Which of these ports do I absolutely need an excursion for?

[UNIrd]

Have a cruise booked with visits to these spots... ALL new to me. Which of these ports should I absolutely expect to book an excursion on because, well, otherwise there just ain't much going on without one?

 

I tend to prefer to explore on my own. Personally not a fan of the 7am theater-meetups, the shuffle to a bus, not seeing the ship for another 8 hours, the school field trip feeling without receiving any academic credit, etc.. Sorry!

 

BUT.. I am open to excursions in each port if I must because once-in-a-lifetime and such.😂 Help!

 

• VENICE (TRIESTE) [Embarkation]
• VENICE (RAVENNA)
• SPLIT
• DUBROVNIK
• CORFU
• SANTORINI ISLAND
• KUSADASI
• ISTANBUL
• MYKONOS
• PIRAEUS ATHENS [Disembarkation]

 

[cruisemom42]

I'm a DIY type, but you do have to be willing to put in the effort to figure out what to see and how to get around.

 

Of the ports listed, you could -- with planning -- do a good enough job without taking tours except for Kusadasi (IMO).  There, the best thing going is to go to the ancient site of Ephesus which requires about a 20-30 minute drive and really benefits from a guided tour through the site as there is little signage. You COULD do it yourself with a taxi and a walk-through with a guide book, but I suspect the experience would be much better with a guide. (Could be a private guide, doesn't have to be a ship tour.)

 

Ravenna is very walkable once you get to the city center from the ship (most ships are running a for-cost shuttle back and forth). The mosaics are the thing to see, in about 5 different locations -- read some info in advance online or in a guidebook. If you want to go to Venice, that's a whole 'nuther thing and given that the drive between Ravenna and Venice is close to three hours, it's not really worth it on a single day stay in Ravenna.

 

Split -- simple here, you should be able to walk to the center of

the old town (former palace of a Roman emperor), and you can find a local english walking tour of the remains of the palace, some include the basements.  There's also a small archaeological museum right there as well as plenty of interesting shops and places to have lunch.

 

Dubrovnik -- get off the ship, get to the city via a shuttle or taxi and walk the walls. Plenty of other things to see in the old city as well, just take a wander. 

 

Corfu -- The town is a bit far to walk but there are local buses and taxis at the ready to take you there (some ships have shuttles as well). The town has a Venetian feel to parts of it, other parts look more medieval. Do a little research into what interests you. There are a couple of interesting churches, an icon museum, archaeology museum, and also (outside the town) there's a fort that can be visited.

 

Santorini -- This port can get very crowded and as it is a tender port (with priority tendering on some ships limiting your options), it could also be a place to consider a shorex as you'll likely get to shore sooner and not get caught up in the scrum for the cable car.

 

If you don't take a shorex, you tender to a different place and then you get up to the top of the cliff by either walking up many steps, riding a donkey or taking the cable car if on your own.  You end up in Fira, which is moderately cute, but you want to get to Oia which is almost sickeningly picturesque. There are local buses that run between the two. 

 

There is one other option if you don't take a tour. When you arrive at the bottom of the cliff via tender, there is a boat service that takes passengers around the island by water to a point near Oia. (Then you have to get up the hill to Oia, and you have to take the bus back to Fira once you're done.). If this all sounds like a logistical nightmare -- it is, LOL. Truthfully, it's not that difficult; you just have to plan in advance how you'll manage it.

 

Istanbul -- You can board the local tram from the major street a few blocks from the port; it will take you to the center of old Istanbul (called Sultanahmet), this is where the main sites are -- Haghia Sofya, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, the underground Palace Cistern, the Hippodrome and more -- and it is all walkable from where the tram drops you off. There have been lots of posts here (on the "Other Med Ports" forum) on how to do this, I'm sure I've even viewed YouTube posts showing how it's done.

 

Mykonos -- Very easy, the ship will either dock or tender. If it tenders, the tender will take you right into the charming Mykonos Town. If it docks, you can take the inexpensive shuttle bus OR the water taxi for the short distance. Just walk around the town and enjoy the twisty roads, whitewashed buildings, old windmills, etc. It's one of the more low-key stops. Many enjoy a nice Greek lunch in a restaurant that looks out over the water.

 

Athens -- I recommend staying a couple of days here after disembarking. Find a good hotel near the Plaka and the Acropolis, and use a good DIY source (such as Rick Steves) to walk around and see the sites -- the distances are small and many of the streets in the center are pedestrian only.

[Ine]

Kusadasi. Touroperators at the dock will offer tours to Ephesus. 

