Excursions on our own

[traceytd]

 

I was wondering if Europe ports are like the Caribbean in regards to grabbing a cab at the port and doing your own thing? Are there any taxi offering excursions like in the Caribbean? I don’t think I would use them if the excursion is far from the port but if they are reasonably close i’d be willing to use taxis for excursions.
I will be with my husband and my son and daughter-in-law, it would be nice to have a small excursion that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg LOL

Thanks 

Tracey

[mskaufman]

It depends on the port.  For example, in Gibraltar you can get a taxi tour.  In Livorno and Cita you are just too far from Florence or Rome but I'm not saying it can't happen but I wouldn't count  on it.

[John Bull]

If you name your ports we can tell you whether & how they can be easily done by DIY.

If you're not keen on using local public transport, in some ports you might need to pre-book a tour either independently or through your cruise RollCall, or where long distances or poor local transport or time constraints dictate sometimes a ship's excursion is best - even for the most independently-minded of us.

 

So we know you are four adults, now we need to know your ports.

 

JB 🙂

[traceytd]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

If you name your ports we can tell you whether & how they can be easily done by DIY.

If you're not keen on using local public transport, in some ports you might need to pre-book a tour either independently or through your cruise RollCall, or where long distances or poor local transport or time constraints dictate sometimes a ship's excursion is best - even for the most independently-minded of us.

 

So we know you are four adults, now we need to know your ports.

 

JB 🙂

Thanks for taking the time to write me 🙂

here re my ports

[John Bull]

Athens.

If you arrive the day before, book a hotel in the city.

Go to the Acropolis in the morning, while it's comparatively cool. Also its often closed on hot afternoons. Acropolis museum is between the Acropolis and the city centre. Best place for wandering is the Plaka and Syntagma Square.

You need transportation to the port of Piraeus, about 20 minutes. There are various options, but with luggage best to get the hotel to call for a taxi.

If you're going direct to the ship from the airport, they're on opposite sides of Athens. Check out pre-booked private transer prices, or book your cruise ship's bus transfer 

 

Santorini.

Beautiful island, stunning views, but all ships involve going ashore by tender. The tender pier is at the bottom of a sheer cliff, there's no road to it.So its up the cliff by cablecar or by donkey on the zig-zag path - or take the local ferry from the tender pier to Oia. It's a one-way ferry, you can't get it back to the tender pier. So from Oia its a bus or taxi ride back to the clifftop at Fira, then down on the cablecar or if theres a huge line for the cablecar you can walk down the zig-zag path - about 25 minutes to the tender pier.

 

Congestion going up from the tender pier to Fira can be bad - and even worse going back down.

Ships' tours use different tenders which go to the little ferryport at Athinios, where the road goes down to the harbour. But most ships' tours end at Fira so folk have to join the congestion to get down to the tender pier. Because of this, some ships' tours now finish back at the harbour in Athinios - check whether that's the case with your ship and if so its well worth considering a ship's tour to avouid the grief.

 

Naples

You have a wide choice - Pompeii, Herculaneum, the Amalfi coast, Capri amongst many more - and you can't fit in more than one or two.

For Pompeii or Herculaneum you can take the "Circumvesuviana" train from the main station, only a few euros.

For Capri take the ferry adjacent the cruise terminal across the Bay of Naples to the island of Capri.

The Amalfi coast cant be done in the timescale by public transport & is wicked by self-drive car rental - it needs a tour, either ship's tour or a rivate tour shared with your fellow-passengers.

For a bit of a mix, consider ferry to Sorrento, then the half-hourly Circumvesuvian train back to Naples with a stop at Pompeii Scavi (biconic, big site, can be hot & tiring) or Ercolano Scavi (Herculaneum) (smaller site, much better state of presentation, lots of shade). Both Pompeii and Herculaneum have both live guides & audio-guides.

 

Barcelona

Port shuttle to the port gate, then you're near Las Ramblas. The Familia Sagrada really needs using the metro or on a ho-ho tour.

