Take an International flight departing from SYD/MEL to Madrid.

Upon arrival at Madrid Airport, you will be met and greeted by our representative and transfer to your hotel for a restful and leisurely day.

Hotel: Novotel Sanchinarro or similar

After breakfast, gather at the meeting point. The tour begins at the Spanish Capital of Madrid, where we visit the Tbilisi Fountain, Columbus Memorial Plaza, the University and Grand Palace built by the Spanish Royal Family, showing the magnificent and splendid former empire and its historical grandeur; pay attention to the small square tiles placed on the pavement on the Puerta del Sol, they are typical of the area. In Puerta, we can shop for speciality leather goods, clothing and traditional Spanish souvenirs in Spain. Depart Madrid and leave for Barcelona, with an overnight stay in Zaragoza.

Hotel: Nexh Zaragoza or similar

After breakfast, the tour will proceed to the Spanish coastal city of Barcelona. After arrival, we will visit the warm and charming Barcelona Columbus Monument, which is a 60 m tall monument to Christopher Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Then, visit the Holy Family Church by the Spanish Master Artist, Gaudi. Gaudi’s unique colourful, fairy tale decoration is throughout the city and makes the place feel like a fantasy in the Artist’s mind. We visit the Olympic stadium where the 1992 Olympic Games have been held, overlooking the city views. The remaining time is spent in the bustling Plaza Catalonia, where we will have shopping and free time before we return to our hotel in Barcelona.

Hotel: Holiday Inn Sant Cugat or similar

After breakfast, we leave Barcelona for Spain’s third-largest city, Valencia. Valencia’s history has been celebrated as the gateway to the Mediterranean. It is commercial and culturally rich; with Moorish culture, Arab customs and foods all frequented in a cultural exchange. The economic trade reform jumpstarted Valencia to enjoy the prosperity and glory that other cities did not achieve. Although today’s Valencia is less prominent, commerce through large exhibitions is still important to the city and trade fairs are held throughout the year. Upon arrival, we will tour the old city municipal Square, the old city gate and Valencia Cathedral, where an exact copy of the Holy Grail is on permanent display. We will retire in the white coast beach hotel in Alicante.

Hotel: Exe Alicante Hill or similar

After breakfast, the tour departs for the city of Granada on the plateau of the Andalusia province. This historic city has been occupied by the Arab Dynasty rule in the Iberian Peninsula for the last eight hundred years. It was not until the 15th century King Fei Nandi successfully expelled the Arabs and created a unified Spain. We visit the ruins of civilization and culture, “Alhambra”, also known as the Red Palace. Upon arrival, the Moorish legacy becomes apparent immediately. Generally referred to as the “golden age” of construction and delicate structure, the dome shape is both stunning and admirable. We proceed to the Sunny Coast area (Costa del Sol) and arrive in the largest city along the coast of Malaga. This city is the birthplace of the famous Spanish Painter, Pablo Picasso. The Costa del Sol is also famous for its golden sandy beaches and secluded villas. Tonight, the tour will be staying at the Malaga or neighbouring area.

Hotel: Don Curro Hotel or similar

In the morning we go northbound to the soul of the city of Seville Andalusia region. This city was the capital of the Muslim empire, it is also considered to be the guardian angel of culture in Andalusia, the birthplace of the flamenco dance and has produced and inspired countless writers, poets and composers with its fiery temperament and charm. It is the setting to the “Carmen” Opera, this fourth-largest city and hosted the World’s Fair in 1992. Upon arrival, we visit the 16th-century cathedral halls dedicated Royal Chapel, the location of the king’s mausoleum for over a century; also the tomb of Christopher Columbus who discovered the New World as a credit to the great navigator. From there onwards we see the Alcazar Castle which was once Muslim palace and the Spanish Royal Palace; this palace was built in 1987 and is currently included by the United Nations as a world cultural heritage site. Then we walk through the Santa Croce gold tower and Mary Luisa Park, where the 1992 World Expo is located. In Spain Square we can admire a crafted porcelain painting, detailing the history and elegance of old Spain. We have one night’s accommodation in Seville.

Hotel: Git Sevilla Mairena or similar

In the morning, proceed to Portuguese Lisbon, and the tour is expected to arrive in the afternoon. Lisbon, the most western point of continental Europe displays the expansive Atlantic surrounded by endless scenery. Don’t forget to buy a remembrance certificate to prove you have stood on this Western Most Point of Europe. Lisbon is Portugal’s symbol to its adventurous and pioneering past, crossing the seas in the discovery of the new world. Those interested can sample authentic Portuguese custard tarts at the century-old bakery, and decide whether they are as good as in Macao. We stay overnight in Lisbon. (Optional: Fado- music concert, Portugal’s folk music).