[UNIrd]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm a DIY type, but you do have to be willing to put in the effort to figure out what to see and how to get around.

 

Of the ports listed, you could -- with planning -- do a good enough job without taking tours except for Kusadasi (IMO).  There, the best thing going is to go to the ancient site of Ephesus which requires about a 20-30 minute drive and really benefits from a guided tour through the site as there is little signage. You COULD do it yourself with a taxi and a walk-through with a guide book, but I suspect the experience would be much better with a guide. (Could be a private guide, doesn't have to be a ship tour.)

 

Ravenna is very walkable once you get to the city center from the ship (most ships are running a for-cost shuttle back and forth). The mosaics are the thing to see, in about 5 different locations -- read some info in advance online or in a guidebook. If you want to go to Venice, that's a whole 'nuther thing and given that the drive between Ravenna and Venice is close to three hours, it's not really worth it on a single day stay in Ravenna.

 

Split -- simple here, you should be able to walk to the center of

the old town (former palace of a Roman emperor), and you can find a local english walking tour of the remains of the palace, some include the basements.  There's also a small archaeological museum right there as well as plenty of interesting shops and places to have lunch.

 

Dubrovnik -- get off the ship, get to the city via a shuttle or taxi and walk the walls. Plenty of other things to see in the old city as well, just take a wander. 

 

Corfu -- The town is a bit far to walk but there are local buses and taxis at the ready to take you there (some ships have shuttles as well). The town has a Venetian feel to parts of it, other parts look more medieval. Do a little research into what interests you. There are a couple of interesting churches, an icon museum, archaeology museum, and also (outside the town) there's a fort that can be visited.

 

Santorini -- This port can get very crowded and as it is a tender port (with priority tendering on some ships limiting your options), it could also be a place to consider a shorex as you'll likely get to shore sooner and not get caught up in the scrum for the cable car.

 

If you don't take a shorex, you tender to a different place and then you get up to the top of the cliff by either walking up many steps, riding a donkey or taking the cable car if on your own.  You end up in Fira, which is moderately cute, but you want to get to Oia which is almost sickeningly picturesque. There are local buses that run between the two. 

 

There is one other option if you don't take a tour. When you arrive at the bottom of the cliff via tender, there is a boat service that takes passengers around the island by water to a point near Oia. (Then you have to get up the hill to Oia, and you have to take the bus back to Fira once you're done.). If this all sounds like a logistical nightmare -- it is, LOL. Truthfully, it's not that difficult; you just have to plan in advance how you'll manage it.

 

Istanbul -- You can board the local tram from the major street a few blocks from the port; it will take you to the center of old Istanbul (called Sultanahmet), this is where the main sites are -- Haghia Sofya, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, the underground Palace Cistern, the Hippodrome and more -- and it is all walkable from where the tram drops you off. There have been lots of posts here (on the "Other Med Ports" forum) on how to do this, I'm sure I've even viewed YouTube posts showing how it's done.

 

Mykonos -- Very easy, the ship will either dock or tender. If it tenders, the tender will take you right into the charming Mykonos Town. If it docks, you can take the inexpensive shuttle bus OR the water taxi for the short distance. Just walk around the town and enjoy the twisty roads, whitewashed buildings, old windmills, etc. It's one of the more low-key stops. Many enjoy a nice Greek lunch in a restaurant that looks out over the water.

 

Athens -- I recommend staying a couple of days here after disembarking. Find a good hotel near the Plaka and the Acropolis, and use a good DIY source (such as Rick Steves) to walk around and see the sites -- the distances are small and many of the streets in the center are pedestrian only.

 

@cruisemom42 I could hug you right now! This is exactly what I needed to start my research. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

[Hlitner]

We agree (100%) with Cruisemom's post.  Like her, we are also very independent cruisers/travelers (for over 50 years) and have done all those ports DIY.  When the the OP asks "absolutely" are quick answer is "None."  However, we do think that any first-time visitor to Kusadasi will get a lot more out of their visit by booking a private tour.   There are many decent local tour companies (all found on the Internet) and you have a large selection of options including group size.  In fact, we once hired a private guide, driver, and nice van. for just the two of us and it was less money than any comparable cruise line excursion.

 

Regarding all these ports, the basic rule of DIY remains in effect which is, "Do your pre-trip homework and know your options."   DIY does require pre cruise homework, but that is time well spent and will go a long way to enhancing the enjoyment of your trip.

