cruises

He was all that was missing to return to the golden age of the Orient Express legend. The largest sailing ship in the world, with its 220 metres in length and 25 in width, its three masts towering over 100 metres, and, inside as well as on its decks, everything you need to charm a…

Rome will not only be vibrating to the rhythm of the 27th jubilee in the history of the Catholic Church in 2025. Next spring, the Eternal City will also be celebrating the opening of the first Orient Express hotel since the relaunch of this legendary brand by the Accor group. Located just a stone's throw from the Pantheon, this new...

The Orient Express epic, which began 140 years ago, will soon be setting sail again. In taking over this legendary travel brand, the Accor group made no secret of its desire to give it a new lease of life worthy of its status. This ambition has already resulted in the relaunch of a number of new luxury trains, which are expected...

The Costa Toscana has just embarked on its maiden cruise in the Mediterranean, welcomed with great fanfare in Marseille on 6 March by the local port and political authorities. This new liner is seen as a symbol of the recovery of the Italian company Costa. The cruise sector has been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn.

A "spaceship of the future": this is the inspiration behind the MSC Virtuosa project, the next flagship of MSC Cruises. It was an ambitious project that required no less than six years of development since the first original concept appeared. Finally, this futuristic vision of cruising will come to fruition...

Cruising is no longer fun! The tidal wave of the coronavirus epidemic and contaminations on board ships have wiped out the fine forecasts of the Cruises Lines International Association (Clia), which was hoping for 32 million cruise passengers by 2020. At the heart of the crisis, several liners have been turned away from port, wandering...

Out of the Saint-Nazaire shipyards, the MSC Grandiosa is the new flagship of the Italian-Swiss company, capable of carrying up to 6,300 passengers in its 2,440 cabins, including 95 suites for the luxury MSC Yacht Club. As far as corporate events are concerned, this giant of the seas offers a host of spaces that can be made private with its...

With its 289 cabins, including 28 singles and 42 deluxe suites, the Jules Verne - formerly the Astor, launched in 1987 - will be the first cruise ship to be operated by the new company Croisières Maritimes & Voyages (CMV). A subsidiary of the British group Cruise & Maritime Voyages, it will be offering cruises exclusively to French-speaking markets....

The partnership between MSC Crociere and Air France is gaining momentum with the announcement of two privatised rotations to Venice and Hamburg departing from Orly airport next year. As part of MICE operations, the first flight will carry passengers from May to October 2020...

In addition to the positioning of six ships in Europe for summer 2019, Norwegian Cruise Line's future flagship, the Norwegian Encore, will leave the German shipyards at the end of October before spending its first winter cruising the Caribbean from Miami. In the summer of 2020, it will sail to Bermuda from New York and will offer a...

LVMH is expanding its presence in the luxury hotel sector, which until now has been limited to the Cheval Blanc houses - in Courchevel, Saint Tropez, Saint Barthélémy and the Maldives, and now Paris, in the former Samaritaine - as well as the six hotels developed by its Bulgari jewellery brand. A world leader in the luxury goods sector, the French group has...

With a capacity of 188 passengers, Le Champlain - a liner with the look and feel of a luxury yacht - aims to promote the French art of living. Jean-Philippe Nuel, the interior designer responsible for some of the finest hotels in the world, has been entrusted with the elegant decoration of both the public areas and the 92 cabins...

"Friluftslkiv, the art of connecting with nature, is part of the DNA of all Norwegians," says Christine Blois, Hurtigruten's General Manager for France. This explains why the Norwegian company has always been committed to eco-responsibility. Without being moralistic, the crews have become experts in environmentally-friendly tourism, raising awareness of the...

Companies are organised to receive MICE customers. How is the cruise market doing? Antoine Lacarrière - It's growing steadily, stimulated by the commissioning of new ships every year and the introduction of new itineraries. The offer is diversifying, reaching an increasingly wide target...

The first of the next six Ponant Explorers, Le Lapérouse, set sail this summer. It will be followed shortly by Le Champlain, Le Bougainville and Le Durmont d'Urville in 2019, then Le Surville and Le Bellot a year later. Designed for cruises to the ends of the earth, particularly in the Arctic and Antarctic,...

INFORMATION Portuguese National Tourist Office Tel :01 56 88 31 90 - Email : info@visitportugal.com - Internet : visitportugal.com GETTING THERE Tap Air Portugal operates three daily flights from Paris-Orly to Porto. These flights, available in business and economy classes, are operated by Airbus A319-R or A 320, with a flight time of 1...

a very rich heritage Portugal is a real hit with French tourists. How do you explain this craze? We have a number of advantages that keep pace with demand. Although we are indeed experiencing unprecedented popularity, we remain a destination that offers very good value for money. We are very well served, with over...

Reported by Serge Barret. Photos Alain Parinet. The afternoon is drawing to a close, and the torpor that bathes the Upper Douro Valley in north-east Portugal is fading a little. So, without rushing too much, life returns to the large village of Pinhao, slumbering on the right bank of the river. And that includes...

Luxury boutiques selling perfumes, watches and handbags follow a gourmet restaurant, a master chocolatier and an Italian ice-cream parlour. The crowd is dense, but it wanders just as it would in the shopping arcade of a very upmarket shopping centre. They take their...

GETTING THERE The SNCF offers 20 daily return trips between Paris and Marseille on weekdays and up to 25 at weekends. Internet: www.voyages-sncf.com MSC Croisières: 5, rue Barbès, 92120 Montrouge. Tel: 01 70 74 00 55 Internet: www.msccroisieres.fr WHAT TO DO AT ESCALES? A host of excursions and activities are on offer at...