Price based on lowest available cruise only fare for double occupancy. Subject to change at any time.
With a name inspired by an early Virgin Atlantic plane, Scarlet Lady is Virgin Voyages' premium take on what a luxury cruise ship means - sailing from the vibrant shores of Miami. Ushering in a new era for sea travel, she's designed with a unique approach to how cruises look and feel.
Cruise ID: 24388
The Vitamin Sea ethos focuses on well-being that delivers rejuvenation and transformation for all sailors. Our entire voyage.
employs elements of both detox and retox, depending on how a sailor might want to curate their time. We embrace self-care while feeding our mischievous curiosities at the same time, recognizing that a complete experience makes room for both.
We've already taken care of taking care of the crew. So, don't worry, the tips are on us.
| Date | Time | Price * | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 2025 | 18:00 | €3,442 | Call us to book |
* Price based on lowest available cruise only fare for double occupancy. Subject to change at any time.
1-2
Full stocked, in-room bar. Check. Record player.
ready to spin favorite tunes. Double check. This suite is ideal for those who are serious about living life to the fullest.
With plenty of room to take in the mesmerizing ocean views from any corner, luxury and self-care become serious art forms here. From the hand-woven hammock on the terrace to the outdoor champagne table and indoor Peek-a-Boo shower, this suite is the perfect place for bottle poppin' and voyage rockin'. Sleeps up to two.
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
1-2
With endless back-of-the-ship, ocean eye candy, there's no such thing as a bad view in this suite. Sailors can kick back here (the highest and biggest terrace of the Sweet Afts) while lounging in the hand-woven hammock chair or relaxing around the Champagne table.
After freshening up and soaking in the sunlight provided by the indoor Peek-a-Boo shower.
the fully stocked, in-room bar and record player are the only things needed to get the party started. Sleeps up to two.
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Unique Call-Outs:
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1-2
With endless back-of-the-ship, ocean eye candy, there's no such thing as a bad view in this suite. Sailors can kick back here (the highest and biggest terrace of the Sweet Afts) while lounging in the hand-woven hammock chair or relaxing around the Champagne table.
After freshening up and soaking in the sunlight provided by the indoor Peek-a-Boo shower the fully.
stocked, in-room bar and record player are the only things needed to get the party started. Sleeps up to two.
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
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1-2
With endless back-of-the-ship, ocean eye candy, there's no such thing as a bad view in this suite. Sailors.
can kick back here (the highest and biggest terrace of the Sweet Afts) while lounging in the hand-woven hammock chair or relaxing around the Champagne table.
After freshening up and soaking in the sunlight provided by the indoor Peek-a-Boo shower the fully stocked, in-room bar and record player are the only things needed to get the party started. Sleeps up to two.
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1-3
Just picture everything The Sea Terrace has, with more room space and a way bigger bathroom. Our biggest of all cabins actually. Perfect for those who make getting ready.
a serious art.
A sensory and responsive clever cabin, nautically inspired brass and leather finishings, a personal tablet, intuitive mood lighting, music controls, movie streaming, one-touch room service and a supremely comfy European queen, transitional Seabed. Plus the large, perfectly partitioned, upgraded walk-in bathroom has enough space for two. Even the Roomier Rainshower boasts just the right amount of space for some “we” time. Sleeps up to three.
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1-3
For Sailors who prefer to be mid ship, this cabin has all the comforts and amenities of The Sea Terrace, but is positioned closer to the action.
Featuring nautically inspired brass and leather finishings, this sensory and responsive clever cabin has it all from the personal.
tablet, intuitive mood lighting, music controls, movie streaming, one-touch room service, European queen, transitional Seabed, handwoven terrace hammock and upgraded bathroom experience with a Roomy Rainshower. Sleeps up to three.
Heroes:
Mood lighting
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1-3
Nightlife type who prefers to catch Z's without the morning sun peeking through the blinds? Then this window-free cabin will be perfect. Add in all the amenities of other cabins, just subtract the pesky glare. Sleeps up to three.
