Rhea58

Traveling for the first time on MSC Cruises w/stops in
Genoa
Marseille
Barcelona
Tunis
Messina
Rome & Valletta - I know about.

Would like to know if these ports are close to main city to be able to
tour on own's own rather than take e$pensive excursions. I think
Tunis is particularly troublesome but would like input from those who
have cruised to the above ports.
With thanks.

charli

I would, personally, be more comfortable with a ship excursion in Tunis due to the political state and one never seems to know how Americans are perceived in that area. If you aren't American, it may be different.

jacketwatch

Barcelona is close. We cabbed it from the dock to our hotel in the Ramblas area w/i around 20 min. or so.

abram

We spent several days in Barcelona before a cruise and found it very easy to tour on our own. We loved the Gaudi sites: La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Batllo, and Casa Mila.

In Tunis, we negotiated with a cab driver whgen we got off the ship to take us to several places we had chosen, and it was a wonderful day. We never felt unsafe. Don't miss the fabulous Bardo Museum.

AndyT

it is very easy to get from Civitavecchia to Rome by train. the station is fairly close to the port, we walked, and we had no problem getting a ticket even though it was mid summer.

doug_stallings

What's the political state in Tunisia that troubles you, charli? Tunisia has a stable government, and although I'm sure it's easier to get along if you know some French, I don't think there are any other serious issues to be aware of. The real problem in Tunis is that the cruise port is rather far from the center of town (about 12 miles across the bay). Carthage, which is probably what you'll want to visit, is closer than the city and can be reached either directly by taxi from the cruise port or by train if you come back into the city. A lot of people do take organized excursions here, but it's not an absolute necessity.

Civitavecchia isn't all that close to Rome, but you can easily get there by train (and much cheaper and faster than on a ship-sponsored excursion by bus). But there are things to see closer to the cruise port.

I think Messina offers the most problems for those trying to do things on their own. You can take a train and cable car to get to Taormina, but if you want to visit Mount Etna, then you may need to rent a car or take an excursion. This is the one place where I'd probably take an excursion offered by the ship unless you are just overwhelmed by Tunis.