DIY ports in Mediterranean

[FloatingCityBound]

Hi Everyone, 

 

We are booked on the Nov 4th Marina cruise sailing out of Rome and disembarking in Monte Carlo.  We will be stopping in Florence, Ajaccio, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Barcelona, Provence, and disembarking in Monte Carlo. Our 7 day cruise includes excursions at two ports, and I understand that Oceania's included excursions aren't always the most dazzling. Therefore, if you fine people could help us understand the following, we'd be very grateful: 

- which of the ports are most DIY? Meaning, you can walk or take a short cab ride and there is an nice area to wander through, shop, and eat without requiring a tour. 

- which of the ports are your most beloved? 

 

If I can get a better idea of those two things, I'll probably apply our two excursions to ports that didn't make either list and arrange for independent tours for the most beloved. 

 

Thank you! 

FCB

[Mura]

32 minutes ago, FloatingCityBound said:

Hi Everyone, 

 

We are booked on the Nov 4th Marina cruise sailing out of Rome and disembarking in Monte Carlo.  We will be stopping in Florence, Ajaccio, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Barcelona, Provence, and disembarking in Monte Carlo. Our 7 day cruise includes excursions at two ports, and I understand that Oceania's included excursions aren't always the most dazzling. Therefore, if you fine people could help us understand the following, we'd be very grateful: 

- which of the ports are most DIY? Meaning, you can walk or take a short cab ride and there is an nice area to wander through, shop, and eat without requiring a tour. 

- which of the ports are your most beloved? 

 

If I can get a better idea of those two things, I'll probably apply our two excursions to ports that didn't make either list and arrange for independent tours for the most beloved. 

 

Thank you! 

FCB

Not easy to answer!

 

In FLORENCE we spent 4 days there on our own in 2005 so we've never taken a cruise tour option to go there.  It's fabulous but it's impossible to see in only 1 day.  OTOH, if you take the ship's transfer there and back, yes, you can do it on your own.  There is a lot in the central area.  If you pre-book museum visits (if you're into museums, as we are) plan your times properly.  Those pre-booked visits generally (at least when we were there, I can't believe this as changed) mean you don't have to wait in line.  The big question for me would be how the cruiseline defines your times!  And of course, the time by which you have to return to the ship.  You can also pre-book walking tours -- we did a couple and they were very valuable.

 

PALMA DE MAJORCA.  We were there twice on our own, then met a friend on Feline-l who lives there (and at the time was a licensed tour guide) who took us around on our first cruise visit there.  Right now she's planning on returning to the UK (trying to sell her house) so I doubt she'd be available as a guide.  If you stay in central Palma, yes, I think you can do it on your own.  If you want to go out of town, say to Chopin's home, then you'd need a guide.  You might be better off going to a local guide as opposed to a ship's tour.

 

BARCELONA.  Definitely you can do it on your own.  We have done so many times.  On a one day port visit it could be more difficult just because it can depend on how many ships are in port!  We wanted to return to the Gaudi Cathedral some years ago and when we got there the line was around the block.  So we just cancelled.  Our taxi driver said there were a large number of cruise ships in port on that day.  So I'd say one  thing to do is check the website (which I can't reference right now)_ that lets you know just how many ships and ship passengers are there on your day.

 

For major sites,  again, you can prebook with local agencies.  Walking tours are good.  There is so much to see here that one day is just a mere glance at what the city offers.

 

There is also the HOHO bus which has 2, maybe 3 routes -- also can be prebooked -- which can take you to a number of areas.

 

Do you want to see Monserrat?  That's a short distance out of town and you can get there on your own OR you can (again) hire a local guide.  That's how we did it way back when ... it took us less time to get there than going on our own would have, but we were governed by the time we had there.  Not that this was a problem!

 

All of our visits to Barcelona have been "on our own" with occasional guides hired, but we've never tried to do Barcelona on a port call.  We would spend several days there on our own.

 

Yes, to answer your first question, I guess, you can take a cab to Placa Catalunya and find MUCH to do in that area just walking around.

 

 

PROVENCE.  Well, what port will you be at?  Marseille?  The only time we've been there on an ocean ship it was Marseille.  Again, we booked a private tour to go outside of the city up to the hill cities.  But from what I've read here, you can certainly do Marseille on your own.  If you want to see Aix en Provence or other close-by areas I think you would need to rent a car OR hire an agency to get you there.

 

I haven't checked what tours Oceania offers but I would argue against the idea that they aren't worth looking at.  If you have oLife, you can find a good one, I'm sure.  Since oLife came into play we've been using them more than we did in the past.  We like private tours because of reduced prices and smaller groups, but we haven't found the ship's tours to be worthless either.  You really should read through the tour descriptions carefully to see if they look worthwhile to you.

