Barcelona and Western Mediterranean ports - 'on our own' tour plans

[ebslc]

Hi, glad that my information helps. Please see my response in bold italic font below.

 

[RE: Marseille] *I do not know the exact location on where the ship docks, but it seemed that the ship was docking in an industrial port. When we got off the ship, there were two taxis waiting. One of the driver spoke English but the other one didn't. We negotiated the deal with the English speaking driver, but it was the french speaking driver who drove us to Aix. I guess the English speaking driver was more like a middleperson or agent. At first they offered us 20Euro to Marsaille, after knowing that we wanted to go to Aix, they offered us the 50Euro deal to Aix. We tried to bargain but failed, so we took the 50Euro deal. Since the driver had his meter on, we later realized that even if you go by meter, it will cost more or less the same amount.

 

On our return trip back to the port, we just got a taxi on the street. It was very easy to get a taxi in Marsaille. We were lucky that the driver spoke a little bit of English, so it wasn't that hard to communicate with him. O...btw, we went by meter, with a little bit of traffic jam, the return trip cost us 19Euro.

 

One more reminder, when you get off the ship, remember where the ship dock and the way out of the docking area. The port was quite big thus our driver had difficulties finding the ship on our return trip.

 

THANK YOU!!! This is VERY helpful. Do you know what the norm is for tipping taxi drivers in Spain, France, Italy? e.g. with the 50 Euro ride to Aix, how much did you tip?

 

Regarding Villefranche, just in case you don't know, the train to Nice is on the track located at other side of the station (the track closer to the ocean). After you bought your tickets, you'll have to get to the opposite side of the station for the train to Nice.

We will be trying the bus. From what I found out, it's a walk to the bus station but it has more flexible schedule than the train. I have the bus schedule from online (see my previous post).

 

When getting taxi in Malta, you'll need to negotiate with them and stand firm on your price. The first taxi driver who approached us offered 70Euro, he even shown us a bouchure with price list, trying to mislead us that everyone is charging 70Euro for 3 hrs. Lucky that we stood firm on 60Euro, we managed to get another taxi driver who was willing to take us for that price.

 

I also noticed that it is much cheaper to get a taxi during noon time (we got ours in the morning). The drivers were offering 40Euro for 3 hrs when we were walking back to the port. But even if we are to do it again, we would still pay 20Euro extra and start in the morning; since the ship depart at 4pm, we do not want to cut it that close.

 

THANKS!! Re: taxi tours, we also had luck with LOWER price after the crowd is gone while cruising in Caribbean ports. We may try this depending on how much time we spend in town shopping.

 

Just an FYI - I heard lots of complains about the ship's Tunis excursion. People who took the full day excursion complained that lunch was really bad. People who took the "Mdina and Sidi Bou Said" excursion complained that there were too much free time.

 

We took the "Mdina on your own" excursion, as soon as we arrived in Mdina, the guide took us to the top floor of a carpet shop, claiming to offer us the best spot for a panaromic view of Mdina. But after that, we were obligated to sit down and listen to a carpet promotion seminar. We managed to skip the seminar by insisting that we DO NOT want to buy any carpet.

:mad: good to know!

 

Also, should you need to book excursion for Tunis, please do so as soon as possible. We originally wanted to go for the "Mdina and Sidi Bou Said" but it was fully booked even 3 days before hand. There is no harm to book early since they have a 48 hours cancellation policy.

 

One last thing to tell you is that, throughout the trip we heard numerious complains from others about the ship's excursion. So, my advice is try to avoid excursion if you can (of course Tunis is an exception).

 

We may just skip an excusion all togther!!!

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll be checking this post regularly to follow up. Enjoy your stay in Barcelona!

You have been very helpful! Thank you for all your advice. I am sure your advice will also help others reading this.

[ebslc]

Just a thought about Rome. I know it is an entirely personal thing, but if it were me I would skip the Spanish Steps in favour of the Colosseum. The Spanish Steps can look very pretty when decked out in flowers in the Summer and if you climb to the top, there is a church you can visit. (Accessible from the top road too.) It is also an area for designer shops if that's where your interests lie.

