Cruise Description

11 Night Cruise sailing from Venice to Istanbul aboard Explora I.

Highlights of this cruise:

Venice
The city of Venice sits at the top of the Adriatic Sea in the north east corner of Italy. It is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city sits on 118 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon – a salt marsh. In the 12th century Venice became a city state and its location at the top of the Adriatic made it a key naval and commercial centre as well as a flourishing art centre.

Modern Venice is stunning and retains the wonderful history of this unique city. It is a city of museums, galleries, piazzas, palaces, churches and more. One visit isn’t enough to see all that Venice has to offer but visitors should try and see the Basilica San Marco and San Marco Square, the Doges Palace and the Gallerie dell'Accademia which houses some of Italy’s finest art treasures.

Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in Northern Israel and the third-largest city in the country, after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The city is a seaport located on Israel's Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa, about 90 km north of Tel Aviv, and is one of the country's major industrial centers.

The city of Haifa is divided into three areas. The lower city is the commercial center with modern port facilities. The middle level is an older residential zone and the upper level consists of modern neighborhoods, overlooking the sandy beaches of Haifa Bay. The Bahá'í World Centre, with the golden Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding gardens, is the main tourist attraction of Haifa. The restored German Colony, founded by the Templers, Stella Maris and the Carmelite monastery are also popular tourist sites.

In Haifa area, the artist's village of Ein Hod attracts many tourists. In Mount Carmel national park, visitors can see the caves where Neanderthal and early Homo Sapiens remains were found. Haifa also has a wide variety of malls and shopping centers.

Istanbul
Istanbul is Europe's most populous city (the world's 4th largest city proper and 20th largest urban area) and Turkey's cultural and financial center. The city covers 27 districts of the Istanbul province. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait, and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country.

Part of Istanbul’s great attraction is its unique position on two continents, divided by the Bosphorus. Most of the population live on the European side; the Asian sector is reached via the high-level Bosphorus Bridge, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge or by ferry. With 13 million inhabitants Istanbul offers all the excitement of a cosmopolitan city. Its numerous monuments, mosques and museums, plus the famous Grand Bazaar, make it one of the world’s great destinations.