edinburgher

And the price point is usually lower, but for good reason due to the potential for hurricane related itinerary disruption.

Both Vigo and la (a) Coruna are the port calls for Santiago de Compostela. You could go with a shorex if one is offered or a private tour, but should you prefer to go independently, there are train stations at both. SdeC is a fascinating place to visit and you will see many pilgrims making thir way there or around the town having walked the "camino" in full or part. You may even see some lying in the square in front of the Cathedral, the final stop on this epic pilgrimage. Even should you have no interest in any of the religios aspect, the town itself is very historic and worth a visit. Info and images online.

Only now read that you have never visited Ephesus on a previous trip,(had thought this must be a second or third Kusadasi visit) so I would also strongly urge you to visit Ephesus, one of the top Roman sites you could visit anywhere. And if you can,also try to get into the Terraced Houses section as this section is not always included in a "standard" tour. There are a number of previous threads which you can find easily using the SEARCH tool under your user name. you said Not sure if more than 3 is too many. in that case, you might want to consider dropping one of the other 3 and replacing it with Ephesus. And as already suggested, you could perhaps include the Railway Museum, although that be costly for a private tour for only 2 persons and not everyone in a group might be interested in the Museum. Perhaps you could visit Ephesus first and if time allows afterwards, simply take a taxi for 2 the short distance to the museum?

Each has its positives and you get very different impressions of everyday life at the time.If you enjoyed Pompeii, I think you will find Herculaneum almost as fascinating, in some ways better as several of the streets and houses are more complete. And it is much more compact with some shade, a huge bonus on hot weather days as it isn't as tiring a site to walk around in the way that Pompeii can be. Lovely views into it from above on the walkway which leads to the ticket office and entrance. And as mentioned above, the train service is frequent and the train station (Ercolano Scavi) is a little closer to Naples than the one for Pompeii. You should be able to easily explore the site and return to Naples with plenty of time to spare. Be aware there are two "Ercolano" train stations and you want "Ercolano SCAVI" (ruins) A downhill walk from the train station, but uphill for the return to the station, although it is gradual rather than steep. There should be much info, images and reviews to be found online to help you decide, but if you have already visited Pompeii, it is worth giving Herculaneum a try..

Quite shocked to read that lynncarol as euros20 pp is IMHO quite expensive., (and was it euros or £s sterling? as £s sterling would be even more expensive.) Also sorry it happened to you as it doesn't give the best impression of the city. Edinburgh isn't the most economical city to visit (nor to live in!) so anyone reading this who would like a genuinely " free" walking tour, and doesn't mind having the info but no talking guide, best advice would be to Google something along the lines of "self guided walking tour Edinburgh" or gypsmycity. Same with the Harry Potter locations, and Outlander locations. There are quite a number easily found.

Lovely that you had more than one day and could visit more locations, as this city offers a lot despite being quite small in size for a city. And yes, the Royal Boatanical Gardens are beautiful. Unfortunately most cruise pax have only one day, and if tendering or docking outside the city some of that short time is los timmediately. With the new tramline extension recently opened, best location is Newhaven.

Have you tried Googling Kusadasi to Kamlik Railway Museum? Rome2rio has the info you are looking for, taxi being the fastest for the short journey, so you may not need an actual tour if the exhibits have explanatory notes.

I had added the later posts to this thread in case any future visitors to Lisbon might find some helpful suggestions, even if their time there is not a Sunday. This because for a number of cruise pax, it could be their 2nd or 3rd, or more(!) visit to the city, although it would be advisable to check opening hours and days before arrival, as many museums and other sights which are open on Sundays may be closed on a Monday or Tuesday, or a different day of the week.

The sail in to Kotor is beautiful, IMHO one of the prettiest anywhere, so do be up on deck at least an hour (or slightly more) before scheduled arrival to enjoy it to the max. Although you will retrace the same route when departing, the light is very different later in the day from the early morning light and lacks the serene and peaceful feel of the morning. And once doicked or tendered, you only need cross the road to enter the very charming historic town.

