Northern Europe from Southampton

Despite its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous postwar urban sprawl, the thousand-year-old city of Southampton has retained some of its medieval charm in parts and reinvented itself as a twenty-first century shopping centre in others, with the giant glass-and-steel West Quay as its focus.

Core of the modern town is the Civic Centre, a short walk east of the train station and home to the excellent Southampton City Art Gallery that’s particularly strong on contemporary British artists. The Western Esplanade runs alongside the best remaining bits of the old city walls.
Rebuilt after a French attack in 1338, they incorporate God’s House Tower, at the southern end of the old town in Winkle Street, which currently houses the Museum of Archaeology. Best preserved of the city’s seven gates is Bargate, at the opposite end of the old town, at the head of the High Street; it’s an elaborate structure, cluttered with lions, classical figures and defensive apertures. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise from Southampton can be the opportunity to discover the capital of England, London.
For the visitor, London is a thrilling place. Monuments from the capital’s glorious past are everywhere, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. You can relax in the city’s quiet Georgian squares, explore the narrow alleyways of the City of London, wander along the riverside walks, and uncover the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages.
The capital’s great historical landmarks – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and so on – draw in millions of tourists every year.

An MSC Northern Europe cruise offers the unique opportunity to visit St Peter Port on the island of Guernsey.

Jersey and Guernsey are the two largest islands in the archipelago of the Channel Islands, an independent state and British Crown dependency, and are only 16-50km from the French coasts and 105km from the English coasts. Your MSC cruise will take you to one of the Channel Islands, the one with its capital, St Peter Port.
French writer Victor Hugo lived for fifteen years in exile in this neat little town built around the port (1855-70). One can still visit his home – the Hauteville House – turned into a museum by his heirs and by the City of Paris, a beautiful elegant white building with a wonderful garden full of heirlooms of this great intellectual.
In Guernsey, your MSC cruise of Northern Europe will also give you the opportunity to visit the Cornet Castle, a fortress that has been protecting the ships at anchor in St Peter Port since at least the 13th century, although it was rebuilt in the 19th century.
Cornet Castle is an ideal tour also for children, with its five museums ranging from military history to naval history. Another attraction in Guernsey as you will find out during your MSC excursion on land, is the Guernsey Diamond Museum and the Guernsey Pearl workshop, for jewels enthusiasts to enjoy. The best way to enjoy the crisp air of the Channel Islands however is to take a walk in the country, with a visit to the Orchid Fields on the western coast of Guernsey, a real fest for the eyes in the summer when the flowers are in bloom.

Despite its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous postwar urban sprawl, the thousand-year-old city of Southampton has retained some of its medieval charm in parts and reinvented itself as a twenty-first century shopping centre in others, with the giant glass-and-steel West Quay as its focus.

Core of the modern town is the Civic Centre, a short walk east of the train station and home to the excellent Southampton City Art Gallery that’s particularly strong on contemporary British artists. The Western Esplanade runs alongside the best remaining bits of the old city walls.
Rebuilt after a French attack in 1338, they incorporate God’s House Tower, at the southern end of the old town in Winkle Street, which currently houses the Museum of Archaeology. Best preserved of the city’s seven gates is Bargate, at the opposite end of the old town, at the head of the High Street; it’s an elaborate structure, cluttered with lions, classical figures and defensive apertures. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise from Southampton can be the opportunity to discover the capital of England, London.
For the visitor, London is a thrilling place. Monuments from the capital’s glorious past are everywhere, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. You can relax in the city’s quiet Georgian squares, explore the narrow alleyways of the City of London, wander along the riverside walks, and uncover the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages.
The capital’s great historical landmarks – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and so on – draw in millions of tourists every year.