Mediterranean


CRUISE ONLY	WAS £2189 pp £2057 PP
FLY CRUISE	Call
Prices based on 2 people sharing. Cruise only price does not include flights. Fly-cruise price may vary by chosen UK airport. Where solo or family pricing is not available please call for more details.


CRUISE ONLY	WAS £2209 pp £2164 PP
FLY CRUISE	Call
Prices based on 2 people sharing. Cruise only price does not include flights. Fly-cruise price may vary by chosen UK airport. Where solo or family pricing is not available please call for more details.


CRUISE ONLY	WAS £2649 pp £2547 PP
FLY CRUISE	Call
Prices based on 2 people sharing. Cruise only price does not include flights. Fly-cruise price may vary by chosen UK airport. Where solo or family pricing is not available please call for more details.


CRUISE ONLY	Call
FLY CRUISE	Call
Prices based on 2 people sharing. Cruise only price does not include flights. Fly-cruise price may vary by chosen UK airport. Where solo or family pricing is not available please call for more details.

Itinerary

Take a look at the shore excursions available for this itinerary.

Valletta

Malta's capital, the minicity of Valletta, has ornate palaces and museums protected by massive fortifications of honey-color limestone. Houses along the narrow streets have overhanging wooden balconies for people-watching from indoors. Generations ago they gave housebound women a window on the world of the street. The main entrance to town is through the City Gate (where all bus routes end), which leads onto Triq Repubblika (Republic Street), the spine of the grid-pattern city and the main shopping street. Triq Mercante (Merchant Street) parallels Repubblika to the east and is also good for strolling. From these two streets, cross streets descend toward the water; some are stepped. Valletta's compactness makes it ideal to explore on foot. City Gate and the upper part of Valletta are experiencing vast redevelopment that includes a new Parliament Building and open-air performance venue. The complex, completed mid-2013, has numerous pedestrian detours in place along with building noise and dust. Before setting out along Republic Street, stop at the tourist information office on Merchant Street for maps and brochures.

08 May 2025

Summary

At Sea

09 May 2025

Piraeus

It's no wonder that all roads lead to the fascinating and maddening metropolis of Athens. Lift your eyes 200 feet above the city to the Parthenon, its honey-color marble columns rising from a massive limestone base, and you behold architectural perfection that has not been surpassed in 2,500 years. But, today, this shrine of classical form dominates a 21st-century boomtown. To experience Athens—Athína in Greek—fully is to understand the essence of Greece: ancient monuments surviving in a sea of cement, startling beauty amid the squalor, tradition juxtaposed with modernity. Locals depend on humor and flexibility to deal with the chaos; you should do the same. The rewards are immense. Although Athens covers a huge area, the major landmarks of the ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods are close to the modern city center. You can easily walk from the Acropolis to many other key sites, taking time to browse in shops and relax in cafés and tavernas along the way. From many quarters of the city you can glimpse "the glory that was Greece" in the form of the Acropolis looming above the horizon, but only by actually climbing that rocky precipice can you feel the impact of the ancient settlement. The Acropolis and Filopappou, two craggy hills sitting side by side; the ancient Agora (marketplace); and Kerameikos, the first cemetery, form the core of ancient and Roman Athens. Along the Unification of Archaeological Sites promenade, you can follow stone-paved, tree-lined walkways from site to site, undisturbed by traffic. Cars have also been banned or reduced in other streets in the historical center. In the National Archaeological Museum, vast numbers of artifacts illustrate the many millennia of Greek civilization; smaller museums such as the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art Museum and the Byzantine and Christian Museum illuminate the history of particular regions or periods. Athens may seem like one huge city, but it is really a conglomeration of neighborhoods with distinctive characters. The Eastern influences that prevailed during the 400-year rule of the Ottoman Empire are still evident in Monastiraki, the bazaar area near the foot of the Acropolis. On the northern slope of the Acropolis, stroll through Plaka (if possible by moonlight), an area of tranquil streets lined with renovated mansions, to get the flavor of the 19th-century's gracious lifestyle. The narrow lanes of Anafiotika, a section of Plaka, thread past tiny churches and small, color-washed houses with wooden upper stories, recalling a Cycladic island village. In this maze of winding streets, vestiges of the older city are everywhere: crumbling stairways lined with festive tavernas; dank cellars filled with wine vats; occasionally a court or diminutive garden, enclosed within high walls and filled with magnolia trees and the flaming trumpet-shaped flowers of hibiscus bushes. Formerly run-down old quarters, such as Thission, Gazi and Psirri, popular nightlife areas filled with bars and mezedopoleia (similar to tapas bars), are now in the process of gentrification, although they still retain much of their original charm, as does the colorful produce and meat market on Athinas. The area around Syntagma Square, the tourist hub, and Omonia Square, the commercial heart of the city about 1 km (½ mi) northwest, is distinctly European, having been designed by the court architects of King Otho, a Bavarian, in the 19th century. The chic shops and bistros of ritzy Kolonaki nestle at the foot of Mt. Lycabettus, Athens's highest hill (909 feet). Each of Athens's outlying suburbs has a distinctive character: in the north is wealthy, tree-lined Kifissia, once a summer resort for aristocratic Athenians, and in the south and southeast lie Glyfada, Voula, and Vouliagmeni, with their sandy beaches, seaside bars, and lively summer nightlife. Just beyond the city's southern fringes is Piraeus, a bustling port city of waterside fish tavernas and Saronic Gulf views.

