Which ports for tours or self guided?

[LiseD]

We are interested in doing some private tours since we will have my parents with us and they are in their 80's. Being in a a/c van sounds great...they can just ride or get out and walk if they want, etc. With that said....it would get pretty expensive to do that in every port! Can any of you give me suggestions on which of these ports would be better to take a tour and which are ok for just getting around on our own? Would love some advice on this! (also...some of the port times are shorter than others....better to take a tour then or just walk around a bit since there is not a lot of time?)

Here are the ports we will visit:

 

Gibralter 12-6

Villefranche-9:30-6

Civitavecchia 7-7

Livorno 7-7

Genoa 7-3

Malga 9-4

Lisbon 12-7

[euro cruiser]

Both Civitavecchia and Livorno are quite a distance (an hour or more) from the key sites associated with these stops (Rome and Florence, respectively), so these are two where a private driver is a real advantage for folks unable (or unwilling) to negotiate mass transit.

 

Once you are in town the key sites are quite close together (especially true for Florence), but having a car can help speed you around (more true for Rome).

[Hlitner]

I think the best advice would really depend on what you want to do in those ports. For example, if you plan on just staying in Malaga and exploring the town you can easily do this on your own. But if you want to go off to places like Granada or Ronda you would do best with a tour (unless you are like us and prefer to simply rent a car).

 

The bottom line is that, if you do your pre-trip homework, you can do just about anything on your own with major savings in cost over cruise line excursions. Finding smaller private tours on your cruise's Roll Call Board is a great option since sharing a larger private tour can get the cost down to a reasonable amount (cheaper then similar cruise line excursions) and the smaller groups usually provide a better experience.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

 

Gibraltar 12-6

Easy to DIY, a shared taxi tour of the upper Rock from the cruise terminal, at the end you can be brought back to the ship though most prefer to be dropped of at Casemates Square, then wander the shops & pubs & sights of Main Street. Or if you don't want a tour, it's a simple & easy 15-20 minute from cruise terminal to town. Short hours in port, but it's plenty for Gib.

Villefranche-9:30-6

Pleasant if unexciting town to wander for a lazy day. Cheap & easy to take a bus or the coastal train to Monaco, or in the opposite direction to Nice, Juan les Pins, Antibes etc. Other options such as Eze, doubtless others can chip in with details.

Civitavecchia 7-7

Civi itself is very limited. Train to Rome is cheap & easy, but there's an awful lot to see so you do need to fully research & plan your day. Your port time is a little more generous than most cruises.

Livorno 7-7

Livorno itself is very limited. Pisa or Florence, or both, can be done by train. Not as simple as some ports, you might want to consider an organised tour. Again, pretty generous port time.

Genoa 7-3

Sorry, can't help.

Malga 9-4

Too short a day to explore independently outside the city. Either ship's trip to the Alhambra at Granada (you need timed admission tickets, which will be included in ship's tour), or if you want to stay in Malaga it's easy by hoho.

Lisbon 12-7

Depending where you port, the city centre is a short walk or a choice of taxi, hoho, bus or train, ten minute journey to the centre. Centre is pretty compact. Port time is pretty mean for Lisbon.

 

 

None of these ports need a ship's tour, though some folk might be more comfortable taking ship's tours from Livorno or Civi, & for the Alhambra even John Bull would take ship's tour on this timetable.

None of these ports needs a private tour, all can be done DIY.

Whether to take a tour is subjective, depends on your comfort zone, how much you value a knowledgeable guide, how independent you want to feel, & the depth of your pocket.

 

JB :)

[LiseD]

This is very helpful! I think my parents might just want to wander a bit and then find a good place to sit and relax and people watch. They have been to the area before....but we have never been and I am up for seeing things!!