 

Hank

[marazul]

You may or may not find tour operators at the dock in Kusadasi to take you to Ephesus.  However, the quality of the guides may not be the greatest and the visits to the carpet factories would be their main interest. You would also have to negotiate a price right there instead of having a guaranteed price from a tour operator.  Pre-book a tour (private or shared) with one of the many reputable companies mentioned in CC.  Make sure that the tour includes a visit to the "apartments" in Ephesus and tell them you do not want to visit rug, leather, or other factories if you don't want to.

[jsn55]

I would see these ports as utterly fascinating.   I've travelled independently and cruised ... I find the cost of shore excursions a minor point compared to what I can see and learn with an organized tour.  Planning travel is my favorite hobby of all.  I'm working on shore adventures right now for an NCL Epic Med cruise in October.  I copy the SEs that look good on the website and paste them into a WORD document.  On the doc, I delete anything that I don't want, then print it.  Study the rest, make notes in the margins, read about the port ... and the choice of SEs comes pretty naturally.  THEN I'll go looking at independent tours.  It's important to 'know yourself' so you plan things that you really enjoy.  I can't bear standing around a tour guide who just goes on and on and on, so I don't book private tours.  Our private guide in Kusadasi never took a breath; after a couple of hours we just wanted her to shut up.  I like to be totally present during a tour, and have a strong aversion to worry, so prefer an independent tour for half or three-quarters of a day; I want no chances of missing the ship's sailing.  I won't roll out 3 days in a row for 8am departures.  Once I get the schedule all laid out, I go looking for things we might do in each port on our own.  Read Rick Steves first, love his opinionated advice.  Sometimes it's enjoyable to just walk off the ship to wander and absorb it all.  

[auburngirl]

On 5/10/2023 at 11:37 PM, cruisemom42 said:

I'm a DIY type, but you do have to be willing to put in the effort to figure out what to see and how to get around.

 

Of the ports listed, you could -- with planning -- do a good enough job without taking tours except for Kusadasi (IMO).  There, the best thing going is to go to the ancient site of Ephesus which requires about a 20-30 minute drive and really benefits from a guided tour through the site as there is little signage. You COULD do it yourself with a taxi and a walk-through with a guide book, but I suspect the experience would be much better with a guide. (Could be a private guide, doesn't have to be a ship tour.)

 

Ravenna is very walkable once you get to the city center from the ship (most ships are running a for-cost shuttle back and forth). The mosaics are the thing to see, in about 5 different locations -- read some info in advance online or in a guidebook. If you want to go to Venice, that's a whole 'nuther thing and given that the drive between Ravenna and Venice is close to three hours, it's not really worth it on a single day stay in Ravenna.

 

Split -- simple here, you should be able to walk to the center of

the old town (former palace of a Roman emperor), and you can find a local english walking tour of the remains of the palace, some include the basements.  There's also a small archaeological museum right there as well as plenty of interesting shops and places to have lunch.

 

Dubrovnik -- get off the ship, get to the city via a shuttle or taxi and walk the walls. Plenty of other things to see in the old city as well, just take a wander. 

 

Corfu -- The town is a bit far to walk but there are local buses and taxis at the ready to take you there (some ships have shuttles as well). The town has a Venetian feel to parts of it, other parts look more medieval. Do a little research into what interests you. There are a couple of interesting churches, an icon museum, archaeology museum, and also (outside the town) there's a fort that can be visited.

 

Santorini -- This port can get very crowded and as it is a tender port (with priority tendering on some ships limiting your options), it could also be a place to consider a shorex as you'll likely get to shore sooner and not get caught up in the scrum for the cable car.

 

If you don't take a shorex, you tender to a different place and then you get up to the top of the cliff by either walking up many steps, riding a donkey or taking the cable car if on your own.  You end up in Fira, which is moderately cute, but you want to get to Oia which is almost sickeningly picturesque. There are local buses that run between the two. 

 

There is one other option if you don't take a tour. When you arrive at the bottom of the cliff via tender, there is a boat service that takes passengers around the island by water to a point near Oia. (Then you have to get up the hill to Oia, and you have to take the bus back to Fira once you're done.). If this all sounds like a logistical nightmare -- it is, LOL. Truthfully, it's not that difficult; you just have to plan in advance how you'll manage it.

 

Istanbul -- You can board the local tram from the major street a few blocks from the port; it will take you to the center of old Istanbul (called Sultanahmet), this is where the main sites are -- Haghia Sofya, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque, the underground Palace Cistern, the Hippodrome and more -- and it is all walkable from where the tram drops you off. There have been lots of posts here (on the "Other Med Ports" forum) on how to do this, I'm sure I've even viewed YouTube posts showing how it's done.

