edinburgher

I had a thought which you may or may not like. We used one of the buses from BCN airport direct to Sitges (our first stop that week) and I remembered there were others running to Tarragona from the airport, also to some of the other resorts along that coast as it is a holiday area. And in common with other holiday areas, there are shuttle buses running to/from the resorts and the airport. (actually two airports as Reus airport is closer to these resorts and to Tarragona than BCN airport).. I had a quick look and yes, it appears there are many buses running each day between the airport and Tarragona, direct and taking around an hour. Apart from a private car and driver (at some expense) that would be the easiest option for you as the trains are not ideal as you would need to get from the airport into BCN then maybe have to taxi across town to the correct station. More hassle than it is worth. The "bus" we used to Sitges from the airport was more like a coach, the kind which has reclining seats etc, (like a shorex coach) and our luggage was loaded into the storage area underneath. It may be worthwhile having a look at that option if only as a Plan B.

i hadn't appreciated you would be going directly from the airport, not from BCN. I knew there should be direct trains from the city but didn't expect there to be one from the airport. If for some reason a private transfer doesn't work and you look at trains, given there are three statios in BCN and two in Tarragona, keep the search simple and only enter BCN and Tarragona in the search boxes without specifying which station in either.

Pleased you found it useful. Thanks for acknowledging as not everyone does.

There used to be direct trains! Be aware that there are three stations in Barcelona that trains could leave from, also two stations in Tarragona, one of which is more or less in the town, the other quite some distance away and mostly used by the longer distance high speed trains. IMHO I think it is better to take a slower train and arrive closer to the town centre. As our hotel was way up high above the train stationin the historic area, we took a taxi from outside the station where there was a stance. We had split a week between Sitges and Tarragona, flying into and out of BCN. Can I suggest you try looking again on the official RENFE website? Much too early of course for next year but you could experiment with a date in the not to distant future which has a day of the week the same as the one you would expect to travel on next year. That way you would get an indication of timetables and ticket cost, and if at least some trains are direct or if they all now require a change. Do please come back and say if you found direct trains as others may be interested.

Absolutely. as above,Visa is everywhere. Some establishments don't accept AMEX at all, I believe it to be due to the higher (than Visa) "merchant fees" which AMEX charge them, so relying on only an AMEX card would be risky.

Remember that private water taxis in Venice are quite expensive, and you may need more than one for 11 plus luggage, possibly as many as three,and even should you all decide the extra cost is worth it, does your hotel have a private dock? If not, how far away is the closest stop where your private taxis would drop you all off? And if there is no private dock, how many bridges will you all have to carry your luggage across? Many visitors looking for accommodation in Venice take the number of bridges into account in addition to location, also easy access to the train station and Pizzale Roma for airport buses, vaporetti and the People Mover for easy arrival and departure, because unless you are using porters or expensive private water taxis, you must carry your luggage over (mostly) stepped bridges. However when I put Piazzale Roma in google maps it shows a spot near Treviso which has been throwing me off. Treviso is many many miles away from Venice, but perhaps there is also a Pizzale Roma there too and you didn't specify "Venice"? For best info and results do look at the link I gave you in the post above. You should find everything you need to know on it.

If you need "talked into it", this isn't maybe the destination for you as Iceland is more "niche" as it is quite unique in many ways which, depending on your interests, may or may not be to your liking. To help you decide, you would be better to read read and read all about Iceland and what it offers the visitor whether on land or by sea. Much info and many images can be found online in a multitude of websites, also by reading past threads and posts, guide books etc.

Not really. Tronchetto is the huge parking area which serves Venice. If you look at a map of Venice you will see Tronchetto out on a limb to the west side and St Marks Square off to the east side, a longish walk with luggage and becoming increasingly more crowded the closer you get to St Marks Square. Not recommended. Ideally I think you want a hotel on Piazzale Roma, a transport hub. You can get the airport bus to there, (frequent, inexpensive and quite a fast ride) and transfer to Tronchetto by the People Mover also from there, or by taxi (with 11 in the group you would probably need 3 or 4). From Piazzale Roma you can also catch a vaporetto to St Marks Square which is a fair way across the city so you would not want to schlep luggage all that way especially in a group of 11. Piazzale Roma gives you easy access to airport transfers and to Tronchetto and with vaporetti available for your sightseeing. There have been multiple threads about Venice hotels. Use the SEARCH tool under your username to find them. You may also want to browse this excellent website for other Venice info. It has been highly recommended for a number of years. https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

A second option could be either train or bus from Invergordon to Inverness, a larger town with more sightseeing and dining options and capital of the Scottish Highlands.