10 May 2025

Summary

Kusadasi

Whilst the busy resort town of Kusadasi offers much in the way of shopping and dining – not to mention a flourishing beach life scene, the real jewel here is Ephesus and the stunning ruined city that really take centre stage. With only 20% of the classical ruins having been excavated, this archaeological wonder has already gained the status as Europe’s most complete classical metropolis. And a metropolis it really is; built in the 10th century BC this UNESCO World Heritage site is nothing short of spectacular. Although regrettably very little remains of the Temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world), the superb Library of Celsus’ façade is practically intact and it is one of life’s great joys to attend an evening performance in the illuminated ruins once all the tourists have left. The history of the city is fascinating and multi-layered and it is well worth reading up on this beforehand if a visit is planned. Another point of interest for historians would be the house of the Virgin Mary, located on the romantically named Mount Nightingale and just nine kilometres away from Ephesus proper. Legend has it that Mary (along with St. John) spent her final years here, secluded from the rest of the population, spreading Christianity. An edifying experience, even for non-believers. For the less historical minded amongst you, Kusadasi offers plenty in the way of activities. After a stroll through the town, jump in a taxi to Ladies’ Beach (men are allowed), sample a Turkish kebap on one of the many beachfront restaurants and enjoy the clement weather. If you do want to venture further afield, then the crystal clear beaches of Guzelcamli (or the Millipark), the cave of Zeus and the white scalloped natural pools at Pamukkale, known as Cleopatra’s pools, are definitely worth a visit.

11 May 2025

Summary

Rhodes

Early travelers described Rhodes as a town of two parts: a castle or high town (Collachium) and a lower city. Today Rhodes town—sometimes referred to as Ródos town—is still a city of two parts: the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site that incorporates the high town and lower city, and the modern metropolis, or New Town, spreading away from the walls that encircle the Old Town. The narrow streets of the Old Town are for the most part closed to cars and are lined with Orthodox and Catholic churches, Turkish houses (some of which follow the ancient orthogonal plan), and medieval public buildings with exterior staircases and facades elegantly constructed of well-cut limestone from Lindos. Careful reconstruction in recent years has enhanced the harmonious effect.

