Break between Provence and Catalonia
This cruise, will cultivate the art of peaceful travel as well as a family spirit, thanks to its customised activities on board and on shore for youngsters, with the Kid Explorers...
Cruise only — prices from Solo cruise only — from
Ports of Call & Itinerary
4-night voyage departing Nice, arriving Tarragona.
Printable Itinerary (PDF)Route Map
Break between Provence and Catalonia
5 ports plotted · click a marker for details
Day 1
Nice , France
Sunday, 08/08/2027
United with France only since 1860, Nice has its own history and atmosphere, which dates back 230,000 years. It was on Colline du Château (now château-less) and at the Plage des Ponchettes, in front of the Old Town, that the Greeks established a market-port in 350 BC and named it Nikaia, which would become Marseilles' chief coastal rival. The Romans established themselves a little later on the hills of Cimiez (Cemenelum), already previously occupied by Ligurians and Celts, and quickly overshadowed the waterfront port. After falling to the Saracen invasions, Nice regained power as an independent state, becoming an important port in the early Middle Ages.So cocksure did it become that in 1388, Nice, along with the hill towns behind, effectively seceded from the county of Provence, under Louis d'Anjou, and allied itself with Savoie. Thus began its liaison with the House of Savoy, and through it with Piedmont and Sardinia, it was the Comté de Nice (Nice County). This relationship lasted some 500 years, tinting the culture, architecture, and dialect in rich Italian hues.By the 19th century Nice was flourishing commercially, locked in rivalry with the neighboring shipping port of Genoa. Another source of income: the dawning of tourism, as first the English, then the Russian nobility, discovered its extraordinary climate and superb waterfront position. A parade of fine stone mansions and hotels closed into a nearly solid wall of masonry, separated from the smooth-round rocks of the beach by what was originally named Camin deis Anglés (the English Way), which of course is now the famous Promenade des Anglais. This magnificent crescent, which is seeking UNESCO recognition, is one of the noblest in France. Many of Nice's most delightful attractions—the Cours Saleya market, the Old Town streets, the Hotel Negresco, and the Palais Masséna—are on or close to this 10-km (6-mile) waterfront, making it the first stop for most visitors, while the redevelopment of Nice's port, around the other side of the Colline du Château, makes it easier for amblers who want to take in the Genoese architecture or peruse the antiques at the Puces de Nice, now part of the Promenade des 100 Antiquaires, along Quai Papacino. Nice also has the distinction of the "Family Plus" label, with free strollers, play areas, and restaurants with child-friendly activities.
Day 2
Marseille , France
Monday, 09/08/2027
Since being designated a European Capital of Culture for 2013, with an estimated €660 million of funding in the bargain, Marseille has been in the throes of an extraordinary transformation, with no fewer than five major new arts centers, a beautifully refurbished port, revitalized neighborhoods, and a slew of new shops and restaurants. Once the underdog, this time-burnished city is now welcoming an influx of weekend tourists who have colonized entire neighborhoods and transformed them into elegant pieds-à-terre (or should we say, mer). The second-largest city in France, Marseille is one of Europe's most vibrant destinations. Feisty and fond of broad gestures, it is also as complicated and as cosmopolitan now as it was when a band of Phoenician Greeks first sailed into the harbor that is today's Vieux Port in 600 BC. Legend has it that on that same day a local chieftain's daughter, Gyptis, needed to choose a husband, and her wandering eyes settled on the Greeks' handsome commander Protis. Her dowry brought land near the mouth of the Rhône, where the Greeks founded Massalia, the most important Continental shipping port in antiquity. The port flourished for some 500 years as a typical Greek city, enjoying the full flush of classical culture, its gods, its democratic political system, its sports and theater, and its naval prowess. Caesar changed all that, besieging the city in 49 BC and seizing most of its colonies. In 1214 Marseille was seized again, this time by Charles d'Anjou, and was later annexed to France by Henri IV in 1481, but it was not until Louis XIV took the throne that the biggest transformations of the port began; he pulled down the city walls in 1666 and expanded the port to the Rive Neuve (New Riverbank). The city was devastated by plague in 1720, losing more than half its population. By the time of the Revolution, Marseille was on the rebound once again, with industries of soap manufacturing and oil processing flourishing, encouraging a wave of immigration from Provence and Italy. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Marseille became the greatest boomtown in 19th-century Europe. With a large influx of immigrants from areas as exotic as Tangiers, the city quickly acquired the multicultural population it maintains to this day.
