World Cruise 2028

Miami is a pulsating modern city, a cultural crossroads where Cuban émigrés rub shoulders with affluent New Yorkers topping up on winter sun, and where you're just as likely to hear Spanish or Caribbean patois being spoken as you are English. Downtown Miami is a destination in its own right, with a host of world class galleries including the fantastic MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), but it's still Miami Beach that draws the biggest crowds. The Art Deco district around South Beach is very much back in vogue, with new restaurants, bars and luxury developments sprouting up all over the place.

The idyllic island of Jost Van Dyke, named after an early Dutch settler, is known for its laid back vibe and friendly beach bars, including the famous Foxy’s, which counts Keith Richards amongst its past customers. It’s a place to kick back and relax, and the clear blue waters are also perfect for snorkelling.

Gustavia is the chic and petite capital of Saint Barths, a tiny French Caribbean island that’s renowned as a haunt of the rich and the famous. You can certainly live well here if you’ve got the means, with an array of gourmet restaurants and luxury boutiques aimed squarely at the A-list. The beautiful beaches, on the other hand, are free and open to all.

The gabled houses of Willemstad lend an undeniably Dutch feel to the capital of little Curaçao, with a splash of Caribbean colour thrown in. The island itself is not your typical lush tropical paradise - the landscape is characterised instead by thorny shrubs and cacti - but there are some fantastic beaches and quaint little villages.

The quiet, cactus-covered Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire is internationally renowned for its diving, ringed by spectacular coral reefs that teem with life. The capital, Kralendijk, is home to some pretty colonial architecture, and the island is also known for its flamingos and pink sand beaches.

Cartagena was founded by Spanish conquistadors in 1533, and the beautifully preserved centre is a real highlight of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The walled old town, the Ciudad Amurallada, is a camera-friendly collection of cobbled streets and colourful, colonial-era buildings.

The port of Fuerte Amador sits at the southern edge of Panama City, near the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. The shining skyscrapers of the Panamanian capital are a testament to the city’s status as a key financial centre, while the tiny Casco Viejo is home to pretty colonial streets, hip hotels and happening bars.

The Ecuadorian port of Manta is known as the “tuna capital of the world”, and you’ll see plenty of fishing boats as you arrive. The beach is a popular destination for local tourists, but you may find that the nearby town of Montecristi, home of the Panama hat, makes for a more interesting excursion.

Peru’s underrated capital enjoys a fine setting on the Pacific coast, and the handsome colonial-era buildings surrounding the Plaza de Armas give clues to Lima’s distinguished history; for three centuries this was the capital of the Spanish Americas, when the city grew rich on the back of plundered Inca gold.

Characterful, colourful and a little chaotic, the port city of Valparaíso is scattered across 45 vertiginous hills. Thanks to this difficult topography the city streets are punctuated by steep staircases and funicular elevators, and energetic explorers will be rewarded with wonderful views of the pastel hued buildings that hug the slopes.

Puerto Montt is the capital of the Chilean Lake District, spread out around a wide bay against a backdrop of snow-capped volcanoes. This wild region offers a host of outdoor activities, including mountain hikes, kayaking, white water rafting, fishing, zip lining and cycling.

Rugged and unspoilt Chiloé, situated at the southern end of Chile’s Lake District, is a unique and culturally distinct island that stands apart from the rest of the country. The main town, Castro, is notable for its colourful waterfront homes on stilts (known as palafitos), and is the gateway to the dense forests and rolling hills of the island interior.

The weather-beaten city of Punta Arenas is a laid back and welcoming place, in spite of its inhospitable location on the shores of the Strait of Magellan. Nearby attractions include penguin colonies and the dramatic scenery of Torres del Paine National Park, while beyond the horizon lie the frozen wastes of Antarctica.

Perched on the ragged southern edge of Argentina, where the snow-capped Andes fall away into the churning sea, Ushuaia has a frontier town feel to it, and serves as the base for expeditions into the icy waters of Antarctica.

The rugged and windswept Falkland Islands make for a fascinating stop on the way to or from Antarctica. Over 80% of the population lives in the capital, Stanley, though humans are far outnumbered by other creatures, including penguins, sea lions and albatrosses.

Founded by Welsh settlers in 1886, bustling Puerto Madryn owes its popularity as a tourist destination to the incredible wildlife of the Península Valdés. From June to December the bay is filled with migrating right whales, and at the beginning of the season the whales come so close to the shore that you can view them from the pier.

The streets of Buenos Aires are redolent of a grand old European capital, lined with elegant architecture that wouldn’t look out of place in Madrid or Paris. There is also plenty of Latin passion on display: Argentina is the home of tango, that most electrifying of dances, and has played host to countless revolutions over the years.