12 May 2025

Summary

Santorini

Undoubtedly the most extraordinary island in the Aegean, crescent-shape Santorini remains a mandatory stop on the Cycladic tourist route—even if it's necessary to enjoy the sensational sunsets from Ia, the fascinating excavations, and the dazzling white towns with a million other travelers. Called Kállisti (the "Loveliest") when first settled, the island has now reverted to its subsequent name of Thira, after the 9th-century-BC Dorian colonizer Thiras. The place is better known, however, these days as Santorini, a name derived from its patroness, St. Irene of Thessaloniki, the Byzantine empress who restored icons to Orthodoxy and died in 802. You can fly conveniently to Santorini, but to enjoy a true Santorini rite of passage, opt instead for the boat trip here, which provides a spectacular introduction. After the boat sails between Sikinos and Ios, your deck-side perch approaches two close islands with a passage between them. The bigger one on the left is Santorini, and the smaller on the right is Thirassia. Passing between them, you see the village of Ia adorning Santorini's northernmost cliff like a white geometric beehive. You are in the caldera (volcanic crater), one of the world's truly breathtaking sights: a demilune of cliffs rising 1,100 feet, with the white clusters of the towns of Fira and Ia perched along the top. The bay, once the high center of the island, is 1,300 feet in some places, so deep that when boats dock in Santorini's shabby little port of Athinios, they do not drop anchor. The encircling cliffs are the ancient rim of a still-active volcano, and you are sailing east across its flooded caldera. On your right are the Burnt isles, the White isle, and other volcanic remnants, all lined up as if some outsize display in a geology museum. Hephaestus's subterranean fires smolder still—the volcano erupted in 198 BC, about 735, and there was an earthquake in 1956. Indeed, Santorini and its four neighboring islets are the fragmentary remains of a larger landmass that exploded about 1600 BC: the volcano's core blew sky high, and the sea rushed into the abyss to create the great bay, which measures 10 km by 7 km (6 mi by 4½ mi) and is 1,292 feet deep. The other pieces of the rim, which broke off in later eruptions, are Thirassia, where a few hundred people live, and deserted little Aspronissi ("White isle"). In the center of the bay, black and uninhabited, two cones, the Burnt Isles of Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, appeared between 1573 and 1925. There has been too much speculation about the identification of Santorini with the mythical Atlantis, mentioned in Egyptian papyri and by Plato (who says it's in the Atlantic), but myths are hard to pin down. This is not true of old arguments about whether tidal waves from Santorini's cataclysmic explosion destroyed Minoan civilization on Crete, 113 km (70 mi) away. The latest carbon-dating evidence, which points to a few years before 1600 BC for the eruption, clearly indicates that the Minoans outlasted the eruption by a couple of hundred years, but most probably in a weakened state. In fact, the island still endures hardships: since antiquity, Santorini has depended on rain collected in cisterns for drinking and irrigating—the well water is often brackish—and the serious shortage is alleviated by the importation of water. However, the volcanic soil also yields riches: small, intense tomatoes with tough skins used for tomato paste (good restaurants here serve them); the famous Santorini fava beans, which have a light, fresh taste; barley; wheat; and white-skin eggplants.

13 May 2025

Summary

At Sea

14 May 2025

Valletta

15 May 2025

Summary

At Sea

16 May 2025

Split

Split's ancient core is so spectacular and unusual that a visit is more than worth your time. The heart of the city lies within the walls of Roman emperor Diocletian's retirement palace, which was built in the 3rd century AD. Diocletian, born in the nearby Roman settlement of Salona in AD 245, achieved a brilliant career as a soldier and became emperor at the age of 40. In 295 he ordered this vast palace to be built in his native Dalmatia, and when it was completed he stepped down from the throne and retired to his beloved homeland. Upon his death, he was laid to rest in an octagonal mausoleum, around which Split's magnificent cathedral was built.In 615, when Salona was sacked by barbarian tribes, those fortunate enough to escape found refuge within the stout palace walls and divided up the vast imperial apartments into more modest living quarters. Thus, the palace developed into an urban center, and by the 11th century the settlement had expanded beyond the ancient walls.Under the rule of Venice (1420–1797), Split—as a gateway to the Balkan interior—became one of the Adriatic's main trading ports, and the city's splendid Renaissance palaces bear witness to the affluence of those times. When the Habsburgs took control during the 19th century, an overland connection to Central Europe was established by the construction of the Split–Zagreb–Vienna railway line.After World War II, the Tito years saw a period of rapid urban expansion: industrialization accelerated and the suburbs extended to accommodate high-rise apartment blocks. Today the historic center of Split is included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

