cruise day trips
Jul 4th, 2016, 10:50 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
cruise day trips
In September four adults will be aboard Norwegian ship Epic with stops in Livorno, Cannes, Marseille, Barcelona and Naples. We are not ones to do the excursions offered by the cruise line but much prefer seeing the sights on our own. Could anyone who perhaps has done this or similar cruise have suggestions for:
Livorno (we will be visiting Pisa/Florence after the cruise, so don't need ideas for these two)
Cannes (interested in Eze-le-Village)
Marseille (have booked a wine tour here)
Barcelona
Naples
Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!
Livorno (we will be visiting Pisa/Florence after the cruise, so don't need ideas for these two)
Cannes (interested in Eze-le-Village)
Marseille (have booked a wine tour here)
Barcelona
Naples
Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!
Jul 4th, 2016, 10:59 AM
#2
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,990
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I totally agree about avoiding cruise line offerings. I did a med cruise last year and was on tours with a private tour company, SPG Tours. BTW Eze is beautiful, I went there years ago.
https://www.spb-mediterranean.com/
https://www.spb-mediterranean.com/
Jul 4th, 2016, 11:46 AM
#3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,390
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have to ditto hpeabody's comments on Eze. DH and I rented a car when we were in Monte Carlo (cruise stop) and drove to Eze. Loved it. We also then stopped at a couple of other sights we enjoyed.
Driving was easy.
From Livorno, we rented a car and drove to Lucca. We really enjoyed our time there.
You can tell we are pretty independent ourselves and have always found that car rentals allow us the flexibility of seeing more. We have our own Tom Tom we take with us when we travel so it makes it easy to find our way.
Driving was easy.
From Livorno, we rented a car and drove to Lucca. We really enjoyed our time there.
You can tell we are pretty independent ourselves and have always found that car rentals allow us the flexibility of seeing more. We have our own Tom Tom we take with us when we travel so it makes it easy to find our way.
Jul 4th, 2016, 12:12 PM
#4
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,017
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Post on the cruise forum for responses from cruisers who do their own excursions.
Also look at cruisecritic.com and join the roll call for your ship and specific cruise for suggestions for other passengers on your cruise.
Also look at cruisecritic.com and join the roll call for your ship and specific cruise for suggestions for other passengers on your cruise.
Jul 4th, 2016, 12:32 PM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,047
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We have made a similar cruise and/or have visited these places otherwise.
Here my recommendations:
Livorno:
Rent a car for a day. Drive to San Gimignano to see the medieval towers. Afterwards drive to Volterra and check out the Etruscan heritage of Tuscany.
Cannes:
Rent a car for a day. These are the options for the day:
- Drive the Corniche de l'Esterel, the most scenic coastal road, westwards to St. Raphael. Several spectacular pullouts for photo stops on the way. Also, you may go down into one or two of the coves. From St. Raphael/Frejus, take the autoroute back eastwards.
- Drive to St. Paul de Vence, a most picturesque historic hilltop village. It is touristy, but in a good way, with lots of art galleries, good souvenir shops and restaurants. Nearby, the Fondation Maeght, is an outstanding museum of modern art which blends with the scenery. Very impressive.
- You may take the autoroute from Cannes to La Turbie. There you leave the motorway and drive the mountain roads. La Turbie is a spectacular Roman monument. Èze is a mountain village, however somewhat spoiled by mass tourism. Buy a yellow Michelin map and drive the small mountain roads. You may drive back the coastal road through Nice in order see the beachfront.
- Plan your day so that you return your car one or two hours before all persons on board. Use the remainder of your time to stroll along the beachfront in Cannes. Spoil yourselves and have a glass of champagne in the bar of Hotel Majestic. And peep into the lobby of Hotel Carlton.
Barcelona:
From the port, take the shuttle bus or a taxi into downtown and explore the city on foot. Very easy.
Naples:
Take a taxi to Pompeii and visit the excavations. Take a taxi back to Naples and visit the archeological museum and a bit of the city center.
Alternatively, rent a car for a day and drive the scenic coastal road SS163 from Positano to Amalfi. Visit the village Amalfi and see the beautiful historic town Amalfi with its market and the cathedral. Drive back from Maiori to Naples.
Here my recommendations:
Livorno:
Rent a car for a day. Drive to San Gimignano to see the medieval towers. Afterwards drive to Volterra and check out the Etruscan heritage of Tuscany.
