Cinematic Shores

Set on seven hills on the banks of the River Tagus, Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal since the 13th century. It is a city famous for its majestic architecture, old wooden trams, Moorish features and more than twenty centuries of history. Following disastrous earthquakes in the 18th century, Lisbon was rebuilt by the Marques de Pombal who created an elegant city with wide boulevards and a great riverfront and square, Praça do Comércio. Today there are distinct modern and ancient sections, combining great shopping with culture and sightseeing in the Old Town, built on the city's terraced hillsides. The distance between the ship and your tour vehicle may vary. This distance is not included in the excursion grades.

Portimão is a major fishing port, and significant investment has been poured into transforming it into an attractive cruise port as well. The city itself is spacious and has several good shopping streets—though sadly many of the more traditional retailers have closed in the wake of the global economic crisis. There is also a lovely riverside area that just begs to be strolled (lots of the coastal cruises depart from here). Don’t leave without stopping for an alfresco lunch at the Doca da Sardinha ("sardine dock") between the old bridge and the railway bridge. You can sit at one of many inexpensive establishments, eating charcoal-grilled sardines (a local specialty) accompanied by chewy fresh bread, simple salads, and local wine.

The original settlement formed on the site of Casablanca by the Berbers became the kingdom of Anfa, and during the 15th century harboured pirates who raided the Portuguese coast. In retaliation for the attacks, the Portuguese destroyed Anfa and founded the town they called Casa Branca (white house). They remained here until an earthquake in 1755 and the town was subsequently rebuilt by Mohammed ben Abdallah, whose legacy of mosques and houses can still be seen in the old Medina. Casablanca acquired its present-day name when the Spanish obtained special port privileges in 1781. The French landed here in 1907, later establishing a protectorate and modelling the town on the port of Marseilles. Today Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city, its most significant port and the centre of commerce and industry. The city is a vibrant fusion of European, African and Arabian influences and its French colonial architecture and art deco buildings seamlessly blend in with the busy, colourful markets. Please note that vendors in the souks can be very persistent and eager to make a sale.

Tangier can trace its origins back to the Phoenicians and ancient Greeks. It was named after Tinge, the mother of Hercules’ son, and its beginnings are embedded in mythology. It was subsequently a Roman province, and after Vandal and Byzantine influences, was occupied by the Arabs with Spain, Portugal, France and England also playing a part in the city’s history. With such a diverse past it is perhaps not surprising that Tangier is such an individual city. Overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar, the city lies on a bay between two promontories. With its old Kasbah, panoramic views, elegant buildings, squares and places of interest, there is much to discover in both the new and old parts of the city.

The autonomous city of Melilla is a Spanish enclave located on the Mediterranean Rif coast of North Africa, bordering Morocco. Its chequered past embraced periods of Phoenician, Punic, Roman and Byzantine rule before it was conquered by Spain in 1497. The latter part of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century saw hostilities between Rif berbers and the Spanish, with the latter finally reinstating their control in 1927. The city was used by General Franco as one of the staging points for the rebellion of 1936. As part of the Spanish protectorate, Melilla developed the architectural style of 'Modernisme', the Catalan version of Art Nouveau, and boasts the second most important concentration of Modernist works in Spain, after Barcelona.