15 nights, Southampton to Southampton
Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey through Celtic Coasts & Dramatic Northern Isles
Fifteen nights out of Southampton and back, with eleven calls strung across the British Isles, Iceland, and the Faroes. The route works north and west before looping home: a tender stop at Greencastle on Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula, the Outer Hebrides at Stornoway where the day splits between Lews Castle and the 5,000-year-old Callanish stones, then a long arc through Iceland. Seyðisfjörður docks you in the middle of a tiny fjord town, the blue church and rainbow street on foot. Siglufjörður earns its day on one museum, an award-winning recreation of the herring boom; time it for a Saturday and the salting show runs to live accordion. Tórshavn's draw is Tinganes, a seat of government since around the year 900, where the Faroese Prime Minister works from an unlocked, grass-roofed house.
This is a slow, northern itinerary for travelers who want fjord towns, Norse and Gaelic edges of Europe, and weather they will read off the deck each morning. Several calls are tender ports off open water, so flexibility matters more than a fixed plan. The marquee capitals, Reykjavik and Edinburgh, sit inland from their landing points and eat travel time. If you want warm seas, dense port days, or a guaranteed schedule, pick a different region. If the appeal is the harbor towns themselves, this delivers.
EXPLORA IV is all-suite and all-oceanfront.
The itinerary, port by port
11 calls over 15 nights, round-trip from Southampton. Open any port for my full day-ashore guide, what to see, when to go, and how the day actually runs.
Getting there: Flights to Southampton (LHR) are already bookable for these dates. I watch the fare for booked clients so you book at the right moment. When to book your flights →
- Embark
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8 Siglufjörður
- 9
- 10
- Disembark
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
- Founders Fare
- A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Invitation to Discover More
- Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
The ship and your suite
This sailing is aboard EXPLORA IV, all-suite, every suite with a private ocean-front terrace. Suites run from the entry Ocean Terrace to the Owner's Residence; the right tier depends on how you travel. Compare suites → · What's included →