Palma de Mallorca – Málaga · 25 October – 2 November 2026

Barcelona revels in contrasts. Many enthuse over the beautiful elegant squares and boulevards, while others look for medieval romance in the Gothic quarter. Some love the artistic treasures in the Picasso Museum or the Joan Miró Foundation, but for most people Barcelona is the capital of Catalan Art Nouveau and its glory is epitomised in the spectacular Palau de la Música. At every turn you encounter the playfully opulent creations of architect Antonio Gaudi. His exuberant fantasies are evident in the numerous houses, idiosyncratic parks and the famous uncompleted Sagrada Familia cathedral which he created.

Welcome to ancient times! Roman history comes alive in the Catalan port city of Tarragona. It all began in 218 B.C.: that was when the Romans conquered the city, gave it the name Tarraco and began to build monuments that are now part of the UNESCO World Heritage. If you walk along the old city wall and visit the amphitheatre, the triumphal arch and the forum, you will feel as if you have been transported back thousands of years into the past. A little younger, but equally worth seeing is the Cathedral de Santa Maria: its construction lasted from 1171 to 1331, which is why it combines Romanesque and Gothic style elements.

On one corner its centuries old and around the next totally modern – Valencia is everything all at once. Today the beautiful old town and the old silk market "La Lonja de la Seda", which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, still bear witness to the city's wealth in the Middle Ages. A brand new part of the city is situated in a drained river bed and has avant-garde buildings including a futuristic opera house, the largest aquarium in Europe, a botanical garden and a public park. Valencia is one of the few cities that has a heritage of over 2,000 years and is also so intriguingly combined with the future. And no other city in Europe can proudly make the claim that the America’s Cup has already taken place twice right on its front door.

Climbing the rigging, untying ropes, setting sails – today is all about sailing. Time to lean back and relax in the deck chair and watch the passionate crew hoisting the sails by hand.

An important port as long ago as Carthaginian and Roman times, Cartagena can look back on an eventful history. The "La Manga" headland, over 20 kilometers (12 miles), is a geographical curiosity which divides the long sandy beach of the "Mar Menor" salt water lagoon from that of the Mediterranean. Inland, the Fuensanta convent is mainly famous for a vision of the Virgin Mary which appeared there around 200 years ago and sits high up above the town of Murcia. It affords a delightful view over this lively university town. The huge Cathedral of Murcia was built in 1394 on the former site of a Moorish mosque.

Málaga has spruced itself up. In 2003, the Museo Picasso opened in a 16th century Renaissance palace and is dedicated to the artist's extensive life's work. This historic old city invites you to take a stroll and its buildings gleam like new. And above everything towers the Alcazaba, a mighty walled fortress. The port was completely redesigned when the city was opened to the sea and you can now take a lovely stroll along the promenade. In Malaga's hinterland you can see the most beautiful aspects of traditional Andalusia. From a distance the typical Andalusian villages look like white dabs of paint shining out from the brown of the barren mountain landscape.