Are cities a long way from ports?

[LiseD]

I have been reading reviews of Med. cruises and many have stated that ports are in industrial areas and it can be long drives to the cities. Below is a cruise we are considering for next summer. Can anyone comment on how many of these ports would require drives to the cities/

 

 

Southampton, England; Gibraltar, United Kingdom; Villefranche (Nice), France; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Livorno (Florence), Italy; Genoa, Italy; Malaga, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Southampton, England

[FTLcruisers]

not sure of all of the ports but Civitavecchia is a little over an hour from Rome and Livorno is about one and a half hours from Florence.

[mskaufman]

Villefrance is about a half hour from Nice (depending on mode of transportation)

[LiseD]

If my parents don't want to go that far is there nice things to do around the port area? Are there smaller towns close by....Think they just want to get of the ship and walk around a bit.....but wondering what it is like to do that? I read about being in industrial areas.

[John Bull]

Gib. No worries. 15-20 min walk into town. Or start with a taxi tour of the Upper Rock (£22/€25) from the cruise terminal & get dropped in town at the end of it.

Villefranche. No worries. Tender takes you right to the harbour of the small but attractive town. Ten min walk from the harbour to rail station, half-hourly train service to Monaco (15 mins) or in the other direction to Nice (15 mins?) or beyond to places like Juan Les Pins or Antibes.

Civi. Ten min seafront walk to rail station. Approx half-hourly train service to Rome, journey time 50 mins to 75 mins depending on which station - San Pietro (then 15 min walk to Vatican), Ostiense (then metro to Colosseum) or Termini (then long walk, or metro then short walk, to Spanish Steps or Trevi.

Needs careful planning to get the most out of your day & be back in time, but hundreds do it each day & lots of info if you search this forum or google Ron in Rome.

Livorno. You need transport from the port (taxi or ship's payable shuttle) to centre or rail station.

Another one that needs careful planning if you want to take the train to Pisa (15 mins) or Florence (about 80 mins) or both (perfectly feasible, we did it comfortably). Again, plenty of info on replies on other threads.

Genoa. Still on my bucket-list

Malaga. Town is walkable but a bit of a hike. Or taxi or hop-on bus. Don't know about local buses. Hop-on bus includes the castle, which needs transport of some sort from port or town.

Not my favourite town, though others will disagree. Consider heading for Mijas (20 -30 mins) or if you're feeling adventurous Ronda (90 mins). Public transport to these places isn't convenient, though I believe train timetables have been re-jigged in recent months & train to Ronda may now be possible. For Mijas a taxi (one-way trip then take a taxi from the rank in Mijas is probably cheapest, but ask the driver) or rent a car, for Ronda rent a car unless you want to make a taxi driver a wealthy man.

Lisbon Depends where you port. Might be just a ten minute walk to the centre. But if your ship is parked down near Belem Tower you'll need a ten-minute bus or train or tram or taxi ride, hop-on buses also call at the berth. All very easy.

Southampton. Get a neighbour to collect you for the fifteen minute drive home.

 

JB :)

 

Sorry. Southampton - that only applies to me :D

But it's only a £5 to £8 taxi ride from any cruise terminal to city centre/rail station/bus station.

You do realise that Southampton is 70 to 90 miles from London & its airports?

[agabbymama]

Not sure about all the ports, but Civitavecchia does not allow you to just walk about. There is a shuttle provided to take you to the entrance to the pier, then Civitavecchia is a small town that is walkable. Won't keep you busy all day tho. Most folks either hire a driver/guide or take the train in to Rome.

[Courier95]

Genoa - easy to walk into town along the harbour side but not a particularly inspiring area. The town itself, although we thought not the most attractive, is quite "walkable" and has some pleasant houses and nice churches.