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Brilliant Basics
1-3
Views on views minus the messy hair. This cabin has all the amenities of cabin life with a window seat that's the closest Sailors can get to the ocean without getting wet (save that for the pool party). Sleeps up to three.
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1-4
Relaxing is truly an art form in this suite. The terrace hammock here is the perfect spot to enjoy a nightcap while watching the moon flirt with the sea.
Once inside, Sailors can lose themselves in the massive European king bed while drifting off to the sounds of the waves (or the vinyl record player).
Complemented perfectly by brass nautical finishings throughout, there's also a fully stocked, in-room bar, an indoor Peek-a-Boo shower with an iridescent dichroic glass window for a peek into the room and an outdoor Peek-a-View shower facing the sea, near the terrace Champagne table.
and sun lounger. Sleeps up to four.
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1-4
Whether a Sailor's rider specifies 1000 candy bars, a rare-aged gin, or 1 penguin (try us), inner rockers will come alive in this suite. With a view of the European king bed from the indoor Peek-a-Boo indoor shower through a dichroic glass window, the only sensual rival is the ocean itself.
Sailors can crank up the tunes from the record player, serve up some drinks from the fully stocked in-room bar, then take the party to the terrace to enjoy more stunning sea views while relaxing.
around the Champagne table. Sleeps up to four.
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1-4
Relaxing is truly an art form in this suite. The terrace hammock here is the perfect spot to enjoy a nightcap while watching the moon flirt with the sea.
Once inside, Sailors can lose themselves in the massive European king bed while drifting off to the sounds of the waves (or the vinyl record player).
Complemented perfectly by brass nautical finishings throughout, there's also a fully stocked, in-room bar, an indoor Peek-a-Boo shower with an iridescent dichroic glass window for a peek into the room and an outdoor Peek-a-View shower facing the sea, near the terrace Champagne table.
and sun lounger. Sleeps up to four.
1-2
Nightlife type who prefers to catch Z's without the morning sun peeking through the blinds? Then this window-free cabin will be perfect. Add in all the amenities of other cabins, just subtract the pesky glare. Sleeps up to three.
Heroes:
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1-2
Views on views minus the messy hair. This cabin has all the amenities of cabin life with a window seat that's the closest Sailors can get to the ocean without getting wet (save that for the pool party). Sleeps up to three.
Heroes:
Mood lighting
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1-4
Positioned at the front of the ship for unparalleled views, this most tricked out, most extra, unreal three room suite at sea is fit for rock & roll royalty. Complete with a private music room that doubles as a second bedroom, it's all legend-style here, down to the brass and leather nautical.
finishings.
Step outside to find things like sun loungers, a standing hot tub and an open air Peeka-View shower onto the sea. The expansive top to bottom marble clad bathroom features an indoor Peek-a-Boo shower with an iridescent, dichroic glass window onto the European king bed.
Sailors can debate the latest musical hits while sipping some bubbly at the Champagne bucket-style table on the terrace, lounging on the full length hammock, sitting in the conversation pit bar area or stretching out in the suite's private lookout point. Sleeps up to four.
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Unique Call-Outs
1-4
Whether a Sailor prefers sunshine yoga on the terrace, or serving up negronis at the fully stocked, in-room bar, this suite is perfect for those who love to host.
When here alone, they'll be tasked with the age-old problem of relaxing in the fully marbled bathroom with an indoor dichroic glass enclosed Peek-a-Boo shower or rinsing off on the terrace in the suite's outdoor Peeka-View shower under the moonlight.
With brass nautical finishings throughout, Sailors can relax on the European king bed while cranking some tunes on the vinyl record player or head outside to the three-seater lounger then pop some bubbly.
at the Champagne table on the terrace. Sleeps up to four.
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1-4
Not to be outdone by the (slightly) larger Massive and Fab suites, our Posh Suites are designed to make Sailors feel like royalty so they can live their most posh and glamorous life here.
Complete with brass nautical finishings throughout, Sailors will enjoy the European king bed, while sipping a cocktail from the fully stocked, in-room bar and listening to tunes from the vinyl record player.