 

Yes, there are those on CC who will argue that all ship's tours are useless.  We don't agree with that!  If you want a smaller group -- not a busload -- then private tours are better.

 

Our favorite place?  That's a hard one.  Barcelona is fabulous, but in one day?  I'm not sure!  That's like going to London or Paris for one day -- you get a glimpse, but that is all.

 

This has gotten too long and you may not find it at all  helpful, so I will bow out now!  Have a great cruise ...that's a lovely itinerary.

 

 

[FloatingCityBound]

Thank you Mura! I guess the only thing I am really attached to at this point is seeing Aix en Provence (we are docking in Marseille). It is good to hear positive reviews for the Oceania tours because it would be nice to have the assurance that the ship will wait.

[Mura]

Our tour from Marseille only drove through Aix on the way back to the ship, but it isn't far from Marseille.  We'd spent several days in Aix a few years earlier so we were looking to do something else.  I don't recall the ship having a tour that went to Aix on that trip (back in 2018) but it might have.  Otherwise, look into Tours by Locals and others for a private trip.  It's a charming place.  We really enjoyed our time there.

 

We stayed at a small hotel that was the private home of French composer Darius Milhaud when he was young, and since I studied with Milhaud we wanted to stay there.  It was right bang in the middle of town which was certainly convenient.  The others on my pre-cruise group stayed there as well and everyone said they loved it.  Not that you'll have the opportunity to stay there -- at least not THIS time!

 

For the record we used Private Shore Trips in Marseille.  https://www.privateshoretrips.com/marseille-shore-tours-s/1910.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiAvJXxBRCeARIsAMSkApqkZFCxguauHyFUsG066AdKyvclr86Z8tA-1k9AGvhTrelN-i2xH2oaAksvEALw_wcB

 

They do have a half day trip to Aix en Provence.

 

Mura

[clo]

2 hours ago, Mura said:

This has gotten too long and you may not find it at all  helpful, so I will bow out now!

Very, VERY helpful, Mura. And I think you make the point that cruising can't do it all. Barcelona? I could live there so no way could a day, even three, scratch the surface. Oh, right, the food 🙂  xoc 

[DeeniEncinitas]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

Very, VERY helpful, Mura. And I think you make the point that cruising can't do it all. Barcelona? I could live there so no way could a day, even three, scratch the surface. Oh, right, the food 🙂  xoc 

Barcelona is like home for us Cath! We will be there for 10 days on our 2nd cruise!

Each year when we go back to The Med we go home to Nice for about 3 weeks take a cruise and end up in Barcelona. If we could I love living there !! It is all about food to us and the art!

Trying to get back on CC our daughter is buying a condo here and we have tagged along

and have not had time to even look !

Hey got my reservations no problem at all👍
Mura, Flatbush flyer, Orv, all helped me to understand how easy it was!

 Denise😊

 

PS To Mura you always give great advise👍

[lj77346]

FCB - We did this cruise on the Marina in November 2019 and had a great time - wonderful ports.

 

Florence is about an hour away from the port in Livorno and we found that the best way for us to get to Florence was to join with a few other couples and get a cab/van to take us there.  There's lots to see in Florence so do some research ahead of time to decide on what you want to see.  As Mura mentioned, if you plan to visit any of the famous art galleries, pre-book a time or else you'll spend too much time waiting in line.

 

In Ajaccio, the ship docks right in town so you can just walk to see the sites associated with Napoleon.  In Palma de Mallorca, Oceania runs a shuttle bus that drops you off near the cathedral, which is pretty interesting as Gaudi did some of the design work there.  As we were in Palma previously, we took the ship's tour to Castell de Bellver and Valdemosa and enjoyed it.

 

In Valencia, the port is a bit outside the city, but there is a shuttle there which often is pretty crowded, so if that's the case, just take a cab to the old part of the city near the cathedral.  If you want to see something very different head for the City of Arts and Sciences for modern architecture, the science museum and aquarium.

 

In Barcelona, you can take a shuttle bus or cab from the port to the main part of the city (just a short ride).  Again, do your research because there's lots to see in Barcelona.  If you want to see Sagrada Familia, pre-book a time so you don't have to wait in the long lines.  As we were in Barcelona numerous times, on last year's cruise we took the ship's tour to Montserrat, which was very interesting.  The tour was good, but unfortunately on a Sunday, so the church could not be visited during services.

 

We had a very rainy day in Marseilles, so we didn't do anything there other than plan how we could get to Milan as we found that the port of Monte Carlo was closed because of the weather, so our cruise ended in Marseilles.  Oceania provided transportation to the airport in Nice and from there we were able to get a train to Milan.

 

You have an excellent itinerary and there is so much to see in the cities you will be visiting. Have a great time!

[clo]

1 minute ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

If we could I love living there !! It is all about food to us and the art!

