Cruise Description

In partnership with the MuCem and with the exceptional presence of Edouard de Laubrie and Emmanuel Perrodin.

Sail the waters of the Mediterranean and dive into centuries of history with the perspective of Edouard de Laubrie, who is in charge of research at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM) and is head of its Agriculture and Food department. All your senses will be stimulated by the culinary interventions of the Marseilles chef Emmanuel Perrodin. Drawing inspiration from the MuCem’s “Le grand Meze” exhibition, the research manager and the chef will enhance your knowledge and awaken your taste buds with a focus on Mediterranean terroir and gastronomy. Conferences, culinary tastings and gala dinners will punctuate this cruise.

Come aboard Le Lapérouse for a Mediterranean cruise between Italy and Greece, exploring two civilisations that have shaped the landscape. During an extraordinary nine-day odyssey, you will be immersed in the history and secrets of the Mediterranean shores.

Throughout your journey, you will benefit from an excursion included per person per port of call, to choose from a selection offered by PONANT. During this cruise, visit the National Museum of Magna Graecia in Reggio Calabria; explore the archaeological site of Delphi from Itea; or discover the ruins of Mycenae and Epidaurus from Nafplio. The diversity of experiences on offer promises you intense and varied moments (to discover the full range of excursions, go to the itinerary tab).

You will discover Agropoli, popular for the inlets and beaches around Trentova Bay. In the southernmost part of “the Boot”, you sail off the coast of Calabria with a stopover in Reggio Calabria. You can stroll along the lungomare against the imposing backdrop of Mount Etna. In Catania, discover the many baroque monuments that helped the city earn its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Le Lapérouse then crosses the Ionian Sea to Katakolon, its first stopover in Greece. From the port, you can get to Olympia, a UNESCO World Heritage site whose ruins bear witness to past grandeur.

You arrive in the small port of Itea from where it is possible to visit the mythical site of Delphi or even the Hosios Loukas monastery, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After your mythical and remarkable crossing of the Corinth Canal, you will arrive in Nafplio. It is an opportunity to discover the mythical sites of Epidaurus and Mycenae, respectively a ancient theatre and a pre-Hellenic city, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Then you stop off at Hydra, a small island of old-worldly charm where motorised traffic is banned.

Athens, the mythical city dominated by the Acropolis and its monuments, which form the most extraordinary architectural and artistic ensemble bequeathed to the world by Ancient Greece, marks the end of this exceptional odyssey.