What excursion to take in the Canaries

This will be our first warm cruise with Fred after visiting Northern Europe and Norway. We usually do our own thing via Hop on Off buses but was thinking that it maybe useful to do some of the ship's excursions, which would you recommend?

I suggest you say which ports you will be visiting.

You may find the ports of call section at the bottom of the CC main page useful as well as that specifically deals with this sort of query - you can search the specific forum for each port (though I think that may be Spain for all of them), which will yield lots of info.

We have done a lot of Canary ports with Fred and have found them very easy to negotiate without a tour by Fred, as transport is very good and the ports themselves very interesting. Car hire is also very cheap so can work out much better than tours regards price and flexibility. We have only hired cars in La Gomera or El Hierro where the roads are very quiet, but they were excellent days, giving us quality time in some spectacular locations without hoards of people around.

In Lanzarote, we thought the 'Fire Mountain' excursion which included an optional camel ride was very good. Not with Fred, but I expect they are all the same. I think it would be a difficult trip to do independently, as only coaches seemed to be allowed into the volcano park area.

The berthing location in Lanzarote is a fair distance from the Arrecife which is the centre for the good local bus service.

You would have to get a taxi there as I don't recall a shuttle bus, approximately 12 Euros two years past, maybe a bit dearer now.

A ship's tour might be a better option for you there.

In Lanzarote, we thought the 'Fire Mountain' excursion which included an optional camel ride was very good. Not with Fred, but I expect they are all the same. I think it would be a difficult trip to do independently, as only coaches seemed to be allowed into the volcano park area.

We have stayed on Lanzarote (as well as on cruise ships) and have visited this area in a hire car with no problems, there is a parking area for cars.

We have stayed on Lanzarote (as well as on cruise ships) and have visited this area in a hire car with no problems, there is a parking area for cars.

Presumably the park provides coaches for you to transfer to in order to tour the area?

Presumably the park provides coaches for you to transfer to in order to tour the area?

Yes, and you can also go on guided walks, available at the Timanfaya visitor centre; we also accessed other parts of the national park for our own walks. I'm sorry I have no record of what the costs were.

The berthing location in Lanzarote is a fair distance from the Arrecife which is the centre for the good local bus service.

 

You would have to get a taxi there as I don't recall a shuttle bus, approximately 12 Euros two years past, maybe a bit dearer now.

 

A ship's tour might be a better option for you there.

We docked in Lanzarote on Braemar last autumn and the autumn before and the ship docked at a pier which started/finished (depending on how you look at it) right by the bridge where the road goes over an inlet into the town centre. Fred did have a very short shuttle bus ride (charged £5 for those who were not on freedom fare as we were), but some people decided to walk down the pier, which was not short, but was walkable and went past a marina area with a few shops into the town which was quite pleasant. There is another pier were some cruise ships dock (presumably the larger ones), further out of town. It is possible the docking location has changed.

A tour may well be of interest to some and I am not criticising comments from others about that, though we did get a bus out of Arrecife on one visit and we did have to go to a bus station on the other side of the small town. There was a tourist information kiosk by the shuttle drop off point (at the base of the pier) and we were supplied by maps and the info of where to get the bus to the bus station, which was only about 2-3 bus stops from the end of the pier.

It seems strange to OP has not come back to say which ports are on the itinerary in question and to thank people for their replies.

We docked in Lanzarote on Braemar last autumn and the autumn before and the ship docked at a pier which started/finished (depending on how you look at it) right by the bridge where the road goes over an inlet into the town centre.

Apologies, we were on another cruise line, so thanks for the correction.

I thank everyone who has replied to my query regarding what excursions to take on our next cruise. My delay in thanking you all is due to the fact my laptop has decided to retire and consequently I am using a tablet to post on, not the best method as I don't use it everyday.

The ports that we shall be visiting are Arrecife, Las palmas, Santa Cruz, Porto Santo, and Funchal.

I thank everyone who has replied to my query regarding what excursions to take on our next cruise. My delay in thanking you all is due to the fact my laptop has decided to retire and consequently I am using a tablet to post on, not the best method as I don't use it everyday.

The ports that we shall be visiting are Arrecife, Las palmas, Santa Cruz, Porto Santo, and Funchal.

Sorry, looking back my comment was a bit premature - I thought your question was posed earlier than it was. We have had a stressful week.

I looked up Fred's itineraries as I was not sure which Santa Cruz you referred to. As your cruise includes the very unusual port of Porto Santo, I assume it will be 13th Nov on Black Watch. We were planning a holiday in Porto Santo a few years ago, but went elsewhere, so I have not visited, but it is a very quiet Island with a very small main town and a long stretch of deserted beach and some scenic mountains to the north. The climate can apparently be fairly bleak off season, with a lot of wind and that was one reason we did not go at that time because it was to be for a special anniversary in Early May. It is somewhere we would still love to go and a one day off season visit should not be a big problem as long as you are aware what to expect. I doubt there will be much in the way of independent transport there.