17 May 2025

Summary

Trieste

Up until the end of World War I, Trieste was the only port of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire and therefore a major industrial and financial center. In the early years of the 20th century, Trieste and its surroundings also became famous by their association with some of the most important names of Italian literature, such as Italo Svevo, and English and German letters. James Joyce drew inspiration from the city's multiethnic population, and Rainer Maria Rilke was inspired by the seacoast west of the city. Although it has lost its importance as a port and a center of finance, it has never fully lost its roll as an intellectual center. The streets hold a mix of monumental, neoclassical, and art-nouveau architecture built by the Austrians during Trieste's days of glory, granting an air of melancholy stateliness to a city that lives as much in the past as the present.

18 May 2025

Summary

Zadar

Dalmatia's capital for more than 1,000 years, Zadar is all too often passed over by travelers on their way to Split or Dubrovnik. What they miss out on is a city of more than 73,000 that is remarkably lovely and lively despite—and, in some measure, because of—its tumultuous history. The Old Town, separated from the rest of the city on a peninsula some 4 km (2½ miles) long and just 1,640 feet wide, is bustling and beautiful: the marble pedestrian streets are replete with Roman ruins, medieval churches, palaces, museums, archives, and libraries. Parts of the new town are comparatively dreary, a testament to what a world war followed by decades of communism, not to mention a civil war, can do to the architecture of a city that is 3,000 years old. A settlement had already existed on the site of the present-day city for some 2,000 years when Rome finally conquered Zadar in the 1st century BC; the foundations of the forum can be seen today. Before the Romans came the Liburnians had made it a key center for trade with the Greeks and Romans for 800 years. In the 3rd century BC the Romans began to seriously pester the Liburnians, but required two centuries to bring the area under their control. During the Byzantine era, Zadar became the capital of Dalmatia, and this period saw the construction of its most famous church, the 9th-century St. Donat's Basilica. It remained the region's foremost city through the ensuing centuries. The city then experienced successive onslaughts and occupations—both long and short—by the Osogoths, the Croatian-Hungarian kings, the Venetians, the Turks, the Habsburgs, the French, the Habsburgs again, and finally the Italians before becoming part of Yugoslavia and, in 1991, the independent republic of Croatia. Zadar was for centuries an Italian-speaking city, and Italian is still spoken widely, especially by older people. Indeed, it was ceded to Italy in 1921 under the Treaty of Rapallo (and reverted to its Italian name of Zara). Its occupation by the Germans from 1943 led to intense bombing by the Allies during World War II, which left most of the city in ruins. Zadar became part of Tito's Yugoslavia in 1947, prompting many Italian residents to leave. Zadar's most recent ravages occurred during a three-month siege by Serb forces and months more of bombardment during the Croatian-Serbian war between 1991 and 1995. But you'd be hard-pressed to find outward signs of this today in what is a city to behold. There are helpful interpretive signs in English all around the Old Town, so you certainly won't feel lost when trying to make sense of the wide variety of architectural sites you might otherwise pass by with only a cursory look.