Sailors can relax on the sun lounger next to the Champagne bucket style table overlooking the waves or rinse off with the open-air outdoor, Peek-a-View shower on the terrace. Head inside for the indoor Peek-a-Boo.
shower with an iridescent dichroic glass window, situated in the top to bottom marble encased bathroom. Sleeps up to four.
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1-4
Built for groups of Sailors, what happens inside this cabin, stays inside (because it's sans windows). The bunk beds go from sleep.
to sit in no time while the amenities in this sensory and responsive clever cabin match that of all other cabins, except the way bigger TV. Sleeps up to four.
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1
This cocoon-like cabin is perfect for fans of late nights and sleeping in until after lunch. It's super cozy and ideal for solo travelers.
Standard cabin amenities, check. No window, no problem. Sleeps one.
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1-4
Epic ocean views, whether Sailors are inside on the European queen, transitional Seabed or dangling from the sustainable sourced, hand-woven terrace hammock.
Complete with nautically inspired brass and leather finishings, Sailors will enjoy this sensory and responsive.
clever cabin. Just pick up the personal tablet to adjust the mood lighting, music controls, movie streaming or even one-touch room service.
Sea gaze outside or head in to freshen up under the Roomy Rainshower in the upgraded bathroom experience. Sleeps up to four
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Unique Call-Outs:
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1
Views on views minus the messy hair. Sailors will enjoy all the amenities of cabin life while watching the waves.
from a personal hideaway. It's the closest Sailors can get to the ocean without getting wet (save that for the pool party). Sleeps one.
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1-4
All the comforts and amenities of The Sea Terrace with a slightly limited view because, well, shippy stuff. Otherwise, this sensory and responsive clever cabin has it all from nautically inspired brass.
and leather finishings to the personal tablet, intuitive mood lighting, music controls, movie streaming and one-touch room service.
Sailors will relax on the European queen, transitional Seabed or the sustainably sourced, hand-woven terrace hammock. Not in the outdoor mood? No problem, refresh and relax under the Roomy Rainshower in the upgraded bathroom experience. Sleeps up to four.
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
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1-4
Epic ocean views, whether Sailors are inside on the European queen, transitional Seabed or dangling from the sustainable sourced, hand-woven terrace hammock.
Complete with nautically inspired brass and leather finishings, Sailors will enjoy this sensory and responsive.
clever cabin. Just pick up the personal tablet to adjust the mood lighting, music controls, movie streaming or even one-touch room service.
Sea gaze outside or head in to freshen up under the Roomy Rainshower in the upgraded bathroom experience. Sleeps up to four
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
Brilliant Basics:
1-2
With endless back-of-the-ship, ocean eye candy, there's no such thing as a bad view in this suite. Sailors can kick back here (the highest and biggest terrace of the Sweet Afts) while lounging in the hand-woven hammock chair or relaxing around the Champagne table.
After freshening up and soaking in the sunlight provided by the indoor Peek-a-Boo shower the fully.
stocked, in-room bar and record player are the only things needed to get the party started. Sleeps up to two.
1-2
Wrapping panoramic views from the corner of the ship are emphasized by design choices in these suites. Enjoy custom interior carbon fiber chairs on this terrace, meant to maximize sea views - in this case, the wake view. Sailors will gaze at the sea while relaxing near the gorgeous outdoor Champagne table or kicking back in the hand-woven hammock chair.
After they've finished soaking in the views, Sailors can indulge in some classics with their vinyl record player and a personalized, fully stocked, in-room bar. Then they'll freshen up in the expansive top to bottom marble.
bathroom featuring the Roomiest Rainshower. Sleeps up to two.
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
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1-2
Wrapping panoramic views from the corner of the ship are emphasized by design choices in these suites. Enjoy custom interior carbon fiber chairs on this terrace, meant to maximize sea views - in this case, the wake view. Sailors will gaze at the sea while relaxing near the gorgeous outdoor Champagne table or kicking back in the hand-woven hammock chair.
After they've finished soaking in the views, Sailors can indulge in some classics with their vinyl record player and a personalized, fully stocked, in-room bar. Then they'll freshen up in the expansive.
top to bottom marble bathroom featuring the Roomiest Rainshower. Sleeps up to two.
