Advice on seeing Crete, Limassol, Cyprus and Valetta, Malta, La Goulette, Tunisia

[lilybud]

Hi cruisers, We will be on the Insignia Sept 13, '07 and some of our ports of call seem to have no information, or maybe I haven't found it yet.

The European ones would be the Greek island of Crete, the Limassol, Cyprus (what's there?), and Valetta, Malta. The African touch is La Goulette, Tunisia. Has anyone toured these areas either with the cruise's tour, or independent group via TA? I don't find a lot of info online about these areas, particularly Cyprus & Malta. Any information would be "interesting". I love excursions, but am wondering if it is "worth" it?:confused:

 

Many thanks ahead,

lilybud

:cool:

[franu]

Of the cities that you have mentioned I have only been to La Goulette, Tunisia. This is the port city for Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia. As I recall, I was there in 1975, the museum was interesting and included a number of full sized mosaic floors from Carthage.

 

The souks are an area which houses many small shops where I was fascinated by the making of the fez. It still amazes me how it was done. We then had lunch in a hotel and one of the things that I ate was an appetizer, a deep fried egg that was crispy and lacy on the outside and soft and runny in the centre, Yummy.

 

Then we left and went to Carthage, the ancient city of Hannibal fame. It was a wonderful site and I learned a lot about sacrifices. Later we went to Sidi Bou Said. It is the place where the beautiful birdcages come from. The windows are covered with iron work with the same scroll work that one finds on the birdcages. I bargained for a pair of earrings there and the vendor wanted to give me only one. I shall always remember it.

 

Hope that this will be of some help.

Fran

[Denn33]

I have La Goulette as a port in my upcoming cruise on HAL this summer.

I think an excursion is probably a good idea considering the fact that the city of Tunis is a ride away from the port in the first place, and then you need to figure out a way to get to Carthage somehow.

I booked an excursion on the cruise, which seemed like a decent deal to me. It's 8 hours, and goes to Carthage, Sidi Bou Said, and includes lunch at a restaurant for $89 pp. It's less expensive than comparable excursions at other ports.

[Andee]

In Tunis, we negotiated with a cab driver at the pier for a six hour day. At his suggestion, we paid him when we returned to the ship, which meant we were confident that he would always be waiting for us. We went on a self-guided walking tour of the Medina, including stops at mosques and museums, as well as time for shopping. Then we spent several hours at the Bardo Museum, which was fabulous. The cab cost us $50 for 4 people.

 

We've stopped in Malta twice. The first time we spent the entire day in Valletta. We toured St. John's Co-Cathedral, the Grand Master's Palace, the Manuel Theater, the Malta Experience, the Siege of Malta, St. Paul's Shipwreck Church, Upper something or other Gardens, and the Casa something. I'm too lazy to get out my Malta folder, and can't remember a couple of the names.

[kate52]

We only had half a day in Malta and there was more than enough in Valetta to occupy us for that time. Had we had longer, we would have gone to Medina (sp?) by taxi or bus. The ships dock close to the town, but it's quite a hill so we took a taxi up and walked down.

In Crete we were going to stay in Heraklion

http://www.cretetravel.com/Features/1_day_in_Heraklion/1_day_in_Heraklion.htm

but instead opted for an excursion to Agios Nicholas, where the "bottomless" lake is, taking in a little village up in the hills. It was ok, but not one of our favourite excursions.

[franu]

Silly me! I didn't see your request for Crete. We went to the Palace of Knossos. It is well preserved as there are still many painted surfaces with pictures. I found it fascinating. After that we went back to Heraklion to the museum which held many of the finds from Knossos. It was 1990 and my recollection is a very positive one. I hope that you solve the mystery of the Minotaur.

Fran

[Mickeyll]

We're a family of 5 adults and will be sailing on Oceania's Insignia this August. I'd love any suggestions of tour guides and sights not to be missed in La Goulette (Tunis), Malta, Limassol, Alexandria, Port Said, Ashdod, Haifa, Crete, Kusadasi, and/or Istanbul. I think we'll see more and we all enjoy the personal interaction with knowledgeable guides and would appreciate anyone's suggestions.

