Private tour guides at ports?

[sellwingri]

We’ll be on a Royal cruise in Spain (Bilbao, LaCorona, Vigo, Seville) in August and there are limited shore excursions.  In other European ports, there are private guides at the port offering you trips.  Is this true at these ports in Spain?  We’ve found them much cheaper than pre-booked tours.

[coloradocruiselover88]

8 hours ago, sellwingri said:

We’ll be on a Royal cruise in Spain (Bilbao, LaCorona, Vigo, Seville) in August and there are limited shore excursions.  In other European ports, there are private guides at the port offering you trips.  Is this true at these ports in Spain?  We’ve found them much cheaper than pre-booked tours.

More shore excursion may be added, so I would keep looking.  If you want to arrange something prior to your cruise in Bilbao, try Zach at https://thebestofbasque.com/.

[sellwingri]

14 hours ago, coloradocruiselover88 said:

More shore excursion may be added, so I would keep looking.  If you want to arrange something prior to your cruise in Bilbao, try Zach at https://thebestofbasque.com/.

Thanks but that’s not my question.  Are there private guides at the piers? 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, sellwingri said:

Thanks but that’s not my question.  Are there private guides at the piers? 

 

What you will likely find is taxi drivers willing to take you on a full day tour of highlights; they may or may not be able to give you much additional information and cannot accompany you into any venues. 

 

Of course this is all pre-COVID -- keep in mind that two Med seasons have gone by with very reduced cruise seasons and most cruises requiring "bubble tours" through the ship be booked in most Med ports.

 

Who knows what the private tourism infrastructure will look like in 2022?

 

Most people tend to book private tours in advance, if they plan to take them, rather than waiting for an offering at the port....

 

[coloradocruiselover88]

1 hour ago, sellwingri said:

Thanks but that’s not my question.  Are there private guides at the piers? 

I did understand your question, but was offering an alternative hence the word "if" in my reply.

[sellwingri]

7 hours ago, coloradocruiselover88 said:

I did understand your question, but was offering an alternative hence the word "if" in my reply.

Thanks.  I did check Zach and he was way too expensive.

[samavarcruiser]

On 1/30/2022 at 2:04 PM, sellwingri said:

Thanks but that’s not my question.  Are there private guides at the piers? 

 

No guides at the pier, only taxi drivers 😞

 

[John Bull]

On 1/30/2022 at 2:50 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Most people tend to book private tours in advance, if they plan to take them, rather than waiting for an offering at the port....

 

 

Yes, Europe is very different to the Caribbean or most of S E Asia. 

Taking a taxi from the port to somewhere within a mile or three, like the city centre or train station, can make a lot of sense. Make sure the driver uses his meter. Altho fairly expensive for the distance, in the greater scheme of things the cost is comparatively trivial and saves you a lot of time & grief in your limited time ashore.

But, certainly in the majority of ports, there aren't vans that you can join for a tour like in the Caribbean. A taxi tour would involve a great deal of negotiation to get a half-reasonable fixed price  (don't agree to meter pricing), and you are at the mercy of the driver's command of the English language and knowledge about the places of interest. You won't get the value or the quality or the certainty that you get by pre-booking a tour with a well-reviewed tour operator.

 

sellwingri - I'm intrigued by your exerience of "In other European ports, there are private guides at the port offering you trips.". Which ports ?

 

JB 🙂

[sellwingri]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

sellwingri - I'm intrigued by your exerience of "In other European ports, there are private guides at the port offering you trips.". Which ports ?

 

JB 🙂

Many years ago, we took a private tour from the port in Cannes to Monte Carlo and a tour to Pisa where there were several tours to Florence and Pisa.