Day 3
Collioure , France
Tuesday, 10/08/2027
Day 4
Roses , Spain
Wednesday, 11/08/2027
Day 5
Tarragona , Spain
Thursday, 12/08/2027
Room Type & Prices
All prices per person based on double occupancy. Solo traveller prices — single occupancy. Contact our cruise experts for the latest availability and best fares.
Lower Decks Balcony Stateroom
204 sqft · Up to 2 guests
Upper Decks Balcony Stateroom
204 sqft · Up to 2 guests
Deluxe Suite
290 sqft · Up to 3 guests
Prestige Suite
409 sqft · Up to 4 guests
Privilege Suite
344 sqft · Up to 4 guests
Grand Suite
484 sqft · Up to 4 guests
Owner's Suite
484 sqft · Up to 4 guests
Balcony
| Cabin | Grade | Per Person | Avail. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Decks Balcony Stateroom · 204 sqft | DEL Deluxe Stateroom | Enquire → | ||
| Upper Decks Balcony Stateroom · 204 sqft | PR4 Prestige Stateroom Deck 4 | Enquire → | ||
| PR5 Prestige Stateroom Deck 5 | Enquire → | |||
| PR6 Prestige Stateroom Deck 6 | Enquire → |
Lower Decks Balcony Stateroom · 204 sqft
DEL Deluxe Stateroom
Upper Decks Balcony Stateroom · 204 sqft
PR4 Prestige Stateroom Deck 4
Upper Decks Balcony Stateroom · 204 sqft
PR5 Prestige Stateroom Deck 5
Upper Decks Balcony Stateroom · 204 sqft
PR6 Prestige Stateroom Deck 6
Suite
| Cabin | Grade | Per Person | Avail. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Suite · 290 sqft | DS3 Deluxe Suite Deck 3 | Enquire → | ||
| DS4 Deluxe Suite Deck 4 | Enquire → | |||
| DS5 Deluxe Suite Deck 5 | Enquire → | |||
| DS6 Deluxe Suite Deck 6 | Enquire → | |||
| Prestige Suite · 409 sqft | PS5 Prestige Suite Deck 5 | Enquire → | ||
| PS6 Prestige Suite Deck 6 | Enquire → | |||
| Privilege Suite · 344 sqft | PV5 Privilege Suite Deck 5 | Enquire → | ||
| PV6 Privilege Suite Deck 6 | Enquire → | |||
| Grand Suite · 484 sqft | GD6 Grand Deluxe Suite | Enquire → | ||
| Owner's Suite · 484 sqft | SA | Enquire → |
Deluxe Suite · 290 sqft
DS3 Deluxe Suite Deck 3
Deluxe Suite · 290 sqft
DS4 Deluxe Suite Deck 4
Deluxe Suite · 290 sqft
DS5 Deluxe Suite Deck 5
Deluxe Suite · 290 sqft
DS6 Deluxe Suite Deck 6
Prestige Suite · 409 sqft
PS5 Prestige Suite Deck 5
Prestige Suite · 409 sqft
PS6 Prestige Suite Deck 6
Privilege Suite · 344 sqft
PV5 Privilege Suite Deck 5
Privilege Suite · 344 sqft
PV6 Privilege Suite Deck 6
Grand Suite · 484 sqft
GD6 Grand Deluxe Suite
Owner's Suite · 484 sqft
SA
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Your Ship
Le Bougainville
Le Bougainville, the third in the series of PONANT EXPLORERS, has been designed to combine exploration, elegance and open design towards the sea with state-of-the-art equipment.