19 May 2025

Summary

Dubrovnik

Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of Dubrovnik. Lying 216 km (135 miles) southeast of Split and commanding a jaw-dropping coastal location, it is one of the world's most beautiful fortified cities. Its massive stone ramparts and fortress towers curve around a tiny harbor, enclosing graduated ridges of sun-bleached orange-tiled roofs, copper domes, and elegant bell towers. Your imagination will run wild picturing what it looked like seven centuries ago when the walls were built, without any suburbs or highways around it, just this magnificent stone city rising out of the sea.In the 7th century AD, residents of the Roman city Epidaurum (now Cavtat) fled the Avars and Slavs of the north and founded a new settlement on a small rocky island, which they named Laus, and later Ragusa. On the mainland hillside opposite the island, the Slav settlement called Dubrovnik grew up. In the 12th century the narrow channel separating the two settlements was filled in (now the main street through the Old Town, called Stradun), and Ragusa and Dubrovnik became one. The city was surrounded by defensive walls during the 13th century, and these were reinforced with towers and bastions in the late 15th century.From 1358 to 1808 the city thrived as a powerful and remarkably sophisticated independent republic, reaching its golden age during the 16th century. In 1667 many of its splendid Gothic and Renaissance buildings were destroyed by an earthquake. The defensive walls survived the disaster, and the city was rebuilt in baroque style.Dubrovnik lost its independence to Napoléon in 1808, and in 1815 passed to Austria-Hungary. During the 20th century, as part of Yugoslavia, the city became a popular tourist destination, and in 1979 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the war for independence, it came under heavy siege. Thanks to careful restoration, few traces of damage remain; however, there are maps inside the Pile and Ploče Gates illustrating the points around the city where damage was done. It’s only when you experience Dubrovnik yourself that you can understand what a treasure the world nearly lost

20 May 2025

Summary

At Sea

21 May 2025

Valletta

22 May 2025

Summary

*This holiday is generally suitable for persons with reduced mobility. For customers with reduced mobility or any medical condition that may require special assistance or arrangements to be made, please notify your Cruise Concierge at the time of your enquiry, so that we can provide specific information as to the suitability of the holiday, as well as make suitable arrangements with the Holiday Provider on your behalf.

Map

What's Included with P&O Cruises

	Accommodation
	Entertainment throughout the day and evening
	Complimentary shuttle service from ship to port where available
	Themed events and discos
	Porterage of luggage from port to cabin
	Free of charge babysitting from 6 months - 4 years of age. Daily from 6pm to 2am

	Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in a choice of included dining venues
	Use of swimming pools, hot tubs, fitness centre and leisure facilities where available
	Port taxes
	Tea and coffee in seleted venues
	Youth programmes for 2-17 year olds

Explore Azura

Meridian Restaurant

Verona

Venezia

The Glass House

Sindhu

The Peninsular Restaurant

The Oriental Restaurant

Summary

Take your seat in the Oriental Restaurant- Choose a particular Club Dining seating and you’ll dine at the same time and table each night and enjoy the same company. It’s the way many a friendship has been made on board.

With Club Dining you'll enjoy the special ambience and sociable atmosphere of the main dining room, and a five-course menu (six-course on Gala Nights). This style of dining is a wonderful way to share your holiday experiences and meet new friends.

Enjoy elegant surroundings, silver service and a warm, convivial atmosphere. This is classic P&O Cruises dining at its best, offering a real sense of occasion and at least five courses every night. Of course, the food will be the real star of the show. Passengers can look forward to a mouth-watering blend of international cuisine and much-loved British favourites.

The Epicurean

Java

SeaScreen Open Air Cinema

The Playhouse Theatre

Manhattan

Summary

Manhattan is our New York inspired classic entertainment lounge. This multipurpose entertainment venue will have something special in store for everyone. It's no wonder everyone loves New York.

Enjoy spectacular cabaret performances, fun quiz shows, tribute acts, family shows and glittering discos. With so much to see and do on board Azura, every night will dance to a different beat. And nowhere is this more true than Manhattan, our New York inspired classic entertainment lounge. This multipurpose entertainment venue will have something special in store for everyone. It's no wonder everyone loves New York.

Malabar

Summary

Malabar is another one of our venues where you can enjoy dinner and drinks all served up with some astonishing evening entertainment.

