prinstela

Hi.

We will be cruising in these areas by the end of the month. The above destinations are our stops. Have any of you been to any of these places? Do you have a site or activity to recommend? I like going to unique places and doing fun activities while hubby likes to eat. We only have a few hours in each so we'd be glad to spend them wisely.

We're considering doing an excursion for Monaco on our Savona stop. Is this a good idea?

Looking forward to your suggestions.

Blueeyedcod

Only one I've been to on a cruise is Corfu. The ship had a ton of excursions but we chose to visit the fort and explore the UNESCO World Heritage listed historic centre on foot on our own. It is a very pretty and colourful little town centre. It was scorching hot so we happily found a bar and had some cold beers late in the day before heading back to the ship.

http://www.in-corfu.com/historic/old_fortress.html
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/978

Rubicund

Bari is an OK place, used as an embarkation point for cruise lines such as Costa. It's pleasant to walk around and find a nice looking place for lunch.

Corfu will have lots of excursions, but I'd spend the time you in the old town. Lots of narrow streets and cafes etc.

Messina will again have lots of choice on excursions, Etna etc. Taormina is a good choice for a few hours, lots of nice restaurants, bars, cafes and a Roman arena.

Savona..I wouldn't do Monaco, it's 85 miles away and unless you're impressed by casinos and yachts, it's not worth the trip. Genoa is a lovely historical city and IMO a much better bet.

Marseille A wonderful city, explore and enjoy.

neckervd

I know all mentioned places very well. All deserve much more than "only have a few hours"
Under these circumstances the only solution may be to book the shore excursions organized by the cruise company.

Sassafrass

Join cruisecritic.com, then find the roll call for your exact cruise and join. Sometimes there are many people on the roll call, sometimes few, but small groups of people often get together to do excursions. That is usually better than a bus load of people from the cruise ship and usually cheaper too. You can often share taxis too.

Corfu is really pretty. We explored on our own. I think we shared a taxi to/from the ship.

You can tour Marseille on your own. There are several things to see, including a fairly new, modern museum that is unique in design. Google some pics. It will pop up. Other options for that port are excursions to Avignon, Arles or Aix. I have been to all three. Don't know how long your time in port is. If very short, stay in Marseille. If a little longer, I think the best choice from a cruise is Aix. It is, IMHO, the most beautiful of the four, has a small old center with beautiful squares filled with flowers and fountains and lovely cafes, nice shops and great food. Take the bus from Marseille. Do it on your own.

brotherleelove2004

Find the www.tripadvisor.com travel forum for each of your stops and click on "Things to Do" in the green strip at the top of each page.

fourfortravel

We spent a few days in Corfu in May and thoroughly enjoyed our holiday, though we had a rental car and our own itinerary. Corfu Town was magical from the late afternoon onward, and we enjoyed walking about when we returned from our day outings, taking in a little light shopping and sightseeing before sitting for dinner.

I don't know how long your cruise will be in port, of course; for whatever planning help this may offer, friends of ours on a Greek Island cruise in August had but 6 hours on Corfu and used them for an excursion to Achilleon. You may want to research what interests you, and how much time you will have in each destination.

I hope this is helpful.

prinstela

Thanks, everyone. Will look those up.