Should you discover a bus or metro or tram, really any public transport, perhaps you would be kind enough to post the info here as it could be useful to others in the future.

May have been changes since, but we paid entry only when we arrived there. Not as impressive as Rome but maybe better than nothing. Big bonus of course is that there are unlikely to be crowds. At the time of our visit we four were the only ones there. Those were the days......

You may also want to browse this excellent website for other Venice info. It has been highly recommended for a number of years. https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/

I wish the UK Govt would also investigate and put a stop to this deeply unpopular practice.

Yes or you risk a fine. Look for the (usually) yellow machines on or close to the platforms. Having said that, with the advent of e-tickets, I think as paper tickets decrease in number, there may be future plans to stop them altogether. Perhaps some day paper tickets will disappear completely, but for now I believe this is a transitional period. If you have a paper ticket as opposed to an e-ticket, I would still stamp. You could perhaps do some online research regarding e-tickets and the need (or not) to verfify them in some way, or if they are sold before payment.with the day and/or date of travel already indicated as that I do not know.

Continued from post above as I ran out of time to edit. Not the Colosseum but a not bad substitute if it is the only option. There should be many reviews, images and descriptions online. We combined it with a visit to the amazing Solfatara, also in Pozzuoli, a little uphill from the amphitheatre We took buses uphill and downhill again from close to the amphitheatre. We reached Pozzuoli by train from Naples but in the intervening years, the transport network in and around Naples has been extended and there may now be alternatives to reach Pozzuoli which you could look for online. The Solfatara was fabulous and a really interesting visit, but a few years ago an Italian couple and their son died when they crossed a barrier and fell in, and it was closed for a few years following that tragic accident. I do not know if it has reopened but it should be easy enough to find out.

i feel your pain, but sorry to say I don't understand how to circumnavigate bots either. I do know that they are a problem for all sorts of ticket purchases including live music concerts by big names and festivals,denying genuine fans access to tickets unless they buy them at vastly inflated prices when they are subsequently sold on. It really does seem to be an unfair practice and should not be allowed, but until some form of regulation is introduced, for now it is the way things stand. No real consolation, but as you won't be the only one, perhaps you would consider submitting a complaint to one of the official Rome Tourism departments, or any other department which may be relevant, such as a consumer protection dept? I honestly do not know. i can though suggest a visit to a different one. Should youu have Naples as a port of call at any time, this is on the outskirts in a suburb. It is the Flavian Amphitheatre located in Pozzuoli, and the third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy. You can visit underground at this one, OK not the Collosseum but a not bad substitute if it is the only option.

I expect jennmaybe who posted about visiting later in the afternoon will appreciate knowing that, as will others cruise pax planning to visit. It is usually advisable to purchase tickets from the official website of any attraction you plan to visit anywhere it may be. Note that Viator is only a third party middleman, and with the announcement being as new as it is, once the dust has settled and more details are known,companies such as Viator may no longer be able to sell any general entry tickets at all. If they are still advertising general entry tickets at present, they themselves may be waiting for clarification. If you have not already bought from Viator, I would hold back and check the new rules for entry on the official website, and if timed entry only, buy from the official site once they become available. How will access be granted to general day tickets with no timed entry slots? Can you still show up at anytime to line-up for access? You would need to contact a person in authority for clarification. (maybe through the Acropolis website?) but it may be that some of the finer details have not yet been clarified. EG Will entry be ONLY with timed entry tickets or will a small number of "general entry" tickets be allowed each day if only at certain times. Or may there be a temporary exempt period for those who have already bought general entry tickets before the announcement? For now likely that only the Acropolis officials know the answers to these questions. One reason for not buying tickets from third party websites.

The cruise dock is actually some distance from Bilbao in an area called something like Gexo. (sorry not more precise) It has beaches, andI THINK locals from Bilbao city can use a metro or bus to reach it from Bilbao. You would need to check. Before booking anything, may be an idea to check on buses or a metro line. If few or no results from your internet searching, maybe contact the OFFICIAL Bilbao Tourist Office and ask?

