Pharaohs & Ancient Empires

Begin where the desert meets ambition. Ascend the Burj Khalifa at dusk, then trade the skyline for the hush of the Empty Quarter, dinner beneath the stars beside a Bedouin fire and a falcon on the wrist. Back aboard, the yacht lies in the heart of Port Rashid while the big ships queue far offshore. It is the rare luxury of arriving grand and slipping away quietly, the city's glitter dissolving astern as SeaDream III melts into the day.

Sur still builds ocean-going dhows by hand, their timber hulls rising in yards little changed for centuries. Wander the whitewashed lighthouse village of Ayjah at the harbor mouth, then drive to Ras al-Jinz, where green turtles haul ashore to nest under moonlight. Few large ships can call here; SeaDream III's shallow draught slips into a working Arabian port most cruisers only read about, leaving you among fishermen and frankincense rather than crowds.

In the Dhofar hills, gnarled frankincense trees still weep the resin that once made this coast richer than gold. Walk the UNESCO ruins of Al Baleed beside the lagoon, taste bananas and coconuts straight from roadside farms, then watch the sea explode through the blowholes at Mughsail. Call after the khareef monsoon and the desert turns improbably, emerald green. This is Arabia at its most fragrant and least expected, a harbor the fleets sail past.

Jeddah's Al-Balad quarter is a labyrinth of coral-stone houses and carved wooden roshan balconies, newly UNESCO-listed and barely touched by tourism. Sip cardamom coffee in a merchant's courtyard, haggle in souks thick with oud and spice, then walk the corniche as the Red Sea turns molten at sunset. The historic gateway to Mecca, one of Arabia's most beguiling old cities, has opened to guests only recently and is reached by ship rarer still.

Jeddah's Al-Balad quarter is a labyrinth of coral-stone houses and carved wooden roshan balconies, newly UNESCO-listed and barely touched by tourism. Sip cardamom coffee in a merchant's courtyard, haggle in souks thick with oud and spice, then walk the corniche as the Red Sea turns molten at sunset. The historic gateway to Mecca, one of Arabia's most beguiling old cities, has opened to guests only recently and is reached by ship rarer still.

A historic Red Sea trading port that once supplied pilgrims traveling overland to Mecca, Yanbu's old town, Al-Balad, still holds coral-stone merchant houses several centuries old. The reef just offshore, part of the same system that runs the length of the Red Sea, remains far less dived than its Egyptian counterparts, and the beaches here are correspondingly quieter. A genuinely under-the-radar stop on Saudi Arabia's newly opening coast.

Safaga (Luxor) is your desert doorway to Luxor, the greatest open-air museum on earth. Stand small before the colossal columns of Karnak, descend into the jewel-bright painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings, and drift over the Nile's temples in a dawn hot-air balloon. Return to the ship's cool as the day's heat breaks, no sprawling resort, no scramble for the tender. Few voyages deliver ancient Thebes and a thalassotherapy soak in the same afternoon.

Safaga (Luxor) is your desert doorway to Luxor, the greatest open-air museum on earth. Stand small before the colossal columns of Karnak, descend into the jewel-bright painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings, and drift over the Nile's temples in a dawn hot-air balloon. Return to the ship's cool as the day's heat breaks, no sprawling resort, no scramble for the tender. Few voyages deliver ancient Thebes and a thalassotherapy soak in the same afternoon.

From Aqaba's coral-fringed shore, the road climbs to Petra, where the Treasury glows rose-pink at the end of a mile-long canyon slot carved by wind and water. Spend the afternoon among Nabataean tombs, then let Wadi Rum's Martian sands, where Lawrence once rode, take your breath at dusk. Back at the Gulf, the fringing reefs off Aqaba's beach clubs and dive centres are a few minutes from the berth. Three deserts, one warm sea, and never a ship to change.

From Aqaba's coral-fringed shore, the road climbs to Petra, where the Treasury glows rose-pink at the end of a mile-long canyon slot carved by wind and water. Spend the afternoon among Nabataean tombs, then let Wadi Rum's Martian sands, where Lawrence once rode, take your breath at dusk. Back at the Gulf, the fringing reefs off Aqaba's beach clubs and dive centres are a few minutes from the berth. Three deserts, one warm sea, and never a ship to change.