Casino

Brodie's Bar

Summary

For pub lovers, Brodie’s is a classic London-inspired pub with a contemporary twist. Additionally, a range of drinks packages can be purchased on board, including wine packages.

Planet Bar

The Blue Bar

Breakers Bar

Gymnasium

Summary

It’s easy to keep active on Azura. Work out in her gym, take a spinning class, or a nice walk around deck. They offer a range of fitness classes such as indoor cycling, pilates, yoga, body sculpt boot camp and push 'n' lift which are assisted by a fitness instructor.

The gym is typically open from 8am - 8pm every day and use of the on board gym equipment is complimentary: Equipment on board includes:

Bikes
Treadmills
Cross-trainers
Steppers
Rowing machines
Free weights

The below classes are charged at an additional cost of approximately £7 per person per class and can be booked on board:

Pilates
Yoga
Tour de Cycle group cycling
Body sculpt boot camp
TRX and results based training

Salon

Sports Court

The Retreat

Swimming Pools

Summary

Get ready for some family fun on deck...

Azura family friendly pools;

Aqua pool - Outdoor pool. 1.6 metres to 2.2 metres deep. 11 metres long x 4.6 metres wide. Located on Lido Deck. Has 2 ladders, 1 with 7 steps and 1 with 5 steps.
Coral pool - Outdoor pool. 1.6 metres to 2.2 metres deep. 10.5 metres long x 4.6 metres wide. Located on Lido Deck. Has 1 ladder with 7 steps.
Children's splash pool - 0.38 metres deep. Located on Aqua Deck. Has 1 ladder with 3 steps up and 3 steps down into the pool.
Paddling pool - 0.25 metres deep. Located on Aqua Deck. Has 2 ladders with 4 steps up and 4 steps down on each.

Pools and Jacuzzis are open 24 hours a day so you can enjoy a dip in the pool any time you like.

As for Sun loungers - there are a number of sun loungers on deck if you want to sit back and relax while the kids enjoy the pool!

The Reef

Night Nursery

Azura Cabins & Suites

Inside Cabin

Images

Floorplans

Summary

These spacious cabins are perfect if you want a more economical way to travel and prefer to be out and about experiencing the ship or reclining up on deck by the pools.

Facilities

Queen or Twin Configuration
TV
Vanity Area
Shower
Toiletries Provided
Room Service Available
Safe
Hair Dryer
Telephone
Desk

Single Cabin

Images

Floorplans

Summary

With the choice of either an inside or outside location, these cabins are perfect for the single traveller. Air-conditioned, mirrored, single inside cabins have one lower single bed with wardrobe and drawer space. The bathroom has a shower and WC. There is a vanity/writing desk, and a TV for your enjoyment, plus a radio, telephone, safe, hairdryer and tea and coffee making facilities. On arrival you will be offered Mineral water and a pamper pack.

Facilities

One Single Bed
Shower
TV
Vanity Area
Toiletries Provided
Room Service Available
Safe
Hair Dryer
Telephone
Desk

Sea view Cabin

Images

Floorplans

Summary

If a balcony is not top of your list, but you're seeking great value and a sea view, then our Sea view cabins are ideal. Well designed and with all those little extras.

Facilities

Queen or Twin Configuration
TV
Vanity Area
Shower
Toiletries Provided
Room Service Available
Safe
Hair Dryer
Telephone
Desk

Balcony Cabin

Images

Floorplans

Summary

There's nothing quite like opening your patio style doors onto your own private balcony, especially to take in the fresh morning air or to enjoy a spectacular sail in to your next destination.

Facilities

Queen or Twin Configuration
Shower
Safe
Lounge Area
Vanity Area
Toiletries Provided
Room Service Available
TV
Hair Dryer
Telephone
Desk

Suite

Images

Floorplans

Summary

The ultimate in luxury, our butler-serviced Suites offer the extra space of a lounge area (perfect for entertaining), a superior bathroom, dressing area and a broad balcony to take in the sights.