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
Brilliant Basics:
1-2
Wrapping panoramic views from the corner of the ship are emphasized by design choices in these suites. Enjoy custom interior carbon fiber chairs on this terrace, meant to maximize sea views - in this case, the wake view. Sailors will gaze at the sea while relaxing near the gorgeous outdoor Champagne table or kicking back in the hand-woven hammock chair.
After they've finished soaking in the views, Sailors can indulge in some classics with their vinyl record player.
and a personalized, fully stocked, in-room bar. Then they'll freshen up in the expansive top to bottom marble bathroom featuring the Roomiest Rainshower. Sleeps up to two.
Heroes:
Unique Call-Outs:
Brilliant Basics:
Day 1 Portsmouth, England
Portsmouth is one of the most densely populated cities in Southern England, and is unusual as most of its built-up area occupies Portsea Island, linked to the mainland by road and rail bridges. Although there is a Roman fort at nearby Portchester, occupied later by the Saxons and Normans, there was no settlement on the site of Portsmouth at the time of the 1086 Domesday Book. The town developed in medieval times and received its first charter in 1194 from King Richard I; soon afterwards it became a major naval base. It has the world's oldest dry dock, and is home to several famous ships, including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose, raised from the Solent in 1982. Portsmouth remains an important naval base and is home to a large proportion of the British service fleet. The waterfront area is now dominated by the Spinnaker Tower, 560 feet high, the United Kingdom's tallest building outside London. Other things to see in the city include the house where Charles Dickens was born, and the City Museum, which contains a permanent exhibition devoted to another famous writer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who lived in the town.
Day 2 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam combines the unrivaled beauty of the 17th-century Golden Age city center with plenty of museums and art of the highest order, not to mention a remarkably laid-back atmosphere. It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world. Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory. Quite the contrary: on nearly every street here you'll find old and new side by side—quiet corners where time seems to be holding its breath next to streets like neon-lit Kalverstraat, and Red Light ladies strutting by the city's oldest church. Indeed, Amsterdam has as many lovely facets as a 40-carat diamond polished by one of the city's gem cutters. It's certainly a metropolis, but a rather small and very accessible one. Locals tend to refer to it as a big village, albeit one that happens to pack the cultural wallop of a major world destination. There are scores of concerts every day, numerous museums, summertime festivals, and, of course, a legendary year-round party scene. It's pretty much impossible to resist Amsterdam's charms. With 7,000 registered monuments, most of which began as the residences and warehouses of humble merchants, set on 160 man-made canals, and traversed by 1,500 or so bridges, Amsterdam has the largest historical inner city in Europe. Its famous circle of waterways, the grachtengordel, was a 17th-century urban expansion plan for the rich and is a lasting testament to the city's Golden Age. This town is endearing because of its kinder, gentler nature—but a reputation for championing sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll does not alone account for Amsterdam's being one of the most popular destinations in Europe: consider that within a single square mile the city harbors some of the greatest achievements in Western art, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh. Not to mention that this is one of Europe's great walking cities, with so many of its treasures in the untouted details: tiny alleyways barely visible on the map, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, floating houseboats, hidden hofjes(courtyards with almshouses), sudden vistas of church spires, and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings. And don't forget that the joy lies in details: elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner. Keep in mind that those XXX symbols you see all over town are not a mark of the city's triple-X reputation. They're part of Amsterdam's official coat of arms—three St. Andrew's crosses, believed to represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: flood, fire, and pestilence. The coat's motto ("Valiant, determined, compassionate") was introduced in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina in remembrance of the 1941 February Strike in Amsterdam—the first time in Europe that non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.
