Newbie here. Does anyone just walk around a port without doing a tour??

We will be on the Marina the same time you are. I can tell you that Portofino is tricky. The ferries stop running on 10/31, so getting to San Margurita Ligure or neighboring towns is much more involved than when you just hop the ferry. The good thing about Portofino is that you absolutely can just take the tender from ship to the port and wander around, have lunch, chill out. For Monte Carlo, Tom's port guide is invaluable: http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/monaco-06-20-2012.pdf

And the elevator map is also hugely helpful:

http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/liftescalatormap-monacomalin.pdf

We are doing the same itinerary as you.

OK As others have said, there are lots of places to explore in or around all the ports and there are plenty of professional guides who can explain the history to you and help appreciate your surroundings. If you look at what O are offering it will give you a flavour of what there is at each port, do some internet research on all the sites named above and then you can decide what you want to do either with tem or arrange your own.

We have been to all these ports before and done the tours, so we are planning to do our own thing in most of them.

(I note you are going in November, so all the places you visit may not be as vibrant as I will expect in August, so also bear that in mind.)

Portofino is easy by yourself, you will tender into Santa Margherita, which itself is a nice place to explore, then you can get the ferry into Portofino, it leaves from beside where you tender into. Explore the town, sit and have a glass and a nibble on the waterfront, go up to the church and get a great view back over the town.

Olbia is one where I would consider a tour, look up Tour With Locals for example. If you fancy a beach day there is a HoHo that will take you there.

Bandol & Toulon are close to each other and the ships tours are basically the same from each port. The Marina looks like it is docking in the ferry port in the Toulon itself, not the port for the larger ships which is 8km away, so you will be close to the centre of the city. As I mentioned we are looking to do our own thing in Bandol and take the train to Marseille. There is a reportedly good museum in Toulon to their "D Day" landings that happened along the Med coast during WW2.

St Tropez - you can people watch along the front, explore the town or take the Bateaux Verte ferries to the other towns around the bay

Monte Carlo - You can explore the old town of Monaco, see the palace etc ( there is a lift up to the old town in the car park to the left of the ferry terminal) and then return to Monte, walk the streets ( and the F1 track, got to Cassino Square and have a coffee in the Café de Paris. If you want to go out of the city then St Paul De Vence is a fabulous walled town now filled with boutiques and restaurants with fabulous views over the countryside, Eze is another good visit, or even the nearby Nice

That's a potted and probably slightly biased overview, I hope it helps.

But as has been mentioned, decide what you want to get out of each port and then try and make it happen

I cannot remember the last time we took a ships tour. We’ve did some local tours but mainly do our own thing. A lot of the Med ports are within walking distance from the town. Enjoy your cruise.

Yes, absolutely. You can explore on your own, or even arrange your own tours at a port. We arranged our own, private tour in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As long as you are onboard the ship at the time given, you may do whatever you like in a port.

TripAdvisor is a great resource for alternative tours, and they are often less expensive, with better guides.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We will be on the Marina the same time you are. I can tell you that Portofino is tricky. The ferries stop running on 10/31, so getting to San Margurita Ligure or neighboring towns is much more involved than when you just hop the ferry. The good thing about Portofino is that you absolutely can just take the tender from ship to the port and wander around, have lunch, chill out. For Monte Carlo, Tom's port guide is invaluable: http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/monaco-06-20-2012.pdf

 

And the elevator map is also hugely helpful:

http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/liftescalatormap-monacomalin.pdf

We tendered into Portofino and took the bus to Santa Margurita Ligure. We then walked back to Portoforno. It was a great walk.

We will be on the Marina the same time you are. I can tell you that Portofino is tricky. The ferries stop running on 10/31, so getting to San Margurita Ligure or neighboring towns is much more involved than when you just hop the ferry. The good thing about Portofino is that you absolutely can just take the tender from ship to the port and wander around, have lunch, chill out. For Monte Carlo, Tom's port guide is invaluable: http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/monaco-06-20-2012.pdf

 

And the elevator map is also hugely helpful:

http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/liftescalatormap-monacomalin.pdf

I am not a fan of Monte Carlo (two times porting there). We took the bus to Eze which is lovely and once to the gardens Villa Ephrussi de Rothchild down in Cap Ferrat. The coast is lovely. You can also go to Nice by train or bus or up the coast to Italy.

I would find a tour to take in Olbia. We didn't and I regret it. We should have taken a taxi up to the beach. We ported twice in St Tropez. Not another favorite of mine. Depending on your length of stay you can walk around and take a good hike down the coast or take a tour. We took the ship's tour to the hilltop towns because it was included and it was nice.

Another benefit in just going in and walking through the ports is the exercise you get. We often walk 4_6 miles on these days. Lord knows we need it on a cruise.

Another benefit in just going in and walking through the ports is the exercise you get. We often walk 4_6 miles on these days. Lord knows we need it on a cruise.