Located just across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires, Uruguay’s underrated capital is a cosmopolitan and eclectic mix of colourful colonial architecture and high rise modernity. The 14-mile waterfront promenade, La Rambla, is a popular and pleasant place to be on a summer’s evening.

The upmarket Uruguayan beach resort of Punta del Este is where the A-listers come to party, with a reputation as the Saint Tropez of South America. The town also has an arty side, typified by intriguing sculptures such as the giant concrete fingers emerging from the beach at Playa Brava.

Porto Belo, situated on a peninsula in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, is best known for its superb beaches and calm waters, which offer excellent snorkelling and scuba diving. Just off the coast is the Ilha de Porto Belo nature reserve, where you can hike through beautiful tropical surroundings.

Ilhabela, the aptly named ‘beautiful island’, is swathed in rainforest and fringed by golden beaches. The majority of the island is a protected state park, and walking trails lead you through dense foliage to magical waterfalls, with the chance to spot wildlife including toucans and capuchin monkeys.

Formerly a leper colony, and later a prison under the military dictatorship, Ilha Grande is now one of Brazil’s most alluring destinations. This idyllic island is fringed by stunning beaches and covered in dense rainforest, with barely any human settlement outside the main town of Vila do Abraão.

Once just a sleepy fishing village on a picturesque peninsula, Búzios was put firmly on the map by Brigitte Bardot, who holidayed here in the 1960s. These days it’s an upmarket beach destination, with a host of luxury hotels, sophisticated restaurants and chic boutiques.

The carnival capital of the world, Rio de Janeiro needs little introduction. We can think of few cities in the world that are able to compete when it comes to location: hugging the beautiful sandy shore and surrounded by jungle-clad islands and mountains, including the iconic Corcovado, the setting for Brazil’s most vibrant city is simply breathtaking.

Colourful Salvador is Brazil’s third biggest city and a vibrant centre for Afro-Brazilian culture, with frequent festivals that fill the streets with music and dancing. The historic core of the old city is the biggest tourist magnet, where elegant, brightly hued colonial buildings line the cobbled streets.

The opening of a new airport in 2016 was supposed to herald a new era of tourism for Saint Helena, but the project has now been postponed indefinitely due to unforeseen problems with planes landing in high winds. As a result, this beautiful and remote island, where Napoleon Bonaparte lived his last days in exile, remains accessible only by ship.

Walvis Bay is situated on the edge of a tidal lagoon, sheltered from the Atlantic by a long sand spit. This important wetland area is famous for its birdlife, home to one of southern Africa’s largest flamingo colonies, and it’s a short drive to the city of Swakopmund, known for its quirky German colonial architecture.

Sandwiched between the Namib Desert and the wild Atlantic coast, the geographically isolated town of Lüderitz is notable for its surreal Art Nouveau architecture. Most of these colourful buildings date back to the diamond rush period of the early 20th century, when Namibia was a German colony.

Cape Town is a magical, multicultural city where Africa meets a European-style cosmopolitan atmosphere, creating a vibrant melting pot of cultures and religions. With flat-topped Table Mountain soaring above the city, beautiful natural landscapes, and gardens within the city, you never feel far from nature here.

The sunny city of Mossel Bay is on South Africa’s famous Garden Route, situated roughly halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The city has a pleasant seafront promenade and there are some lovely beaches nearby, along with whale and dolphin watching hotspots and game reserves.

Port Elizabeth is home to some nice beaches and a handful of interesting buildings, but it is perhaps not the most exciting city on the Sunshine Coast. There are plenty of things to see and do in the surrounding area, however, and we highly recommend a day trip to the fantastic Addo Elephant Park.

Richards Bay itself is an industrial city with little in the way of tourist sights, but the port serves as a gateway for the many attractions of KwaZulu-Natal province. Head inland and you’ll find traditional Zulu villages, undulating hills and wildlife including crocodiles, hippos and the rare black rhino.

The Indian Ocean island of Réunion is home to an intoxicating cultural mix of French, African and Asian influences. The lush landscape of spectacular lakes and rugged mountains has been shaped by volcanic activity, and the smouldering Piton de la Fournaise is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

The lovely island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean is striking in the contrasts between its mountainous backdrop and beautiful white sand beaches. The capital Port Louis, on the northwest coast, dates back to 1735 and is a busy administrative centre, packed with office workers during the day.

Mahé is the largest island in the Seychelles, home to the diminutive capital, Victoria, and 90% of the country’s population. It’s the quintessential tropical paradise, a sun-drenched landscape of granite mountains, lush jungle and heavenly white sand beaches.