Day 3 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam combines the unrivaled beauty of the 17th-century Golden Age city center with plenty of museums and art of the highest order, not to mention a remarkably laid-back atmosphere. It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world. Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory. Quite the contrary: on nearly every street here you'll find old and new side by side—quiet corners where time seems to be holding its breath next to streets like neon-lit Kalverstraat, and Red Light ladies strutting by the city's oldest church. Indeed, Amsterdam has as many lovely facets as a 40-carat diamond polished by one of the city's gem cutters. It's certainly a metropolis, but a rather small and very accessible one. Locals tend to refer to it as a big village, albeit one that happens to pack the cultural wallop of a major world destination. There are scores of concerts every day, numerous museums, summertime festivals, and, of course, a legendary year-round party scene. It's pretty much impossible to resist Amsterdam's charms. With 7,000 registered monuments, most of which began as the residences and warehouses of humble merchants, set on 160 man-made canals, and traversed by 1,500 or so bridges, Amsterdam has the largest historical inner city in Europe. Its famous circle of waterways, the grachtengordel, was a 17th-century urban expansion plan for the rich and is a lasting testament to the city's Golden Age. This town is endearing because of its kinder, gentler nature—but a reputation for championing sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll does not alone account for Amsterdam's being one of the most popular destinations in Europe: consider that within a single square mile the city harbors some of the greatest achievements in Western art, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh. Not to mention that this is one of Europe's great walking cities, with so many of its treasures in the untouted details: tiny alleyways barely visible on the map, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, floating houseboats, hidden hofjes(courtyards with almshouses), sudden vistas of church spires, and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings. And don't forget that the joy lies in details: elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner. Keep in mind that those XXX symbols you see all over town are not a mark of the city's triple-X reputation. They're part of Amsterdam's official coat of arms—three St. Andrew's crosses, believed to represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: flood, fire, and pestilence. The coat's motto ("Valiant, determined, compassionate") was introduced in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina in remembrance of the 1941 February Strike in Amsterdam—the first time in Europe that non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.
Day 4 Zeebrugge, Belgium
In 1895 work began to construct a new seaport and harbour next to the tiny village of Zeebrugge, situated on the North Sea coast. Today the fast-expanding port of Zeebrugge is one of the busiest in Europe and its marina is Belgium's most important fishing port. Many attempts were made to destroy this important port during both World Wars. Zeebrugge is ideally located for discovering the historic city of Bruges, and delightful seaside resorts with long sandy beaches can be visited by using the trams that run the whole length of the Belgian coast. Please note that no food may be taken ashore in Belgium. We shall not be offering shuttle buses to Bruges, but you may visit the city on an optional excursion: those visiting Bruges should note that there may be quite a long walk from the coach to the town centre.
Day 5 Cruising
Day 6 Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland
In bustling Kirkwall, the main town on Orkney, there's plenty to see in the narrow, winding streets extending from the harbor. The cathedral and some museums are highlights.
Day 7 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Tour description Stornoway, Scotland The Isle of Lewis and Harris is the northernmost and largest of the Outer Hebrides-the Western Isles in common parlance. The island's only major town, Stornoway, is on a nearly landlocked harbor on the east coast of Lewis. It's the port capital for the Outer Hebrides and the island's cultural center, such that it is. Stornoway has an increasing number of good restaurants. Lewis has some fine historic attractions, including the Calanais Standing Stones-a truly magical place. The Uists are known for their rare, plentiful wildlife. Stornoway. Besides being the island's main entry point for ferries, Stornoway is also Lewis's main arts center. You'll find some good restaurants in town if you want to have lunch off the ship. The town can be explored by bicycle if you are so inclined. Local rental shops can give you advice on where to ride, including