Cannes:
Rent a car for a day. These are the options for the day:
- Drive the Corniche de l'Esterel, the most scenic coastal road, westwards to St. Raphael. Several spectacular pullouts for photo stops on the way. Also, you may go down into one or two of the coves. From St. Raphael/Frejus, take the autoroute back eastwards.
- Drive to St. Paul de Vence, a most picturesque historic hilltop village. It is touristy, but in a good way, with lots of art galleries, good souvenir shops and restaurants. Nearby, the Fondation Maeght, is an outstanding museum of modern art which blends with the scenery. Very impressive.
- You may take the autoroute from Cannes to La Turbie. There you leave the motorway and drive the mountain roads. La Turbie is a spectacular Roman monument. Èze is a mountain village, however somewhat spoiled by mass tourism. Buy a yellow Michelin map and drive the small mountain roads. You may drive back the coastal road through Nice in order see the beachfront.
- Plan your day so that you return your car one or two hours before all persons on board. Use the remainder of your time to stroll along the beachfront in Cannes. Spoil yourselves and have a glass of champagne in the bar of Hotel Majestic. And peep into the lobby of Hotel Carlton.
Barcelona:
From the port, take the shuttle bus or a taxi into downtown and explore the city on foot. Very easy.
Naples:
Take a taxi to Pompeii and visit the excavations. Take a taxi back to Naples and visit the archeological museum and a bit of the city center.
Alternatively, rent a car for a day and drive the scenic coastal road SS163 from Positano to Amalfi. Visit the village Amalfi and see the beautiful historic town Amalfi with its market and the cathedral. Drive back from Maiori to Naples.
Jul 11th, 2016, 06:22 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 70
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, traveller1959, for the great suggestions. We are liking the idea of renting a car in Naples and Cannes for our day trips. Should we reserve the car prior to departing on the cruise or could we wait and do once we depart the ship?
Jul 12th, 2016, 03:35 PM
#10
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Our strategy on cruise ports of call in cities is to start with the site furthest away from what we want to see, and then make our way back to the port.
In Barcelona, we took a cab to La Sagrada Familia, spent a couple of hours there and then worked our way back to the port via Las Ramblas and Barri Gothic. If you want to go to La Sagrada Familia (which I think is fascinating), you might want to consider purchasing a timed ticket to cut down on the time you spend in line.
Also -- be sure to take into account the days of the week that you are in these ports. We found many things to be closed on Sundays.
Enjoy!
In Barcelona, we took a cab to La Sagrada Familia, spent a couple of hours there and then worked our way back to the port via Las Ramblas and Barri Gothic. If you want to go to La Sagrada Familia (which I think is fascinating), you might want to consider purchasing a timed ticket to cut down on the time you spend in line.
Also -- be sure to take into account the days of the week that you are in these ports. We found many things to be closed on Sundays.
Enjoy!
Jul 12th, 2016, 06:59 PM
#13
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,059
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would STRONGLY suggest you look at rome2rio.com to check out the various ways to get from the port to where ever your destination is. We had done these cities visiting by ship and also traveling Europe by car.
Where will you pick up the car? Parking in these smaller towns, narrow roads, size and expense of vehicle for 4, traffic?
With 4 you might want to see if a driver is a better option.
Naples port area is very congested and tram/bus is right there and a very quick trip to the train station. Buy bus ticket at the newspaper stand across the street from the port exit, take the public transportation heading east and you are at the train station.
Barcelona: public bus is cheap but doesn't start until 8am, so walking or a taxi which for such a short distance is very expensive. Public bus is left as you head out the door of the terminal and all the way at the end of the sidewalk.
Livorno: you can only exit the port by taxi or ship's transportation, so know where you are getting the car. Read posts about driving in Italy and the horrendous restricted zones that will come back to haunt you 6-9 months after your trip.
Where will you pick up the car? Parking in these smaller towns, narrow roads, size and expense of vehicle for 4, traffic?
With 4 you might want to see if a driver is a better option.
Naples port area is very congested and tram/bus is right there and a very quick trip to the train station. Buy bus ticket at the newspaper stand across the street from the port exit, take the public transportation heading east and you are at the train station.
Barcelona: public bus is cheap but doesn't start until 8am, so walking or a taxi which for such a short distance is very expensive. Public bus is left as you head out the door of the terminal and all the way at the end of the sidewalk.
Livorno: you can only exit the port by taxi or ship's transportation, so know where you are getting the car. Read posts about driving in Italy and the horrendous restricted zones that will come back to haunt you 6-9 months after your trip.