Totally. Have I shared any (off-topic) restaurant things that I wrote?

[CintiPam]

Easy DIY: Ajaccio, Palma and Barcelona.

 

Most beloved: Barcelona.  The art lover possibilities alone are endless; new Gaudi and other Modernista architects sites being restored and opening all the time.  Last May we took a fabulous fascinating walking tour on the Spanish Civil War.

[DeeniEncinitas]

20 minutes ago, clo said:

Totally. Have I shared any (off-topic) restaurant things that I wrote?

You sure have! We discussed many restaurants and the culture there! Casa Batllo by Gaudi is one of my favs and I love Tapas 24 near by! So many wonderful places to eat! 
Denise😊

[CruisingIGo]

For Valencia, checkout www.seasaffron.com.  One of our best excursions ever!

[AllanWW]

Here are a couple of left field options that we found to be great as well as unique.  In Palma try the historic train to Stoller then the tram to the Port of Stoller.  Beautiful scenery and a different option to the usual tours in similar but beautiful Mediterranean towns.  Timing has to fit with your cruise schedule but easy to use and a taxi gets you to the train station.  The web site is http://www.trendesoller.com/en/.

For Marseilles we booked a tour to Les Baux a fabulous village in Provence but the highlight was Carrieres de Lumieres a unique light and sound show in a special location in Les Baux.  Closed until 6 March the web site is https://www.carrieres-lumieres.com/en.

 

If you want something different from the usual both these suggestions offer that.

 

Have fun.

 

Allan

[Jay23]

Palma............    If the round trip ...... up to Soller ...... tram to Puerto Soller ... back up to Soller and down  .... takes too long;  it is nice just to go on the train up the mountain to Soller and back.   There are cafes at the top.  The train is rather delightfully antique.    Really worth a trip.  J  

Edited January 21, 2020 by Jay23

[Shawnino]

If you're doing left-field, leave the crowds, scammers, and pickpockets behind in Barcelona and get out to Montserrat. Nature and a small monastic community up on a jagged hillside (Mont... Serrat...) an hour out of the city. One highlight is the short daily children's choir performance at 1pm.

[Justalone]

4 hours ago, Shawnino said:

If you're doing left-field, leave the crowds, scammers, and pickpockets behind in Barcelona and get out to Montserrat. Nature and a small monastic community up on a jagged hillside (Mont... Serrat...) an hour out of the city. One highlight is the short daily children's choir performance at 1pm.

 

New to cruising and considering first cruise that includes a stop in Barcelona.

What are the scams?

How bad are the pickpockets in Barcelona? 

And where do they usually congregate?

Have you been a victim in Barcelona?  

What is your best advice to avoid being victimized?

Thank you.

Edited January 21, 2020 by Justalone

[Paulchili]

13 minutes ago, Justalone said:

 

New to cruising and considering first cruise that includes a stop in Barcelona.

What are the scams?

How bad are the pickpockets in Barcelona? 

They are not bad - they are really good with lots of experience and practice😀

And where do they usually congregate?

Las Ramblas

Have you been a victim in Barcelona?  

What is your best advice to avoid being victimized?

Have nothing on you that you are not willing to part with 😊

Thank you.

Nothing in your pockets - only in a security pouch  of some sort out of sight and reach.

Take this advice very seriously and you will not be  their next victim.

Edited January 21, 2020 by Paulchili

[arima22]

6 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Nothing in your pockets - only in a security pouch  of some sort out of sight and reach.

Take this advice very seriously and you will not be  their next victim.

That advice is good for any city/port in Europe.  Use a money belt for anything you cannot leave in a safe- on the ship or in a hotel.  Friends were in Athens last Sept. went to dinner in the Plaka district, wife had her wallet in a back pack style purse, IN THE BOTTOM, when it came time for paying the dinner check, the wallet was gone- all of their credit cards compromised.  She had felt nothing while walking through the Plaka.

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, arima22 said:

wife had her wallet in a back pack style purse, IN THE BOTTOM, when it came time for paying the dinner check, the wallet was gone- all of their credit cards compromised.  She had felt nothing while walking through the Plaka.

They are true magicians - the best of them could put David Copperfield to shame.

I have witnessed an even more astounding event in Lima. A fellow cruiser was approached by some young men On a pedestrian street. No words were exchanged and while he was busy protecting his wallet in his pocket he lost his watch without even knowing that it happened. It wasn’t until he wanted to check the time at the hotel that he noticed it missing. Not only was it gone but he had a black & blue bruise on the back of his wrist from the force that was used to separate him from his watch - without him ever noticing it happening.

[lj77346]

Justalone - Not only in Barcelona, but also in any larger cities in the Mediterranean, wherever there are lots of tourists, there will be pickpockets.  One of the hot spots for pickpockets in Barcelona is in Sagrada Familia. As it is a church, apparently people are admiring the architecture, stained glass windows, etc. and pay less attention to what's happening around them.

