What should we see in Italy while on our cruise?

Question

We are going on a cruise to Italy from Barcelona Spain. The ship docks in Neice, Provence, Florence, Rome and Naples. What are some points of interest to see while there? We only have about 9 -10 hours in each port ( not counting the travel time to and from the ship).

Answer 1

WE did the Med cruise out of Barcelona a couple years ago and did the same port stops in Italy.  Our first Italy stop was Florence/Pisa.  The Florence part was a walking tour with a stop at the church where Galileo, Michael Angelo and other notable people are buried inside the church, also saw the Statue of David on that part of the tour.  Then we re-boarded our bus after lunch and went to Pisa.  I considered those the must do's at that stop.

The port stop for Rome is a good one hour drive on the highway from the port.  We took a tour by bus and our tour included the Sisteen Chapel and the Vatican, and then after lunch we went to the Coliseum for a tour.  This tour was really long; listed at 8 hours but was longer because the bus got caught in rush hour traffic both way.  We actually missed our early dinner seating that evening.  But the good news is although we were late getting back the ship waited because we were on a ship sponsored tour.  If we had been on our own we would have had to find our own way to the next port.

The other thing of note for tourists in Rome is the Trevi fountain.  We didn't see that but I don't think i would rate seeing a famous fountain near as high as seeing the Vatican and the Coliseum.

In Naples we did a two aprt tour.  The first part in the morning went to an olive/lemon farm in Sorrento (that was OK but not that exciting) and then we went to Pompeii.  I think Pompeii is the place to see.  There were also tour for walking up Mt Vesuvius but I think seeing Pompeii was better.

Because distances are far I recommend that you do ships' tours rather than going on your own.  I am glad that we did.

W stopped in Nice also and that was OK.  We saw the changing of the guard at the palace in Monte Carlo and went to the old casinos there.  I would not recommend paying the $10 fee per person to go into the casinos.  They are not worth it.  There are much better looking casinos all over the US and elsewhere.  Plus you cannot take your camera for pictures and we were required to check all of our stuff and they had the nerve to ask for a tip.

You can go to the web site for your cruise line and loot at the tours available at each port stop and also book them online.

Answer 2

I just returned from a cruise to these ports on Disney Cruise ship Magic.  There's so much so see ...so little time.

Your cruise line should have laid out itineraries for shore excusions that are the most popular locations.  Their pricey if you book through the cruise line but you get some added perks but I know several people who went on their own, braved the traffic or train strikes and I always saw them at dinner....but I'ver heard others at so lucky.

Also, If your cruise line is like Disney, they'll broadcast what you can do at each port of call on the local TV channels 24 hours a day along with excursion tips, seminars, and shopping lectures.

Everyone has their own preference to going to the beaches, shopping, country tours, coastal juants on small boats, visiting historical ruins....so you really need to decide what you really want to do first on this trip....then plan another trip to see the other sites.

Barcelona - Great town to walk and get around.  All you need to do is to take the shuttle bus arranged by the cruise and drop you off at the World Trade Center...you can literally walk to everywhere you want to go or sign up for the Barcelona Pass at the WTC to get access to public transportation and discounts to key museums.  Do Las Ramblas next to the WTC and La Sagrada Familia....you've never seen anything like this here.

Florence/Pisa - Duomo...Pointe Vecchio Bridge...Leaning Tower...

Rome - Vatican, Trevi Fountains, Spanish Steps, Colluseum/Forum (take pictures with Gladiators).

Naples - Go to Pompeii, catch the hydrofoil to Capri Island...ride the bus to Capri town.

Provence - Wine Tasting at its best.

Goodl Luck and have fun,