Arrive in Nice where we stay for one night. Nice is the capital of the French Riviera and the rest of the day is free for you to explore this multicultural and cosmopolitan city independently. Enjoy a stroll along the beautiful seaside Promenade des Anglais; explore the Old Town with its narrow streets and colourful tenement houses or venture up to Castle Hill where you will find views of the whole city. This evening is free for you to dine at a local restaurant of your choosing. Perhaps enjoy a chilled glass of Provençal rosé, the perfect accompaniment to a local favourite, salade niçoise. Or, try a slice of Pissaladiere, a flavoursome tart topped with onions, black olives and anchovies.
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Cannes via a sightseeing drive of Nice and along the French Riviera. There will be free time for lunch in Cannes where you can dine on the fresh flavours of Provençal cuisine in one of the many brasseries and restaurants. This afternoon the adventure begins. Enjoy a warm welcome from the crew on board the beautiful Star Clipper, your first-class floating hotel and your home for the next 7 nights. You may wish to return ashore for a pre-dinner stroll along the waterfront, or if you’re feeling more energetic, head uphill to the Cannes Castle Museum in the old quarter and take in the lovely views of the port. This evening we sit down for the first of the delectable dinners in the stylish dining room.
A wonderful reconstruction of a 19th century four-masted Barquentine, the Star Clipper is beautifully built to emphasise the traditional lines of this age-old design which plied the world’s sea lanes for several hundred years. Combine this with the very best state of the art safety features and superb facilities of a modern cruise ship: 83 spacious, sumptuous cabins using the best soft furnishings and fabrics; luxurious lounges with deep pile carpets, leather and dark hardwoods; the finest cuisine in an elegant dining room; a highly skilled and caring crew - and you have the Star Clipper!
It is the smaller sister ship to the Royal Clipper and when its 16 magnificent sails unfurl you are immediately overwhelmed by a remarkable sensation of being completely in tune with Mother Nature – a rarity in the modern world. With just 166 passengers and 74 crew on board, the atmosphere is very intimate – more like a private yacht than a cruise ship. Life is wonderfully informal and low-key, whilst the small scale of the ship and the open restaurant seating promotes a relaxed and extremely sociable ambience.
Everyone loves the experience of being on deck – the ropes, stays, winches, the polished mahogany and gleaming brass of the ship’s bell are all a living testament to its maritime heritage. On the Star Clipper guests are encouraged (should you so wish!) to help raise the mainsail and just like the Royal Clipper, the bridge is always open for a visit. Being smaller and lighter, the Star Clipper is also more responsive to the wind and sea: you feel the surge of the breeze, breathing life into the canvas above and sense the deck gently tilt as the sleek gleaming hull slices through the waves under the ever-watchful eye of the skilful captain.
There are two small salt-water swimming pools, plenty of deck space with sun loungers, chairs and a shady spot to cool off. Enjoy a long refreshing drink or your favourite cocktail from the open-air Tropical Bar, the ship’s social hub. The library with its leather armchairs is the perfect place to immerse yourself in a good book or you can relax in the tasteful lounge and piano bar chatting with your fellow passengers. You can climb the mast (in a safety harness!), lie in the bow netting or participate in the free water sports available at each port of call (where possible and subject to weather conditions and local authorities. Certified scuba divers can also dive at each port, at extra charge). Evening entertainment is simple and ‘home-made’ by the crew and officers - there’s no formality here and you’ll feel completely relaxed and unwound.
To enjoy our Mediterranean cruise to the absolute full, we have included a wonderful range of onshore tours and visits along the way, visiting the most fascinating places of interest, including guided tours of Rome, Pompeii, Taormina or Mount Etna and Lipari. But perhaps the memory that may stay with you the longest is the simplest – that of the balmy summer evening breeze on deck, with the masts soaring above into a velvet night sky of silent stars over a moonlit sea.