Public Restroom Facilities in the Mediterranean

[Lady Arwen]

Sailing from Barcelona to France, Monaco, Italy, Albania and Croatia for our first Med cruise. Could someone please tell me if there are free or pay restrooms for the public to use. Since we'll be taking excursions in all of our ports of call, I'd like to know in advance how difficult or easy it will be to find them.

 

Your expert advice is most appreciated!

[Cruising-along]

Sailing from Barcelona to France, Monaco, Italy, Albania and Croatia for our first Med cruise. Could someone please tell me if there are free or pay restrooms for the public to use. Since we'll be taking excursions in all of our ports of call, I'd like to know in advance how difficult or easy it will be to find them.

 

Your expert advice is most appreciated!

 

No worries. In my experience, the few times the public restrooms were pay restrooms, our guide gave us each a coin (or sometimes paid the attendant ahead). Your guide will cover that and getting you there.

Have a wonderful time. :)

[Mrs. Walkinman]

Just be aware, if you are physically challenged, some of the restrooms are difficult to access. At one place for our lunch stop in Greece, the only toilets were down a steep, slippery, curving marble staircase. At other sites, they were down steep stairs or passageways.

[taxmantoo]

Sailing from Barcelona to France, Monaco, Italy, Albania and Croatia for our first Med cruise. Could someone please tell me if there are free or pay restrooms for the public to use. Since we'll be taking excursions in all of our ports of call, I'd like to know in advance how difficult or easy it will be to find them.

 

Your expert advice is most appreciated!

 

Not quite the same as a safari or some deserted islands :D Public restroom availability should not be any different than your hometown of Toronto ;)

[slidergirl]

One piece of info I was given years ago and I still follow: if desperate, find a local cafe/bar/fast food place. Buy something small and ask to use the facilities. Never use a "private" restroom without paying!

 

Bring your own TP and wipes - one never knows what you will find. The public facilities may be anything from posh "American" style to the occasional "squat" style (actually found one of these in Lucerne, Switzerland :eek: )

[Lady Arwen]

One piece of info I was given years ago and I still follow: if desperate, find a local cafe/bar/fast food place. Buy something small and ask to use the facilities. Never use a "private" restroom without paying!

 

Bring your own TP and wipes - one never knows what you will find. The public facilities may be anything from posh "American" style to the occasional "squat" style (actually found one of these in Lucerne, Switzerland :eek: )

 

Thanks! I'll remember to put some TP in my tote bag! I'm one of those ladies who get creeped out in not so nice restrooms. I'd rather pay for a clean, fresh one!

[jtl513]

I think I've never been on any guided excursion where the guide didn't make provision for a potty stop about half way through. Usually it is a gift shop, restaurant, or combination, but I remember once it was in a monastery!

Edited August 4, 2016 by jtl513

[Lady Arwen]

Not quite the same as a safari or some deserted islands :D Public restroom availability should not be any different than your hometown of Toronto.

 

Except in Toronto, lots of McDonald's restaurants that are always free and always very clean! I have a feeling that restrooms in Albania may not be quite the same!

[Lady Arwen]

I think I've never been on any guided excursion where the guide didn't make provision for a potty stop about half way through. Usually it is a gift shop, restaurant, or combination, but I remember once it was in a monastery!

 

That sounds good, thanks!

[jtl513]

That sounds good, thanks!

I should have added that I meant for excursions longer than 2-3 hours.

[CanuckCruizer]

Not quite the same as a safari or some deserted islands :D Public restroom availability should not be any different than your hometown of Toronto ;)

 

Sorry, taxmantoo, could not stay silent on this one....in Canada, the toilets flush, we have "actual" toilet seats and "most" have toilet paper available where this is NOT the case in a number of toilets in the places being inquired about. Maybe the men's toilets are better, but I could write a book about toilets I have visited around the world.:eek:

 

One piece of info I was given years ago and I still follow: if desperate, find a local cafe/bar/fast food place. Buy something small and ask to use the facilities. Never use a "private" restroom without paying!

 

Bring your own TP and wipes - one never knows what you will find. The public facilities may be anything from posh "American" style to the occasional "squat" style (actually found one of these in Lucerne, Switzerland :eek: )

 

I agree with slidergirl and also the previous poster regarding difficulty assessing some toilets. I, unfortunately, have found more than the occasional "squat" style (where you actually need to remove your shorts/skirt/capri's etc.) to actually go which is very difficult for anyone with knee problems or arthritis:eek:). I have found these types of toilets in Turkey, Italy, Greece & Spain (one was in Ravenna - in a very posh area of restaurants - a hole in the ground "squat" style and it was co-ed (not at the same time, luckily). That is another common factor - a lot of the toilets are used for both men and women.

