Atlantic Odyssey from the Iberian Peninsula to the Canary Islands

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organises your daytime between the airport and your port of embarkation.

Malaga

Meet at the airport in the Arrival hall. Look for PONANT sign. You will be greeted by our local representative off the flight selected by PONANT.

You will depart the airport by coach, reach the city centre of the capital of “Costa del Sol”.

Experience the local hospitality by tasting a tapas-style lunch at a typical tavern.

After lunch, start your walking exploration: pass by the Cathedral with its renaissance style, the Picasso Museum, hosted in a 16th-century palace of Andalusian architecture, and the nearby famous painter´s birth place.

You will then be transferred to the pier to embark on your ship.

Your programme includes:

·        Lunch with beverages package (mineral water + 1 glass of white and red wine + 1 coffee).

·        Transfers and visits as mentioned in the programme.

·        Services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Personal expenses

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

In the event of schedule changes of PONANT selected flight, your programme will be adapted to ensure the most seamless and enriching experience. The content of your revised programme will be updated on the PONANT website, in My Ponant space and on the PONANT app. The final programme will also be sent to you along with your cruise documents.

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

 

Spend three nights in Andalusia and immerse yourself in local gastronomy, cultural heritage and intimate atmospheres: a voyage of the senses.

 

Day 1 - Malaga

 

Upon landing at Malaga International Airport, you will be greeted by our local French speaking staff that will be waiting for you at the Arrival Lounge. They will assist you with your private transfer to the Grand hotel Miramar 5*. Once there you will have the opportunity to get some local and practical information through our dedicated Hospitality Desk. You will find Hospitality Desk opening hours and other useful information in the Welcome Letter that will be given to you upon arrival.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 2 - Malaga

 

Breakfast at the hotel.

You will meet your local guide and reach the outstanding and inspiring Picasso Museum. This cultural center is the culmination of a wish expressed by Pablo Picasso himself: for his work to be on display in the city of his birth.

Today you will enjoy the unique chance to admire and understand Picasso's legacy without the usual hustle and bustle of the many visitors that the museum generally has. You will arrive before regular opening hours, so that you will have the Picasso Museum to yourself for some time.

The museum is housed in the Palacio de Buenavista, an historical building typical of 16th-century Andalusian architecture where Renaissance and Mudejar-elements elegantly mixed up.

The collection inside the museum reunites paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramic, and graphic works from periods dating from 1890 to 1973.

After your visit it will be time to strengthen yourself with a light Andalusian coffee break in one of the local bars next to the Museum, before you get to learn a bit more of the diverse and energetic Malaga, loaded full of history.

Your guided walking tour through the city center will continue to the Cathedral, Plaza de la Merced in the very historic center of the city, near to monuments such as the Alcazaba, (the Arabic Castle, outside visit) and the Roman Theatre (outside visit).

After a local lunch, you will visit the Museum of Music of Malaga and assist to a private concert.

  

Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel

Day 3 - Malaga / Grenada

 

After breakfast and check out, meet your local guide and start your journey to the astonishing city of Granada. Enjoy a 1,5 hrs drive along endless fields of olive trees and picturesque villages. Once you reach Granada, your firs stop will be San Cristobal viewpoint. You will be welcomed by a local guide, who will tell you about the history and the secrets of the Albaycin and the Sacromonte neighborhoods, about their past and their present, their multicultural reality and how different cultures have developed till today's times.

Start with a deep exploration of the Albaycin area: walk through its narrow streets and feel the vibes of this lively, popular neighborhood, where new and "old" neighbors live together. The next stop will be at Sacromonte. Discover the area and take in the views over the Alhambra, Sierra Nevada and Sacromonte Caves: a gift for your eyes and all your senses, a place where the gypsy culture is blooming every minute. After another short walk, reach Sacromonte Caves Interpretation Center. Here, you will meet a local poet, who will delight you with the first poem about the Alhambra, called "Abenamar". Enjoy a visit of the center, before hearing the soft sounds of a Flamenco guitar. Follow the music and you will reach another viewpoint. Here, enjoy some live music, played by a gypsy guitarist. Enjoy a nice glass of sangria to end this unique experience. Reboard the coach for a shorth transfer up to a local restaurant, to have a typical lunch prior to continue to the Alhambra , the most outstanding symbol of Moorish heritage in Spain.

