Mediterranean Cruise With Thomson Cruise

Day 1      Las Palmas - Gran Canaria

Golden dunes drenched in year-round sunshine. Rugged mountains hiding pretty whitewashed villages. Bays and coves linked together like a magnificent sandy necklace. Nature’s been kind to Gran Canaria so little surprise it lures sun-worshippers back year after year. 

• Discover the island’s cosmopolitan capital, Las Palmas, where chic boutiques and tempting tapas bars are tucked in among some breathtaking architecture. In the old town, or Veguetta district, you’ll come across the Christopher Columbus Museum, which is well worth a visit, too. 
• Take a trip to the Bandama crater. Standing over 3,000ft high, it’s one of the few inhabited volcanic craters in the world. 
• Feast your eyes on the incredible wind-sculpted sand dunes of Maspalomas. Then pick a patch of sand and soak up the sun.
• Feeling energetic? Then bag yourself some wow-factor views by taking a trip to Pico de las Nievas. Sitting at the heart of the island, its rocky slopes give way to lush banana plantations, pine forests and pretty whitewashed villages.
• Mundo Aborigen - this open-air museum near Fataga invites you to walk amongst life-sized stone statues of Gran Canaria’s original inhabitants, the Guanches. The mystery about where they originated from has never been solved. Were they Vikings? Aztecs? Or were they the sole survivors of Atlantis? Wander around the fascinating exhibits showing these tribal people going about their everyday business – cooking and milling flour in caves and stone houses – and decide for yourself.

Lush, green and absolutely gorgeous, Mother Nature had a field day with La Palma. This sleepy island offers up a more authentic picture of the Canaries. One of quaint whitewashed houses and grand colonial buildings. Sleepy little towns and tasteful low-rise resorts. And then there’s La Palma’s trump card – the scenery. One word – wow.  
• Stroll through the dinky streets of Santa Cruz, which are packed with traditional old houses, stately colonial mansions and grand Renaissance churches 
• Spend some time in Plaza de Espana. This town square is home to a lovely 16th-century fountain. Beyond this you’ll find the exquisite Iglesia de El Salvador, one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in the Canaries. 
• Discover La Palma’s volcanic past with a trip to La Caldera de Taburiente National Park. This enormous National Park is actually a volcanic crater. With a circumference of 28km, it’s the biggest in the world.

Sweeter than wine, Madeira’s a fine excuse to binge on beautiful scenery to your heart’s content. Funchal is the island’s capital, a bewitching collection of cobbled streets, quaint museums and buzzing café and restaurant life.

• Get to know Funchal. This spellbinding city is a portion of Portugal sprinkled with a dash of Garden of Eden and Edwardian Britain. The whole place seems to be smothered in vivid bougainvillea, jasmine and other exotic blooms. Don’t miss the covered market, a dizzying montage of exotic fruit stalls and flower-sellers wearing traditional costume. And take a look at the city’s impressive Sé cathedral with its ornate ceiling and artworks. 
• If you’re really into blooms, meander around Funchal’s tranquil Botanical Gardens, admiring their dazzling displays of orchids, cacti and Madeira’s iconic dragon trees. 
• Take a cable car up to the mountain village of Monte and hurtle back down the cobbles towards Funchal in a wicker toboggan. 
• Gaze in awe at the colossal Cabo Girao, one of the world’s largest coastal cliffs. Then take in the simple charms of the quaint fishing village, Camara de Lobos, one of Winston Churchill’s favourite retreats. 
• Sign up for a jeep safari to explore parts of the island that are usually off limits. 
• Last but not least, make the obligatory visit to a wine lodge to learn Madeira’s age-old wine making secrets.

Day 4      Ship At Sea

Day 5      Agadir - Morocco 07:00 - 20:00

Glittering sands that disappear into the distance. Souks brimming with sparkling trinkets. Medinas that ring with snake-charmers’ melodies. Morocco is a spice-scented corner of the world that thrills the senses. Sun-drenched Agadir is the country’s premier beach resort, with a 9km stretch of toe-tickling sands. It has all the appearance of a European resort but with an unmissable North African twist. 

