MEd Ports - Ideas?

[Inde2008]

I have some useful information and some blanks. All help much appreciated.

Vigo - not a lot there, we'll be heading to the beach.

Lisbon - a beautiful and fantastic city. It's a half hour walk to the city centre. Come off the ship, walk up to the road, turn right and walk along for about 1km I guess. On the left you will see a huge square. Walk across that and up a sort of Ramblas to one of the main squares. That's the centre. From there, get a taxi up to the Castle, and m,aybe then bak to the ship. Cheap and easy.

Seville - via the port of Cadiz. I've google mapped Cadiz and it looks lovely, and all within walking distance of the ship. Seville is supposed to be fantastic, but is it worth the trip?

Cagliari - I need to research this one properly, but it doesn't look far to the beaches though. Ideas anyone?

Rome - we stayed on ship last time. The trips were expensive, but people seemed to be taking the train to Rome and back, but I'm really not sure how much you actually would see in a day.

Livorno - the port for Pisa, and my wife wants to get there. Any ideas anyone?

Cannes - there are open top buses that go from the port. We intend to hop on one and do a tour, and then decide where to go and what to do.

Gibraltar - two basic options. First, walk into town, shop and maybe get the cable car. Secondly, for the less energetic, share a minibus with some new friends are take a tour or the mountain, the apes (bril!) and back to the ship.

[pacmom]

In Lisbon there is a HOHO bus available. It depends on where you dock. One pier actually has a stop right there. We got our tickets on line thru Viatours. It takes you all over the city with a commentary in language of choice.

 

When we docked in Cadiz, we walked to the train station ( 10 min.) and took the train to Jerez de la Frontera. This is the home of sherry warehouses and the Andulusian horses. We went to one sherry place and the horse show. There is also a HOHO in Cadiz.

 

Enjoy. Pat

[caribill]

Livorno - the port for Pisa, and my wife wants to get there. Any ideas anyone?

 

 

 

Take the ship's tour if there is one that includes climbing to the top of the tower. Worth the price.

[cruiseryyc]

Seville is absolutely worth seeing! Rome - yes you only have one day, but if you've never been there, it's worth it. We took a ship's tour - 8 hours of walking and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[captainron]

Hi,

The trains run fairly frequently from Livirno through Pisa to Florence (Firenza). You might wish to Google "Italian Railways" to get an indication of times and fares.

 

I know that the trip from Pisa to Florence is about an hour and takes you into Santa Maria station (not too far from the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Piazza Internationale, The Art Galleria etc.) Florence is easy to walk around and you will see more than a half day tour of Pisa.

 

I am not sure if the Tower is still open or not. I know they were going to stabilize under the low side to prevent additional sinking. Again, a quick google checkk should confirm this.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[Inde2008]

grazie!

[chrysalis]

In Gib, the walk into town is not bad....and when you walk thru towards the Cable Car (closed due to high winds when we were there) you will find vans selling you rock tours (we found ours just ouside the south gates of the old city in front of the historical cemetary. Take one of those vans for an interesting tour up the mountain, see the apes, the caves and the old fortifications. We really enjoyed our time in Gibraltar.

[Coolgran]

Do go on a tram in Lisbon The No 28 takes you on a circular route

[Joa]

Hi

 

We hired a taxi to see Pisa. It wasn't very expensive but we made the mistake of paying 1/2 fare after he dropped us off, promised to return to pick us up a pre-aranged time. Needless to say he didn't turn up :mad:must have got a better offer.

 

Moto dont pay anything until return journey. However we bumped into some crew we knew and they advised using the bus to get back:). The bus station was well arranged, easy to find the bus stand we needed and it cost peanuts. Also it didnt do the motorway but went along the coastal towns. Really pretty journey. You could always check out the buses we would use them again.

 

Also in Gib try looking at the undergroung forts at the top of the mountain, really interestin, plus the big gun ( forget it's name). The museum in the town centre is also worth a visit.

[crusdiva]

Funny you should ask - I just posted this on the Med board and I thought I re-post it here.

 

Add me to the list of folks that loved Cadiz.

 

It is literally right at the end of the terminal area and quite easy to do on your own.

 

Just outside the main gate you'll find free maps, just take one, walk across the street to the lovely Plaza de Espana sit down and pick a route.

 

There are 5 or six walking routes - all are color coded and clearly marked on the road and sidewalks - through this lovely town and they criss-cross each other so you can see some of everything this lovely port has to offer.

 

My favorite section was along the Houduras to La Caleta Beach past parks, forts and churches. We then ducked into the La Vina district which was very nice. Most of the routes lead to Cathedral Square and it's fabulous cathedral where I recommend having lunch at one of the lovely outdoor cafes lining the square.

My Cadiz pictures start here

[anchorage1977]

Regarding Cadiz, I would skip Seville and spend your time walking this cool port. There are wonderful gardens with citrus & flowers, great beaches, quiet squares to eat tapas and plenty of history if you have time to take it all in. Cadiz was actually where Columbus sailed out on 2 of his 4 voyages to the Americas.

 

Seville would be great, but the transit time eats up too much of the day. I think you'll get more bang for your buck if you enjoy Cadiz.

 

For what it's worth, I blogged about Cadiz and posted some photos from our trip last spring at:

 

http://happyalaskan.blogspot.com/2009/02/cadiz-spain-worth-week.html

 

Happy Travels!

[rochelle_s]

Rome shore excursions are very expensive. It is actually very easy to do on your own and cheap. You can purchase a BIRG ticket for €9 and it covers roundtrip train to and from Rome as well as use of the metro in Rome itself. Knowing what you would like to see and having a good plan helps a great deal. If you get off one stop early on the way to Rome termini then you are a short walk to the Vatican. You can then walk and sightsee your way through Rome to the termini station where you will catch your train back to the port. You should easily have enough time for an overview look at the Vatican, a visit to the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, stop for lunch and visit a wine shop among other things. Check out the ports of call threads and you will find lots of great details and links to train schedules etc. I always DIY in ports and the most important tip I can give anyone about DIY is give yourself enough time to get back. Never leave it till the last train...leave yourself enough room for 'ship' to happen. ;)

 

Rochelle

[Inde2008]

Some fansastic replies, thank you