5* Barcelona to Florida

The Rock crouches over the sea like an ancient stone beast, looking Sphinx-like to Africa. Beneath the white cliffs of this natural fortress grows a profusion of palm, pine, and cypress. No fewer than 600 varieties of flowers thrive here, some not found anywhere else on Earth. Gibraltar’s stunning setting is matched by its history – five countries have battled for 13 centuries to control the passage between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The result made for a cultural melting pot. Veiled Moroccan women in caftans and vacationing Englishmen and Spaniards stroll along the narrow, steep lanes. The locals revert to a liquid Spanish when talking among themselves. And visitors to a 15th-century cathedral pass through a blue-tiled courtyard, once part of a 13th-century mosque.

Helmeted bobbies, pillar-boxes and pubs make for a bit of Britain in the Mediterranean. Gibraltar is a fascinating place, from its caves and batteries to the Barbary apes gamboling on the slopes of the Rock.

Seville is the capital of southern Spain’s Andalusia region. It’s famous for flamenco dancing, particularly in its Triana neighborhood. Major landmarks include the ornate Alcázar castle complex, built during the Moorish Almohad dynasty, and the 18th-century Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza bullring. The Gothic Seville Cathedral is the site of Christopher Columbus’s tomb and a minaret turned bell tower, the Giralda.

When you’re vacationing on a cruise of the Canaries, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, welcomes cruisers ashore on its ramblas (wide, tree-lined avenues) that lead to the central Plaza de España where the Francoist architecture finds one of its maximum national expressions.

When you’re vacationing on a cruise to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, welcomes cruisers ashore on its ramblas (wide, tree-lined avenues) that lead to the central Plaza de España where the Francoist architecture finds one of its maximum national expressions. If instead one comes from the old part of Santa Cruz de Tenerife you come across churches built in a variety of architectural styles, from the insular baroque of the church of St. Francis, to the colonial Canary style of the church of the Concepciòn or the 18th century Iglesia del Pilar, built on an ancient hermitage.

As you set ashore from your cruise ship, you can explore the Garcìa Sanabria park with the museum of outdoor sculptures, Esculturas al Aire Libre, where a tropical nature blends with the contemporary art of Mirò, Guinovart, Domìnguez, Moore and many others. A place not to miss is the Parque Marìtimo, designed by Canarian artist-architect Cèsar Manrique, which hosts 5000 palm trees of 300 different species, three pools dug into the lava rock, a beach, bars and restaurants.

On disembarking you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home.