You are asking an extremely general question to which there is no clear answer. Which part of the world are you specifically asking about? We are wary of eating and/or drinking water in countries such as Egypt and India but happy to eat anywhere in Asia,S America and Europe. We don't eat much for breakfast unless going ashore when we do eat breakfast. We have quite a substantial one, enough to keep us going if we won't be returning until early or mid-afternoon at which point we will grab an onboard snack to keep us going until dinner. We will sometimes have a snack ashore to keep us going until our sightseeing is finished, but usually something along the lines of a sandwich or a toastie, or a single slice of pizza, or even a brunch bar and an apple, or a local speciality such as a special pastry. Very occasionally we will have a light lunch and watch the world go by. After a more substantial breakfast than we are used to, it is all we need. We take packets of brunch bars with us as they are handy to have for flights and other longer journeys. We would never ever return to the ship for lunch part way through our sightseeing only to go out again.

Hardly any there now after years of pandemic and tramworks disruption as a number of businesses closed, although there may still be a few but you would need to check as I don't know. There are a number of second hand shops on Clerk St close to Surgeons Hall. There must be at least 7 or 8 within a stretch of a couple of hundred yards, mostly neighbouring each other with several charities represented and including a Barnardos Bookshop, and a small number in the Stockbridge area too. One with more unusual items is Bethany, next door to Summerhall beside The Meadows, an approx 10 minute walk from the ones on Clerk St, but there are a couple of random ones scattered along that route, but Clerk St close to Tesco supermarket and across from Southside Community Centre is where the majority are clustered.

I should have suggested that you read this very recent thread as it has some sightseeing tips further into it closer to the end. Iignore the subject line and the initial posts. .https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2952246-edinburgh-transportation-question/#comment-65787356 And some of the posts on this thread too https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2954353-edinburgh-castle-and-holyrood-palace-location-and-tour/#comment-65833031 Like fruitmachine, I cannot understand your interest in Leith Walk especially when your time is already challenging, but if you must, you could spend a couple of hours walking up and down it, or ride it on a tram as the very new extension line to Newhaven opened very recently and Leith Walk is a major part of that tram route. See the Edinburrgh trams website for info. I think that time walking Leith Walk would be better spent walking around the architecturally interesting Georgian New Town as this area is something you won't find in many other cities and Edinburgh's New Town is quite famous..

Bear in mind that a castle visit can be 2-3 hours and Holyrood Palace is a mile away with many diversions along the way. And the Nat Museum of Scotland merits a half day at least, as do the Botanic Gardens. Maybe a better all round experience to spend more time on fewer because there isn't much to gain by walking into an entrance and out again 10 minutes later, but it is your trip not mine.

It depends where all you want to go and how much of the city you hope to see. Many places on your wish list are fairly close to each other for walking and others such as the Royal Botanic Garden are a little bit further but have public bus stops outside. see Lothian buses website for info. You could buy a day ticket for buses and trams at £5pp or pay £2 pp single ride each way to the Gardens. And some of your sights have free entry unless paying for a special exhibition area. You need to work your priorities and compare any entry fees plus a day ticket or separate rides cost with the cost of the HOHO ROYAL ticket which will be more costly than a regular HOHO without the added inclusions of the ROYAL ticket.. Many many previous threads about Edinburgh. Find them and read by using the SEARCH tool under your username.

Sorry, especially as this is your first post and you are new to Cruise Critic and maybe not yet aware of the do's and don'ts, but a moderator may move or delete this thread as tour shares requests are only permitted on Roll Calls, so I suggest you move it (or copy to your RC) sooner rather than later. The rules; Posts looking for members to "share" your excursion, or posts mentioning that a few more spaces in a van are available and you should contact so and so, are not allowed here or or on any of the other forums except the ROLL CALL forums. And BTW, Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Here in Edinburgh we have a Sicilian Bakery, although across the city from us so we only indulge in our cannolis once in a while, which is also better for our waistlines! It gave me an idea though, and I googled Sicilian Bakery in Naples and this one popped up in the results.. It is apparently close to the port and has some lovely reviews on tripadvisor for authentic cooking. I think it may be more of a restaurant now but could be worth checking anyway. Dolcezze Siciliane di Busiello Piazzale Immacolatella Vecchia, Naples port