 

Gibraltar

See my other post

 

Livorno

Pisa and/or Florence can be done by direct train - if you want to visit both you can buy a return train ticket to Florence (Firenza SM Novella station), the trains include a stop at Pisa centrale & the Field of Miracles (Leaning tower etc) is a 20 minute walk from the station. Your one train ticket allows you to break your journey - best done on the return to Livorno because there are more-frequent trains between Pisa and Livorno. Visiting both does diminish your time at both - just Florence if you want to spend a lot of time there, or just Pisa for a lazy and un-hurried visit

Getting from ship to train station can be tedious - taxi if available, or ship's shuttle to the city centre & short local bus ride to the station.

Alternatively a pre-booked tour by bus or van - check your ship's RollCall for folk wanting to share.

 

Rome

Looks like that's where your cruise ends.

You could do with a couple of post-cruise days there.

Because of luggage, don't take the local train from Civi - it'll be packed with folk on a port of call visit.

If you choose to go by train, pre-book the express train, but be aware that you need a port shuttle to the gate, then a shuttlebus to the station. Despite the higher cost, a pre-booked private transfer is your best option.

 

Sorry, can't help with your other ports.

 

It's an excellent & varied itinerary, but you do need to do some planning and pre-booking.

 

Bon Voyage

 

JB 🙂

 

IMPORTANT PS. Re  my advice not to allow vendors to charge your card in Canadian Dollars. Since you're Canadians on a US ship, same applies to your on-board account. Keep it in USD, and your card issuer will convert at a better rate than the ship 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by John Bull

[edinburgher]

Also see my post in your thread on the italy Forum.

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

JB 🙂

 

IMPORTANT PS. Re  my advice not to allow vendors to charge your card in Canadian Dollars. Since you're Canadians on a US ship, same applies to your on-board account. Keep it in USD, and your card issuer will convert at a better rate than the ship 

 

JB, I think you advice is misleading (at best).  Folks should insist that their credit cards (and ATM/Debit cards when using ATMs) always be charged in the local currency (i.e. Euros, Pounds Sterling, etc) and not in Dollars (US or Canadian).   I often talk about this subject which gets into the banking terminology called "Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)"  IMHO DCC is legal thievery.   As always I strongly recommend that folks unfamiliar with DCC take some time to read about it on the Internet.   Suffice it to say that DCC is simply a way that banks and merchants make more money by giving you a lousy exchange rate.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

17 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

JB, I think you advice is misleading (at best).  Folks should insist that their credit cards (and ATM/Debit cards when using ATMs) always be charged in the local currency (i.e. Euros, Pounds Sterling, etc) and not in Dollars (US or Canadian).   I often talk about this subject which gets into the banking terminology called "Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)"  IMHO DCC is legal thievery.   As always I strongly recommend that folks unfamiliar with DCC take some time to read about it on the Internet.   Suffice it to say that DCC is simply a way that banks and merchants make more money by giving you a lousy exchange rate.

 

Hank

 

Huh?

OP is Canadian, Hank.  Their currency is CAD.

USD is the "local" currency for Princess ships in the Med.,' so the OP should pay their on-board account as presented - in USD.

You reckon Princess gives a better exchange rate than the card issuer?

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

[traceytd]

22 hours ago, John Bull said:

Athens.

If you arrive the day before, book a hotel in the city.

Go to the Acropolis in the morning, while it's comparatively cool. Also its often closed on hot afternoons. Acropolis museum is between the Acropolis and the city centre. Best place for wandering is the Plaka and Syntagma Square.

You need transportation to the port of Piraeus, about 20 minutes. There are various options, but with luggage best to get the hotel to call for a taxi.

If you're going direct to the ship from the airport, they're on opposite sides of Athens. Check out pre-booked private transer prices, or book your cruise ship's bus transfer 

 

Santorini.

