Quest, Iberian Harbors & Iceland ex Lisbon to Reykjavik

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27 Night cruise sailing from Lisbon to Reykjavik onboard Seabourn Quest.

27 Night cruise sailing from Lisbon to Reykjavik onboard Seabourn Quest.

Seabourn Quest is the third iteration of the vessel design that has been called “a game-changer for the luxury segment.” True to her Seabourn bloodlines, wherever she sails around the world, Seabourn Quest carries with her a bevy of award-winning dining venues that are comparable to the finest restaurants to be found anywhere. Seabourn Quest offers a variety of dining options to suit every taste and every mood, with never an extra charge.

Highlights of this cruise:

Lisbon, Portugal
The great period of "the Discoveries" accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country's capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon's panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe's smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country's excellent wines.

Leixoes (Porto), Portugal
The commercial center of northern Portugal and hub of the port wine trade, Porto is a gracious, cosmopolitan city noted for its 12th century cathedral and medieval churches, picturesque narrow streets and wine lodges at Vila Nova de Gaia. It is clustered on hills overlooking a river, and is a northern European style city with granite church towers, narrow streets and hidden Baroque treasures.

A Coruna, Spain
A Coruna is the largest Galician city with a culture uniquely its own, a rich folkloric tradition and its own language. Of historically remote origin, A Coruna has preserved a considerable heritage of monuments and ancient buildings, among which are Romanesque churches and a Roman lighthouse. Its most beautiful and original feature is perhaps the characteristic façade of its houses, which are completely covered by mirador windows.

Falmouth, England, United Kingdom
Falmouth has a fine natural harbor, but has lost its earlier importance as a seaport and now caters mainly to yachts and boating for holidaymakers. Falmouth has the mildest winter climate in England.

Cowes, Isle Of Wight, England, UK
The Georgian harbor town of Cowes, situated on the Isle of Wight, has been the home of international yacht racing since 1815. It is famous for Cowes Week, the largest and longest-running sailing regatta on earth. The Isle of Whyte was once a favored retreat of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Osborne House still retains a large collection of their royal possessions, photography and art.

St Malo (Le Mont Saint Michel), France
The towering monastery of Mont Saint Michel rises from the tidal flats, cut off twice a day by the sea. Ascend the spiral street to see the spare monastic chambers .

Cherbourg (Normandy), France
The seaport and naval station of Cherbourg is situated along the English Channel northwest of Paris at the mouth of the Divette River. Believed to rest on the site of an ancient Roman station, Cherbourg has been occupied since ancient times and was frequently contested by the French and English in the Middle Ages because of its strategic location. Most recently passed to France in the late 18th century, the town was extensively fortified by Louis XVI. During WWII the Germans held Cherbourg until it was captured by the American forces shortly after the Normandy landings. Following a vast rehabilitation program that returned it to working condition, Cherbourg became an important Allied supply port. Today, Cherbourg is important for transatlantic shipping, shipbuilding, electronics and telephone equipment manufacturing, yachting and commercial fishing.

Rouen (Paris), France
The capital of upper Normandy and fifth largest port in France, picturesque and historic Rouen is renowned as a treasury of medieval architecture. With a large part of the city destroyed during World War II resulting in massive postwar reconstruction, Rouen today appears as an interesting blend of ancient and modern. Fortunately, it has kept its medieval character with still-inhabited houses dating from the 15th century, which line its narrow cobblestone streets. Among the city's most noteworthy attractions are the magnificent Cathedrale Notre-Dame built during the 13th century, and the famous Gros-Horloge, a giant Renaissance clock looming over the renowned pedestrian street of the same name. Two blocks away is the Place du Vieux Marche, or old market square, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. She is publicly commemorated at the site on the last Sunday of each May. The "City of a Hundred Spires" as Rouen is known, was an inspiration for Monet's impressionistic cathedral paintings. Rouen also makes an excellent point of departure for a visit to Paris, the "City of Light."

Dunkirk (Lille), France
Dunkirk is France’s third-largest port. Located on the low-lying area of French Flanders near the Belgian border. It is perhaps most famous as the site of the “Dunkirk Miracle” evacuation of nearly 400,000 troops from under the guns of the German forces during WWII in May of 1940. By order of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and fleet of over 900 ships and boats was dispatched across the English Channel and retrieved the British and French troops trapped there to safety in England. Less well-known, the free-standing Dunkirk Belfry played an important role as one pole of a scientific measurement at the end of the 18th century that resulted in the creation of the standard meter length measure. Nearby Lille, France possesses one of the most gracious city centers in Europe, the Grand Place, graced with beautiful and elaborate civic buildings and churches. In 2020, the handsome university city will be named France’s first World Design Capital.

Brussels (Antwerp), Belgium
The Belgian capital is also the capital of the European Union and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is one of Europe’s most important cities for business, politics and culture. The city possesses some 80 museums and, as the birthplace of a number of Europe’s most famous comic books, even has a Comic Book Route leading to exterior murals of familiar characters such as Tintin. One notable architectural site is the elaborate Guildhalls of Grand Place. Nearby Antwerp is famous for the World Diamond Centre, though which flow virtually all of the gem quality diamonds in the trade. Antwerp’s Central Station is also a gem, for connoisseurs of Golden Age railway architecture.