 

Something that I witnessed in Florence, but not in Barcelona, was an elderly woman suddenly "stumbling" and when someone went to assist her, her accomplice grabbed a bag that the person who was trying to help her put down and ran off with it.  It looked like the profession of pickpocket/scammer was multi-generational.

 

However, if you are reasonably vigilant, you should have no problem.  I've traveled and worked around the world for the past 40 years and not had any problems.  Conversely, one of my colleagues got pickpocketed twice in the same day in Madrid - so maybe there is some luck involved.  Enjoy your travels - life is too short to worry about too much about potential pitfalls.

[RJB]

8 hours ago, Shawnino said:

If you're doing left-field, leave the crowds, scammers, and pickpockets behind in Barcelona and get out to Montserrat. Nature and a small monastic community up on a jagged hillside (Mont... Serrat...) an hour out of the city. One highlight is the short daily children's choir performance at 1pm.

A wonderful place to visit.  The choir does not perform every day so we did not see them.  Still well worth the trip.

[Paulchili]

1 minute ago, RJB said:

A wonderful place to visit.  The choir does not perform every day so we did not see them.  Still well worth the trip.

No performances on Saturdays (and some holidays).

[SM77]

19 hours ago, FloatingCityBound said:

Thank you Mura! I guess the only thing I am really attached to at this point is seeing Aix en Provence (we are docking in Marseille). It is good to hear positive reviews for the Oceania tours because it would be nice to have the assurance that the ship will wait.

We did the Mediterranean from Athens to Barcelona on Riviera.  Granted I'm not sure what one would see in Marseille per se, but we did the Oceania tour to Aix en Provence.  This was my least favorite tour.  It might have been my expectations, I had been to other places in France (Avignon, Rouen, Vienne, Lyon, etc) and Aix en Provence just didn't do it for me.  

As for Barcelona, I used Barcelona Day Tours when disembarking from the ship and we did a full day tour of Barcelona & Monserrat and then got dropped off at the hotel.  Very caring company, we had two persons that were going back to the ship, the guide felt that they wouldn't have enough time to do Parc Guell, so he put them in a taxi and sent them back before the ship disembarked.  Check out their website - very easy to email them.  I found them on TripAdvisor.  There is so much to see in Barcelona so we were glad to be there for a couple of days and still that wasn't enough.  

 

The issue w/ visiting Florence from the ship is that it is a long way from Livorno.  We did the Oceania tour Florence on the Lighter Side, $199.  We wanted the opportunity to just get an overview and go somewhere for a nice lunch - this worked out well for us.  At some point, we fully expected to do a land tour of Italy that will include Florence again and hopefully get to the museums that we didn't see on this cruise.  

 

I have to say, even though we spent extra time in Barcelona, I would go back again.  It is a very manageable city and so interesting.  If you only have one day, use the services of an independent tour - it's so much easier for a smaller group to get around town.

[Paulchili]

44 minutes ago, SM77 said:

I have to say, even though we spent extra time in Barcelona, I would go back again.  It is a very manageable city and so interesting.  If you only have one day, use the services of an independent tour - it's so much easier for a smaller group to get around town.

+1

Will be there again this May for the umpteenth time and still looking forward to it.

If they offer tours to either St Paul de Vence or Eze out of Marseilles I would recommend those places.

[YoHoHo]

>How bad are the pickpockets in Barcelona? 

They are not bad - they are really good with lots of experience and practice😀

Ha, very good, Paul !

 

And where do they usually congregate?

Las Ramblas

 

And as others have written, Sagrada Familia... in short, anywhere there are the unwary or preoccupied there are pickpockets. I enjoyed a documentary on a women in Barcelona whose mission is to hamper the pickpockets and protect their potential victims. She sees them as scourge to the lovely city and knows the realities the police have to deal with them. She often surveils the subways.  When she sees one she shouts out "Beware! Pickpocket on the train!" and blows her whistle.  Sometimes blowing her loud whistle after them as they slink away at the next stop. I suspect they leave simply because there is no money to be had once they've been made. So onto the next venue. All in a days work.

 

That said, Barcelona is a wonderful city and much is made of the pickpockets. Just use sensible precautions (and have backup of your ID, etc) and enjoy your travels.

[Clutj]

In both Livorno and Provence, we did the O food tours.  They were great.  The cooking school chef leads them; we went to an indoor food market in Livorno and then toured a winery where we cooked pizza and biscotti in old wood-fired ovens.   In Provence, we went to a great outdoor market in a small coastal town and then  to an olive farm and winery where we had a great meal.  (I recall the trip to Florence is a lot longer than an hour each way...)

Edited January 22, 2020 by Clutj