Grand Voyage: Lisbon to Nice

Capitale du Portugal depuis sa conquête par les Maures en 1147, Lisbonne est une ville légendaire avec plus de 20 siècles d’histoire. S’étalant le long de la rive droite du Tage, son centre-ville, la Baixa, est situé dans le quartier du 18ème siècle autour de Rossio. L’Alfama, un des plus anciens quartiers de Lisbonne, conserve encore beaucoup de son plan d’origine, car il a grande partie survécu au tremblement de terre de 1755.

Portimão is a port city in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. It’s known for its old quarter, busy marina and proximity to many beaches. Museu de Portimão is housed in a restored 19th-century cannery, with displays on local history. The Gothic-style Nossa Senhora da Conceição church has azulejo tiles. To the south are Rocha Beach, backed by ochre cliffs, and the medieval Fort of Santa Catarina de Ribamar.

Cadix, appelée « la coupe d’argent » tire son nom du port argenté et de l’atmosphère pétillante. Elle est presque africaine en apparence – les rues sont bordées de palmiers, ses églises surmontées de coupoles de dôme, ses maisons blanches à l’ombre des orangers. Profitez de nos excursions facultatives à Séville, la capitale irrésistible et le centre culturel de l’Andalousie avec son style de vie coloré et festif.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and headland, on Spain’s south coast. It’s dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, a 426m-high limestone ridge. First settled by the Moors in the Middle Ages and later ruled by Spain, the outpost was ceded to the British in 1713. Layers of fortifications include the remains of a 14th-century Moorish Castle and the 18th century Great Siege Tunnels, which were expanded in WWII

Puerto José Banús, more commonly known simply as Puerto Banús, is a marina located in the area of Nueva Andalucía, to the southwest of Marbella, Spain on the Costa del Sol. It was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex

Quand les Maures passèrent de l’Afrique à l’Andalousie en 714, ils devaient établir un royaume qui allait devenir la gloire du Moyen Age. Le palais forteresse de l’Alcazaba de Malaga et le Castillo de Gibralfaro sont de magnifiques exemples de l’architecture mauresque. Mais c’est à Grenade que vous pouvez voir l’expression la plus romantique et magnifique du style arabesque dans le glorieux palais de l’Alhambra. Ferdinand et Isabella ont vécu ici pendant un certain temps, tout comme Washington Irving, auteur de Contes de l’Alhambra.

The port city of Valencia lies on Spain’s southeastern coast, where the Turia River meets the Mediterranean Sea. It’s known for its City of Arts and Sciences, with futuristic structures including a planetarium, an oceanarium and an interactive museum. Valencia also has several beaches, including some within nearby Albufera Park, a wetlands reserve with a lake and walking trails.

Mallorca (Majorca) is one of Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. It’s known for beach resorts, sheltered coves, limestone mountains and Roman and Moorish remains. Capital Palma has nightlife, the Moorish Almudaina royal palace and 13th-century Santa María Cathedral. Stone-built villages include Pollença, with its art galleries and music festival, and hillside Fornalutx, surrounded by citrus plantations.

Vous comprendrez pourquoi Lord Nelson choisit cet endroit comme base pour la flotte britannique en Méditerranée pendant les guerres napoléoniennes. Imaginez des dizaines de vaisseaux de ligne, étant équipés pour le combat dans ce port historique. Les rappels de l’époque sont encore visibles dans les gracieux bâtiments géorgiens qui grimpent les collines escarpées soutenant le Ponent Moll. L’héritage de Mahon comprend également l’invention de la mayonnaise et la première distillation de genièvre des baies de genièvre.

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. A port city on the rugged isle’s western coast, it was the birthplace of French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte in 1769. His ancestral home, Maison Bonaparte, is now a museum displaying family heirlooms. The baroque, 16th-century Notre-Dame Cathedral, where Napoléon was baptized, contains paintings by Delacroix and Tintoretto.

Calvi is a town on the northwest coast of Corsica. It’s known for its beaches and crescent-shaped bay. A medieval citadel overlooks the marina from the bay’s western end, and is home to Baroque St-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral and cobbled streets. Restaurants line the harbor on the Quai Landry esplanade. Perched on a high hill a short distance inland, the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Serra has panoramic views of the area