Sharm is where the Red Sea shows off. Snorkel the coral walls of Ras Mohammed, where the reef drops sheer into cobalt depths teeming with fusiliers and turtles, then take the afternoon at a Naama Bay beach club. Ashore, a moonlit drive into the Sinai reaches St Catherine's Monastery beneath the mountain of Moses. Bright reef by day, ancient desert silence by day, and no crowded resort in sight.

Few days at sea rival this one. Take your coffee to the rail as SeaDream III threads the Suez Canal, a ribbon of water splitting two continents, desert running to both horizons while camel trains and fishing skiffs drift past at eye level. On a small ship you feel the scale intimately, the bridge wing close enough to wave to the pilots. It is a slow, cinematic passage between two seas, one to be savoured rather than merely crossed.

Alexandria wears its layers openly, the modernist Bibliotheca echoing the lost ancient library, the Qaitbay fort standing where the Pharos lighthouse once blazed. Then comes the pilgrimage inland to Giza, where the Pyramids and Sphinx rise from the sand exactly as promised and still astonish, before Tutankhamun's gold in the vast Grand Egyptian Museum. Return to a quiet berth in the evening while the giant ships anchor far offshore.

Kusadasi is a beach resort town on Turkey’s Aegean coast and the center of the seaside district of the same name in Aydin Province. The seaside town is also your gateway to the classical ruins at nearby Ephesus, among the world’s best preserved ancient Greco-Roman remains, including its excavated Terrace Houses and House of the Virgin Mary. Kusadasi’s seafront promenade, marina, and harbor are lined with quaint restaurants. Just offshore on Pigeon Island stands a walled thirteenth-century Byzantine castle that once guarded the town. Meet resident wild boars at nearby Dikek National Park, comprised of four secluded beaches, a spectacular coastline, and incomparable views of the Aegean Sea, just one of Turkey’s many protected conservation areas.

The small island of Syros offers the quintessential Greek island holiday experience without the crowds often found in the more well-known Greek Isles. With pristine blue waters, Syros’ breathtaking beaches are sure to impress. Kini, Vari, Azolimnos and Yalissás Beach are among its most famous options to bask in the sun. Beyond its beautiful beaches, Syros is part of the Cyclades, an island group in the Aegean Sea, and is filled with culture and history. The island is also commonly recognized for its Aegean cuisine which features several local specialties, making Syros a culinary destination.

Piraeus, roughly translating to “the place over the passage”, is an important Greek port located within the Athens agglomeration, in the Attica Basin. It is 12 kilometers from the municipality of Athens, considered the fourth largest and is the third most populous amongst all the municipalities of Greece. Now a peninsula, Piraeus, originally a rocky island, was developed in early 5th Century B.C. when it was initially designated as Athens’ import and transit trade port. It is the largest marine-based shipping center of Greece, one of the largest ports in Europe, and considered the second largest passenger port in the world. Inhabited since the 26th Century, it wasn’t until the 6th Century B.C. that Piraeus began catching attention. The land of Piraeus was essentially impassable, flooded by the sea most of the year until centuries passed and the flooding ceased. By the 5th Century B.C. it became a navy base for the Athenian fleet for the natural harbors and the strategic potential they carried. Athenian general and politician Themistocles fortified Piraeus’ three harbors Kantharos, Zea and Munichia, created ship houses and completed his walls in 471 B.C., which led to the port becoming a great military and commercial harbor. There are many archaeological sites, points of interest and entertainment available in Piraeus. Most famous for its tavernas and cuisine, several popular events take place in Piraeus, such as the Ecocinema International Film Festival, the Maritime Festival, the Piraeus Rock Wave Festival and the Three Kings’ Way Festival. There are also many theaters, including the Municipal Theater, the open air Veakeio Theater, and the Menandreio Theater. Museums in Piraeus include the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, the Merchant Shipping History Institute Exhibition, the Panos Aravantinos Decor Museum, the Georgios Averof Museum Ship and the Museum of Electric Railways. Be sure to catch the panoramic views available from the hill of Kastella, overlooking Athens and the Saronic Gulf!