a route to Tolsta that takes in five stunning beaches before reaching the edge of moorland. An Lanntair Arts Centre. The fabulous An Lanntair Arts Centre has exhibitions of contemporary and traditional art, as well as a cinema, a gift shop, and a restaurant serving international and Scottish fare. There are frequent traditional musical and theatrical events in the impressive auditorium. Kenneth St.. Black House. In the small community of Arnol, the Black House is a well-preserved example of an increasingly rare type of traditional Hebridean home. Once common throughout the islands-even into the 1950s-these dwellings were built without mortar and thatched on a timber framework without eaves. Other characteristic features include an open central peat hearth and the absence of a chimney-hence the soot and the designation black. On display inside are many of the house's original furnishings. To reach Arnol from Port of Ness, head south on the A857 and pick up the A858 at Barvas. Off A858, 21 mi southwest of Port of Ness. Admission charged. Calanais Standing Stones. These impressive stones are actually part of a cluster of several different archaeological sites in this area. Probably positioned in several stages between 3000 BC and 1500 BC, the grouping consists of an avenue of 19 monoliths extending northward from a circle of 13 stones, with other rows leading south, east, and west. Ruins of a cairn sit within the circle on the east side. Researchers believe they may have been used for astronomical observations, but you can create your own explanations. The visitor center has an exhibit on the stones, a gift shop, and a tearoom. On an unmarked road off A858. Admission charged. Dun Carloway. One of the best-preserved Iron Age brochs (circular stone towers) in Scotland, Dun Carloway dominates the scattered community of Carloway. The mysterious tower was probably built around 2,000 years ago as protection against seaborne raiders. The Dun Broch Centre explains more about the broch and its setting. Off A857. Gearrannan. Up a side road north from Carloway, Gearrannan is an old black-house village that has been brought back to life with a museum screening excellent short films on peat cutting and weaving. For a unique experience, groups can rent the restored houses. Leverburgh. At Leverburgh you can take the ferry to North Uist. Nearby Northton has several attractions; St. Clement's Church at Rodel is particularly worth a visit. MacGillivray Centre. Located in a round building overlooking the bay, the MacGillivray Centre gives insight into the life and work of William MacGillivray (1796-1852), a noted naturalist with strong links to Harris. MacGillivray authored the five-volume History of British Birds. This is a great location for a picnic (there are tables for just such a purpose). A walk to a ruined church starts at the parking lot. A859, Northton. Seallam! Visitor Centre and Co Leis Thu? Genealogical Research Centre. The center is where you can trace your Western Isles ancestry. Photographs and interpretive signs describe the history of Harris and its people. The owners organize guided walks and cultural evenings weekly between May and September. Off A859, Northton. Admission charged. St. Clement's Church. At the southernmost point of Harris is the community of Rodel, where you can find St. Clement's Church, a cruciform church standing on a hillock. This is the most impressive pre-Reformation church in the Outer Hebrides; it was built around 1500 and contains the magnificently sculptured tomb (1528) of the church's builder, Alasdair Crotach, MacLeod chief of Dunvegan Castle. Rodel is 3 mi south of Leverburgh and 21 mi south of Tarbert. A859, Rodel. Port of Ness. The stark, windswept community of Port of Ness, 30 mi north of Stornoway, cradles a small harbor squeezed in among the rocks. Butt of Lewis Lighthouse. At the northernmost point of Lewis stands the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse, designed by David and Thomas Stevenson (of the prominent engineering family whose best-known member was not an engineer at all, but the novelist Robert Louis Stevenson). The structure was first lighted in 1862. The adjacent cliffs provide a good vantage point for viewing seabirds, whales, and porpoises. The lighthouse is northwest of Port of Ness along the B8014. Shopping Harris tweed is available at many outlets on the islands, including some of the weavers' homes; keep an eye out for signs directing you to weavers' workshops. Harris Tweed Artisans Cooperative. The Harris Tweed Artisans Cooperative sells stylish and quirky hand-crafted tweed clothing, hats, accessories, all made by artists belonging to the cooperative. 40 Point St., Stornoway. Borgh Pottery. At Borgh Pottery, open from Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 6, you can buy attractive hand-thrown studio pottery made on the premises, including lamps, vases, mugs, and dishes. Fivepenny House, A857, Borve.
