Ocean cruises

At the heart of the Baltic Sea, discover the emblematic towns and capitals of the region, a blend of History and sumptuous landscapes. During this 9-day cruise aboard Le Champlain, fall under the spell of the majestic panoramas of northern Europe.

Over the course of your trip, at every port of call each guest will be able to choose one included excursion from the selection offered by PONANT. During this cruise, enjoy a visit to Gdansk and fall under the spell of the music at a Chopin concert; dive into the history and tunes of ABBA from Stockholm; or attend a folkloric show in Tallinn. The range of experiences on offer promises intense and varied moments (for the full list of excursions, click on the Itinerary tab).

Leaving from Copenhagen, you will set a course for the charming fishing village of Gudhjem. Located on the small Danish island of Bornholm, it is very popular among the Danes for its gentle way of life and its beautiful landscapes of rock formations.   

You will set a course for the charming fishing village of Gudhjem. Located on the small Danish Island of Bornholm, it is very popular among the Danes for its gentle way of life and its beautiful landscapes of rock formations.

Your ship will then call at Gdansk, famous for its amber stone and its shipyards. The former Hanseatic city will reveal some of its architectural treasures, in Gothic and Baroque styles, restored or rebuilt.

Le Champlain will then sail to the Swedish island of Gotland and call at Visby, a site that was important for the Hanseatic League in the Baltic Sea around the 13th century. UNESCO Heritage Site, this once opulent city still has remarkably well-preserved ramparts, public buildings, merchant houses and warehouses.

Le Champlain will then chart a course for Stockholm. Built on water, the Swedish capital embraces nature, which is omnipresent there. Its blend of medieval architecture, colourful houses and trendy neighbourhoods makes it a particularly enjoyable city to visit.

On Saaremaa, dive into the complex history of this island, Estonia’s largest. First invaded by the Vikings, it became Danish then Swedish before being taken by the Russian Empire and later occupied by the Germans. In 1991, it finally became Estonian when the country gained its independence.

You will visit Tallinn, emblematic city of the Hanseatic League, the large trading network that dominated the Baltic Sea for several centuries. Listed as UNESCO Heritage Site, this once opulent city still have remarkably well-preserved public buildings, merchant houses and warehouses.

Your cruise will end at Helsinki. Located on a peninsula surrounded by almost 300 islands, the verdant capital of Finland will charm you with its Art Nouveau architecture.

With the presence of Cindy Miller Hopkins, American photo ambassador.

Heading for 90 degrees North! Set off from Spitsbergen to sail to the edges of the Earth and reach the North Pole, the Holy Grail of adventurers in search of “the end of the world”. Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, a technological cocoon designed for exploration, you will encounter a wild and silent world that evolves according to the ice and the plays of light of the Northern Lights. During your crossing, you will probably be lucky enough to observe spectacular fauna - polar bears, seals or whales - before, perhaps, walking on the ground of this territory frozen by the cold, the northernmost point of our planet. 

Find out more about the world of Le Commandant Charcot here!

We are privileged guests in these extreme lands where we are at the mercy of weather and ice conditions. Our navigation, mainly in the fjords, will be determined by the type of ice we come across; as the coastal ice must be preserved, we will take this into account from day to day in our itineraries. The sailing programme, outings, activities and observation of fauna cannot be guaranteed and are subject to weather and ice conditions. The experiences are unique and vary from day to day and for each departure. The Captain and the Expedition Leader will make every effort to ensure that your experience is as rich as possible, while respecting safety instructions and regulations imposed by the AECO.

In alliance with Smithsonian Journeys.

This cruise is part of a collection of PONANT voyages that are specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers who want to engage with the world. In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that encourages guests to embrace the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the local environment and culture.

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will begin over Palma de Mallorca, Spain, at 7:38 p.m., reach totality at 8:31 p.m., and end as the sun disappears over the horizon at 8:49 p.m. This voyage aboard Le Dumont-d'Urville offers you the chance to witness the extraordinarily rare setting of the sun just moments after totality, followed by an exploration of the natural beauty and cultural history of the islands of the western Mediterranean.

Begin in Barcelona and set sail in time to arrive in Palma de Mallorca at midday on the day of the eclipse. You will have time to enjoy a tour of some of the city's landmarks, including Bellver Castle and Palma's Cathedral, the second largest in Spain, before returning to the ship to prepare for the evening's eclipse.

With the experience of the eclipse behind you, attention turns to the islands themselves, which despite differences, share a history of successive waves of civilizations—Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Spaniards, Arabs, Byzantines, the French, and Italians—washing over them and leaving marks on language, art, architecture, and cuisine.

