Star Pride, Canaries Casablanca & the Costa Del Sol ex Santa Cruz to Barcelona

18 Night Cruise sailing from Santa Cruz to Barcelona aboard Star Pride.

Highlights of this cruise:

Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal. a lively and multicultural place. Pre World War I wooden trams clank up steep gradients, past mosaic pavements and Art Nouveau cafés, and the medieval, village-like quarter of Alfama hangs below the city's castle.

Modern Lisbon has kept an easy-going pace and boasts a vibrant, cosmopolitan identity from large communities of Africans and Asians. In 1994, Lisbon was European City of Culture, while in 1998 the city hosted the last great Expo of the millennium.

There are few monuments and little art in Lisbon, largely due to the 1755 earthquake. There is one building from Portugal's golden age – the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos at Belém – that is the equal of any monument in the country. More modern developments include the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian museum complex and the Tómas Taveira's amazing postmodernist shopping centre at Amoreiras.

Santa Cruz
The most varied and one of the most attractive of the Canary island group, Tenerife offers a truly incredible variety of landscape, vegetation and climate, owing to the high mountainous crest which clearly divides the island in two. Giving, on one hand, a lush, fertile and humid North Coast and a dry, desert like, arid Southern Coast on the other.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a very friendly town with beautiful parks and lively streets. The port area is the town's real center: Plaza de España, with its Cabildo Insular and Plaza de la Candelaria with its impressive 17th century Carta Palace. More sights are the baroque church Iglesia de la Concepción, the Museum of Painting and Sculpture and the castle Castillo de Paso Alto.

Close to Santa Cruz there are the beaches Las Gaviotas and Las Teresitas, and an outstanding view over the island can be seen from the mountain Monte de la Esperanza, located 20 km’s from the town.

Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the largest of the seven Canary Islands, which are located 150 km’s from the North African coast. The capital, Las Palmas boasts golden beaches near the city, and lush, rugged interior terrain ravines surrounding a beautiful valley.

Las Palmas picturesque Old Town is rich in Spanish culture, historical sites and lovely garden parks. These include archaeological sites and areas relating to the early inhabitants.

The island of Gran Canaria has a long tradition of spectator sports, such as soccer, basketball and motor rallies, in addition to autochthonous sports, such as Canarian wrestling, juego del palo and lateen sailing. It is said that sport is part of the Canarian character.

Cadiz
The city of Cadiz is located on a peninsula protruding into the Bay of Cádiz, the Isle of Leon, separated from the mainland by a narrow and torturous channel, part of much larger Gulf of Cádiz. Very high and thick walls surround the city presenting a very picturesque appearance from the sea.

Cádiz is of typical Andalusian character. The old part of Cádiz, commonly referred to as the Old City (Spanish Casco Antiguo), is shaped by the individuality of the various quarters (Spanish barrios), "El Populo," "La Viña," or "Santa Maria." These areas offer a marked contrast to the newer areas of town.

While the townscape of the Old City is largely formed by narrow alleys leading into a number of plazas, newer areas consist of wide avenues and more modern buildings. In addition, the city is dotted with numerous parks with old giant trees supposedly brought there by Columbus.

Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and the capital of Catalonia. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean and enjoys a mild climate all year round.Barcelona is one of Europe’s largest and most successful ports and one of the world’s leading cities in art and architecture.

From the modern cruise terminal at the docks you will need a taxi or tour to see the artistic beauty of this unique destination, credited to the talents of Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Antonio Gaudi, Jose Clara and others. Stroll the mosaic-paved Ramblas, the city's social hub, with open-air cafes, street entertainers and flower displays. See its unique Catalonian cultural heritage in the ancient Gothic Quarter, the surrealistic architecture of Antonio Gaudi and some outstanding museums.

Sights of interest include the Columbus Monument, the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (1298 to 1454), the Maritime Museum, Picasso Gallery, La Sagrada Familia (Gaudi's unfinished cathedral), Palau Guell (Gaudi mansion) and the Olympic stadiums.