Will you be in Toulon or la Seyne s/ Mer? as both are used. You didn't say what type of tour you were looking for, nor where you wanted to go, but I do agree with marazul that if travelling within in August (the busiest time of year) at this late stage you may find it difficult to find anything at all. If you really cannot find anything, you could consider a ship shorex or DIY to somewhere as Toulon has a train station. There are also some small seaside resorts nearby.

huckster1, I don't know what your plans might be, but IF you are intending to visit the castle, (and not everybody does) I just now had a quick look at the advance ticket situation for you. Your date is there, and there is a number beside each time slot showing how many advance timed tickets are still vailable for each time slot. The entry slot between 0930-and 1000 has the fewest number remaining,. so should that interest you, given how busy August is, you should probably book sooner rather than later. You can get very good photos of the castle from its Esplande, also great views over the city, but the grandstands for tattoo seating are already up which makes the city and hills views a little trickier than usual unless you walk behind them to the walls. You will see others do that.The full frontage views of the castle are still doable with ease..

Sorry but we didn't explore SML in-depth, only the more attractive touristic areas so didn't see a train station, or a bus station either.

Thanks for at least considering the easier option of staying in the city. You don't say what ages your kids are, but all of the above (including the little train and the HOHO)s are in very close proximity to each other alongside The Vieux Port or within a 5 minute walk from it, so no other transport would be needed. The Vieux Port is also where the boat trips leave from. There is an excellent website called Marvellous Provence which is definitely worth dipping into in addition to the Marseille Tourist Info website. With descriptions of both Marseille and Aix it might help you decide. Marseille is the #2 city in France after Paris. Should you decide to stay in the city, would you be kind enough to add your comments (good or bad) after returning as these would be helpful to others. Thank You in advance. Marseille is the #2 city in France after Paris.

😉 The one and only time?😉

And it appears that many other cruise pax are not either, as they want to leave for Aix or Cassis before they even arrive, even if they never visited previously. I do wonder why, because as a destination for a one day port of call it has many advantages and really quite a selection of sights and things to do and see. Founded around 600 BC, and inhabited since then, there is a lot of history to be discovered in local museums.And public transprt has been expanded and is quite easy to use, especially the tram lines which are asmooth, clean and efficient way to move around the city. I certainly agree that decades ago it used to be a bit of a mess/scruffy with a poor reputation, but over a period of some years now it has reinvented itself and for some time now has been attracting visitors for short breaks, in addition to new businesses and incoming residents. Becoming a European City of Culture in 2013 was the impetus to begin reinventing itself with a number of new attractions being constructed. If anyone visited a long time ago were to visit once again, I think they would be pleasantly surprised by the changes. Someone has to wave the flag and it is usually me.

in addition to the above, there is also the National Palace and Gardens of Queluz, located off the Lisbon to Sintra trainline, approx midway between the two, so time allowing, should be easy enough to combine with Sintra.Ttere should be much info and images of the Nat. Palace online as it is where the Portuguese Govt accommodate and host visiting heads of state, presidents etc. We did it on a port day, taking the train to the correct station, then walked the last shortish distance. We have also visited the Gulbenkian Museum, and although we didn't enjoy it as much as we thought we would, others could find it more to their liking. Both of the above should be open on Sundays. So much to see and do in Lisbon, even on a Sunday.

Hank, a couple of other suggestions if I may, in case the weather is too hot or it is raining and in either scenario you would prefer to be indoors. Despite our several port call visits to Lisbon we had never quite made it to two museums so we did them on our land visit. Both are open on Sundays but double check opening hours as there may have been changes. The Maritime Museum at Belem We spent 3 and 1/2 hours at the Maritime Museum, actually 1 and 1/2 hours more than I would have liked,(!) but if either of you has an interest like my DH it is a fabulous museum. And the National Tile Museum. which surprised us as we had not expected to enjoy it as much as we did. (read reviews) It really is worth going there, and should you decide to go, don't miss the Lisbon panorama in tile on the top floor. We went by public bus and pre-pandemic there was a stop almost at the entrance. Both museums have cafes. The one at the Maritime Museum is at the exit, a long way from the entrance, but can also be accessed from outdoors. The one inside the Tile Museum is close to the entrance. Both are decent enough for a light lunch or snack but for a full meal I would suggest a restaurant elsewhere. Enjoy. We really like Lisbon.

Should you find nobody to share, Herculaneum and Pompeii are super easy to DIY from the port, and at Pompeii you can hire a guide at the entrance. Therre are many many previous threads here on CC describing in some detail how to reach both from the port.

Fira and Oia restaurants can be quite pricey, especially those with caldera views, and August will be the busiest month on the island and in that month, possibly the highest prices will be charged. If struggling to find somewhere suitable and with such a late sailing, you have the option of dining onboard and watching the sunset from the comfort of your ship.

Be aware that Mykonos is a very popular holiday island for tourists from across Europe and beyond, with July, and especially August, the busiest months, so unless you are travelling a little out of season, you may need to accept that every beach could be busy/crowded.

