Can you please offer suggestions for excursions: Oosterdam Aug. 16, 2016

[big-time-cruiser]

The gals are excited about our upcoming cruise, and respectfully ask for your help, guidance, tips, suggestions, warnings, etc. for excursions, what to see, etc. on any/all of our ports. Thank you in advance!

 

Likes: Fun activities, food, drink, some "sight seeing", water activities

Dislikes: A lot of walking, long lines, excessively costly

 

START: Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

 

1 17 Aug 2016 Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy

 

2 18 Aug 2016 Monte Carlo, Monaco TR

 

3 19 Aug 2016 Saint Raphael, France TR

 

4 20 Aug 2016 Ajaccio, Corsica, France

 

5 22 Aug 2016 Almeria, Spain

 

6 23 Aug 2016 Ceuta, Spanish Morocco, Spain

 

7 25 Aug 2016 Marseille (Provence), France

 

8 26 Aug 2016 Sete, France TR

 

9 27 Aug 2016 Barcelona, Spain

[jtl513]

We've only been to four of those ports.

 

Rome - we were with an AAA tour group that rode around the city and made several stops the first day, and on embarkation day took us to the Vatican museum, St Peters, Sistine Chapel, etc. and then to the ship.

 

Florence - we took the HAL "shuttle" for about $50 pp and walked around on our own.

 

Monaco - we took a HAL bus tour (I forget what it was called) that rode around and stopped at a high point in France looking down at the city. It then dropped us off in Monte Carlo and we walked around a bit and back to the ship.

 

Barcelona - been there twice. The first time we took a HAL tour that went to La Sagrada Familia, and then to Gaudi's Parc Guell. I think that tour was called "Gaudi's Barcelona". I think there's one tour that takes you to the outside of L.S.F. but not inside, so if you want to see inside be sure to pick the right one.

 

Bacelona 2nd time - did both of the HopOnHopOff bus loops, and on the second one got off at the top of Las Ramblas and strolled back down the hill to the pick up point for the ship shuttle.

Edited May 31, 2016 by jtl513

[sotiris]

We have just returned from a very similar cruise and I am in the process of writing my review. Here is a relatively short version

 

Livorno. We went to Lucca with a group from CC. Previously we took a shared shuttle to Florence. Lovely window shopping.

 

Monaco We were tendered. Very rough trip to shore. We made our way via escalators and bus to the palace.

 

Ajaccio Again we were tendered (unexpected). Took to open air bus for a 1.5 hour tour. Napoleon's house closed for part of the day. The beaches looked gorgeous.

 

Almeria. Someone from CC tried to organize a trip to Alhambra but the company she was dealing with could not get tickets. We took the local bus up to the fortress Alcazaba. I also did the little train but poor commentary and no photo stops.

 

Ceuta. We were thinking of doing a ship's excursion but we left it to late to book. We just walked around to see the sights. I was a little worried about security here but we had no problems. Apparently there is good shopping there. It was a short day there.

 

Marseille: A CC member organized a trip to Aix en Provnce, Cassis and back to Marseille. Very enjoyable.

 

Sete: We did not dock where the map said we would and we had to walk across a floating pontoon gangway/bridge to get to shore. We did another tourist train. Our friends walked up to the top (Mt Michel, I think) after waiting 40 minutes for a bus. They never did see one.

 

Barcelona: This was our third trip to Barcelona. Previously, we had done the HOHO bus and Sagrada Familia. This time I organized a trip to Montserrat. Our flight home was delayed a day so the airline put us up in a hotel in Sitges, a lovely seaside town south west of Barcelona, right on the Mediterranean.

 

Sorry, no water activities for us but there were lots of little bars/cafes in all the ports. Good luck with your planning.

[Love the beach]

Livorno Have been there twice...both times did a private tour with others from our roll call to Pisa & Florence.

 

Monaco.. There was a Hop On Hop Off bus that picked up right at the port and went all around Monaco/Monte Carlo.....we got off at the Palace, Casino, etc.

 

Marseille...Did a private tour with roll call folks to Aix, Cassis & Marseille...it was fabulous.

 

Barcelona...Both times did the Hop On Hop Off bus, got off at Sagrada Familia (get tickets in advance to beat the long lines) and other places of interest.

Have fun!

Edited May 31, 2016 by Love the beach

[scm1848]

Barcelona Day Tours comes highly recommended. We are using them in September, and they have been very good about responding in detail. Tell them C. sent you.

[Harry1954]

Livorno - the Cinque Terre tour is quite spectacular - we have done it several times when docking in Livorno; trip to Lucca is great but Pisa is a bust imho

 

Monte Carlo - just walking around is quite nice; we have done tours to Nice (wine tour); Eze and surrounding villages is quite lovely

 

Barcelona - besides the spectacular Sagrada Familia the other tour worth considering if available is the one to the Monastary of the Black Madonna at Montserrat.

 

harry

[just_cruising_along]

No matter what you end up doing, you will have a great trip.

 

Livorno, you have several choices. You can go to Lucca (which is stunning and a great place to visit) along with Pisa. Now I agree with a previous poster who said Pisa was no great shakes. Probably due to the fact it is overrun with tourists, it is filled with tourist-traps, and you have the very real risk of organized pickpockets attempting to separate you with your valuables. HOWEVER, if you have never been there, it is a place to say you have seen in person...once. Really it is something to see that tower and the Pisa Baptistry.

 

There is a shuttle to Florence, which is around a 3-hour round trip, leaving you with 5-6 hours in town. If you plan to go to any of the sites, book your tickets in advanced. Research now and figure out how much you can do in a limited time. If you plan to just look around, that is great, there is a lot to see. Just keep in mind this is a long day, with potentially a lot of it on your feet.