Beautiful island, stunning views, but all ships involve going ashore by tender. The tender pier is at the bottom of a sheer cliff, there's no road to it.So its up the cliff by cablecar or by donkey on the zig-zag path - or take the local ferry from the tender pier to Oia. It's a one-way ferry, you can't get it back to the tender pier. So from Oia its a bus or taxi ride back to the clifftop at Fira, then down on the cablecar or if theres a huge line for the cablecar you can walk down the zig-zag path - about 25 minutes to the tender pier.

 

Congestion going up from the tender pier to Fira can be bad - and even worse going back down.

Ships' tours use different tenders which go to the little ferryport at Athinios, where the road goes down to the harbour. But most ships' tours end at Fira so folk have to join the congestion to get down to the tender pier. Because of this, some ships' tours now finish back at the harbour in Athinios - check whether that's the case with your ship and if so its well worth considering a ship's tour to avouid the grief.

 

Naples

You have a wide choice - Pompeii, Herculaneum, the Amalfi coast, Capri amongst many more - and you can't fit in more than one or two.

For Pompeii or Herculaneum you can take the "Circumvesuviana" train from the main station, only a few euros.

For Capri take the ferry adjacent the cruise terminal across the Bay of Naples to the island of Capri.

The Amalfi coast cant be done in the timescale by public transport & is wicked by self-drive car rental - it needs a tour, either ship's tour or a rivate tour shared with your fellow-passengers.

For a bit of a mix, consider ferry to Sorrento, then the half-hourly Circumvesuvian train back to Naples with a stop at Pompeii Scavi (biconic, big site, can be hot & tiring) or Ercolano Scavi (Herculaneum) (smaller site, much better state of presentation, lots of shade). Both Pompeii and Herculaneum have both live guides & audio-guides.

 

Barcelona

Port shuttle to the port gate, then you're near Las Ramblas. The Familia Sagrada really needs using the metro or on a ho-ho tour.

 

Gibraltar

See my other post

 

Livorno

Pisa and/or Florence can be done by direct train - if you want to visit both you can buy a return train ticket to Florence (Firenza SM Novella station), the trains include a stop at Pisa centrale & the Field of Miracles (Leaning tower etc) is a 20 minute walk from the station. Your one train ticket allows you to break your journey - best done on the return to Livorno because there are more-frequent trains between Pisa and Livorno. Visiting both does diminish your time at both - just Florence if you want to spend a lot of time there, or just Pisa for a lazy and un-hurried visit

Getting from ship to train station can be tedious - taxi if available, or ship's shuttle to the city centre & short local bus ride to the station.

Alternatively a pre-booked tour by bus or van - check your ship's RollCall for folk wanting to share.

 

Rome

Looks like that's where your cruise ends.

You could do with a couple of post-cruise days there.

Because of luggage, don't take the local train from Civi - it'll be packed with folk on a port of call visit.

If you choose to go by train, pre-book the express train, but be aware that you need a port shuttle to the gate, then a shuttlebus to the station. Despite the higher cost, a pre-booked private transfer is your best option.

 

Sorry, can't help with your other ports.

 

It's an excellent & varied itinerary, but you do need to do some planning and pre-booking.

 

Bon Voyage

 

JB 🙂

 

IMPORTANT PS. Re  my advice not to allow vendors to charge your card in Canadian Dollars. Since you're Canadians on a US ship, same applies to your on-board account. Keep it in USD, and your card issuer will convert at a better rate than the ship 

 

Greta advice for the credit card. Tks 
I really appreciate the effort and info you’ve shared. Thank you so much.

Tracey🙂

 

[traceytd]

14 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Huh?

OP is Canadian, Hank.  Their currency is CAD.

USD is the "local" currency for Princess ships in the Med.,' so the OP should pay their on-board account as presented - in USD.

You reckon Princess gives a better exchange rate than the card issuer?

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

I use my US visa😁 but thanks for the info. I plan on using cash (euros) there more than I do in the Caribbean.

