Your holiday of a lifetime begins in Barcelona, a city drenched in culture and history, art and architecture. From the fantastical Sagrada Família church and other modernist landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí which dot the city, right through to Museu Picasso and Fundació Joan Miró which feature the modern art of their namesakes. Then of course, there’s literally thousands of bars and boutiques, great restaurants and terrific parks.

Today you’ll begin your cruise of the Mediterranean and become acquainted with the simply stunning Silver Dawn, with its variation of bars and restaurants, facilities and wide assortment of entertainment.

A renowned port city in southern France, Marseille has been a crossroads of immigration and trade since its founding by the Greeks circa 600 B.C. At its heart is the Vieux-Port (Old Port), where fishmongers sell their catch along the boat-lined quay. The Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde is an essential Romanesque-Byzantine church, while modern landmarks include Le Corbusier’s influential Cité Radieuse complex and Zaha Hadid’s CMA CGM Tower.

This is where many a fashionista beckons to be outdone. Whether it be along the glittering harbour or upmarket high-rises that loom over its streets. Or the Western Quarter’s world-famous Place du Casino gambling centre. All three only partially account for Monte Carlo being an international byword for extravagance. Not to mention reckless dispersal of wealth. There again, one in three of Monaco’s population is a millionaire.

Simply marvel at the sights of Italy’s ancient capital, where you can follow in the footsteps of gladiators and emperors at the Colosseum, built in 80AD and which once housed around 50,000 spectators. In between chic cafés and serene statues on street corners, you’ll find treasures like the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, where a coin tossed into its shining waters promise a return to Rome. Sample hearty local cuisine at a family-run trattoria and find a gelato stand for a cooling ice cream as the stylish locals zip through cobblestone streets on Vespa scooters. It’s a city dripping in atmosphere.

A modern seaport known for its Renaissance-era fortifications and freshly caught seafood, Livorno is the second-largest city in Tuscany (following Florence). Its central Terrazza Mascagni, a terrific waterside promenade with checker-board paving, is the city's main meeting place. And with bastions of the 16th-century Fortezza Vecchia facing the harbour which invariably open onto Livorno's canal-laced Venezia Nuova quarter, this really is an underrated city not to be missed.

A port city in Provence along France’s Mediterranean coast, Toulon is lined with sandy beaches and shingle coves. As well as being a very significant naval base and harbour - home to warships and submarines, ferries and fishing boats – it boasts the grand Musée National de la Marine which exhibits a varied collection of maritime artifacts. With a backdrop of rugged limestone mountains, the city also hosts a cable car that shuttles visitors to the top of Mont Faron; at the peak of which is a memorial dedicated to the 1944 Allied landings in Provence and to the liberation of Toulon.

Walk the narrow, cobbled streets of the Old Town, visit the ancient Arab Baths or simply soak up the rays on the sun-drenched city beach. As day stretches into night, take a stroll along the Passeig d’es Born boulevard and see the honey-hued La Seu Cathedral bathed in the golden glow of the fading light, before heading to a tapas bar to enjoy plates of spicy albondigas, sizzling gambas al ajillo and patatas bravas washed down with jugs of icy sangria.

Today you’ll fly home with a wonderful collection of memories.