Hotel: Holiday Inn Lisbon or similar

Heading Madrid via Toledo, known as the “Imperial City” for having been the main venue of the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and as the “City of the Three Cultures”, having been influenced by a historical co-existence of Christians, Muslims and Jews. Pass by Tagus River and catch a breathtaking landscape of Spain and its rich palette of colours in surroundings.

Hotel: Novotel Sanchinarro or similar

Transfer to Airport early morning to be departing to Rome, Italy. Upon arrival at Rome International Airport. You will be picked up and arranged to the Cruise Terminal to check-in and embark on the luxury MSC Grandiosa.

A fascinating, bustling, colourful port, Palermo yet holds an unrivalled display of Norman art and architecture and Baroque churches, combined with a warren of medieval streets and markets. The best thing to do here is just to wander as the fancy takes you, sifting through Palermo’s jumbled layers of crumbling architecture, along deserted back alleys, then suddenly emerging in the midst of an ebullient street market.

The UNESCO-protected port of Valletta, the capital of the island of Malta, is one of the must-see stops for Mediterranean cruise of merit. You can admire this port, constructed in the second half of the 16th century by the Frenchman Jean de la Valette and moulded by the religious and military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, from your MSC ship even before disembarking. The over 300 monuments rising in little more than half a square kilometre make this a place with one of the greatest density of historical attractions to visit during a cruise, not mentioning other attractions such as its beaches, seaside locales and restaurants.

Enjoy exclusive world-class shows performed in innovative venues like the Carousel Lounge and the multi-purpose karaoke bar, comedy club, TV studio & Bar. Younger guests can take advantage of the super-amusement park and sports centre to play sports and games during the daytime and party and dance in the evening. And the whole family can enjoy hours of fun in one of the most intricate and exciting water parks at sea.

Barcelona, the self-confident capital and port of Catalunya – vibrates with life, and there’s certainly not another city in the country to touch it for sheer style, looks or energy. A holiday in Barcelona can start with the Ramblas, and then dive straight into the medieval nucleus of the city, the Barri Gòtic. But there are plenty of other central old-town neighbourhoods to explore too, from La Ribera – home to the celebrated Museu Picasso – to funky El Raval, where cool bars, restaurants and boutiques have mushroomed in the wake of the striking contemporary art museum, MACBA. Even if you think you know these heavily touristed neighbourhoods well, there’s always something else to discover during an MSC excursion – tapas bars hidden down alleys little changed for a century or two, designer boutiques in renovated old-town quarters, bargain lunches in workers’ taverns, unmarked gourmet restaurants, craft outlets and workshops, fin-de-siècle cafés, restored medieval palaces and neighbourhood markets. On Passeig de Gràcia there is Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, designed for the industrialist Josep Batlló: the stone facade hangs in folds, like skin, while on the rooftop sprout the celebrated mosaic chimneys and a little tower topped with a three-dimensional cross.

When cruising southern France, you have to know that Marseille is the most renowned and populated metropolitan area in the country after Paris and Lyon. When you alight from your MSC cruise ship, the cafés around the Vieux Port, where glistening fish are sold straight off the boats on Quai des Belges, are wonderful spots to observe the city’s street life. Particularly good in the afternoon is the north (Le Panier) side, where the terraces are sunnier and the views better. The best view of the Vieux Port is from the Palais du Pharo, on the headland beyond Fort St-Nicolas, or, for a wider angle, from Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the city’s Second Empire landmark atop the La Garde hill. To the north of the Vieux Port is the oldest part of Marseille, Le Panier, where, up until the last war, tiny streets, steep steps Mediterranean introduction and houses of every era formed a vieille ville typical of the Côte.

Genoa is marvellously eclectic, vibrant and full of rough-edged style; Indeed “La Superba” (The Superb), as it was known at the height of its authority as a Mediterranean superpower, boasts more zest and intrigue than all the surrounding coastal resorts put together. During a holiday to Genoa, you can explore its old town: a dense and fascinating warren of medieval alleyways home to large palazzi built in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by Genoa’s wealthy mercantile families and now transformed into museums and art galleries. You should seek out the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Ducale, and the Renaissance palaces of Via Garibaldi which contain the cream of Genoa’s art collections, as well as furniture and decor from the grandest days of the city’s past when its ships sailed to all corners of the Mediterranean Sea. The Acquario di Genova is the city’s pride and joy, parked like a giant ocean liner on the waterfront, with seventy tanks housing sea creatures from all the world’s major habitats, including the world’s biggest reconstruction of a Caribbean coral reef. It’s a great aquarium by any standards, the second largest in Europe by capacity, and boasts a fashionably ecology-conscious slant and excellent background information in Italian and English.

Now comes the end of your unforgettable holidays in Europe. After breakfast, disembark from the cruise, you will be arranged to transfer to Rome Airport to depart back to Sydney/Melbourne. Arrive in Australia on Day 18.