Western Mediterranean Excursions Question

[WappNY]

My wife and I have a western mediterranean cruise booked and these are our ports of call. Depart/Return Barcelona, Cannes, Florence/Pisa(Livorno), Rome(Civitavecchia), Naples, Messina(Sicily), Valletta, Cagilari, Palma(Majorca). 

 

To anyone who has been to these ports, will we need to book excursions at each of these ports or will we be able to just disembark and experience beautiful sights and towns right off the ship?

 

This is our first mediterranean cruise so anything and everything that we see is going to be new for us. 

 

Thank you!

[mapleleaves]

As I mentioned in your other post, you should buy a guide book specific to Mediterranean cruises. Learn about each port, the sights, activities, history, etc. The maps and information will be a valuable resource for your planning.  Some sights require advance reservations, and some are even timed reservations, so it's important to learn as much as possible about each destination. 

 

- Livorno is about 1hr 15 minutes from Florence and 20 minutes to Pisa.  We visited both cities via the train. We aren't art or history buffs so 3 or 4 hrs in Florence was enough, and our stop in Pisa was just a quick photo opp.. Depending on your interests, you may only have time for one of those cities.  

- Rome is also an hr from the port.  Again, we took train into Rome and visited the sights we wanted to see. 

- Naples. We were torn between Pompeii AND the Amalfi Coast.  We decided that the Amalfi Coast was our priority so we did a private tour. Hired a car/driver for 9 hrs and visited Amalfi, Positano and Ravello.

- Cannes was a tender port for us.  It's a lovely town to wander around.  However we chose to take the train to Nice and Monaco

-  Palma was another tender port for us. Another lovely port to wander around. Beautiful cathedral. 

 

If you aren't comfortable using the train, you can book a private tour, shared tour, cruiseline excursion. Some cruisline excursions are full blown tours and some just provide a ride to the destination and you're on your own to xplore.

 

Have fun with your research and planning !

[WappNY]

Yes I plan to buy a Mediterranean cruise guide per your suggestion. Thank you

Edited August 17, 2023 by WappNY

[mapleleaves]

I will also mention that we arrived in Barcelona 2 nites prior. Absolutely LOVED Barcelona !  Such a beautiful city, wonderful architecture, and so walkable. We stayed near the Placa Catalunya. The Ramblas and Boqueria Market were within a 5 minute walk.  The port was about a 10-15 minute cab ride away. 

[CynBeth6]

We were recently on a Med cruise. It went from Barcelona to Rome. We came in a few days early wish we had more time in Barcelona it was so amazing. Our ports were mostly different than yours but we mostly did on our own usually there were taxis outside the terminal. Instead of Cannes we had Villefrance which was a tender port and we took a taxi to Monaco. For Livorno we took a taxi to Pisa.

[PurpleTraveller]

Firstly I would do some research both online with websites such as whatsinport and perhaps buying a book. Also look at the shore excursions available to book through your cruiseline to get some idea of what you might like to see or do in each port. You will have to decide whether you want to DIY or do ship shore excursions or private tours. Planning ahead will ensure that you get to see and do what you want in each port.

 

In Valletta it is very easy to get off the ship and explore Valletta which is a beautiful city. The St John's co-cathedral is magnificent and there is lots to see and do in the city.

 

In Naples there is lots to see and do in the city itself and you dock in the city. You could consider going to Pompeii, Capri or the Amalfi Coast on some type of tour either with the ship or private. You can DIY to Pompeii by train or to Capri by ferry.

 

Livorno does not have a lot to do or see and Florence is about 90 minutes from the port. You can do a tour of some type to Florence, Pisa or Cinque Terre from Livorno or DIY on the train.

 

Rome is about an hour from the port at Civitavecchia. You can DIY to Rome on the train or take a tour to Rome. You will need to prioritise what you want to see and do in Rome as there is so much that you won't be able to see it all in one day but you will be able to see a lot.

 

There is not a lot to do in Messina itself though it is a short walk from the dock to the cathedral area. You may want to do a tour to Taormina, Mt Etna or perhaps to a couple of towns where the Godfather movies were filmed.

 

I would recommend spending a few days in Barcelona either before or after your cruise. Barcelona is a great city to visit with lots to see and do. Spending time before the cruise will also allow you to recover from any jetlag.

 

Most importantly have a wonderful cruise! 🛳️

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[lakegirl16]

On 8/17/2023 at 1:28 PM, mapleleaves said:

I will also mention that we arrived in Barcelona 2 nites prior. Absolutely LOVED Barcelona !  Such a beautiful city, wonderful architecture, and so walkable. We stayed near the Placa Catalunya. The Ramblas and Boqueria Market were within a 5 minute walk.  The port was about a 10-15 minute cab ride away. 

Glad to hear this.  We arriving two nights prior in Barcelona and staying in that area.  Did you tour on your own or use a tour company.  Thank you.

[mapleleaves]

1 minute ago, lakegirl16 said:

Glad to hear this.  We arriving two nights prior in Barcelona and staying in that area.  Did you tour on your own or use a tour company.  Thank you.