[John Bull]

50 minutes ago, traceytd said:

I use my US visa😁

 

You're not daft, Tracey 🙂

 

JB 🙂

[Clairescurtains]

We will be in LeHarve and Bordeaux on a cruise this summer, when I was in LeHarve several years ago there were ladies at the port assisting folks with cabs/drivers to various locations. We were able to get a cab/guide to Honfleur which was great. I wonder if this service is still there? I would love to travel to Giverny from there.

Is it possible to do Bordeaux on your own? I have not been there and don't know how easily one can get to "town" and if it is even possible to enjoy walking around without a tour.

Any advice would be wonderful, thanks.

[John Bull]

9 hours ago, Clairescurtains said:

We will be in LeHarve and Bordeaux on a cruise this summer, when I was in LeHarve several years ago there were ladies at the port assisting folks with cabs/drivers to various locations. We were able to get a cab/guide to Honfleur which was great. I wonder if this service is still there? I would love to travel to Giverny from there.

Is it possible to do Bordeaux on your own? I have not been there and don't know how easily one can get to "town" and if it is even possible to enjoy walking around without a tour.

Any advice would be wonderful, thanks.

 

Giverny is about 90 miles / 1 hour 45 mins from Le Havre (note the spelling), so it'd be pretty expensive by taxi, even a pre-booked one.

 

Consider renting a car - the route is pretty simple (although you could make it scenic by following the Seine for part of the way, at the expense of making it longer and more complicated)

 

Or more economically you can get to Monet's garden from Le Havre by train. 

Take the Paris-bound train to Vernon. 

The station at Vernon is only about 3 miles from Giverny, and you have the choice of travelling from Vernon station to Monet's garden by bus or taxi or - in season - a little tourist road-train.

 

Sorry, decades since I went to Bordeaux, and it wasn't on a cruise ship.

 

Can I suggest that for maximum exposure you start a new thread with Giverny and Bordeaux in the title/s 

 

JB 🙂

 

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, Clairescurtains said:

We will be in LeHarve and Bordeaux on a cruise this summer, when I was in LeHarve several years ago there were ladies at the port assisting folks with cabs/drivers to various locations. We were able to get a cab/guide to Honfleur which was great. I wonder if this service is still there? I would love to travel to Giverny from there.

Is it possible to do Bordeaux on your own? I have not been there and don't know how easily one can get to "town" and if it is even possible to enjoy walking around without a tour.

Any advice would be wonderful, thanks.

Regarding taxis, you do not need a “lady” to get you a taxi.  There are usually taxis parked outside the terminal and you can simply ask a driver how much to go to Honfleur or wherever.  Some used to charge 25 Euros per person for Honfleur which is expensive but it is their taxi.
 

Whether you are comfortable doing Bordeaux or other places on your own is a personal decision.  We have been doing Europe on our own for about forty years and are still here 🙂. Tomorrow we are again off to Europe where we plan on driving around the Czech Republic and parts of Germany and Poland.  It will just be me, DW, and our phones (for GPS).   We know others who are reticent to get off a ship anywhere unless they are on an excursion.  I sometimes think it takes more guts to be on a tour with 50 cruisers than yo go off your myself :).  Waiting on a bus while 40 others go to the bathroom is enough to keep me away from bus tours.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CPT Trips]

Kotar is totally walkable walled city and the city walls are also walkable. Our ship docked a very short walk from the city gates. You itinerary indicates you will tendered so I assume that will take you to the same dock by the city gates.
 

You might be able to just connect with a tour guide at the tourist bureau. A boat trip into the bay to tour Our Lady of the Rocks is also something you may be able to arrange ont the spot. You might want to search on Kotar tourism and also visit Trip Advisor to see about these suggestions. 
 

Perhaps the best part of cruising Kotar is the arrival. I would plan for a very early morning in order to be up on an open deck forward at sunrise. The views coming through the bays from the Adriatic looking in towards Kotar are spectacular. 
 