 

Another poster (sorry forgot the name) mentioned that tour guides will pay for you to go to the toilet. Well, I do not know what kind of tour she was on but I have done tons of tours and not once, has the guide paid for me to use the toilet.

 

My advice - ALWAYS have Kleenex packs/tissues with you as you will either have to pay for toilet paper (you pay to use the toilet & then they give you one square or two, if you are lucky). Bring a small bottle of sanitizer with you at all times as I have used many a bathroom that had no running water and/or no soap. Wear "easy to get off" shorts or bottoms for the possibility of "squat" situations - sounds awful, I know, but unless you have been in that situation, trust me, you want to be able to get your clothes OFF. Bring small change or small bills. Attendants in the bathrooms also expect TIPS and can get stroppy sometimes if you do not give them one.

 

I have actually given out Kleenex to other cruisers in bathrooms before - I could have made some money selling it - haha. I was the only one who came "equipped".

 

Guys don't know how good they've got it! (although I have also had to use some men's room in my day and THAT wasn't pretty either:eek:)

 

Good luck!

 

Canuck

[Cruising-along]

 

Another poster (sorry forgot the name) mentioned that tour guides will pay for you to go to the toilet. Well, I do not know what kind of tour she was on but I have done tons of tours and not once, has the guide paid for me to use the toilet.

 

Canuck

 

That was me.

Ship tours. Eastern Med (twice) and Western (once). In every case when the guide directed us to a restroom, IF it was a pay restroom, the guide paid. Sorry you didn't have the same experience.

 

Of course when we were in the Med on land trips we were on our own. :D

[cruisemom42]

If you mean that you are mostly taking ship-sponsored excursions, then you will usually have timed stops in places where the guides know the restroom facilities are adequate. (I stress adequate. Few places are going to be really "nice" even in nice shops and restaurants.) That said, these tours tend to stop in places whose sole purpose is catering to busloads of tourists, therefore the facilities are generally fairly modern. Albania and potentially Croatia may be more challenging.

 

In Italy, Spain, France etc. (the more developed countries), restrooms in museums and restaurants do tend to be located down stairs or in the back near the kitchen. Space is usually very tight. Toilet seats are often nonexistent (e.g., just the bare china fixture). Toilet paper, as already abundantly noted, is rare.

 

Most restaurants with facilities expect you to make a purchase, albeit a small one. Buy a coffee in a bar in Italy or in a McDonalds or a Starbucks.

 

Pay toilets aren't that common; the attendent requiring a tip is, however, a fixture at many tourist stops. (Not usually in restaurants or private restrooms).

[CanuckCruizer]

I think I've never been on any guided excursion where the guide didn't make provision for a potty stop about half way through. Usually it is a gift shop, restaurant, or combination, but I remember once it was in a monastery!

 

We are booked on several excursions on our upcoming Med cruise and, after speaking with "Journeys Ashore" (shorex dept.) have unfortunately learned that, for a couple of tours, we are on 2 hour bus rides to get to the place, with NO TOILETS and NO STOPS until arriving at the destination. Doesn't bode well for having your morning coffee before the early morning tour!:eek: Actually, on every tour we have booked for our upcoming cruise - there is no toilet on any bus (which I find unusual as we have had them before on tours).

 

I have been on tours where I have had to ask if we could have a bathroom stop and have been refused and once in Barbados, the bus driver pulled into a gas station and I had to go running in - other passengers seemed perturbed, which I thought was terrible - I mean, when you gotta go, you gotta go!

 

Canuck

[jtl513]

Another poster (sorry forgot the name) mentioned that tour guides will pay for you to go to the toilet. Well, I do not know what kind of tour she was on but I have done tons of tours and not once, has the guide paid for me to use the toilet.

In Istanbul our guide gave us coins to use at the Grand Bazaar - but it was a private tour with just 8 people, not a big bus load.

[CanuckCruizer]

That was me.

Ship tours. Eastern Med (twice) and Western (once). In every case when the guide directed us to a restroom, IF it was a pay restroom, the guide paid. Sorry you didn't have the same experience.

 

Of course when we were in the Med on land trips we were on our own. :D

 

Maybe it is a HAL Med excursion thing? Haven't been on any HAL "Med" excursions yet as our cruise is in September. Have been on quite a few with RCCL and also very expensive private tours for two and no one ever offered to pay for my bathroom break. Looking forward to see if HAL excursions cover me.:)

 

Canuck

[sail7seas]

Sailing from Barcelona to France, Monaco, Italy, Albania and Croatia for our first Med cruise. Could someone please tell me if there are free or pay restrooms for the public to use. Since we'll be taking excursions in all of our ports of call, I'd like to know in advance how difficult or easy it will be to find them.

 

Your expert advice is most appreciated!