No tours, it's a very walkable city.  

We just loved walking around and enjoying the architecture, esp in the side streets near LasRamblas. Oh my, the bakeries, and bars, restaurants !

Day 1, we arrived around 4pm and took the Aerobus from the airport to Placa Catalunya, 5E.   We dropped our luggage at Hotel Lleo and walked to the Boqueria Market. Spent an hr there, then walked further down Las Ramblas.  Found the 'Umbrella Bldg" and got photos of the dragons.  Stumbled upon Placa Real, and stayed for a drink at one of the outdoor restaurants there. 

Day 2 we went back to the Market to kill time as we waited for a relative flying in from London. (We had planned to do a free walking tour of the Gothic District but her flight was too late.) Then we walked to the Sagrada Familia, passing Casa Mila, wandered thru the Gothic district, and back to the Placa Real for dinner.  Wandered around around the Gothic District some more then crashed.

Day 3  took a taxi to a park to watch Castellers (human pyramids) perform. Fantastic!

Collected our luggage around 2pm and took a cab to the ship.

 

We just LOVED Barcelona and wished we had arrived a few days earlier. So much to see.

 

[lakegirl16]

48 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

No tours, it's a very walkable city.  

We just loved walking around and enjoying the architecture, esp in the side streets near LasRamblas. Oh my, the bakeries, and bars, restaurants !

Day 1, we arrived around 4pm and took the Aerobus from the airport to Placa Catalunya, 5E.   We dropped our luggage at Hotel Lleo and walked to the Boqueria Market. Spent an hr there, then walked further down Las Ramblas.  Found the 'Umbrella Bldg" and got photos of the dragons.  Stumbled upon Placa Real, and stayed for a drink at one of the outdoor restaurants there. 

Day 2 we went back to the Market to kill time as we waited for a relative flying in from London. (We had planned to do a free walking tour of the Gothic District but her flight was too late.) Then we walked to the Sagrada Familia, passing Casa Mila, wandered thru the Gothic district, and back to the Placa Real for dinner.  Wandered around around the Gothic District some more then crashed.

Day 3  took a taxi to a park to watch Castellers (human pyramids) perform. Fantastic!

Collected our luggage around 2pm and took a cab to the ship.

 

We just LOVED Barcelona and wished we had arrived a few days earlier. So much to see.

 

Thank you so much.  We are looking forward to our visit.

[cruiser199495]

My husband and I are cruising to Athens, Olympia, Santorini, Mykonos, Valleta, Naples, Florence, and Messina. We are so excited! 

 

I am struggling to find a company to book a private or shared driving tour from Naples to the amalfi coast. Any suggestions? The more affordable the better. 

 

Also trying to figure out what to do in Olympia and Malta, any must sees or dos? 

[shines218]

I am looking at   Taxi Mister Cab Driver  in Naples.  Hoping to find some reviews here for this company.  

[mapleleaves]

3 hours ago, shines218 said:

I am looking at   Taxi Mister Cab Driver  in Naples.  Hoping to find some reviews here for this company.  

I've seen positive comments about this company. Use the SEARCH box to find past comments; just  enter " taxi mister cab driver".  Be sure to use the quotation marks.

[Over from NZ]

On 8/18/2023 at 3:55 AM, WappNY said:

My wife and I have a western mediterranean cruise booked and these are our ports of call. Depart/Return Barcelona, Cannes, Florence/Pisa(Livorno), Rome(Civitavecchia), Naples, Messina(Sicily), Valletta, Cagilari, Palma(Majorca). 

 

To anyone who has been to these ports, will we need to book excursions at each of these ports or will we be able to just disembark and experience beautiful sights and towns right off the ship?

 

This is our first mediterranean cruise so anything and everything that we see is going to be new for us. 

 

Thank you!

You really need to put some effort in. Otherwise.. why go? Florence is about 2-hour drive from Livorno.. wouldn't recommend just turning up on the day and thinking you will get there. Messina - many people go to the likes of Taormina.. Mt Etna.. the Godfather excursion etc. They're a good hour away. Naples - it's the gateway port to the likes of the Amalfi Coast.. Pompeii etc. Rome is over an hour from the port so you need to have our act together for that one too.  🙂 

[edinburgher]

On 8/20/2023 at 2:16 AM, cruiser199495 said:

Also trying to figure out what to do in Olympia and Malta, any must sees or dos? 

As others have already advised, you need to do some personal research to help you decide what interests YOU, not others.  Much info can be found online, in guide books, YouTube and many other sources, including looking at your ship shorex  for ideas even if you don't want to book any. And you might find reading past threads on both very informative too, and I recommend you do this as part of your research.

 

To find past threads use the CC SEARCH tool.  If you do not know how to do this, got to the correct geographical thread ( Other Mediterranean Ports for Malta, Greece Ports for Olympia) Stay on the main general forum, NOT an individual thread. In the empty SEARCH box under your username, insert the name.  Hit the little spy glass and in a few seconds all past threads including that word will appear ready for you to choose which to read. Will work for all your other ports too, you only need remember to search the correct forum.

Edited August 21, 2023 by edinburgher