Had to add later as I was interrupted and timed out for #1 It is easy to spend time around the Vieux Port, itself worth a visit in its own right and your kids would probably also enjoy the mirrored canopy located there too.And if already in the area next to the Vieux Port, you could wander into the historic Fort St Jean, part of which is free entry.From here you can cross a footbridge to the ultra modern MUCEM complex.on the waterside which is worth visiting. (as an aside, your shuttle bus may drop off and pick up from here or close to it) It is mostly outdoors with walkways and terraces, and some lovely views of the Vieux Port, Notre Dame de la Garde and the Med. it is a public space and can be enjoyed free of charge by anyone whether local or visitor unless you choose to enter any of the paying exhibitions. There are seating areas, and cafes and restaurants and it is a lovely place to stroll whilst admiring the views. And from there you will be able to see the huge Cathedral de la Major a 5 minute walk away across the road. It merits a short visit and has free entry. There is more than enough to see and do which is also easy due to their locations being in close proximity to each other. There are also short boat trips on offer from the Vieux Port going to the Chateau d'If (think Count of Monte Cristo) and a couple of other tiny islands, and longer ones to the Calanques of Cassis. And one of those little tourist trains which tootles around and it goes up to Notre dame de la Garde for the wonderful views and a couple of HOS. Also a few museums close by too. . And the shopping is excellent. As I mentioned, there is more than enough to see and do which is also easy due to their locations being in close proximity to each other. without the additional schlep to Aix and back, but it is your day and your choice. The Official City of Marseille Tourist Info website is a good starting point for info, choose your preferred language, also Tripadvisor and others. As you will gather, I am a fan of Marseille for a port day, having visited the city many times over a few decades.

You will all need to get from the cruise terminal at Fos, some way from the city. Most ships will run shuttle buses to a location close to the Vieux Port, and from there it is a maybe 10 minute max walk to the train station Gare St Charles. where you can get a train to Aix. Be aware that there is more than one train station in Aix and do not forget after buying them, to validate your tickets in the machines on the platform before boarding or you risk a fine. If this will be your first visit to Marseille, there is atually more than enough to fill a day without going to Aix.

An afterthought. Due to the many cobbled surfaces it is recommended that footwear should be both comfortable and practical, especially so should it be raining as cobbles get very slippery when wet. This is not a city for sightseeing in heeled shoes.

As mentioned in an earlier post, several festivals take place every August, and as in most cities when major events take place, there can be route diversions and road closures.Chambers St and Johnston Terrace are closed at some point every afternoon to be used as coach parks for the Tattoo visitors who arrive from far and wide. Edinburgh is crammed full every August and you can expect crowds wherever you go. If standing waching any of the street theatre prerformances, sorry to say, do keep a close watch on your personal belongings as visitors who are distracted could be targeted by pickpockets. And do pre-book entry for anywhere you plan to visit to avoid waiting lines. This applies especially to Edinburgh Castle entrance. You should book as soon as your date appears on their website otherwise time slots will be fully booked. For some it is the best time to visit Edinburgh, but for others it is the worst time. And be aware that since the old information you quoted was issued, there have been many many changes to traffic routes throughout the centre of the city, and the Royal Mile/High St/ Castle area has been mostly pedestrianised for a number of years now and the HOHOS cannot run in sections of it. As for castle views, no worries at all as the castle dominates and there are many opportunities to view it. And to be absolutely honest, castle views from Johnston Terrace are awful, as JT is underneath the castle with the only views from there being directly upward, of walls. And I don't think the castle can be seen from Chambers St at all. Lovely castle views from Princes St Gardens and more from the Grassmarket. I think you will find that being time challenged, most of your time will be spent in the area around the castle, Royal Mile/High St or very close to there if eg you visit the excellent National Museum of Scotland not a 5 minute walk away in Chambers St, also the Grassmarket.also in and around Princes St Gardens. If it is a clear day, would also highly recommend you walk up the very centrally located Calton Hill for the 360 degree spectacular views. If it is cloudy, don't bother. And no vehicles are allowed up there either. I honestly don't think that a HOHO will be of much use to you unless it follows one of the more outlying routes such as The Three Bridges. And should you plan to visit the Royal Yacht Brittania, there is lots of easy to use public transport(buses and trams) to take you there.

Or, there could possibly be a ship shorex offered, and although not your preferred option you may want to consider it if it is that or not at all.