 

I always look for a MCdONALDS, BUY A DIET COKE AND USE THEIR RESTROOM IF THRE IS A HOTEL INS IGHT, i'VE BEEN KNOWN TO USE THEIR LOBBY LEVEL RESTROOM. If there is AWN ATTendant, I ALWAYS TIP HER.

 

mcxD's restrr erooms in E##urope arre almots always clean, stocked with paper/soap and are often marble. ;0

Edited August 4, 2016 by sail7seas

[Cruising-along]

Maybe it is a HAL Med excursion thing? Haven't been on any HAL "Med" excursions yet as our cruise is in September. Have been on quite a few with RCCL and also very expensive private tours for two and no one ever offered to pay for my bathroom break. Looking forward to see if HAL excursions cover me.:)

 

Canuck

 

I do vividly remember guides passing out coins to use. It's something you aren't apt to forget, having no local money and being dependent on the guide. :D

 

Hopefully your experience will be the same, and "cut-backs" won't come into play.

[CanuckCruizer]

I do vividly remember guides passing out coins to use. It's something you aren't apt to forget, having no local money and being dependent on the guide. :D

 

Hopefully your experience will be the same, and "cut-backs" won't come into play.

 

Yes - it certainly would be handy if someone handed you a coin as, sometimes, it is very difficult to get change from places and I have had to overpay on many occasions for the toilet.

 

Canuck

[sapper1]

In Dubrovnik in 2011 I got to experience a brand new stainless steel hole in the floor type toilet. It was a public toilet near the wall by the marina. Interesting to say the least.

[OlsSalt]

One positive about HAL shore excursions is they always make sure there are sufficient and well-timed bathroom breaks.

[taxmantoo]

Sorry, taxmantoo, could not stay silent on this one....in Canada, the toilets flush, we have "actual" toilet seats and "most" have toilet paper available where this is NOT the case in a number of toilets in the places being inquired about. Maybe the men's toilets are better, but I could write a book about toilets I have visited around the world.:eek:

 

I am very aware of plumbing systems and facilities in Canada. My post was a tongue in cheek reply to the OP resident of Toronto.

 

I might add that it seems you have not been in a public restroom in a MacDonalds on Yonge Street in Toronto or a Starbucks in Vancouver in quite a while :D I could also write a book about toilets I have visited around the world, including Canada and several HAL ships for that matter. ;)

[OlsSalt]

Check out those female "bathroom aides" available on travel websites - either paper or vinyl. Essential when confronted with only a "standing up" option. And of course some sanitary-wipes. If female and confronted with a "squat" option, be sure to roll up your pant legs first, and you can figure out the rest.

 

The biggest challenge can be knowing when to put the paper in the commode and flush it down or in the waste basket by the toilet. Even in northern Europe where the fixtures were fairly modern, but perhaps the central lines were not. We also noticed in Sweden the public toilets were all self-contained with both sink and commode so they were clearly "unisex" available.

 

Often one will find street signs directing to public facilities scattered around town. So keep your eyes open. And a good question to ask any tourist office rep who greets passengers at the dock. There was an old rule of the road, when presented an opportunity to use the facilities, use them even if you don't think you need to at the time, because you never know when there will be another chance. Museums, train stations, department stores, public buildings are also resources along with cafes, restaurants and hotels.

 

I have worked as a cruise ambassador in our town and the first thing many passengers ask when they get off the tender is where are the public bathrooms. Unfortunately in our town, they were about a 10-15 minute walk to find the first public facilities and then after that they were few and far between, except for the commercial and public building options.

Edited August 4, 2016 by OlsSalt

[Lady Arwen]

Well, thanks everyone for your responses! I guess I'm going to be introduced to a whole new way of life I was not really expecting! I thought restrooms around the world would be like the ones in Vegas casinos......you know, art work on the walls, flowers in vases, hand cream, etc. I'm so not good with primitive facilities, but I guess I will literally have to go with the flow (pun intended)!

[CanuckCruizer]

I am very aware of plumbing systems and facilities in Canada. My post was a tongue in cheek reply to the OP resident of Toronto.

 

I might add that it seems you have not been in a public restroom in a MacDonalds on Yonge Street in Toronto or a Starbucks in Vancouver in quite a while :D I could also write a book about toilets I have visited around the world, including Canada and several HAL ships for that matter. ;)

 

Didn't realize you were being sarcastic with your comment as you pretty much indicated that the poster was not going on a safari, that she was going to civilized places. No, haven't been to a McDonald's on Yonge Street - only been to the airport in Toronto, but I have frequented many Starbucks here in Vancouver and haven't found anything too scary.

 

Don't even get me started on HAL ship's toilets...someone actually should publish a book about those.:eek:

 

Canuck