Dover (London), England, UK
Crossing the English Channel from continental Europe to Great Britain, the first view of England is the milky-white strip of land called the White Cliffs of Dover. As you get closer, the coastline unfolds before you in all its striking beauty. White chalk cliffs with streaks of black flint rise straight from the sea to a height of 350’ (110 m).

Bristol (Bath), England, United Kingdom
Known as ‘the city of the seven hills,’ Bristol’s characteristic landscape of rolling hills, softened by the curves of the Avon River, is easily recognizable. Its key landmarks include the Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon Gorge and the 878-year-old, 300’ (90 m) Bristol Cathedral towering above the old town. The stone structures of historic Bristol University with their awe-inspiring pillars, statues and fountains stand in stark contrast to the many ultra-modern buildings. Cabot Tower, built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s 1497 voyage to the New World, stands on Brandon Hill. Though Bristol sustained significant damage during WWII, it remains a unique mixture of Victorian, Georgian, and post-war architecture.

Skomer Island, Wales, UK
Surrounded by high dramatic sea cliffs, treeless Skomer Island is a National Nature Reserve and one of the finest wildlife sites in the country. This is truly a birders paradise! It’s best known for its large population of breeding seabirds, most notably some 600,000 Manx shearwaters and 20,000 Atlantic puffins, the largest puffin colony in Britain. Nesting razorbills, fulmars, Storm petrels and gannets, as well as the endemic Skomer vole are found here. It is surrounded by nutrient rich waters where harbour porpoises and magnificent whales come to feed.

Milford Haven, Wales, United Kingdom
The town of Milford Haven lies along the northern bank of the Milford Haven waterway in the region of Pembrokeshire in Wales. This area offers a wealth of Celtic and pre-Celtic historical sites, formidable castles and fascinating islands. Although it has been an active port since the Middle Ages, the town was founded in 1790 and was originally intended as whaling center.

Dublin, Ireland
Historic Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is rich in tradition and heritage. Founded in 841 as a Viking settlement, Dublin remained under Viking rule until the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century.

Divided by the Liffey and Tolka rivers, Dublin is a truly quaint and picturesque city. Bridges, waterways, narrow alleyways, and beautiful Georgian architecture await discovery. Dublin’s 751 pubs support a traditional folk music scene second to none. Wandering along its streets, you cannot avoid noticing the city’s different faces -- its cobblestone streets next to modern and mid-century buildings, massive stone churches heavy with the weight of ages, and colorful storefronts with ornate woodcarvings.

Fort William, Scotland, United Kingdom
The second largest town in the highlands of Scotland, Fort William and is located in the very best of Highlands scenery. It is situated at the head of Loch Linnhe, a sea loch, with an inspiring view of the slopes of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. The mountain stands like a sleeping giant, at 4,400’ (1,345 m) in height. Scotland’s most famous peak, its Gaelic language name translates as the ‘mountain with its head in the clouds.’ Landscapes of green, mossy hills, rocky cliffs, U-shaped, post-glacial valleys, and numerous lakes and waterfalls surround Fort William.

Invergordon (Inverness), Scotland, United Kingdom
A turbulent past of epic battles, clan rivalries and legendary monsters, combined with the many natural wonders of the Scottish Highlands, make this part of Scotland truly fascinating. Invergordon is an ideal jumping-off point for exploring the northern highlands. A trip to the region wouldn't be complete without a visit to legendary Loch Ness, reputed to be the home of ‘Nessie,’ the Loch Ness Monster. The loch contains the largest amount of freshwater in the British Isles, actually more than all of the lakes in England and Wales combined. Discover the quaint Victorian seaside resort of Nairn, and the secrets of the whisky-making process in the area’s many distilleries.

Seydisfjordur, Iceland
The remote town of Seydisfjordur is perched at the end of a narrow, twisting fjord in East Iceland. A very picturesque village of 700 people, it is known for its thriving arts scene and large number of resident artists. Tourism is on the rise, as well, since its natural setting of mountains and waterfalls is simply breathtaking. Surrounded by impressive, 3,560’ (1,085 m) snow-capped mountains, Seydisfjordur is home to the Technical Museum of Iceland, and the area hosts populations of both eider ducks and Atlantic puffins. Settled by Norwegian fishermen in 1848, the town quickly became an important center for trade between Iceland and Europe. It is known throughout Iceland for its colorful Norwegian-style wooden houses.

Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland
Heimaey Island is the largest in the Westman Islands located four miles off the south-west coast of Iceland. One of the most visually impressive islands in Iceland, it is ringed by tall, vertical sea cliffs many hundreds of feet high. Heimaey is also the home to over eight million Atlantic puffins, more nesting puffins than anywhere else on earth. A local story tells that puffin chicks, taking their first flights at night, often become stranded in the village streets, where the local children rescue them and set them free the next day.

Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, is the northern-most national capital in the world. Its name translates as ‘smoky bay’, referencing the geothermal nature of the surrounding area. The city benefits from astonishing landscapes shaped by glaciers, earthquakes, and volcanic activity throughout the centuries. An amphitheater of mountains encircles the greater Reykjavik area, a coastline indented with coves, peninsulas and islands. Most of city’s growth came during the early 20th century, and the majority of its architecture is typical of that era. Colorful rooftops and the elegant spire of Hallgrímskirkja Church dominate Reykjaviks’s skyline. Known for its arts, Reykjavik hosts a number of internationally recognized festivals, most notably the Iceland Air music festival, Reykjavik Arts Festival and the Reykjavik International Film Festival.