The French cruise company Ponant has partnered with the Musée du Louvre to create two new cruises in 2020 that will encompass a range of cultural attractions.

The itineraries of the cruises see the voyages interspersed with on-board talks by curators and department directors from the Louvre, as well as shore visits to sites such as the Acropolis in Athens and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The first cruise – scheduled to sail from Athens to Venice, Italy, between 14 and 23 August 2020 – is called The Cultural Jewels of the Adriatic. It will enable guests to discover the cultural and artistic treasures of Ancient Greece and the Adriatic region, taking in Kotor Bay and the Corinth Canal, as well as visits to the Acropolis, the Delphi archaeological site and Diocletian's Palace in Split.

Onboard, to share their knowledge through a series of conferences, will be Jannic Durand, director of the Department of Decorative Arts at the Louvre, and Ludovic Laugier, curator in the Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.

In November 2020, the second cruise – The Treasures of the Persian Gulf – sets sail, leaving from Muscat in Oman on 19 November, and arriving at Dubai, via Qatar and Abu Dhabi, on 27 November.

Guests will be able to discover natural sites such as the fjords of Arabia and Sir Bani Yas Island, see the futuristic architecture of the area's fast-growing metropolises, alongside mosques "worthy of the Arabian Nights". A trip to the Louvre Abu Dhabi is scheduled in.

Yannick Linz, director of the Department of Islamic Art at the Louvre, will be on board to inform cruise-goers.

Ponant is currently offering the two cruises at a special promotional price, which is likely to increase over time. These are €3,560 (Adriatic) and €3,550 (Persian Gulf) per person (approximately US$3,960 and £3,170).