Jul 12th, 2016, 06:59 PM
#14
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,059
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would STRONGLY suggest you look at rome2rio.com to check out the various ways to get from the port to where ever your destination is. We had done these cities visiting by ship and also traveling Europe by car.
Where will you pick up the car? Parking in these smaller towns, narrow roads, size and expense of vehicle for 4, traffic?
With 4 you might want to see if a driver is a better option.
Naples port area is very congested and tram/bus is right there and a very quick trip to the train station. Buy bus ticket at the newspaper stand across the street from the port exit, take the public transportation heading east and you are at the train station.
Barcelona: public bus is cheap but doesn't start until 8am, so walking or a taxi which for such a short distance is very expensive. Public bus is left as you head out the door of the terminal and all the way at the end of the sidewalk.
Livorno: you can only exit the port by taxi or ship's transportation, so know where you are getting the car. Read posts about driving in Italy and the horrendous restricted zones that will come back to haunt you 6-9 months after your trip.
Where will you pick up the car? Parking in these smaller towns, narrow roads, size and expense of vehicle for 4, traffic?
With 4 you might want to see if a driver is a better option.
Naples port area is very congested and tram/bus is right there and a very quick trip to the train station. Buy bus ticket at the newspaper stand across the street from the port exit, take the public transportation heading east and you are at the train station.
Barcelona: public bus is cheap but doesn't start until 8am, so walking or a taxi which for such a short distance is very expensive. Public bus is left as you head out the door of the terminal and all the way at the end of the sidewalk.
Livorno: you can only exit the port by taxi or ship's transportation, so know where you are getting the car. Read posts about driving in Italy and the horrendous restricted zones that will come back to haunt you 6-9 months after your trip.
Jul 12th, 2016, 08:10 PM
#15
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First of all you will love the Norwegian Epic. It is the state of the art cruise ship. We took the maiden voyage of the Epic from Southampton to New York arriving the day before the 4th of July 2010. Maiden voyage from Southampton to N.Y. We even left from the same pier the Titanic left from, but fortunately there were no ice burgs. I highly recommend Eze. It is a beautiful place. Be sure to walk to the gardens at the top of the hill. The view of the Mediterranean is breathtaking. We stopped in Livorno on a cruise and went to Pisa although we had been there before simply because it was the easiest place to get to. If you are going there anyway, I would suggest Lucca. It is not far away and it is a nice place to visit. You can rent bikes and ride around the city walls.
Jul 13th, 2016, 03:02 AM
#16
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,934
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Three tips to consider for a day trip in Barcelona.
La Boquería, one of the finest food markets in the world, right on Las Ramblas in the heart of town and 1,5 miles from the cruise port:
http://www.gardenista.com/posts/la-boqueria-market/
The spectacular Sagrada Familia, recommend the guided tour, extremely knowledgeable guides and lots of details. Take a taxi, 3-4 miles from the cruise port: http://www.sagradafamilia.org/en/
"Why Gaudí's Sagrada Família is a cathedral for our times": https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...-for-our-times
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...hurch-religion
Have lunch in emblematic 7 Portes from 1826, an institution in town and tons of history in the walls. I never leave Barcelona without having had the divine Arroz Caldó here (a local and more liquid variant of a seafood paella). About 1 mile from the cruise port: http://7portes.com/en/
The Arroz caldó: http://www.foodspotting.com/places/1...73-arroz-caldo
Video from the 175th anniversary of 7 Portes in 2011, a major Barcelona event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujDIsGzDO38
La Boquería, one of the finest food markets in the world, right on Las Ramblas in the heart of town and 1,5 miles from the cruise port:
http://www.gardenista.com/posts/la-boqueria-market/
The spectacular Sagrada Familia, recommend the guided tour, extremely knowledgeable guides and lots of details. Take a taxi, 3-4 miles from the cruise port: http://www.sagradafamilia.org/en/
"Why Gaudí's Sagrada Família is a cathedral for our times": https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...-for-our-times
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...hurch-religion
Have lunch in emblematic 7 Portes from 1826, an institution in town and tons of history in the walls. I never leave Barcelona without having had the divine Arroz Caldó here (a local and more liquid variant of a seafood paella). About 1 mile from the cruise port: http://7portes.com/en/
The Arroz caldó: http://www.foodspotting.com/places/1...73-arroz-caldo
Video from the 175th anniversary of 7 Portes in 2011, a major Barcelona event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujDIsGzDO38