Thanks

Mickey

[Omega1]

We've visited Cyprus several times, so here's our view for what it's worth. Limassol is not a particularly attractive place - we would rent a car for the day and head west. First stop would be the Roman ruins at Kourion (1-2 hours). Continue along the coast to Paphos via Aphrodite's rock (30 mins). Park near the port in Paphos and enjoy a lunch in one of the harbourside restaurants.

Early afternoon see the superb Roman mosaics (entrance next to the port) and then drive for 10 mins to the entrance of the Tombs of the Kings (2hrs).

The journey back to Limassol is about 45mins on the expressway.

[6rugrats]

You absolutely do not need a tour guide in Istanbul! It's easy to get around and all the main sites are located in one main area. We used DK Top 10 Istanbul guide and it was more than sufficient.

 

Next time, you may want to consider starting a new thread, as you've pulled one up that's over two years old.

[JackN]

We visited the port of La Goulette (Tunis) on our cruise on MSC Fantasia on June 3, 2009. This was one of the highlights of our trip. I hired an outstanding taxi driver for this tour, Ali Ali. His wife has been the translator for the US Ambassador in Tunis for nearly 30 years. He speaks terrific English, seems to know everyone and provided us with a great tour. We were only in Tunis for 5 hours, so time was of the essence. Ali took us to view a number of Roman ruins in Carthage (including a fascinating water storage area), past the Presidential Palace and to the new mosque built for the president where we were able to walk inside. He also took us to the seaside village of Sidi Bou Said and to Tunis itself where we were able to walk through the Medina. And he also took us to the “official” government crafts store where we found some high quality examples of the work of Tunisian artisans. Ali also brought another driver with him since we needed two cabs for the eight of us. His associate spoke French, as does my wife so this worked out well, although Ali was the main guide at each stop. The price per person for this great four-hour plus tour was just 20 Euros per person. You can contact Ali at alibenmeftah@yahoo.fr

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You don't say whether your Crete stop is in Heraklion or not. Be aware that, however fascinating, the palace of Knossos is not preserved, but is a re-creation, based on archaeological findings.

[hat776]

The entry into the Grand Harbour of Malta is spectacular as you are surrounded by bastions and fortified cities. It’s a completely natural harbour with creeks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1C9oX9287A&feature=channel_page

You will dock at the Valletta Waterfront - http://www.vallettawaterfront.com -

If you are on an organized tour or have a taxi at your disposal you can visit a number of places as Malta is small. Obviously, you'll only get a taste of what Malta has to offer.

You have various options on how to get about -

You can take an organized tour

You can take a taxi (tickets from a booth so you know you're paying the official rate) either take a set tour or a tour with a fixed time. Many people take a taxi up to Valletta and then walk down to the ship. If you’re up to it you could haggle for a better price. These sites should give you more info - http://www.touringmalta.com/ and Malta Travel Net. Contact Chris Sheridan. www.maltatravelnet.com

whitetaxi@keyworld.net

http://www.maltatransport.com/en/ptd/passengertransport/Taxis.pdf

You can get a bus (very cheap) up to the Valletta bus terminus. Only a few minutes ride but it's up hill.

You can also walk through a tunnel to a multi storey car park which is just outside Valletta, and get a lift up to street level.

To save time you can get a taxi to Valletta terminus which is just outside the city proper. As you enter, on the right is the Tourist Office.

Obviously, if you use taxi’s you’ll be able to see much more of the island

Have a look at www.visitmalta.com - the official site with video clips under “views and downloads”. Also e-books and e-brochures – it will give you an idea of what to expect.

With the few hours at your disposal, if you’re using public transport many people opt for Valletta and Mdina (the medieval capital). Mdina is about 45 min from Valletta by bus. (www.atp,com.mt). You could go to Mdina first of all then return and spend the rest of the time in Valletta. One of the must see’s in Barakka Gardens overlooking the Grand Harbour and your ship. Apart from the Museums there is the splendid St Johns Cathedral, Casa Rocca Piccola (a nobleman’s house) and the War Museum. Also audio visual shows.

See http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g190328-Activities-Valletta_Island_of_Malta.html

And http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g190324-Activities-Mdina_Island_of_Malta.html

There was this thread about Malta - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=964968