 

However, it is also very easy to get to the Colosseum from the Trevi. If you walk down Via Murante (if you are facing the fountain it is the road that leads off to your left) to the end (not far) it brings you to Via Del Corso. Turn left and cross the road. The 117 little electric bus runs frequently along here (you can use your ticket) and will drop you right outside the Colosseum. From here of course you can take the metro straight into Termini when you have finished.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope you continue to enjoy your trip. :)

 

THANK YOU for your tip!!

[dorakk]

Hi Laurence,

 

In general European are less generous in tipping comparing to north american. The suggested tipping amount is 5%, this applies to eating in restaurant as well as taxis. In one occasion we didn't even tip our private tour guide because we were not happy with the service; whereas in another occasion we gave out 10% tips to another guide since she has done a wonderful job for us.

 

Karen

[ebslc]

We are back from our cruise!! Thanks to many posters on CC we did a lot 'on our own' and had a GREAT time. I will be adding info to this thread from time to time based on our experience. If you are planning a Med Cruise trip with some of the same ports we have visited you may want to come back here to check for new postings.

[ebslc]

Below is walking direction from the port to ristorante Brandi http://www.brandi.it/inglese/index.html in Naples. Brandi is the pizzeria where pizza

Margherita was invented in 1889. It is a very easy and relatively safe (for Naples). It takes ~20 minutes to walk there with no stops. We didn't eat there as we didn't have time plus it was early in the day. The restaurant is beautiful. The reviews are good. The prices on the menu are resonable. I will post some pictures later. Here is a review http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/italy/naples-and-pompeii/review-41891.html. You can Google for more.

 

 

Use this Google map.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Salita+S+Anna+di+Palazzo+1,+Santa+Lucia,+naples&sll=38.065392,-95.712891&sspn=45.334618,73.212891&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.838148,14.251016&spn=0.005617,0.008937&z=17&iwloc=r0

Close the pop up address on the map and zoom in and out and try to navigate the route by panning the map and follow along with the directions below:

1. From the port entrance, walk across the street where the Tobacco/news stand is and walk up on Piazza Municipio street for 2 big blocks.

2. Cross the street on Piazza Municipio and turn left on Via Vittorio Emanuele III to the corner of the park/plaza.

3. Stay on Via Vittorio Emanuele III for ~3 blocks, follow right at the end of the blocks and the street becomes Via San Carlo

4. Walk ~3 more blocks you would pass Galleria Umberto shopping center

5. Go across pass the traffic circle (This is Piazza Trieste e Trento) to Via Chiaia and turn right.

6. Walk up Via Chiaia. This is a good small shopping street, go up ~2 blocks length wise (~1 block past the Swarovski store) and you will see the

ristorante Brandi sign above. The entrance to the restaurant is on a side street Salita Sant'Anna di Palazzo which crosses Via Chiaia.

 

If you are lost ask someone (we did).

 

The 'bubble roof' on the Google satellite map is the Galleria Umberto I. It is a beautiful shopping center. It is worth visiting while in Naples.

Here is a panoramic picture of the shopping center http://www.italyguides.it/us/napoli/umbe.htm.

 

This is a closer map view of Piazza Trieste e Trento

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Piazza+Trieste+e+Trento,+naples&ie=UTF8&ll=40.837751,14.248946&spn=0.005438,0.008937&t=h&z=17

 

ristorante Brandi address:

Salita Sant'Anna di Palazzo, 1

80132 Napoli, Neapel (Campania), Italy

+39 081 416928

 

You may want to stop by Piazza del Plebiscito and the church there before or after going to Brandi http://www.italyguides.it/us/napoli/pleb.htm. It is only 2 blocks from Brandi. This is another must see in Naples. The church is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, We got there ~11am and was told that it will close at noon. Perhaps it's closed from noon to 4pm? We were told to go shopping in Naples early as stores are generally open in the mornings from 9 or 10 to 1 pm, close for siesta until 4 pm and then open until 8. There is a tourist info desk near the church entrance.

 

Below is a link to info on famous Naples Pizzerias: http://www.thefoodmaven.com/guide/naples_pizza.html

[tomko2]

Laurence, great information and links -- thank you for posting them.

Kathy:)