with beautiful beaches, excellent shopping, elephant rides and sightseeing opportunities. Sites and sights to savour range from N’Ga Bay, famous for its unique limestone islands; to the popular Patong beach with its open air bars to the quieter areas of Kata and the bustling old charm of Kamala.

The images of this ‘Island of the Gods’ are many and varied – enchanting temples, mesmeric dance, stunning beaches, pounding surf, the most delicious and freshest local food. Enjoy some, or all, of these pleasures on arguably the most visitor friendly of Indonesia’s 18,000 plus islands, your final port of call before landfall in Australia.