Mediterranean itinerary help!

[bananacarrott]

I am travelling in May with my 11 year old daughter. After 5 days in Paris we will do a cruise. I have narrowed my itinerary down to 2 options, both with a start/end in Genoa as I believe 7am-6pm in La Spezia is too short of a time frame to see Cinq Terre. Any advice on this from Genoa is also appreciated and if I am wrong and that time frame is good I am willing to be corrected 🙂 I was envisioning one of the hikes, possibly a boat ride to see it from the sea. Anyways, advice on ports of call is appreciated! 
 

 

Day 1 Genoa
Day 2 La Spezia, Italy 7h00-18h00
Day 3 Civitavecchia, Italy 7h00-19h00
Day 4 Sea
Day 5 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 9h00 - 23h00

Day 6 Barcelona, Spain 8h00 - 17h00 Day 7 Cannes, France 8h30 - 17h30 Day 8 Genoa

Day 1 Genoa
Day 2 Civitavecchia, Italy 8h00-18h00
Day 3 Palermo, Italy 10h00-18h00
Day 4 Sea
Day 5 Ibiza, Spain 11h00 - 23h00

Day 6 Valencia, Spain 7h00 - 16h00 Day 7 Marseille, France 13h00 - 19h00 Day 8 Genoa

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  There are many forums here where you can research and ask your questions.  You might go to the Ports of Call board for Europe and ask advice on touring the Cinque Terre…EM

[cruisemom42]

Well, let's put things into perspective. You're concerned about a long port day not being enough time to see the Cinque Terre, but not worried about only having a similar length of time to see Rome?  😂😂😂

 

From La Spezia you can see, if not all 5 villages, at least 3 of them either with a shore excursion or on your own. You can take the train to get from La Spezia to the first village and then take ferries or the train between villages. The shortest hike between villages is, I think from Riomaggiore to Manarola: an easy hike of about 1.5 km or about 30 minutes.

[gerryuk]

If you are going to the Vatican go early to avoid the que, its free to get in. The museum and Sistine chapel are not free, buy tickets online to your smart phone to get immediate entrance. There should be a free shuttle bus to the port entrance and then its a ten minute walk to the train station, its about 1 hour on the train to the Vatican, the trains are cheap, clean and have a regular service throughout the day. Don't buy train tickets online as you have to catch the train at the times stated, just turn up at the train station and buy your ticket there. The train station nearest the Vatican is St. Pietro, (direct train from Civitavecchia) and its about 10 minutes walk from there to the Vatican, you cant get lost, just follow the dome in the distance.

 

Rome and Barcelona are tourist meccas, both have a reputation as a paradise for pick pockets.  Take some common sense precautions with valuables and the like, but you should do that at every port the world over.

 

[bananacarrott]

Thank you for the replies thus far. I should have provided more information. I have been to Rome before and would likely skip it on this trip all together if not it being a port of call on the cruise. I researched which ports of call are easiest to get to (flight, public transportation, etc.) and eliminated my start/end point gradually by this. I have never been to Cinq Terre and I like to mix up my travel with some hiking, boat rides, and other various activities or excursions and figured if I was travelling in/out of Genoa I would be able to take my time in Cinq Terre without the worry of returning to the ship. For Rome I was going to take the train into the city and do a half day tour with my daughter. I completely understand it is not best seen in less than a day. We do not plan to go inside the Vatican, but thank you for the information. I am aware of theft having lived in Europe for a number of years and hope to prevent it as best I can. 
This cruise will only be our second - we recently fell in love this past January. At under $200 a night where we have food and accommodations I added it to our Europe trip as it seems win/win with the exception of time constraints in ports. I have it narrowed down to 2 similar cruises and am trying to make an informed decision. Thank again 🙂

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, bananacarrott said:

Thank you for the replies thus far. I should have provided more information. I have been to Rome before and would likely skip it on this trip all together if not it being a port of call on the cruise. I researched which ports of call are easiest to get to (flight, public transportation, etc.) and eliminated my start/end point gradually by this. I have never been to Cinq Terre and I like to mix up my travel with some hiking, boat rides, and other various activities or excursions and figured if I was travelling in/out of Genoa I would be able to take my time in Cinq Terre without the worry of returning to the ship. For Rome I was going to take the train into the city and do a half day tour with my daughter. I completely understand it is not best seen in less than a day. We do not plan to go inside the Vatican, but thank you for the information. I am aware of theft having lived in Europe for a number of years and hope to prevent it as best I can. 
This cruise will only be our second - we recently fell in love this past January. At under $200 a night where we have food and accommodations I added it to our Europe trip as it seems win/win with the exception of time constraints in ports. I have it narrowed down to 2 similar cruises and am trying to make an informed decision. Thank again 🙂

 

If you will do the Cinque Terre (note correct spelling) from Genoa, it would seem a waste to have a port day in La Spezia -- as on the first of the two cruises you list -- because there is not much else to do from that port than a rather looong drive to Florence or a somewhat shorter trip to Pisa -- which might be viable if you want to see the Leaning Tower. (I thought it was a stupid stop when I was a teen, but my son loved it in his 20s, so go figure....)

 

On the other hand, I would favor the first itinerary over the second, as the second misses Barcelona altogether.  Ibiza doesn't offer much, it's just a crowded international beach resort. And the hours on offer for Marseilles don't give you scope to get out of Marseilles and see somewhere like Avignon or some of the smaller, more charming towns. 

 

Are these MSC cruises? They are notorious for having shorter times in port than many other lines.

 

[bananacarrott]

Yes they are both MSC cruises and time in port is a huge factor as is the cost. Thank you for your input - I am having a hard time making the decisions. The aquarium in Valencia was a huge draw for me for something different as I worry my daughter at only 11 is going to get bored of sightseeing large cities.I have never been to Ibiza and agree with you about Marseille. 

[buckeye7]

I would lean toward the first itinerary because I think the “Dr. Seus-like” architecture of Gaudi would make an impression on your daughter  and be fun to see. My kids saw it when they were around that age and enjoyed it. They took a million pics of buildings! I would think a tour of La Familia Sagrada would be memorable. I have never been to Cannes, but we have been to Marseille and I don't know that I’d  make that a priority. Not to say anything negative about any of these ports because I think there is no wrong answer —- it’s all spectacular!

Edited February 12, 2023 by buckeye7

[mom says]

If you want to see the Cinque Terre, it makes more sense to do it from La Spezia than Genoa. The trains from Genoa will take 2 hours just to get to Monterosso al Mare.  The train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore ( the closest of the CT villages) takes less than 10 minutes. From there, the trains run VERY frequently to the other villages, with the return train from Monterrosso al Mare to La Spezia taking less than half an hour. There is a CT card you can buy at the La Spezia train station that you can use as a day pass for the trains as well as for access to the 2 hiking trails that require payment. Here's a link: https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-timetable

[bananacarrott]

Thank you for the advice. With some further research I think I may risk it and leave from another port and do Cinque Terre from La Spezia. I was worried about weather and want to do the trains and ferry plus some hiking and think I may have found a tour that is inexpensive and ticks most of the boxes. I will save Valencia for another trip and stick with the first itinerary with La Spezia and Barcelona!