Barcelona - I think La Sagrada Familia is a must visit. If you plan to visit this and see more than the exterior, I strongly recommend going online for advance tickets. Alternatively, look online for a guided Gaudi Tour that includes skip the line tickets for La Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell as well as visits to Casa Mila and Casa Batlló. 

[Clairescurtains]

11 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Giverny is about 90 miles / 1 hour 45 mins from Le Havre (note the spelling), so it'd be pretty expensive by taxi, even a pre-booked one.

 

Consider renting a car - the route is pretty simple (although you could make it scenic by following the Seine for part of the way, at the expense of making it longer and more complicated)

 

Or more economically you can get to Monet's garden from Le Havre by train. 

Take the Paris-bound train to Vernon. 

The station at Vernon is only about 3 miles from Giverny, and you have the choice of travelling from Vernon station to Monet's garden by bus or taxi or - in season - a little tourist road-train.

 

Sorry, decades since I went to Bordeaux, and it wasn't on a cruise ship.

 

Can I suggest that for maximum exposure you start a new thread with Giverny and Bordeaux in the title/s 

 

JB 🙂

 

Thanks so much, I had not even considered the train. I have looked into private tours but hey are quite expensive and I have had no luck getting others to share the cost of a van.

[Clairescurtains]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Regarding taxis, you do not need a “lady” to get you a taxi.  There are usually taxis parked outside the terminal and you can simply ask a driver how much to go to Honfleur or wherever.  Some used to charge 25 Euros per person for Honfleur which is expensive but it is their taxi.
 

Whether you are comfortable doing Bordeaux or other places on your own is a personal decision.  We have been doing Europe on our own for about forty years and are still here 🙂. Tomorrow we are again off to Europe where we plan on driving around the Czech Republic and parts of Germany and Poland.  It will just be me, DW, and our phones (for GPS).   We know others who are reticent to get off a ship anywhere unless they are on an excursion.  I sometimes think it takes more guts to be on a tour with 50 cruisers than yo go off your myself :).  Waiting on a bus while 40 others go to the bathroom is enough to keep me away from bus tours.

 

Hank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These ladies were such a help, speaking English and making it civilized, unlike the hordes of drivers accosting everyone in the Caribbean.

I totally agree, large busses are the pits. I must not have phrased my question well. I haven't toured Europe much, when on a river cruise one docked right in towns, cruise ships could be minutes or hours away from the things one wants to see. Sometimes there are shuttles busses, sometimes there are industrial ports that prohibit walking.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Clairescurtains

[Clairescurtains]

8 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Kotar is totally walkable walled city and the city walls are also walkable. Our ship docked a very short walk from the city gates. You itinerary indicates you will tendered so I assume that will take you to the same dock by the city gates.
 

You might be able to just connect with a tour guide at the tourist bureau. A boat trip into the bay to tour Our Lady of the Rocks is also something you may be able to arrange ont the spot. You might want to search on Kotar tourism and also visit Trip Advisor to see about these suggestions. 
 

Perhaps the best part of cruising Kotar is the arrival. I would plan for a very early morning in order to be up on an open deck forward at sunrise. The views coming through the bays from the Adriatic looking in towards Kotar are spectacular. 
 

Barcelona - I think La Sagrada Familia is a must visit. If you plan to visit this and see more than the exterior, I strongly recommend going online for advance tickets. Alternatively, look online for a guided Gaudi Tour that includes skip the line tickets for La Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell as well as visits to Casa Mila and Casa Batlló. 

Thanks so much, that is exactly what I needed to know.

Unfortunately we won't visit Barcelona this trip, we have enjoyed it very much in the past.

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Kotar is totally walkable walled city and the city walls are also walkable.

 

In case anyone is using information here to do further research, the name is actually Kotor.

[CPT Trips]

1 hour ago, Clairescurtains said:

Thanks so much, that is exactly what I needed to know.

Unfortunately we won't visit Barcelona this trip, we have enjoyed it very much in the past.