 

Monaco is very pretty and pretty packed in. Although only 36,000 people live here, it is among the most densely-populated nations in the world. People who live there have to deposit at least EUR 500,000 and acquire a bank reference stating they have sufficient funds to support themselves while in Monaco. So shopping is very-high end.

 

At heart of the Principality, on the site of a fortress constructed in 1215, stands the Prince's Palace. Every day at 11:55 am, in front of the Palace, the ritual of the Changing of the Guard (the Carabiniers du Prince) occurs.

 

There is a lot to see here, gardens, cars, architecture, and of course the previously-mentioned shopping.

 

Another choice from Monte Carlo is to go to Nice and travel along one of the Corniche Roads of the French Riviera. You may end up in one of the villages such as Èze. The scenery is stunning. I have lived in the South of France and recommend seeing as much of it as you can.

 

Marseille is the second largest city in France. If you are big city folks then you might want to stay in town. However, if you want to see the South of France, you can take any of the tours to one of the spots in Provence: Roussillon. Aix-en-Provence, Arles & Les Baux, Chateau Neuf du Pape & Avignon, St Remy, Le Castellet & Bandol, Gordes. Each offers something unique and interesting. Roman architecture, wine making, food, flowers, places Van Gogh lived, (the only Van Gogh painting in the South of France is located in a great small museum in Avignon).

 

Barcelona is amazing. Do you like architecture, then see at least one or more Gaudi buildings, the Basílica Santa Maria del Mar (if you have not read it, you might want to check out The Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones about the building of the Basilica) or buy your tickets online to the Palau de la Música Catalana. You may want to arrange a tour outside of Barcelona to Monserrat.

 

Rome! There is so much to see here and sometimes tour groups try to get you to see "all" of it within one day. Personally, I would concentrate on one of two must-see things and do that instead of the highlights type tours that go on for 10-11 hours. They are exhausting, you don't see as much as you think you are going to see (or you drive by sites and not go in them) and at the end of the day you have spent 11 hours running around. You probably have must-see items, go with that.

 

If you have been to Rome before, than you might like Ostia Antica. It is a wonderful Roman town (pretty much intact, although a large portion of it is still buried). It has an amazing history and you can see the homes, bath houses, toilets, theaters, shopping centers (yes there is even an ancient mall here) and get a sense of ancient Roman life.

 

Remember everyone has a different opinion and the only one that counts is yours. Have a great trip.

[jmps]

If you have time in Rome after the major attractions, the "Scavi Tour" under St Peters is amazing. It must be reserved well in advance. You get to see a Roman cemetery that lies beneath the building, the area where the Pope prays to St. Peter and what is thought to be the grave of St. Peter.

 

Also, the Borghese Museum in Rome is wonderful. It is small but has some of the best sculptures ever done by Bernini or anyone. It too must be prebooked.

Edited June 6, 2016 by jmps

[catl331]

we were in Monaco on a Sunday--arriving at noon. It cost money at that time just to walk through the casino. I think Sunday just might be boring there. We needed medical help early in the morn and when I looked out the window we were in Monaco but delivered our emergency and went back out to see until noon.

[Tourist Office of Sète]

Hello,

 

We're very happy to know that you'll discover our city of Sète next 26th of August, and we would like to help you to plan an enjoyable day.

 

You could start your visit in the heart of the city centre, in our lively covered market "Les Halles" (only opened on mornings).

There, you'll discover all the products of our local gastronomy (fresh fish and seafood, wines, and of course our famous "Tielle" pie ...).

 

And what about having a lunch in one of our beach-restaurants ?

Take a taxi or bus number 9 in the centre (tickets 1€30, available in the bus), direction "Mediterranée" and stop at "Pont de l'Avenir" :

you're in front of the sea, next to the beach ! Just walk for 5 minutes on the seaside path and you'll see the first beach-restaurants.

 

Other ideas of activities you asked for : different sight-seing tours (by boat, tuk-tuk, minibus, ...) are possible in Sète.

 

For more more information about the city, please have a look to our English website :

http://en.tourisme-sete.com/sete-cruise-passengers-information.html

 

Feel free to ask us more questions, we'll be happy to answer.

 

Best regards

[OlsSalt]

Sete - the shore excursion to the fairytale walled city of Carcassone was the must do for our stop here. Ever since a photo of this medieval city was on the cover of my high school French textbook, it was on my bucket list of places to see. It is a long bus ride, but you get to see the Canal du Midi as well and sample cassoulet - the famous stewed meat, beans and sausage dish from this area.

[Valley Girl of VA]

I'm going to Marseille just after Labor Day and have spent a lot of time, A LOT of time, researching and find the right tour that I want. I have two booked. One is a "private tour up to 7 people" with One Day in Provence and we are custom designing our tour to St. Remy, the lumieres, a tour to a winery, lunch. This is an eight hour tour that is costing us 600 euros. The day before we are doing a 5 1/2 tour taking us to Aix-en-Provence and Cassis where we can get on a smaller ship (extra fee) for a tour. The group I am using for that is Provence Xplorer (http://www.provence-xplorer.com/) Hope this helps.

 

Jane

[ski ww]

We enjoy the Hop on/off in what ever city it's offered, it's cheap. Another place for ideas is to look at the Port of Calls site.

Allan

[Sequim88]

A DIY option at Monaco is to take the train to Nice. We tendered at Villefranche and took train to both Monaco (morning) and Nice for lunch and afternoon. Of course for lunch we had to have a Niçoise salad. ;) Nice has a light rail type train in town that helps reduce walking.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Sequim88