The city center is a charming mix of old city walls and a large modern shopping centre. With multiple restaurants, museums, cinemas and theatres there is plenty to be explored. Time spent at embarkation and disembarkation ports may be limited which may restrict availability of shore excursions.

The tranquil harbour, verdant palm groves and excellent climate of Gran Canaria’s lively capital Las Palmas delighted Christopher Columbus when he discovered it on his famous voyage of 1492. Those same attractions now draw modern travellers keen to explore the atmospheric cobbled streets and leafy courtyards of its old quarter, Vegueta. Cruises to Gran Canaria also bring you close to Playa del Ingles, the liveliest and best-known beach in the Canaries. You can explore the stunning desert scenery of Maspalomas, or tour further afield to explore peaceful old towns like Arucas – famed for its lush banana plantations – and Teror, with its fine collection of traditional houses with intricately carved wooden balconies. Other highlights of our Gran Canaria cruises include lovely Palmitos Nature Park – set in a canyon inland from Maspalomas and famous for its vivid tropical plants, birds and fish – and Bandama, an extinct volcano set 1,900 feet above sea level, which offers panoramic views over the island.

With over 365 beaches, there is a slice of white sand heaven for every day of the year – even a leap year – on the idyllic Caribbean holiday island Antigua. Antigua played host to Admiral Horatio Nelson’s fleet in the late 1700’s. Nelson’s Dockyard now bustles with crew and guests from yachts and cruise ships sailing these waters for pleasure rather than for King and Country. The main port, St John’s, is also the capital and a vibrant hub for shopping as well as being within easy range of some of the best beaches – at Fort James, Deep Bay, Galley Bay and Hawksbill. Almost perfect weather conditions and low humidity, due to the warm prevailing trade winds, allows Antigua to boast of being the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean islands with the lowest annual rainfall. It is also the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands although it is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide. Still, with a population of less than 70,000, this means there are lots of wide open spaces – especially on those gorgeous beaches.

Here, in the beautiful archipelago of the British Virgin islands, the motto is: “The best thing you can do is do nothing.” The “nothing” that Tortola offers you consists of swimming in opalescent waters, basking in glorious sunshine and strolling along beaches of shimmering white sand.

Castries is the capital of the island nation of St. Lucia, in the Caribbean Sea. It’s known for palm-lined Vigie Beach and as a port of call for cruise lines, with duty-free shopping near the harbor. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, with its colorful murals, sits by leafy Derek Walcott Square park. Lively Castries Market is nearby. In the south, Morne Fortune hill offers views of the city.

Barbados is the most British of the Caribbean islands, where cricket is the national passion and afternoon tea a tradition. Yet the flawless skies, lilting rhythms of both speech and calypso and the endless beaches all provide vivid reminders that you are a long way from home. Enjoy a stroll around Bridgetown, the capital which boasts impressive colonial architecture and take a snap of what used to be known as Trafalgar Square.

New York was built on granite, London on clay. But Manaus was built on rubber. As the furthest navigable port on the Amazon, some 1,000 miles from the ocean, the city sprang up as a centre for rubber exports from the Brazilian plantations and became a focal point for trade.

New York was built on granite, London on clay. But Manaus was built on rubber. As the furthest navigable port on the Amazon, some 1,000 miles from the ocean, the city sprang up as a centre for rubber exports from the Brazilian plantations and became a focal point for trade.

At the centre of millions of miles of rain forest, halfway between Santarém and Manaus, on the right bank of the Amazon River, is the small town of Parintins. Although there are no roads to Parintins (you either have to sail or fly there) it has become the unlikely centre of the second largest festival in Brazil – the Boi Bumba. These fabulous celebrations are held every year at the end of June.

500 miles up the Amazon, American Confederates fleeing the Civil War originally settled in Santarem: even today, O’Malley and Higgins are common surnames!

The penal colony of Cayenne, commonly known as Devil’s Island, was a French penal colony that operated in the 19th and 20th century in the Salvation’s Islands of French Guiana. Opened in 1852, the Devil’s Island system received convicts from the Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni

Tobago is one of the real Robinson Crusoe islands. There is not much of it – just 26 miles by nine – but around every corner, and it seems like at every turn, you find your jaw dropping open at the sheer beauty of another scene.