• Spend some time on that glorious beach. It’s wide and long, and benefits from the sea breezes that roll gently off the Atlantic. Make sure you pack a high factor suncream – you’ll change colour quickly here, without realising the true strength of the sun’s rays. 
• When you’re not horizontal on the beach, make a beeline for the Grand Souk. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of this traditional market crammed with shiny silver and hand-woven rugs. 
• Take a trip to Marrakech, a rich tapestry of cavernous bazaars, shimmying belly dancers and billowing hookahs. Don’t miss the world famous square, Jemaa el-Fna, an incredible concoction of snake charmers, storytellers, acrobats and showmen. 
• Delve inside the ancient walls of Taroudant, an 11th-century citadel set among gnarled olive groves and sweet-smelling orange trees. Haggle to your heart’s content in the atmospheric Berber market. 
• Venture off the beaten track on a desert jeep safari, discovering traditional Berber villages along the way 
• Ever wondered what it must have felt like to have been Lawrence of Arabia? Well, now’s your chance to find out. Join a camel trek through Morocco’s swirling sand dunes.

Day 6      Arrecife - Lanzarote 11:00 - 18:00

Its lunar landscape is legendary, its sun-soaked beaches loved worldwide, and its all-round postcard prettiness powerful enough to draw people back year after year. In fact, there’s not much to dislike about Lanzarote. Soaked in sunshine and dotted with whitewashed villages, it’s got a charm all of its own. 

• Behold the world famous Timanfaya National Park, the jewel in Lanzarote’s crown. It’s renowned for its Montanas del Fuego or Mountains of Fire, a huge area of solidified lava dominated by enormous, dormant volcanoes. Breathtaking stuff. 
• Visit the spectacular Mirador del Rio, perched high on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea. It’s a glass-fronted look-out point designed by the island’s famous son, Cesar Manrique, and offers up panoramic views across to the neighbouring island of La Graciosa. 
• If all that sounds too much like hard work, head for the island’s favourite beach resort, Puerto del Carmen, and stretch out on duvet-soft sands. Bliss.
• If you haven’t heard of Cesar Manrique before your trip to Lanzarote, you’ll certainly remember him afterwards. A Lanzarote-born artist and designer, his weird and wonderful artistic creations are dotted all over the island. Discover more at the Cesar Manrique Foundation, the artist’s former home. Built around five cave-like lava bubbles, it’s impressive to say the least and the interior looks like something straight out of Austin Powers.
• Los Jameos del Agua. Another Manrique-designed masterpiece, this is an imaginatively landscaped underground grotto. In one of the cathedral-like caverns there’s a concert hall. In another, a bar with tables and chairs arranged at various levels. And in the centre you’ll find a dimly-lit rock pool that’s home to hundreds of tiny blind crabs, apparently unique to Lanzarote.

Day 7      Santa Cruz - Tenerife 06:00 - 23:59

On the one hand you've got snow-capped peaks, on the other sun-baked beaches. Neon-lit strips a stone's throw from natural masterpieces. Tenerife's got contrasts aplenty. For sheer fun and plenty of sun, it's pretty hard to beat.

• Explore Santa Cruz. Splash the cash in the city's superb range of shops or take your pick of tapas bars and enjoy a long, lazy al fresco lunch.
• Climb in a cable car and be swept skyward to Mount Teide's snow-kissed crest. The majestic mountain is Spain's highest peak.
• Head to Loro Parque, the island's award-winning wildlife park whose residents include parrots, dolphins, sealions and gorillas.
• If you'd prefer to take it easy, stretch out at Playa de las Teresitas. With its glimmering golden sand imported from the Sahara, it's a gorgeous spot to soak up the sun.

Day 8      Las Palmas - Gran Canaria

Golden dunes drenched in year-round sunshine. Rugged mountains hiding pretty whitewashed villages. Bays and coves linked together like a magnificent sandy necklace. Nature’s been kind to Gran Canaria so little surprise it lures sun-worshippers back year after year. 

• Discover the island’s cosmopolitan capital, Las Palmas, where chic boutiques and tempting tapas bars are tucked in among some breathtaking architecture. In the old town, or Veguetta district, you’ll come across the Christopher Columbus Museum, which is well worth a visit, too. 
• Take a trip to the Bandama crater. Standing over 3,000ft high, it’s one of the few inhabited volcanic craters in the world. 
• Feast your eyes on the incredible wind-sculpted sand dunes of Maspalomas. Then pick a patch of sand and soak up the sun.
• Feeling energetic? Then bag yourself some wow-factor views by taking a trip to Pico de las Nievas. Sitting at the heart of the island, its rocky slopes give way to lush banana plantations, pine forests and pretty whitewashed villages.
• Mundo Aborigen - this open-air museum near Fataga invites you to walk amongst life-sized stone statues of Gran Canaria’s original inhabitants, the Guanches. The mystery about where they originated from has never been solved. Were they Vikings? Aztecs? Or were they the sole survivors of Atlantis? Wander around the fascinating exhibits showing these tribal people going about their everyday business – cooking and milling flour in caves and stone houses – and decide for yourself.