I see you are going to both Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Santa Cruz de La Palma. In Tenerife, you will find a Tourist information booth just opposite the port exit were you can get a map and they could easily point you towards the modern tram system that could take you to the lovely historic town of La Laguna in about 30 mins - tram tickets need to be bought before travel from a machine I think. Take a jacket if you go there as it is uphill and will not be as warm as at sea level. Both here and Funchal are great places to go out during your late night stays. We came back from a 2 week hol in Funchal earlier this week. When there, if it looks clear in the mountains above Funchal, it will be lovely up in Monte (though a tad cooler). There is a cable car which is easy to use independently, or if like us you prefer to pay a lot less, there are buses which go up there (I can find bus details if you are interested).

La Palma is a spectacular Island where we once had a two week holiday and travelled around by hire car. If we go their by ship we now tend to get a bus somewhere, but we do know the island well, so it is easy for us. Santa Cruz itself is worth half a day and you could get short a bus ride to the very quiet resort town of Los Cancajos (pronounced can ka hos), but an excursion will yield some excellent views. It is often cloudy on the east of La Palma (near Santo Cruz), but you are likely to find sun up in the caldera or to the south of the Island, which is volcanic terrain. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a very big, busy city, but again it would be easy to get a local bus to the old town and spend a full day there - there is a bus which terminates there, I think it is the number one, but could check that if you are interested. There are hoho buses in Las Palmas and Funchal, both just stay in the cities and personally I do not rate them.

I do not know if you have been to Morrocco, but we have called at both ports on Braemar. The inside of the mosque is well worth a visit in Casablanca and we were happy to do that ourselves, but we are well travelled in Africa and are not typical Fred passengers - we loved it, but it is not a port for the faint hearted. You may prefer a trip from there and the one to Rabat was well spoken of, though we have not been. We found Agadir very uninspiring as it is a modern town and a tourist sea front (AI hotels and a locals area), though possibly ok for a day's stroll. We took Fred's trip to Taroudant last year, which was a pleasant half day and not too expensive if I remember correctly, but depends on your likes and dislikes. Lisbon is a great city with lots to do, so I am sure you will find something of interest there. Oporto is still on our "to do" list.

Happy hols

Barbara

Thanks, the info is much appreciated. I have been reading up about Funchal and intend visiting Monte and talking the sledge ride down. Do you know if buses are available to get you back up again to the cable car or are taxis the only option, don't fancy having to walk it!

Thanks, the info is much appreciated. I have been reading up about Funchal and intend visiting Monte and talking the sledge ride down. Do you know if buses are available to get you back up again to the cable car or are taxis the only option, don't fancy having to walk it!

We have not done the toboggan, but I remember reading that the toboggans do not go all the way down to the town and it is necessary to get a taxi or walk the rest of the way - and the taxis know how to charge apparently! I do not think the end point is anywhere near a bus stop. Some people have walked the rest of the way down, but I get the impression it may take a while. Pretty steep up there, so going back up from the toboggan finish point does not sound a good idea.

If you go to the ports of call section from the boards home page, then select Europe and then other Med countries (I know Portugal and Madeira are not in the Med, but that is the relevant section of the boards), you can ask more questions there. There is currently a thread by someone who lives in Funchal, which may make interesting reading. The ports of call section is where questions about ports are dealt with and this section is more just about Fred cruises. All ships tend to use the same port excursions, though options and prices can vary with cruise line.

Be aware the Cable car is not cheap and a one way cost is almost the same as two ways. The buses leave from the bottom of a valley near the cable car and are fairly frequent, cheap and take about 15 - 20 mins. The 20 and 21 go up to Monte and there is also a 22 which leaves from another stop and stops at the other end of the path, by the cable car. You can search timetables and a map showing where the buses start from on this site:-

http://www.horariosdofunchal.pt/index-eng.php

If you can see it is cloudy on the hill above Funchal, I forget Monte personally - we went up last November and it was thick fog when we got off the bus!

You will find tourist info booths as you leave the port in Tenerife, on an leafy island opposite the end of the pier as you leave the ship in La Palma and as you come away from the port in Gran Canaria I suggest you do not cut through the shopping centre, but carry on with the water on your left and you will see a tourist info kiosk on the left just before you come to were the hoho buses stop (and the touts for them). They will give you much better maps than Fred gives out and are good for advice of locations of transport stops etc.

It is the number 1 bus to the old town in Las Palmas, and it terminates just before the old town. There are other buses, but it is very difficult to see where to get off if you have not been before. From the tourist kiosk you would need to walk between buildings opposite the port and the bus stop is on the far side of a grassy square (bus goes to the left from the port and takes a good 20 mins or so depending on traffic). Costs a couple of euros, are regular (?every 10 mins), but can get busy, so watch your valuables.

If you decide not to do a trip in Arrecife we find it a pleasant place with a sea front and an older area, cafes etc. for a one day stroll. There is a tall hotel along the shore, where you can go up to the cafe on a high floor for a drinks/snacks and views (decent prices too but service can be slow sometimes).

Happy hols,

Barbara

Thanks Barbara, I will be taking all the info with me, so valuable to be able to use helpful advice which will make our trip more enjoyable. As I feel that you can get so much more when traveling independently than just taking the ship's excursions.

Regards Gordon