Hong Kong, Taiwan & Japan - Costa Serena

Day 1: Larnaca - Hong Kong

Flight Larnaca to Hong Kong via stopover.

Day 2: Hong Kong

Arrive in Hong Kong. Day at your leisure in Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong is an amalgam of cultures, traditions and religions that coexist, creating a unique and fascinating social fabric. The port of Hong Kong, Victoria Harbor, was developed at the natural estuary of the Pearl River. It is here that every night the “Symphony of Light” laser and music show is beamed from the city’s skyscrapers,. And this is just one of the surprises that the city has in store for you during the cruise in Hong Kong. The atmosphere of Ladies’ Market is exciting, as is that of Temple Street Night Market. To admire the city's skyline we make an excursion to Victoria Peak. By cable car, in operation since the end of the 1800s, we reach the top of the hill and let our fantasy run wild admiring Hong Kong.

Day 3: Hong Kong

Day at your leisure in Hong Kong. 

Visit the Hong Kong Park, a green oasis surrounded by towering skyscrapers and an exceptional example of landscaping and integration surrounded by a modern skyline. You can photograph flowers and lush plants, greenhouses and aviaries, play and picnic areas, artificial waterfalls, water pools and panoramic views over the Bank of China and Lippo Center.

Dont miss to climb the Victoria Peak, the highest mountain in Hong Kong. At a height of 552 metres, the Tai Ping Shan (Peace Hill) is without doubt the best place to enjoy the magnificent view over the city and the bay. The amazing belvedere offers us endless photo opportunities: the enchanting Hong Kong skyline with its glistening skyscrapers in the foreground, the Kowloon peninsula beyond the strait and the green hills in the distance - an unmissable occasion to capture this breathtaking scenery on camera!

In the city you can visit the Stanley Market, a busy colourful market made up of hundreds of little shops where you can find examples of Chinese artwork, silk items, antiques and many original curiosities ready to be photographed or even purchased! The seafront with its bars, cafés and restaurant is another source of inspiration, so all we have to do is pick up our cameras and start snapping!

Day 4: Costa Serena

Embarkation on Costa Serena. The ship departs at 18:00

Day 5: At sea

Day at your leisure to explore and enjoy the megaship MSC Bellissima. 

Day 6: Keelung, Taipei, Taiwan

The ship arrives at Keelung at 08:00 and departs at 17:00

To the northeast of the island is a contained yet very active urban centre, that will captivate you for the variety of the landscapes that surround it.

Take an intriguing excursion and head inland towards the fascinating city of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan as well as the country’s political, economic and cultural hub that will surprise us with its liveable sophisticated atmosphere. The first stop is the National Palace Museum, home to the largest collection of Chinese artwork in the world boasting almost 700,000 items. 

As you wander around the museum, you remain enchanted before the countless artefacts spanning approximately 5,000 years of history and including ceramic, porcelain, bronze and jade objects, interesting sculptures, embroideries, ancient ideogram texts and paintings. You continue with the magnificent Lungshan temple, an ancient sanctuary dedicated to Guanyin, female personification of mercy for Buddhists, as well as to other deities including Taoist ones. 

The temple is finely decorated with wooden carvings, gilded incisions and Chinese dragon statues complete with poems, verses and lyrics adding literary value on top of the religious and artistic one. You will also make a stop at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall dedicated to Chiang Kai-Shek and a symbol of Taipei. 

The white marble building has a bright blue roof and is surrounded by gardens and lakes in the typical Chinese style. It is home to the National Theatre and a concert hall where many international artists have performed.

Day 7: Naha, Japan

The ship arrives at Naha at 14:30 and departs at 23:00

Naha is the capital of the island of Okinawa and the prefecture of the same name. It’s an excellent starting point for excursions to nearby places, such as the visit to Shuri Castle, the former capital of the island. But also the city of pleasant pastimes: stroll along the main street of Naha, Kokusai Dori, and shop in the covered market on the streets of Heiwa Dori and Ichiba Hon. Visit the Shinto temples and the Koshibyo Confucian temple just outside the city and remember that ferries depart from the nearby Tomari port that link Okinawa with the other islands in the Ryuku archipelago.

Not to be missed: The Shuri Castle, Shopping on the main street Kokusai Dori, the Shinto Temple Kokusai Dori.
 

Day 8: At sea

Day at your leisure on Costa Serena. 

Day 9: Kagoshima, Japan

The ship arrives at Kagoshima port at 08.00 and departs at 18.00

In the far south of Japan the cruise will help you discover the city of Kagoshima. It is populated by little more than half a million people and enjoys a mild climate for most of the year.

The town is dominated by the active volcano Sakurajima and is called the "Naples of Japan" for its similarity to the landscape of the city of Naples. It is not uncommon for the volcano to perform with spectacular eruptions.

On an excursion you can visit Shiroyama Park, located in the city centre but stretching all the way to mount Shiroyama. Just over a hundred metres high, it was the backdrop of a battle between the Imperial Army and a group of samurai rebels in the late 19th century. The park leads to the Observatory from where you can admire the spectacular scenery of the town and the bay of Kagoshima as well as the volcano.

Along the northern coast of the centre are the Senganen gardens, also known as Isoteien, a lovely example of a Japanese garden with ponds, streams, shrines and a bamboo grove. They date back three hundred years and were constructed by the Shimazu family. There is a fine restaurant inside the garden where you can dine and enjoy the meat and fish specialities that this country offers and for which it is famous all over the world. Next to Senganen is a building which dates back to the mid-19th century which originally housed a machinery factory and is now the "Shoko-Shuseikan" museum. It houses objects from the Shimazu family 700 year history.

Day 10: At sea

Day at your leisure on Costa Serena. 

Day 11: Costa Serena

The ship arrives at Tokyo port at 07:00

Day at your leisure in Tokyo. 

It is impossible to sum up the allure of Tokyo in a few lines. Totally reconstructed after extensive bombing in World War II, it now has the aspect of a modern, avant-garde city. The capital of Japan is one of the largest and most populated cities in the world, which literally bombards the senses with light and colour with its signs and screens displayed wall to wall around the city. It is interesting to try to work out things like plinko, the major quiz show on TV, or cosplay, men dressed up as heroes of manga. An experience you must try once is to taste the puffer fish, the most poisonous in the world, which has to be filleted with extreme expertise known only by Japanese chefs so it does not prove fatal! Perhaps when you stand and observe the flow of people at the intersection of Shibuya, the busiest in the world, you can understand a little more about these people who are addicted to work and maniacs for neatness, but who always uphold the ancient traditions based on justice and on the honour system.

Day 12: Tokyo

Day at your leisure in Tokyo. 

We suggest to visit the Okinawa aquarium is Churaumi.

Churaumi aquarium: “Churaumi” means beautiful and clear sea. This tour will take you to visit the largest aquarium in Asia and currently ranks as the largest aquarium in Japan.There are more than 740 sea animals in 77 tanks, with 21,000 exhibitions. The biggest exhibition among them is “Black Stream,” 8.2m high at 2-story hall. The tank is connected to an arched ceiling aquarium where you can experience close contact with big vigorous sharks and rays, as if you walk down an undersea tunnel. Shopping center: we’ll go to the local shopping center in Okinawa, where you can enjoy shopping!

Day 13: Tokyo - Larnaca

Flight Tokyo to Larnaca via stopover.