Eastern Wonders - Ports of Call advice please

[Calomax]

Getting close to booking the above cruise and wondered if some of the ports of call are ok for just walking around without doing the paid excursions. We know what we are doing at Port Sokhna, Alexandria, and Ashdod so we're after advice for Larnaca , Alanya , Fethiye , Aghios Nikolaos , Rhodes Town and Marmaris although we fly home from Marmaris at 15:10 so I don't think we'll have much time there. We'd be grateful if anyone who has been to those ports before could let us know. Thank you.:)

[Calomax]

Anybody?

[capasamari]

We have only been to Aghios Nikolaos and Rhodes out of your list, but you can easily walk into town at both of these ports. There are shops, restaurants and a pretty lake at Aghios Nikolaos, and Rhodes old town is walled with any number of shops and restaurants. We had a late sailaway from Rhodes so had dinner at a roof top restaurant.

 

From Aghios Nikolaos we went on the ship's excursion to Spinalonga which I would thoroughly recommend, however you can get there independently.

 

Carol x

[kruzseeka]

Agree totally with Carol's comments about Ag Nik and Rhodes.

 

Marmaris is lovely - quite up-market with beautifully landscaped waterfront, great cafe culture and good bazaar. Depending on what time they take you off to the airport at Marmaris (it's quite a long transfer) I'd definitely try to go off the ship for a couple of hours if you can and look around and look around - it's one of our favourite places - we love it.

[happy v]

Fethiye is very close to olu deniz, where all the fabulous pictures of Turkey are always taken. So although I haven't any details to give you (unlike Kruzseeker who remembers everything - I don't know how you do it) you will be able to get a bus or dolmus very cheap and have a very pictuesque walk and a swim if you want.

[Sailaway487]

Aghios Nikolaos is a lovely place to have a wonder round. Plenty of bars and cafe's. Like Carol I would highly recommend the Spinalonga & Elounda trip. One of the best trips we've been on.

 

Rhodes Town is really easy to get off and wonder around the walled old town. You can literally just walk off the ship and you're straight there. If you fancy an excursion, the Lindos & the Acropolis trip is worth a go.

 

You'll probably be leaving Marmaris for Dalaman at around 11-ish because of the 90 minute transfer. But if you do get a chance to hop off, the marina area around the port is nice.

[Big Paul]

Alanya we found to be a wonderful clean place easily walking distance.

 

Larnaca was a bit further to walk and I personally was rather disappoointed with the town, however plenty of cafe and bars around.

[DebsLpool]

While in Aghious Nicholoas, jump the local bus to Elounda, the bus stop is right next to the harbour, in front of the tourist info shop. Elounda is a lovely little village, with a nice beach, if you fancy a swim in the clear blue water. From Elounda you can catch one of the many boats going to Spinalonga, if you wanted to visit the old leper colony. If you fancy this make sure you read Victoria Hislopps "The Island" and excellent book, which really explains what life was like on Spinalonga.

 

There are many excellent tavernas in the village and a few shops. You could probably combine this with a stroll around the main area of Ag Nic, as neither place is very big, before returning to your ship.

 

If you fancy going further afield in Crete, buses go to many other parts of the Island, from the main bus stop, at the top of the hill. Heraklion, the capital of Crere, can be easily reached, should you want to visit the ancient site of Knosses, or just look around this old Venetian town itself, also Kritsa, a beautiful village in the countrtside is only about 30 minutes away.

 

Try to see something of Crete as it is a facinating Island

[Calomax]

Thanks everybody, that has been a great help.

[ekco]

Marmaris is only a 10 minute walk so if you get up early for breakfast you could have a quick look round. We did just that and actually it was much nicer before it got busy, although we stopped and had a coffee on the harbour which was about 4 euros and the waiter really pulled his face when we gave 1 euro tip, lol. We did a cruise and stay in Marmaris and hated it when we went in later in the day on the Dolmus from our hotel and couldn't wait to get back.

