23-night Mediterranean cruise: Venice, Italy to Lisbon on Wind Surf
The Riviera Rhapsody - Venice to Lisbon is a 23-night Mediterranean cruise aboard Wind Surf, operated by Windstar Cruises. Departing Venice, Italy on October 15, 2026 and arriving in Lisbon on November 7, 2026, the voyage visits 20 ports including Rovinj, Croatia, Split, Dubrovnik. Fares start from $10,756 per person.
Fixed editorial images from the places on this itinerary. They stay stable each time you return to this sailing.
Venice, Italy
The first settlement of the marshy islands in the lagoon was for protection from barbarian tribes that terrorized mainland farms and villages. Island living quickly led to the development of skills in handling boats, then ships. Maritime trade conducted by shrewd merchants brought great wealth, which permitted the building of palaces, churches and monuments. The city became the center of the vast Venetian empire, its name forever summoning visions of grandeur, magnificence, richness, graciousness and beauty. Although later linked to the mainland, first by a railway bridge built in 1848 and then by a motor causeway in 1930, this island city will always be considered the "Queen of the Sea." There are no cars in Venice; all transportation is by boat or on foot along the time-worn, cobblestone streets and across some 400 bridges that span the city's 177 canals. Enchanting Venice truly offers an atmosphere that exists nowhere else.
Rovinj, Croatia
The first documented mention of Rovinj was in the 5th century. However, it is very likely that Rovinj is much older, emerging somewhere at the turn of the 3rd and the 4th centuries. During this period, Istria was occupied by the Romans who stayed there until 476. Later came the Ostrogoths, Franks and the Venetians. During the Venetian times, Rovinj was developing into a strong fishing, shipbuilding and maritime center, especially in the 17th and 18th century when they had the precedence over Istria. At the time that the town walls were secured, the town started to expand to the mainland and in 1763 the channel between the mainland and the island was covered up and Rovinj became a peninsula.
In 1797 the Venetian republic lost its power and for a short time and Istria fell under Austrian and then under Napoleon's rule.
In 1813, Rovinj became part of the Austor-Hungarian Empire and a period of industrial and urban development started.
Rovinj fell to fascist Italy until the end of World War II and in the second half of the 20th century was a part of Yugoslavia, as was all of Croatia, until 1991.
In the past 40 years Rovinj has developed from a fishing village into a real tourist center thanks to its picturesque surroundings, its pleasant Mediterranean climate and its cultural-historical values.
Split
With its seafront cafés and ancient alleyways, shouting stallholders and travellers on the move, bustling, exuberant Split is one of Croatia’s and the Mediterranean’s most compelling cities, it’s easy to see this feeling when you step aground from your MSC cruise.
It has a unique historical heritage too, having grown out of the palace built here by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in 295AD. The palace remains Split’s central ingredient, having been gradually transformed into a warren of houses, tenements, churches and chapels by the various peoples who came to live here after Diocletian’s successors had departed.
Adapted long ago to serve as Split’s town centre, Diocletian’s Palace is certainly not an archaeological “site”. Although set-piece buildings such as Diocletian’s mausoleum (now the cathedral) and the Temple of Jupiter (now a baptistery) still remain, other aspects of the palace have been tinkered with so much by successive generations that it is no longer recognizable as an ancient Roman structure. Best place to start exploring with an MSC excursion the seaward side of the palace is Split’s broad and lively Riva.
Running along the palace’s southern facade, into which shops, cafés and a warren of tiny flats have been built, the Riva is where a large part of the city’s population congregates day and night to meet friends, catch up on gossip or idle away an hour or two in a café. Nearly everything worth seeing in Split is concentrated in the compact Old Town behind the waterfront Riva, made up in part of the various remains and conversions of Diocletian’s Palace itself, and the medieval additions to the west of it. You can walk across this area in about ten minutes, although it would take a lifetime to explore all its nooks and crannies.
Prices come from third-party data feeds via Windstar Cruises and may differ from the cruise line's current fare. Confirm the final price before booking. How our pricing works
Lowest fares with no residency, age, or service requirement — verify eligibility at booking. How our pricing works
Not ready to book?
Get price alerts
We’ll email you when fares drop or return.
Check your email to finish
We sent a confirmation link to your inbox. Your alert is not on yet — click that link to switch it on.
On any day, our 342-guest flagship, Wind Surf, the world’s largest sailing ship, draws admiring glances as she glides majestically into port with her tall sails billowing. And her beauty is far more than skin deep. During their cruise, you will find the perfect setting for ‘making an entrance’ in the beautiful reception area – and, appropriately, that’s only the beginning.
When you return to your stateroom, the luxury gets personal. Windstar’s signature bowls of flowers and fresh fruit will still be waiting for you, along with rich tufted headboards, soft seascape colors, beautiful new upholstery, and fine count Egyptian cotton linens welcome you to an oasis of relaxing indulgence.
Wind Surf recently underwent a significant renovation in November 2019 of public spaces and suites, including an expanded lounge with new lights and sound for upcoming stage performances. Relax into the destinations you’re visiting at the new World Spa by Windstar, which will offer regional spa treatments, including massage styles like Swedish, Japanese Shiatsu and Hawaiian Lomi Lomi. A new Officer’s Suite, which might be the only one of its kind, provides you the chance to stay in the heart of the officer quarters tucked right behind the Bridge.
Everything about Wind Surf speaks of welcome. Come aboard and see it for yourself.
We count visits anonymously without cookies. Accept cookies to let us remember you across visits and connect activity if you create an account, or decline and we'll still count you anonymously. Read our privacy policy
ESC
The Captain
I'm the Captain. Tell me what you're after — "Caribbean under $2,000" or "7 nights from Miami" — and I'll find the sailing and its price history.
