Discover a different side of the Mediterranean this winter, one where you’ll find plenty of elbow room at popular attractions and get to rub elbows with the locals during their most congenial time of year. This itinerary offers a perfect combination of small towns and large, major attractions and new discoveries, all when locals are most relaxed.

This comprehensive exploration of France includes an overnight in Rouen (Paris), and visits the Normandy, Brittany, and Aquitaine regions of France. Treat your palate to fine wines in Bordeaux and cider in Brittany. Taste regional specialties like Cancale oysters and Breton galettes. And feast your eyes on timeless scenery: the abbey on Mont St. Michel, St. Malo’s pink sandstone cliffs, Monet’s garden in Giverny where water lilies still have the power to inspire.

Dramatic scenery and curious communities coalesce on this week-long circumnavigation of Iceland. Explore a country few people will ever visit, and go far beyond the tourist hotspots to remote fjords, raging waterfalls, and small fishing villages. Get to know the independent and creative Icelanders, and watch whales and seabirds play offshore. This Iceland cruise is yachting at its most inventive.

Visit Holland at the height of tulip season on this Northen Europe cruise, when the country’s fields explode in vibrant swaths of every imaginable color. Wander through the enchanting Keukenhof Gardens, home to millions of blooms. Then, set off on a coastal voyage to small countryside cities and a few new-to-Windstar destinations. Explore the quaint streets of Harlingen - a small-ship exclusive - and wander along its old canals, merchant houses and charming little alleys.

Delve into the ancient wonders of early Western Civilization on this 10-day journey featuring Meteora and Delphi and delve into the islands of Greece. Stroll the monument-lined Sacred Way toward the Grand Temple of Apollo in Delphi. Savor a moonlit Turkish dinner and romantic concert among the broken columns and weathered walls of Ephesus in Turkey during Windstar’s complimentary Destination Discovery Event.