The Alhambra was a palace, a fortress and home of the Nasrid Sultans, high government officials, servants of the court and elite soldiers of the Nasrid Dynasty (1238-1492), the last Islamic sultanate in the Iberian Peninsula.

Your guide will take you inside the "Alqala hamra", meaning "red castle" where you will visit the Nazaries Palaces with intricately carved stucco walls, knotted ceilings, elaborate honeycomb vaulting, and beautiful courtyards; "Serallo", the official residence of the Sultan and the Harem, which surrounds the famous "Patio de los Leones," with its fountains feeding water through the mouth of 12 lions (representing months of the year), and many other wonderful sites within the fortress.

Continuing with the tour you will visit the "Generalife Palace and gardens " which was build as the summer paradise for the Sultans of Granada. Its lovely terraces, grottoes, flowerbeds and fabulous fountains will make you feel the glamour of the Moorish inhabitants. Afterwards you will enjoy a splendid view of the Sierra Nevada, down to the Darro Valley and across to the Old Quarter of Albaicin.

 

After the visit, reach your hotel for check in.

Dinner at hotel restaurant and overnight.

 

Day 4 - Grenada / Malaga

 

After breakfast and upon check out, meet your guide at lobby and board your coach for an unforgettable day of full immersion in the Andalusian culture. Escaping to the country is one of those romantic notions that most of us thoroughly enjoy. It's wonderfully relaxing to appreciate the scenery, and wander round the local villages, but as a spectator, it often still leaves you wondering about what the locals and houses look like behind the closed doors.

You now have the chance to do a lot more than just be an observer, and really experience something truly unique: This is an opportunity for any visitor to go into the houses in a typical village, interact with the locals and experience the hospitality of real country people. Appreciate and photograph picturesque panoramas of the surrounding countryside, stop at thousand year old olive groves and learn about the importance of olives, almonds, pomegranates and other fruit of the area. Visit a local olive oil factory where you can see the process of making extra virgin olive oil, enjoy a sample with bread, and if you like it, why not buying some of its products.

Finally, walk through the streets of local village of Alfarnatejo, see local people busy in their daily routine, Taste some local wine in a restored ancient house and meet locals who will host you for lunch in their homes! The hospitality you will receive from these women is so outstanding that you will come away with a great, warm feeling- you will wish you could go back to visit time and again! At the end of this unique experience, it'll be time to reach the port of Malaga for embarkation on board of L'Austral.

 

Your hotels:

 

Grand Miramar Hotel 5*

 

The Gran Hotel Miramar Resort and Spa is located in the La Caleta area, between Paseo de Reding avenue and the sea front, just five minutes from the city`s top museums, including the Picasso, Carmen Thyssen, Centre Pompidou and Hermitage. With the principal entrance facing the Mediterranean Sea, it offers marvelous views over the Bay of Malaga. Considered the masterpiece of architect F. Guerrero Strachan`s work, it took five years to complete, finally being opened in 1926 by King Alfonso XIII under the name Hotel Principe de Asturias. This beautiful historic building has welcomed illustrious guests from European nobility, the world of the arts and Spanish high society. The hotel has a variety of luxury services and facilities, including five gastronomic restaurants focused on national and international cuisine. Surrounded by 9,000 square meters of lawns and gardens, it also features outdoor pools, extensive meeting facilities and a stunning spa.