It was in reply to OP in post #4.
This thread is quite confusing. I pity the mods. It’s in “French Ports” and yet here I am apologizing  for spelling Kotor wrong 

 

40 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

In case anyone is using information here to do further research, the name is actually Kotor.

Indeed it is! 😱🤦🏻‍♂️😳 Oh my! Thanks for correcting. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by CPT Trips

[edinburgher]

Bordeaux is a tricky port with THREE docking options.

 

We visited twice, the first time we had to stop at Bassens, on the river but not in the city, which was pretty inconvenient, so very unlike us, we didn't bother with anything other than a vineyards and St Emllion  shorex.

 

Second time we were on a smaller ship and got to dock  on the river right in the heart of the city alongside the promenade and thouroughly enjoyed our independent exploration of this lovely city  Even better, we overnighted there.

This is the absolute best location but  the size of your ship will determine your location as Bordeaux sits on a river, not open sea..

 

Bigger ships cannot even make it to Bassens and have to stop at the mouth of the river at Verdon many many miles away and with almost no independent travel options-  or at least there were not pre-pandemic.

Edited March 27, 2022 by edinburgher

[Clairescurtains]

7 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

It was in reply to OP in post #4.
This thread is quite confusing. It’s in “French Ports” and yet here I am discussing Kotor

 

Indeed it is! 😱🤦🏻‍♂️😳 Oh my! Thanks for correcting. 

I asked a similar question on the British Isle segment and I knew you were replying to that question. I appreciate your reply wherever it is.

BTW for those that follow I found a site discussing many ports with the type info I was needing. I don't want to end up in CC jail so I won't post a link but the name is  something like what is in cruise ports.

 

For Bordeaux we dock in La Rochelle which seems to be a couple of hours from Bordeaux the city but perhaps is in Bordeaux the region.🤔

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Clairescurtains

[cruisemom42]

On 3/26/2022 at 10:21 AM, Clairescurtains said:

We will be in LeHarve and Bordeaux on a cruise this summer, when I was in LeHarve several years ago there were ladies at the port assisting folks with cabs/drivers to various locations. We were able to get a cab/guide to Honfleur which was great. I wonder if this service is still there? I would love to travel to Giverny from there.

Is it possible to do Bordeaux on your own? I have not been there and don't know how easily one can get to "town" and if it is even possible to enjoy walking around without a tour.

Any advice would be wonderful, thanks.

 

I'm on a cruise departing in about a month that visits Le Havre. They offered a tour to Rouen and also one that included Rouen and Giverny. I think both have sold out...

 

Edited to add:  I see from a later post that you're porting in La Rochelle. I had great difficulty locating a driver service to take me anywhere out of the immediate vicinity of La Rochelle. I wanted to visit Poitiers (we have a long day in port) but met obstacle after obstacle with each agency I contacted. I don't rent cars and drive myself around in Europe, but in this case it may be the only option...

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by cruisemom42

[slidergirl]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm on a cruise departing in about a month that visits Le Havre. They offered a tour to Rouen and also one that included Rouen and Giverny. I think both have sold out...

 

Edited to add:  I see from a later post that you're porting in La Rochelle. I had great difficulty locating a driver service to take me anywhere out of the immediate vicinity of La Rochelle. I wanted to visit Poitiers (we have a long day in port) but met obstacle after obstacle with each agency I contacted. I don't rent cars and drive myself around in Europe, but in this case it may be the only option...

 

 

Cynthia - it looks like a fairly straight shot on main highways up to Poitiers.  You should be fine.   It could be a good first drive for you.  Looks like an hour and change each way. 

[cruisemom42]

21 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Cynthia - it looks like a fairly straight shot on main highways up to Poitiers.  You should be fine.   It could be a good first drive for you.  Looks like an hour and change each way. 

 

Yeah -- no thanks. Not happening!  🤣

 

Google maps makes it out as about an hour and forty minutes each way, and that's without getting to where I could pick up car (no pickup in the port apparently, it's industrial and 5 km from the city).

Edited March 28, 2022 by cruisemom42