Syracuse's Greek theatre, the smoking crater of Mount Etna, a gold-mosaic church in Palermo — all in one week, with archaeologists on hand to explain it. That's the pitch behind a growing collection of educational cruises run by French luxury line Ponant in partnership with Smithsonian Journeys, the travel arm of the Smithsonian Institution that's been organising expert-led trips for over five decades.
The reviewer from The Points Guy sailed the eight-night 'A Circumnavigation of Sicily' itinerary aboard the small exploration ship Le Dumont d'Urville, which loops the island with stops including Palermo, the Aeolian island of Lipari, Syracuse, Agrigento, Trapani and a quick hop across the Mediterranean to Tunis.
What sets these sailings apart is the academic framing. Two Smithsonian experts — on this voyage an art historian and an archaeologist from the University of Maryland and University of Arizona — give roughly six lectures over the week, then join shore excursions, dinners and pre-dinner drinks to keep the conversation going. Before the Syracuse stop, lectures covered Sicilian Baroque architecture and the city's role in the Peloponnesian War, when Syracuse trapped and destroyed the Athenian fleet in its own harbour. Standing on the city's Greek theatre afterwards hits differently with that backstory.
The other standout: nearly every port offers at least two (sometimes four) curated tours included in the fare — unusual in cruising, where excursions typically cost extra. On this route that means the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento, the remarkably intact Doric temple at Segesta paired with the hilltop medieval town of Erice, Palermo's 1143 Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio church plus a private tour of Palazzo Conte Federico by a family member who lives there, and a full-day trip up Mount Etna to around 6,400 feet, followed by a tasting at the Benanti winery on the volcano's slopes.
The ship itself skews plush: caviar and Champagne tastings, gourmet cheese buffets, and a small, yacht-like feel typical of Ponant. The crowd tends to be well-educated, curious retirees — Ponant calls them 'lifetime learners'.
Who's it for? Travellers who want depth over deck parties: if your ideal holiday involves an actual archaeologist pointing out where ancient harbour chains once stretched, rather than a pool bar, this style of cruise delivers a luxury trip and a university seminar in one booking.