From Menorca's port of Mahon, drive across the island to Ciutadella, which was founded by the Carthaginians and served as the island's capital until 1772. A walking tour of the city's old town reveals a treasure trove of architectural styles, including a gothic cathedral and well-preserved palaces belonging to British nobility. Alternatively, visit Subaida, a family-owned farm known for its handcrafted cheeses and fine wines, for a demonstration of the production process and a tasting of local cheeses. Whichever excursion you choose, you may want to sample a Pomada, Menorca's signature frozen cocktail of gin and lemon soda.

The fishing port of Alghero on Sardinia's northern coast is a quaint old city known as “Barcelonetta” because of its strong Catalan legacy from the Middle Ages. Explore its picturesque cobblestoned streets, old walls and towers, and flamboyant churches, including the 14th-century Church of San Francesco and the Cattedrale di Santa Maria, before boarding a coach for a panoramic drive along the coast to Capo Caccia. These stunning limestone headlands jutting into the sea are an impressive sight, and the area is dotted with nuraghi, the prehistoric monumental towers that are found all over the island.

The port of L'Ile-Rousse on the northern coast of Corsica serves as your gateway to Calvi, once a Genoese stronghold and now a picturesque vacation getaway. A guided walking tour includes the Citadel, with stunning views over the sea and the houses below, the Place d'Armes, and the Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste. Also visit the house of Christopher Colombus, who is believed to have been born in Calvi. Then make your way to the lower town and the Quay Landry, featuring a lovely marina and a café-lined promenade.

Continue your discovery of these islands in Portoferraio, the main harbor of the island of Elba. Most famous as the site of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile in 1814-15, Portoferraio was founded by the Médicis in the 16th century. A tour of Villa San Martino, Napoleon’s summer residence during exile, is followed by a visit to the charming village of Porto Azzurro and a wine tasting and sampling of Tuscan mezze at a local vineyard.

Porto Ercole on the Italian mainland is a seaside resort less well-known than some. But nestled between the lush green vegetation of Monte Argentario and the surreal blue of the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is a marvelous place to explore on foot. You may choose among options for walking tours on a variety of trails that lead to great views and to fortifications built by the Spanish to protect Tuscany from Ottoman attacks.

The small Italian fishing village of Portofino, now a favored haunt of the rich and famous, welcomes you on the final day before disembarkation in Nice, France, for a relaxing afternoon and evening of leisurely browsing through its shops and galleries, as well as a chance to sample the local cuisine and wines.

Set sail for the wild and grandiose landscapes of Kimberley, following this exceptional PONANT itinerary.  

From Broome to Darwin, embark for an 11-day expedition cruise.

On the Lacepede Islands, take the time to admire the abundance of nesting birds as well as the large population of turtles residing in the lagoon. You will also visit Collier Bay, where you will be able to admire the Montgomery Reef, home to vast expanses of lagoons and immense coral reefs.

Your ship will take you along one of the most spectacular coasts in the entire region.

In one of the most picturesque parts of the region, the Hunter River, you will see wild mangrove forests where saltwater crocodiles live along with many species of birds.

During your cruise, the magnificent bays of Vansittart and Swift will offer you exceptional panoramas, between islands, secret inlets, caves and rocky overhangs.

The highpoint of this cruise will undoubtedly be the discovery of the King George River and the majestic Twin Falls, the highest falls in Western Australia.

With their falls, abrupt gorges, savannah, calm waters and desolate mountain chains, the wild lands of Kimberley are the promise of an exceptional adventure.

This itinerary is given as an indication only. Based on tide times and weather conditions, the Captain and the Expedition Leader may need to switch the order of certain ports of call around to ensure guests have the best possible experience.

In alliance with Smithsonian Journeys.

This cruise is part of a collection of PONANT voyages that are specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers who want to engage with the world. In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that encourages guests to embrace the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the local environment and culture.

Set sail with PONANT aboard Le Bellot for a 9-day cruise to discover the Great Lakes.

You will leave from cosmopolitan and dynamic Toronto, Ontario, on the shore of Lake Ontario. Canada’s largest city will charm you with its museums, parks, and gardens.

Le Bellot will then transit the Welland Canal connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. From your call in Port Colborne, you will be able to see the impressive Niagara Falls. These three powerful waterfalls, renowned the world over, are an exquisite natural spectacle.

Your next lake, Lake Huron, boasts myriad islands in its northern sector, with white rocks capped with conifers plunging into the sapphire waters of the lake. Here you will discover the charming city of Parry Sound, in the heart of the fantastic UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Georgian Bay, and the quaint town of Little Current, gateway to Manitoulin Island, the world’s largest freshwater island.

From Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, you will have the opportunity to transit the engineering marvel of the Soo Locks for a foray into Lake Superior, before continuing to Mackinac Island for an exploration of the island’s Victorian past by horse and buggy.

End your voyage by sailing the length of Lake Michigan, a veritable inland sea, following in the footsteps of the region’s indigenous Americans, first settlers, and trappers. Make your way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the United States’ “brew city,” for disembarkation.