LOL

Some people more than others

DH was feeling the extra weight after 2 desserts on the last night :D

Lyn

I am not a fan of Monte Carlo (two times porting there). We took the bus to Eze which is lovely and once to the gardens Villa Ephrussi de Rothchild down in Cap Ferrat. The coast is lovely. You can also go to Nice by train or bus or up the coast to Italy.

Buses/trains are great when you are an experienced cruiser, and used to getting around in ports where English isn't always spoken. The OP is a newbie. Very few first-time travelers to Europe will have the confidence to try that. It took us 3 - 4 cruises to get comfortable using local transportation and heading off on our own.

On our various travels round the European mainland, and especially in recent years, we have that in most places you can get by speaking English, even in France. OK occasionally you get someone who will only converse in their own language, but if you are buying or paying for a service, your requests will be understood, and especially in places where tourists visit. As mentioned throw in Please and Thank You in French or Italian, and 99% of the time you'll be fine.

A little studying on the Internet, produces a raft of useful information, such as the wonderful lift map of Monte Carlo, linked to a few post back, thank you Kate. So travelling in the Med is no where near as daunting as it was in the pre-web era.

For example, now you can download apps for SNCF railways, find timetables and buy tickets, all in English, a web search throws up local bus timetables and routes, you can even Streetview a place like Toulon to see what it looks like.

The hardest part was probably finding Crusie Critic

I can't help but think that, however charming it may seem, traipsing around on local busses and trains is not necessarily the best idea when the Cruise is as port intensive as Oceania's European voyages tend to be.

With an average of six hours in these cities, maximising the experience is essential, as is conserving the energy of the passenger.

When tomorrow almost always brings a new and equally interesting destination, at 8AM yet, the most prudent option is often hiring a professional to take the reins.

Try to find out in advance where the ship docks. Some piers are very accessible to downtown or public transportation (Monte Carlo), sometimes an Oceania tender will take you downtown (Portofino), while sometime the ship will dock a mile or two away, or in an industrial area (e.g., Rome, Toulon). Look at the "European Ports" listing here on CC for information on specific ports on your itinerary.

Try this link; http://www.tomsportguides.com/

He has done a fantastic amount of work on cruise ports.

Also a little less complex is; https://www.whatsinport.com/index.htm

Have a great cruise.

Yes, but what one may do is almost never the same as the wisest thing.

 

Motivated passengers, i.e. those who do their research, regardless, very often give advice on these boards which is misinterpreted, sometimes willfully, by those who want to hear that walking through five thousand years of history is equal to viewing those same sights in context.

 

Short answer, if you truly want your monies worth, pick an option:

A) Do the research and planning on your own.

B) Pay a Guide who will do all of that for you

C) Admit to yourself that you're just one of those people for whom having set foot in a place IS the experience.

Too add to the excellent advice:

D) Admit to yourself that you have never been to that place, really know zip about it have no experience or first hand knowledge of it....and need help to discover just about everything and this is your first time there.

E) In Italy, keep the rick Steves book hidden, other wise, as a more than obvious tourist you will become a local attraction/target, for the growing, ( and highly accomplished) pick pocket and petty crime local industry that seems to make its headquarters in Rome , Florence Pisa and Soreento

I can't help but think that, however charming it may seem, traipsing around on local busses and trains is not necessarily the best idea when the Cruise is as port intensive as Oceania's European voyages tend to be.

 

With an average of six hours in these cities, maximising the experience is essential, as is conserving the energy of the passenger.

 

When tomorrow almost always brings a new and equally interesting destination, at 8AM yet, the most prudent option is often hiring a professional to take the reins.

Your points are well taken.

This works for me too. I get best value by spending some money on private guide (I have even taken a ship shorex (twice, gasp). As you point out, the next day begins early, and as the days and new ports continue, a time warp occurs and an 8 am meet-up seems to become earlier and earlier.

On land trips we research and plan and are mostly independent travellers, though hire a local guide where it makes sense and sometimes for day one and the rest on our own so we are very familiar with the process. But a port-a-day cruise can be tiring even with a guide. There are days we will take port as a just simple "port stop", just a brief walk around, maybe a HOHO bus, lunch perhaps, sit back, relax and enjoy watching the coming and goings and then back to the ship early to enjoy what it has to offer and catch up and rejuvenate for the next days touring.

I can understand too those just waiting a walk-about and no guide, no shorex, no tour and skip another church/museum/beach/bar/gallery.

Everyone has different pleasures, needs, abilities, interests. Knowing choices is important. One can then maximize their travel experience their way.

Every town has free walking tours, just Google them. It’s usually local students who know all about their own city. You just give them a tip at the end of the tour.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We haven't really found the value in Shorex, though of course the convenience is certainly there.

We love to research ports, and other than the usual library books and Cruise Critic port advice, we love using offline Google Maps on our cell (you can download only the parts of local maps that you want, use when not on wifi, and it will even show you moving on the map!), and the Rick Steves App, which lets you download his walking tours and have them play location-by-location as you tour. Have fun and keep travelling. ;)

Buy or borrow from the library Rick Steves’ book Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Includes many of your ports of call. Strategies plus port specific hints.

As previously mentioned there are good online resources notably Tom’s Port Guides.

Frances