See more off the beaten track

It’s true that the comfort and luxuries you find on a cruise ship can be matched in selected hotels, but when it comes to discovering new adventures in new destinations, cruises win hands down! Take a land-based holiday and you’re restricted to staying in one resort or city unless you take a tour. A cruise on the other hand glides you effortlessly to a new destination almost every day so you can swap your flip flops for your walking boots and get exploring.

Every cruise line offers a programme of activities at shore, some more comprehensive than others. These must be added to the price of your cruise, unless you are on an all-inclusive package with Regent Seven Seas Cruises. It is easy to arrange your own sightseeing activities but do bear in mind that if you are late back to port for any reason, the cruise ship will not wait!

Many cruise lines rank their excursions in order of ease and offer everything from walking tours and guided tours around sights of interest, such as Rome’s Coliseum, to more exhilarating activities including swimming with turtles and zip-wiring through rainforests.

There are a handful of cruise lines that make sure you really go off the beaten track and discover the true destination. Hurtigruten sail to Norway, Greenland, Iceland and Antarctica so you can’t fail to have a great time. But once there, it is your guide’s local knowledge that will really make your experience unforgettable. Visit a snow hotel, get close to glaciers or take a snowmobile safari in Russia and with your heart racing, your head will fill with facts and folklore about your destination.

Being a river cruise operator, Viking offer a more unique range of shore excursions to inland destinations. These cruises sail up the major rivers of the world right into the heart of many must-see destinations such as Moscow and China’s Yangtze River. Once ashore, guests follow a planned excursion devised by a local expert that calls at key sights of interest.