Day 8 Cruising
Day 9 Greenock, Scotland
Trendy stores, a booming cultural life, fascinating architecture, and stylish restaurants reinforce Glasgow's claim to being Scotland's most exciting city. After decades of decline, it has experienced an urban renaissance uniquely its own. The city's grand architecture reflects a prosperous past built on trade and shipbuilding. Today buildings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh hold pride of place along with the Zaha Hadid–designed Riverside Museum.Glasgow (the "dear green place," as it was known) was founded some 1,500 years ago. Legend has it that the king of Strathclyde, irate about his wife's infidelity, had a ring he had given her thrown into the river Clyde. (Apparently she had passed it on to an admirer.) When the king demanded to know where the ring had gone, the distraught queen asked the advice of her confessor, St. Mungo. He suggested fishing for it—and the first salmon to emerge had the ring in its mouth. The moment is commemorated on the city's coat of arms.The medieval city expanded when it was given a royal license to trade; the current High Street was the main thoroughfare at the time. The vast profits from American cotton and tobacco built the grand mansions of the Merchant City in the 18th century. In the 19th century the river Clyde became the center of a vibrant shipbuilding industry, fed by the city's iron and steel works. The city grew again, but its internal divisions grew at the same time. The West End harbored the elegant homes of the newly rich shipyard owners. Down by the river, areas like the infamous Gorbals, with its crowded slums, sheltered the laborers who built the ships. They came from the Highlands, expelled to make way for sheep, or from Ireland, where the potato famines drove thousands from their homes.During the 19th century the population grew from 80,000 to more than a million. And the new prosperity gave Glasgow its grand neoclassical buildings, such as those built by Alexander "Greek" Thomson, as well as the adventurous visionary buildings designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and others who produced Glasgow's Arts and Crafts movement. The City Chambers, built in 1888, are a proud statement in marble and gold sandstone, a clear symbol of the wealthy and powerful Victorian industrialists' hopes for the future.The decline of shipbuilding and the closure of the factories led to much speculation as to what direction the city would take now. The curious thing is that, at least in part, the past gave the city a new lease of life. It was as if people looked at their city and saw Glasgow's beauty for the first time: its extraordinarily rich architectural heritage, its leafy parks, its artistic heritage, and its complex social history. Today Glasgow is a vibrant cultural center and a commercial hub, as well as a launching pad from which to explore the rest of Scotland, which, as it turns out, is not so far away. In fact, it takes only 40 minutes to reach Loch Lomond, where the other Scotland begins.
Day 10 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Before English and Scottish settlers arrived in the 1600s, Belfast was a tiny village called Béal Feirste ("sandbank ford") belonging to Ulster's ancient O'Neill clan. With the advent of the Plantation period (when settlers arrived in the 1600s), Sir Arthur Chichester, from Devon in southwestern England, received the city from the English Crown, and his son was made Earl of Donegall. Huguenots fleeing persecution from France settled near here, bringing their valuable linen-work skills. In the 18th century, Belfast underwent a phenomenal expansion—its population doubled every 10 years, despite an ever-present sectarian divide. Although the Anglican gentry despised the Presbyterian artisans—who, in turn, distrusted the native Catholics—Belfast's growth continued at a dizzying speed. The city was a great Victorian success story, an industrial boomtown whose prosperity was built on trade, especially linen and shipbuilding. Famously (or infamously), the Titanic was built here, giving Belfast, for a time, the nickname "Titanic Town." Having laid the foundation stone of the city's university in 1845, Queen Victoria returned to Belfast in 1849 (she is recalled in the names of buildings, streets, bars, monuments, and other places around the city), and in the same year, the university opened under the name Queen's College. Nearly 40 years later, in 1888, Victoria granted Belfast its city charter. Today its population is nearly 300,000, tourist numbers have increased, and this dramatically transformed city is enjoying an unparalleled renaissance.This is all a welcome change from the period when news about Belfast meant reports about "the Troubles." Since the 1994 ceasefire, Northern Ireland's capital city has benefited from major hotel investment, gentrified quaysides (or strands), a sophisticated new performing arts center, and major initiatives to boost tourism. Although the 1996 bombing of offices at Canary Wharf in London disrupted the 1994 peace agreement, the ceasefire was officially reestablished on July 20, 1997, and this embattled city began its quest for a newfound identity.Since 2008, the city has restored all its major public buildings such as museums, churches, theaters, City Hall, Ulster Hall—and even the glorious Crown Bar—spending millions of pounds on its built heritage. A gaol that at the height of the Troubles held some of the most notorious murderers involved in paramilitary violence is now a major visitor attraction.Belfast's city center is made up of three roughly contiguous areas that are easy to navigate on foot. From the south end to the north, it's about an hour's leisurely walk.