 

Mykonos -- Very easy, the ship will either dock or tender. If it tenders, the tender will take you right into the charming Mykonos Town. If it docks, you can take the inexpensive shuttle bus OR the water taxi for the short distance. Just walk around the town and enjoy the twisty roads, whitewashed buildings, old windmills, etc. It's one of the more low-key stops. Many enjoy a nice Greek lunch in a restaurant that looks out over the water.

 

Athens -- I recommend staying a couple of days here after disembarking. Find a good hotel near the Plaka and the Acropolis, and use a good DIY source (such as Rick Steves) to walk around and see the sites -- the distances are small and many of the streets in the center are pedestrian only.

In Split, how would you get to Klis fortress?  Is it worth exploring?

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, auburngirl said:

In Split, how would you get to Klis fortress?  Is it worth exploring?

 

I have to admit I've not looked into it much as there aren't many ancient remains there -- mostly from later periods of use.

 

I believe it's pretty easy to get to by either negotiating with a taxi to take you there and wait for an agreed time while you explore OR take a bus from Split. One of the main bus pick up areas, in front of the national theatre, is easily reached on foot.

[Vineyard View]

On 6/8/2023 at 7:31 PM, jsn55 said:

I would see these ports as utterly fascinating.   I've travelled independently and cruised ... I find the cost of shore excursions a minor point compared to what I can see and learn with an organized tour.  Planning travel is my favorite hobby of all.  I'm working on shore adventures right now for an NCL Epic Med cruise in October.  I copy the SEs that look good on the website and paste them into a WORD document.  On the doc, I delete anything that I don't want, then print it.  Study the rest, make notes in the margins, read about the port ... and the choice of SEs comes pretty naturally.  THEN I'll go looking at independent tours.  It's important to 'know yourself' so you plan things that you really enjoy.  I can't bear standing around a tour guide who just goes on and on and on, so I don't book private tours.  Our private guide in Kusadasi never took a breath; after a couple of hours we just wanted her to shut up.  I like to be totally present during a tour, and have a strong aversion to worry, so prefer an independent tour for half or three-quarters of a day; I want no chances of missing the ship's sailing.  I won't roll out 3 days in a row for 8am departures.  Once I get the schedule all laid out, I go looking for things we might do in each port on our own.  Read Rick Steves first, love his opinionated advice.  Sometimes it's enjoyable to just walk off the ship to wander and absorb it all.  

I have found that same tour guide on a ship excursion more than once. We just travelled last month. Took an 8 hour tour. He didn’t stop talking for 7 hours - only because in the two cities we visited he ‘allowed’ us 30 min in each to explore on our own. I was ready to pull my hair out. And he was one of those who didn’t want anyone to wander off on their own. On the next excursion we asked what time to meet back. The guide didn’t really want to let us do that, but I needed to sit for a while. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time on our own. When we met back up, several people told us we were the smart ones. 
Conversely, we’ve had fantastic private guides in multiple countries. You can always tell them that you would like x amount of time on your own. They won’t mind if the location is appropriate (probably not Kusadasi) and you are up front on that. 
So one never knows. It can be the luck of the draw. 
For us, we take our chances as much as possible with DIY and private tours. To cruisemom’s point. We booked a private for Kusadasi including the houses. It was an incredible day. 
have fun!

Edited June 24, 2023 by Vineyard View

[b2dave2003]

On 6/24/2023 at 3:20 PM, Vineyard View said:

I have found that same tour guide on a ship excursion more than once. We just travelled last month. Took an 8 hour tour. He didn’t stop talking for 7 hours - only because in the two cities we visited he ‘allowed’ us 30 min in each to explore on our own. I was ready to pull my hair out. And he was one of those who didn’t want anyone to wander off on their own. On the next excursion we asked what time to meet back. The guide didn’t really want to let us do that, but I needed to sit for a while. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time on our own. When we met back up, several people told us we were the smart ones. 
Conversely, we’ve had fantastic private guides in multiple countries. You can always tell them that you would like x amount of time on your own. They won’t mind if the location is appropriate (probably not Kusadasi) and you are up front on that. 
So one never knows. It can be the luck of the draw. 
For us, we take our chances as much as possible with DIY and private tours. To cruisemom’s point. We booked a private for Kusadasi including the houses. It was an incredible day. 
have fun!

Who did you use for your tour?  Thanks

[Vineyard View]

I wish I could tell you. It was a long while back (2014) we were in Kusadasi - if that is what you are asking b2dave?