The island of Praslin is home to some of the Seychelles’ top attractions, including the Vallée de Mai, a protected forest where you’ll see the rare coco de mer, a tree that produces the world’s largest seed and palm flower. The grove is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been compared to the Garden of Eden.

Oman’s capital is low-rise and laid back, a far cry from the towering bling of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Take a stroll along the waterfront Corniche promenade, soak up the sun on one of the excellent beaches, or explore the mosques and forts of the atmospheric old quarter.

Khasab is the main town on the Musandam Peninsula, a rugged region of fjords and mountains that is sometimes known as the ‘Norway of the Middle East’. Dolphins can often be spotted off the coast, along with the pretty local dhow boats, while on land you can take a jeep safari and visit the 17th century Portuguese fort.

The UAE’s gleaming capital gives Dubai a run for its money in terms of extravagant excess, an ever-multiplying forest of skyscrapers looming over the golden sand and brilliant blue waters of the Gulf. Don’t miss the shining white Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the world’s biggest.

Qatar's capital is a city on the up, with vast sums of money being poured into construction projects for the 2022 World Cup and cultural venues such as the spectacular Museum of Islamic Art. There are also plenty of more traditional attractions, such as the atmospheric souks and the lovely waterfront Corniche promenade.

Manama is the capital of Bahrain, a nation spread across an archipelago of 33 islands in the Persian Gulf. The city was an important centre for the pearl trade in the early 20th century, though in recent years it’s the oil industry that has powered the economy, embodied by the shimmering array of skyscrapers and shopping malls.

Amazing high rise buildings, extensive air-conditioned shopping malls and extraordinary man-made tourist attractions (such as indoor ski-slopes) abound in the glamorous city of Dubai, home to some of the most glitzy and expensive hotels in the world.

Salalah is Oman’s second city, and the capital of the southern Dhofar region. Many visitors are surprised by the pleasant sub-tropical climate, which turns the city into an oasis of lush greenery during the ‘khareef’ (monsoon) season between June and September, and in many ways it’s more reminiscent of Zanzibar than Muscat.

Aqaba is Jordan’s principal beach resort, situated on the Red Sea coast close to the Israeli border. The main attraction in Aqaba itself is the incredible diving, though many visitors will choose to instead use the port as a jumping off point for the 'Rose City' of Petra and the desert landscapes of Wadi Rum.

Safaga is the nearest sea port to Luxor, and ships often stop here overnight to give you time to see everything. Prepare to be amazed – the thin belt of greenery along the banks of the Nile gives Luxor a lush setting for an extraordinary collection of tombs and temple complexes that hint at the magnificence of this former Ancient Egyptian capital.

Alexandria was one of the great cities of antiquity, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and home to the Pharos lighthouse, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. The Pharos is long gone and the city has lost some of its lustre, but there are still plenty of reminders of Alexandria’s glorious past scattered around.

Athens is a city awash with historical and cultural significance, but it's much more than an open air museum; this is a dynamic, bustling metropolis, and a place where history is still very much unfolding.

The volcanic island of Milos is ringed by pretty beaches and scattered with charming villages, famous as the place where the Venus de Milo was discovered by a local peasant in 1820. Milos is also known as the ‘island of colours’ thanks to its many-hued, mineral-rich cliffs and beaches.

Nafplion is one of the most beautiful cities on the Greek mainland, situated on the Argolic Gulf overlooked by the imposing Palamidi Fortress. The narrow streets of the old town are home to a beguiling mix of Venetian, Turkish and Greek architecture, while just offshore is the little island castle of Bourtzi.

Malta’s tiny capital, established by the Knights of St John, packs in an awful lot of history considering its diminutive size. The atmospheric old streets, bathed in Mediterranean sunshine, are full of attractive honey-golden buildings, along with an impressive selection of bars and restaurants.

Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago to the north of Sicily. The main port is Lipari Town, a charming little harbour of pastel-coloured houses, fishing boats and enticing restaurants, overlooked by the imposing 13th century citadel.

Agropoli is a popular summer resort town on the Cilento coast of southern Italy, with a pleasant historic core and some interesting churches. Most visitors are lured here by the beautiful beaches of Trentova Bay, situated just to the southwest of the town.

The faded port town of Livorno serves as a gateway to Tuscany’s star attractions. Wonderful Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is resplendent with beautiful architecture and unrivalled artistic treasures, while nearby Pisa is of course famous for its precarious Leaning Tower.

Nice enjoys a marvellous setting on one of the most glorious stretches of the Côte d’Azur, the sweeping Bay of Angels, so it’s no wonder that tourists have been flocking here since the 19th century.