43 Night World Cruise

Lisbon cruise port is one of the most atmospheric arrivals in Europe. Ships sail up the Tagus River past the 25 de Abril Bridge (a near-twin of San Francisco's Golden Gate) and the Christ the King statue, with the city rising up on seven hills to the north.

Porto is Portugal's second city, sitting on the steep banks of the Douro River near the Atlantic coast. Cruise ships dock at the port of Leixoes, an industrial harbor in the suburb of Matosinhos about 8 kilometers north of Porto's historic center.

Bordeaux is one of France's great cities, a UNESCO-listed urban center on the Garonne River in southwestern France known worldwide for its wine but increasingly recognized for its architecture, food scene, and cultural institutions. The Bordeaux cruise port is unusual: ocean-going cruise ships dock at the industrial port facility at Le Verdon-sur-Mer at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, about 100 km from Bordeaux city center, or occasionally at Bassens or Pauillac closer to the city.

Bordeaux is one of France's great cities, a UNESCO-listed urban center on the Garonne River in southwestern France known worldwide for its wine but increasingly recognized for its architecture, food scene, and cultural institutions. The Bordeaux cruise port is unusual: ocean-going cruise ships dock at the industrial port facility at Le Verdon-sur-Mer at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, about 100 km from Bordeaux city center, or occasionally at Bassens or Pauillac closer to the city.

Paris (Le Havre) cruise port is the gateway from Northern European cruise itineraries to Paris and Normandy. Le Havre itself is a port city on the Normandy coast where the Seine River meets the English Channel, about 200 kilometers northwest of Paris.

Rotterdam is Europe's largest port city and a major cruise embarkation point in the Netherlands, located in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt river delta about 80 km south of Amsterdam. The cruise terminal (Rotterdam Cruise Terminal) is at the Wilhelminakade on the south bank of the Nieuwe Maas river, in the shadow of the Erasmus Bridge.

Hamburg is Germany's second-largest city and its biggest port, sitting about 100 kilometers inland from the North Sea on the Elbe River. The city serves as a major embarkation point for Northern European, Norwegian fjord, and Baltic Sea cruises, with a growing role as a port of call on repositioning and British Isles itineraries.

Zeebrugge is a North Sea port about 15 km from Bruges, one of Europe's best-preserved medieval cities. Ships dock at Zeebrugge, but the destination is Bruges: a city of 120,000 people whose medieval center survived the centuries virtually intact because the city's commercial importance faded after the Zwin river silted up in the 15th century, and nobody had a reason to tear anything down.

London (Southampton) cruise port is the busiest cruise departure point in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Northern Europe. The port sits in Southampton, a city on England's southern coast about 80 miles southwest of London.

London (Southampton) cruise port is the busiest cruise departure point in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Northern Europe. The port sits in Southampton, a city on England's southern coast about 80 miles southwest of London.

Copenhagen cruise port is the main cruise gateway to Scandinavia and one of the most important embarkation ports for Baltic and Norwegian fjord itineraries. The city has three cruise terminals.

Stockholm is Sweden's capital and the largest city in Scandinavia, built across 14 islands where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea. The approach by cruise ship through the Stockholm Archipelago, a chain of roughly 30,000 islands stretching 80 kilometers east of the city, is consistently rated one of the most scenic port arrivals in Europe.

Finland's design-forward capital welcomes cruise ships to a port near the Market Square and the iconic Helsinki Cathedral. The city is known for its Art Nouveau architecture, contemporary design district, and the historic Suomenlinna sea fortress accessible by ferry.

Tallinn's remarkably well-preserved medieval Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with cobblestone streets, Gothic spires, and the Toompea Castle all walkable from the cruise port. The city offers excellent craft markets, medieval restaurants, and Baltic charm.

Warnemunde is a seaside resort town at the mouth of the Warnow River on Germany's Baltic coast, serving as the cruise port for the Hanseatic city of Rostock and, more importantly for most passengers, as the gateway to Berlin, about 230 km (2.5 hours) to the south.