[warrington wanderer]

Rhodes town ,just walk around so much to see ,tourist train upto the stadium, lindos do able on bus but need to be there very early as very hot arduous trek to top possible to go on donkey but did,nt fancy it looked too scary,would be grateful for any advise on ashod and alexandria ,we travel 28 march

[Calomax]

Rhodes town ,just walk around so much to see ,tourist train upto the stadium, lindos do able on bus but need to be there very early as very hot arduous trek to top possible to go on donkey but did,nt fancy it looked too scary,would be grateful for any advise on ashod and alexandria ,we travel 28 march

We're planning Eastern Wonders on April 26th (still watching prices drop) and will do El Alamein from Alexandria and either the 2 one day excursions to Jerusalem/Bethlehem and Masada/Dead Sea or the overnight Jerusalem/Bethlehem/Nazareth/Galilee/Dead Sea.

 

We won't have time to do anything independently so haven't been researching Ashdod or Alexandria. We did Red Sea Magic last year and went to the Pyramids so will stay on the ship in Port Sokhna this time.

[Julessmiles]

Fethiye is very close to olu deniz, where all the fabulous pictures of Turkey are always taken. So although I haven't any details to give you (unlike Kruzseeker who remembers everything - I don't know how you do it) you will be able to get a bus or dolmus very cheap and have a very pictuesque walk and a swim if you want.

 

Fethyie is a lovely Turkish harbour town - nice to walk around; not sure where you dock or if it's a tender? Alternatively you could hop on a dolmus to the beach resort Calis beach which is probably only about 10 minutes away or as happy suggests you could head to Olu Deniz - I would think you would need to allow at least 30 mins to get there by Dolmus.

 

Spinalonga is definitley worth a visit - very moving place to go especially if you go on a guided tour as they bring it all to life. We did the Thomson trip which was worth every penny and we had a lovely Greek Meze lunch included in Elounda with time on the beach after. Ag Nik itself is quite pretty - lots of cafes & tourist shops - there's supposed to be a land train there too apparently.

[Essexlass2]

Marmaris is only a 10 minute walk so if you get up early for breakfast you could have a quick look round. We did just that and actually it was much nicer before it got busy, although we stopped and had a coffee on the harbour which was about 4 euros and the waiter really pulled his face when we gave 1 euro tip, lol. We did a cruise and stay in Marmaris and hated it when we went in later in the day on the Dolmus from our hotel and couldn't wait to get back.

]

 

The currency in Turkey isn't euros - think you're mistaken on that one ekco!

[Julessmiles]

]

 

The currency in Turkey isn't euros - think you're mistaken on that one ekco!

 

 

They do accept Euros (and used to accept Sterling when we last went!) widely in Turkey - even when we went up into the hills above Marmaris they were happy to accept Euros!

[kruzseeka]

]

 

The currency in Turkey isn't euros - think you're mistaken on that one ekco!

 

 

You're right that currency is Turkish Lire (Lira?) but apart from using TL for the Dolmus we were able to use Euros widely - including at the cafes although to be fair you do find prices quoted in Euros are a bit more than the equivalent in TL.

[ekco]

]

 

The currency in Turkey isn't euros - think you're mistaken on that one ekco!

 

Wrong!! They'll take anything in Turkey, including beans I'm sure, lol, and often have their prices in euros, as Kruzseeka says it's almost always to their benefit though.:):) That's how come I remember about the coffee and the tip.;)

 

Jan

[warrington wanderer]

Marmaris is only a 10 minute walk so if you get up early for breakfast you could have a quick look round. We did just that and actually it was much nicer before it got busy, although we stopped and had a coffee on the harbour which was about 4 euros and the waiter really pulled his face when we gave 1 euro tip, lol. We did a cruise and stay in Marmaris and hated it when we went in later in the day on the Dolmus from our hotel and couldn't wait to get back.

 

Getting close to booking the above cruise and wondered if some of the ports of call are ok for just walking around without doing the paid excursions. We know what we are doing at Port Sokhna, Alexandria, and Ashdod so we're after advice for Larnaca , Alanya , Fethiye , Aghios Nikolaos , Rhodes Town and Marmaris although we fly home from Marmaris at 15:10 so I don't think we'll have much time there. We'd be grateful if anyone who has been to those ports before could let us know. Thank you.:)

in southern turkey (alanya)they are more used to german guests and therefore are happy to accept euros if fact they prefer it and exchange tends to be 1euro =1gbp for ease on dolmus ,infact when i paid for a small item in TL they gave me the money back and the goods and waved me off with a smile

[Essexlass2]

Oh wow, I stand corrected, we live and learn eh :eek:

[ekco]

Oh wow, I stand corrected, we live and learn eh :eek:

 

Consider yourself told off, lol.:D:D;)

 

Jan