What to do in Bari Italy, Kotor Montenegro, and Corfu Greece

[CHammond]

Hello, I am on the Italy, Adriatic, and Greece 2 week cruise and am having a hard time deciding on which excursions to take in those 3 ports, if anyone has any recommendations for these ports or any other on this cruise, please chime in. Thanks in advance!

[PasadenaDave]

Scenic bus ride in Kotor to Citinge (spelling not accurate) takes you up switchback road to see rural Montenegro and a village and museum was one of the best excursions between Istanbul and Venice

[DrKoob]

We did 21 days on Sky in September and here's what we did in each of these places (with pics and descriptions).

 

In Bari, go to Alberobello: https://jktravelredmond.com/2022/09/17/beautiful-bari-and-alberobello-italy/

 

In Kotor, climb the coolest hill ever: https://jktravelredmond.com/2022/09/08/kotor-in-four-parts-sail-in-olives-climbing-and-the-dark/ 

 

In Corfu: https://jktravelredmond.com/2022/09/06/corfu-and-some-more-thoughts-on-viking-sky/ 

[CHammond]

Thanks!

[CHammond]

Great photos DrKoob!

[JDincalif]

Regarding sights in and around Bari, Matera with its complex ancient cave dwellings is a unique experience.

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

16 hours ago, PasadenaDave said:

Scenic bus ride in Kotor to Citinge (spelling not accurate) takes you up switchback road to see rural Montenegro and a village and museum was one of the best excursions between Istanbul and Venice

We did that tour in June and loved it.  The little town is Cetinje (we were there on a Sunday and it was quiet, but beautiful to stroll around).

 

[BlairsvilleCruiseGirl]

In Corfu we did the 4x4 Jeep excursion through Viking.  Really Really enjoyed it!  The women leading the tour was a little lackadaisical about ensuring all the Jeeps were behind her, but other than the adventure of getting lost and having to find the rest of the group, it was a blast.  Plus there was a snack/wine/Ouzo stop in this little ancient village at the top of the mountain which was wonderful.  Can't say I loved the Ouzo though! 🥴

 

[Tsunami74]

Kotor was one of the most beautiful ports ever.  Be sure to be on deck sailing into it!

You go  between high mountains and past 2 picturesque islands.

Six of us took a Tours by Locals which included a walking tour of old Kotor (beautiful) and partially around it's walls, then a speed boat to Our Lady of the Rocks (one of those small islands) and to  Perest. Then a ride back with local music playing on board - really beautiful!!

Cost was $137 per couple in March 2023.

(I see that I used the word "beautiful" a few times - it's true)

[longterm]

20 hours ago, CHammond said:

Hello, I am on the Italy, Adriatic, and Greece 2 week cruise and am having a hard time deciding on which excursions to take in those 3 ports, if anyone has any recommendations for these ports or any other on this cruise, please chime in. Thanks in advance!

We did that cruise and would love to do it again; Croatia and Montenegro were fantastic in particular. 

 

In Dubrovnik we walked the wall; if you're physically able, it's a great walk to take, although for someone afraid of heights like I am, it was a real accomplishment to get up there. 🙂

 

Best meal we had was in the walled city in Dubrovnik, at Proto; it's in a little alley to the right as you come out of the entrance gateway.

 

I do wish we'd gone to see the Krka waterfalls; we did a walk through Corfu and had a great time in the shops. In Bari, Italy, we didn't do much because Italy was just coming out of the lockdown, and cruise passengers weren't allowed to meander on their own without a guide. We had an excellent tour guide there though, probably the best we've ever had (and many people said the same thing); nice town, wish we could have seen more.

 

If you're a fan of the Godfather movies, I highly recommend the tour in Sicily into the villages where some of the films were made--not only is it fascinating to see the sites I know so well from the movies, but the villages are beautiful as well. 

 

 

 

[CHammond]

Wow so many good choices! Thanks everyone!

[Sleep7]

I know this is very low brow but I did get a great fish pedicure in Corfu!

 

[FetaCheese]

7 hours ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

In Corfu we did the 4x4 Jeep excursion through Viking.  Really Really enjoyed it!  The women leading the tour was a little lackadaisical about ensuring all the Jeeps were behind her, but other than the adventure of getting lost and having to find the rest of the group, it was a blast.  Plus there was a snack/wine/Ouzo stop in this little ancient village at the top of the mountain which was wonderful.  Can't say I loved the Ouzo though! 🥴

 

Ouzo -- an acquired taste -- anise / licorice flavor liquor.  Can be enjoyed neat. Or on the rocks --will cloud up -- due to sugar content.  Be careful -- can creep up you (My Big Fat Greek Wedding scene).

Edited July 26, 2023 by FetaCheese
Addl info

[cocoaljo]

Was jeep hard to drive

[lovetosew]

Ever since I read Burning Island by Suzanne Goldring I have wanted to see the island of Corfu. I have not made up my mind what tour to take; just that I want to see it.  It was a great WW2 novel about resistance of the islanders.

[Frenchberet]

We did this cruise (Rome to Istanbul) in February.  In Bari, we did the option excursion “Puglia’s White Cities”; in Kotor, the optional “Highlights of Montenegro”; and in Corfu, the included “Panoramic Corfu & Old Town Walking Tour”.  We did the Krka Waterfalls from Split (shorter bus ride).  We enjoyed all of the excursions in this very beautiful part of the world.  Great cruise!  Enjoy your trip!

[Cienfuegos]

5 hours ago, lovetosew said:

Ever since I read Burning Island by Suzanne Goldring I have wanted to see the island of Corfu. I have not made up my mind what tour to take; just that I want to see it.  It was a great WW2 novel about resistance of the islanders.

The British TV Series The Durrells of Corfu has many wonderful scenes of life on the island.  It is widely available

[Peregrina651]

On 7/24/2023 at 7:14 PM, CHammond said:

Hello, I am on the Italy, Adriatic, and Greece 2 week cruise

 

We're booked for the January 20, 2025 sailing. If you are on same, hope you will join the roll calls

January, 20, 2025-- Italian Sojourn --Rome to Venice 

January 27, 2025 -- Venice, Adriatic & Greece -- Venice to Athens

 

Also, check out this review thread for all of the ports on the itinerary:

 

 

[philw1776]

Montenegro is lovely & not to be missed.
One warning: carry enough Euros. I tried to use my credit card at a 5* hotel by the sea for 2 glasses of ginger ale at 5 euros each as I had only 5 euros on me (my bad). All their credit card machines could not work to validate my charge. We held up Viking tour bus 20 minutes (yes, I was THAT GUY!) as they would not accept my card or insufficient cash or let me go threatening to call police. Wife finally found 5 more euros at bottom of purse and we ran half mile to bus. Tour guide told me that internet connect was very bad there and to carry cash in Montenegro.

[lackcreativity]

2 hours ago, philw1776 said:

Montenegro is lovely & not to be missed.
One warning: carry enough Euros. 

That is something we never considered. We always carry two credit cards (each of us carry a different one) in case of a lost/stolen card or some other issue. We never considered that both cards could be unusable at the same time!

[philw1776]

Yup. Same.

[mlutz11175]

The fort in Corfu was very near the Viking shuttle stop and was interesting.  Lots of good souvenir shopping too.