Characterised by their elegance and refinement, the rooms can offer views of the city, the historical gardens or the royal courtyard. With the symbolic decoration of Palacio de Miramar covers an Arabic, Mediterranean, Nasrid, Classic or Modernist decor, the rooms combine contemporary design with state-of-the-art facilities. The 30sqm rooms feature queen-size or twin beds, en-suite marble bathroom for two people with shower and separate bath.

 

Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula 5*

 

Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula, Autograph Collection is on Granada's Gran Vía, a main street through the historic center. It occupies the former 14th-century Casa Morisco, and 16th-century Santa Paula Convent, with its impressive cloister. The hotel is a protected building, which retains features from the past, mixed with luxury modern facilities. It has a gym, sauna and Turkish bath. All air-conditioned rooms have a mini-bar and CD player. There is a bathrobe and slippers. Free WiFi is provided throughout the property.The hotel is 984 feet from Granada Cathedral, and the Alhambra is a 10-minute taxi ride away. Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula, Autograph Collection is a short walk from the historic Albaicín and Sacromonte areas of the city.

Upgraded rooms are also available depending on availability and on a supplement basis. Contact your travel professional for further details.

 

Your programme includes:

·        2-nights accommodation in Premier room at Grand hotel Miramar 5* or similar, breakfast included.

·        1 night accomodation in Standard room at Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula 5* or similar, breakfast included.

·        Meals as mentioned in the programme.

·        Beverage package during meals (bottled water + 1 soft drink or 1 local beer or 1 glass of wine and 1 coffee or tea).

·        Transfers, visits, and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.

·        The services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Dinner on day 1.

·        Personal expenses.

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Please note:

·        It is imperative that the details of your departure flight are provided to your travel agent, no later than 30 days before the start date of your cruise, to secure the proper private transfer.

·        This programme is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

·        Tickets for Alhambra must be bought in advance and they will be personal and non-transferable and, therefore, purchased tickets may not be transferred to anyone other than the person registered as the beneficiary in the purchase system.

·        To buy and confirm tickets, we will need passport details of all guests.

·        Purchased tickets may not be returned, except for when the monument cannot be visited for reasons attributable to the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra and the Generalife.

Contacts of your hotels:

 

Grand hotel Miramar

P.º Reding, 22, 24, 29016 Málaga, Spain

+34 952 60 30 00

 

Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula

C. Gran Vía de Colón, 31, 18001 Granada, Spain

+34 958 80 57 40

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organises your day time between your port of disembarkation and the airport.

Las Palmas

After disembarkation procedures are completed, you will be greeted at the port by our local English-speaking representative.

Start your tour by making a photo stop at Altavista viewpoint, with its magnificent views of Las Palmas and the harbour.

Continue to Vegueta, the oldest quarter of Las Palmas, where you will stroll along a maze of narrow, cobblestone streets and tiny squares.

The visit will be done on foot, since practically all its streets are cobbled and, therefore, pedestrian. You will pass by Casa de Colón or Cristopher Columbus house, one of the most beautiful and emblematic buildings from Gran Canaria. It is more than 500 years old and nowadays it is a museum. You will also stroll by the Canary Islands Cathedral, started in 1497. It combines the neoclassic (facade), gothic and renaissance style because of the different times when it was built.

You will then be transferred to the airport in time for check-in for the PONANT selected flight.

Your programme includes:

·        Transfers and visits as mentioned in the programme.

·        Services of a local English-speaking guide.

Your programme does not include:

·        Tips for the driver and local guide.

·        Personal expenses

·        Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Duration and order of the visits may vary. To know your PONANT flight schedule, please contact your travel agent; it is also indicated on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

In the event of schedule changes of PONANT’s selected flight, your programme will be adapted to ensure the most seamless and enriching experience. The content of your revised programme will be updated on the PONANT website, in My Ponant space and on the PONANT app. The final programme will also be sent to you along with your cruise documents.

Kindly note that a minimum number of participants is required for this trip to proceed. As a result, both the price and itinerary may be adjusted based on the final number of participants. Should the minimum number not be met, we will offer you an alternative arrangement.