Cartagena de Indias, to give its full name, is an historic city in Columbia founded in 1533 and ringed with massive walls built by the Spanish to fend off pirates. The city’s palaces and the maze of winding streets give the city its unique Iberian character.

Cristobal, at the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal, is your gateway for the city of Colon. From here, relive the adventures of Captain Morgan at San Lorenzo Fort, head into the rain forest to meet the Choco Indians or see the amazing Gatun locks in action.

Limón, commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is home of the Afro-Costa Rican community.

Roatan is one of the three beautiful Bay islands located off the north coast of Honduras. Set on a coral reef and beholding scenic reserves, botanical gardens and some of the finest beaches in Latin America and the Caribbean, the eco-tourism sector here is blossoming.

Once part of the British Empire, Belize is now proudly independent. Despite being the smallest country in Central America it has a delightful mix of natural and historic attractions as well as a distinctly different culture.

The worlds most popular cruise port, Cozumel, is just a small (12 miles long) island off Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula but it has a vibrant, pulsating Latin heart. Everywhere is all action and activity from the music-playing downtown bars, cafés and shops to the watersports on offer from the glorious beaches.

George Town is the capital of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the west of the largest island, Grand Cayman. It’s known as a financial hub and a port of call for cruise ships. Tax-free shops cluster around Cardinal Avenue. The Cayman Islands National Museum is housed in a 19th-century building on Harbour Drive. It contains displays on local history, culture and wildlife.

This is the most sophisticated of Jamaica’s resorts. Overlooking the famously glorious stretches of white sand, palm trees and calm clear waters are lush mountains dotted with gracious colonial homes.

Bursting with turn-of-the-century Caribbean charm, Grand Turk, the historic capital of the Turks and Caicos is best known for its sugary white shores, calm blue waters and rustic colonial charm. And at just six miles long, and just over a mile, wide this small but perfectly formed island is easy to explore.

Freeport is the main city on Grand Bahama, an island in the northwest Bahamas off the Florida coast. It’s best known for the oceanfront Lucaya district, with beaches, resorts and shopping. Nearby, Deadman’s Reef is popular for snorkeling, and the surrounding offshore waters host many dive sites. Up the coast, Lucayan National Park features extensive underwater caves, plus kayaking and nature trails

The oasis of Bermuda boasts a year-round balmy climate and plenty of distinctive local colour, from a landscape of tidy pastel houses, to businessmen dressed in Bermuda shorts.

This infamous ‘land of shipwrecks’ is also abounding with tragic and heroic tales. Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists, headed for the colony of Virginia. Since then, more than 400 other vessels have suffered a similar fate. Needless to say, you’ll find some of the best wreck diving and snorkelling in the world here. You’ll also find excellent golfing, sailing and sports fishing. Horseshoe Bay’s wide crescent of soft pink sand is arguably Bermuda’s most beautiful beach. Gibbs Hill Lighthouse gives panoramic views of the entire island, while its beacon can be seen up to 60km away. And the Royal Navy Dockyard, with its Georgian style Keep, is intriguing to explore.

The oasis of Bermuda boasts a year-round balmy climate and plenty of distinctive local colour, from a landscape of tidy pastel houses, to businessmen dressed in Bermuda shorts.

This infamous ‘land of shipwrecks’ is also abounding with tragic and heroic tales. Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists, headed for the colony of Virginia. Since then, more than 400 other vessels have suffered a similar fate. Needless to say, you’ll find some of the best wreck diving and snorkelling in the world here. You’ll also find excellent golfing, sailing and sports fishing. Horseshoe Bay’s wide crescent of soft pink sand is arguably Bermuda’s most beautiful beach. Gibbs Hill Lighthouse gives panoramic views of the entire island, while its beacon can be seen up to 60km away. And the Royal Navy Dockyard, with its Georgian style Keep, is intriguing to explore.

Praia da Vitória is a municipality in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. With a population of 21,035, the second largest administrative authority on the island of Terceira, it covers an area of 161.27 square kilometres, that extends from the northern coast halfway into the interior.

The city center is a charming mix of old city walls and a large modern shopping centre. With multiple restaurants, museums, cinemas and theatres there is plenty to be explored. Time spent at embarkation and disembarkation ports may be limited which may restrict availability of shore excursions.