Day 11 Cruising
Day 12 Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is making a comeback. The decade-long "Celtic Tiger" boom era was quickly followed by the Great Recession, but The Recovery has finally taken a precarious hold. For visitors, this newer and wiser Dublin has become one of western Europe's most popular and delightful urban destinations. Whether or not you're out to enjoy the old or new Dublin, you'll find it a colossally entertaining city, all the more astonishing considering its intimate size.It is ironic and telling that James Joyce chose Dublin as the setting for his famous Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man because it was a "center of paralysis" where nothing much ever changed. Which only proves that even the greats get it wrong sometimes. Indeed, if Joyce were to return to his once-genteel hometown today—disappointed with the city's provincial outlook, he left it in 1902 at the age of 20—and take a quasi-Homeric odyssey through the city (as he so famously does in Ulysses), would he even recognize Dublin as his "Dear Dirty Dumpling, foostherfather of fingalls and dotthergills"?For instance, what would he make of Temple Bar—the city's erstwhile down-at-the-heels neighborhood, now crammed with cafés and trendy hotels and suffused with a nonstop, international-party atmosphere? Or the simple sophistication of the open-air restaurants of the tiny Italian Quarter (named Quartier Bloom after his own creation), complete with sultry tango lessons? Or of the hot–cool Irishness, where every aspect of Celtic culture results in sold-out theaters, from Once, the cult indie movie and Broadway hit, to Riverdance, the old Irish mass-jig recast as a Las Vegas extravaganza? Plus, the resurrected Joyce might be stirred by the songs of Hozier, fired up by the sultry acting of Michael Fassbender, and moved by the award-winning novels of Colum McCann. As for Ireland's capital, it's packed with elegant shops and hotels, theaters, galleries, coffeehouses, and a stunning variety of new, creative little restaurants can be found on almost every street in Dublin, transforming the provincial city that suffocated Joyce into a place almost as cosmopolitan as the Paris to which he fled. And the locals are a hell of a lot more fun! Now that the economy has finally turned a corner, Dublin citizens can cast a cool eye over the last 20 crazy years. Some argue that the boomtown transformation of their heretofore-tranquil city has permanently affected its spirit and character. These skeptics (skepticism long being a favorite pastime in the capital city) await the outcome of "Dublin: The Sequel," and their greatest fear is the possibility that the tattered old lady on the Liffey has become a little less unique, a little more like everywhere else.Oh ye of little faith: the rare ole gem that is Dublin is far from buried. The fundamentals—the Georgian elegance of Merrion Square, the Norman drama of Christ Church Cathedral, the foamy pint at an atmospheric pub—are still on hand to gratify. Most of all, there are the locals themselves: the nod and grin when you catch their eye on the street, the eagerness to hear half your life story before they tell you all of theirs, and their paradoxically dark but warm sense of humor. It's expected that 2016 will be an extra-special year in the capital, as centenary celebrations of the fateful 1916 Easter Rising will dominate much of the cultural calendar.
Day 13 Cruising
Day 14 Portsmouth, England
Portsmouth is one of the most densely populated cities in Southern England, and is unusual as most of its built-up area occupies Portsea Island, linked to the mainland by road and rail bridges. Although there is a Roman fort at nearby Portchester, occupied later by the Saxons and Normans, there was no settlement on the site of Portsmouth at the time of the 1086 Domesday Book. The town developed in medieval times and received its first charter in 1194 from King Richard I; soon afterwards it became a major naval base. It has the world's oldest dry dock, and is home to several famous ships, including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose, raised from the Solent in 1982. Portsmouth remains an important naval base and is home to a large proportion of the British service fleet. The waterfront area is now dominated by the Spinnaker Tower, 560 feet high, the United Kingdom's tallest building outside London. Other things to see in the city include the house where Charles Dickens was born, and the City Museum, which contains a permanent exhibition devoted to another famous writer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who lived in the town.
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