Lisbon to London or Lisbon to Rome

My two favorite countries to travel to are Italy and Great Britain.

You can't miss with either one.

Your cruise to Great Britain is likely to port at Southampton or another port. Cruise ships probably can't go all the way up the Thames River. Still, London is not terribly far. Your cruise to Rome is likely to port at Civitivechia, which is also a bit distant from Rome. You will need to arrange transport for either cruise. Both countries have great rail systems, but many prefer hiring transport.

London has much to see including The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and some great museums. There is a lot more that I haven't mentioned. The Underground (subway) is easy to use when you need to use it. Suggest visiting Windsor Castle and Stonehenge west of the city as well.

Rome is loaded with history and art. It has many ancient Roman structures such as the Coliseum, Pantheon and many more in the Forum and all over the city. Also, the Vatican has St. Peter's Basilica and the incomparable Sistine Chapel, which is not to be missed.

Both cities are a little expensive and you must watch you wallet and purse for pickpockets, especially in Rome.

Both have great dining, but of course, Rome has Italian food which is hard to beat.

Your didn't mention the ports that you will stop at in route to your destinations. That can be a big plus for one or the other, but I suspect the cruise to Rome will have somewhat better ports.

Previously we took two repositioning cruises--ending in Rome and ending in Southampton. We've also taken cruises of the Greek Isles (and Turkey) and a Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg and all the big Scandinavian cities. Both of those cruises were simply fantastic.

We recently flew into London for a few days. Then we flew to Athens on EasyJet where we picked up a RCL cruise to three Greek islands, Montenegro and Croatia before ending in Ravenna, Italy. A 70 mi. train ride got us into Venice and flew home from there.

We much better prefer the Eastern Mediterranean cruises over cruising the Western Mediterranean or the cruises to Southampton. We just got to see so many special cities and places, and we never tire of Italy.

With European budget airlines, you can go to just about any European city very inexpensively. You can take your favorite cruise and fly to Lisbon where you can pickup a non-stop flight back to Boston.

Hi Bostonphil7, what great choices! Lisbon is lovely, I agree, & the cheapest of the 3 cities. I also wondered where else you're stopping along the way & whether you want a serene, understandable (English) end to your cruise or a chaotic, fabulous city like Rome as you finish up the cruise? Sort of High Tea & changing of the guard versus ancient history & long walks on cobblestones to stand at a bar counter drinking espresso.... Museum wise, they're both fabulous, so it really depends on what types of activity you enjoy most. Personally, I would choose Rome, it's much more exotic & ancient history is awesome in the heart of the city & if you're a foodie, absolutely Rome. RS talks about it in his videos, maybe watch a few first to get a feel for it? If you think you'll be worn out by then & want a more peaceful few days, definitely London.

This is, as they say, "a good problem to have." London and Rome are both great destinations, and very different, as others have pointed out. Both are some distance from the port a cruise ship is likely to use, but with convenient transportation options. And both are worth much more than a few nights. Only you can decide which end-point you prefer.

But you might consider some other variables. You're likely to find rougher sea conditions in the Atlantic than the Mediterrranean. You'll probably have cooler weather on the northbound cruise and in London. It would matter to me what ports each cruise stops at on its way. Maybe passing through the Strait of Gibraltar adds some value. While I wouldn't call London "serene," it would probably be an easier destination for an English-speaker. It might matter which city has better flights back to Boston -- though I expect both have nonstops. And which city would be easier to visit from Boston in the future if you skip it this time. No right or wrong answers here, just a great choice to make.

Thanks for your input folks

My problem is that both London and Rome are great cities. I want to go to both places but I can't and I can not make up my mind about whether I prefer London or Rome..

Although my screen name is bostonphil, I live in Austin TX. I was born and raised in Boston and have a very strong accent. I love Boston.

I will have to change planes to fly to Lisbon. If I fly back from Rome, I will also have to change planes but there is a non stop between London and Austin so that is a plus for London.

I have been spending a lot of time watching youtube videos about both London and Rome.

Rome looks chaotic while also magnificent. There are a lot of areas where it looks dirty.

London looks to be more relaxed, better organized and maybe cleaner. Am I correct?.

I also have an old friend in London who I have not seen since the 1960's and we might get together. I have a distant cousin in London who I have never met and we might meet but neither meet up is certain.

Although London may be crowded in September, Rome will still be VERY crowded even in October. And I do not like large crowds. I do not like chaos and chaotic. So that is a plus for London and a minus for Rome.

And I prefer cool weather to hot or even warm. London will probably be cool mid September. I would be arriving in Rome October 10th and it might still be on the warm side.

I am going to look at the itineraries and cost for both voyages. I also believe that one of the two will be on the new ship, The NCL Viva, which I am wanting to sail on.

I will return. To be continued

Rome is not as tidy as London, but I have never thought of it as dirty. If you are interested in ancient history, Rome is your place. I have been to Rome twice and am going back for more in May 2013. Also, I plan a trip to Britain within the next couple of years. We have been to Britain several times. The British countryside is wonderful.

We have done 7 NCL, 12 Celebrity and 2 Royal Caribbean cruises and have one Royal transatlantic booked from Florida to Rome in April/May. I am not aware of the ship that you mentioned.

The Atlantic is not so bad except the North Sea. That is where we have encountered heavy waves, etc. However, the English channel can get stormy.

It is not to hard to pick which one you want, just do the other later. Cost may be a factor.

If you go to London, consider Premier Inns for where to stay. They are economical, but nice.

Either of these choices will result in a great trip.

I'm weather-focused and would prefer the cruise ending in Rome. For the same reason, you might lean toward the London cruise. Note that it's not just a matter of temperature, though. I'd also expect more rain on the London cruise.

Rome may feel more hectic in some ways, and there is the language situation (another reason I'd prefer Rome--I like the challenge). However, in terms of crowds, I'm not sure there's going to be much difference, at least not in the direction you are anticipating. London has 3 times the population of Rome, and it's not all that much larger in terms of area. The residents have to be somewhere. It's not just a matter of how many tourists are in town--but London gets almost twice as many annual visitors as Rome. That's pre-pandemic data, and "visitors" is not the same as "visitor-days"; I'd take a wild guess that the average visitor to London may stay longer than the average visitor to Rome, which would increase the density of tourists in London on any given day. But I'm just guessing.

London has a much more useful underground/subway system (the "Tube"), but you'll probably need to transfer frequently, and that can involve a surprising amount of walking, plus sometimes flights of stairs.

Again, either will be a lot of fun.

There is nothing that says I can not just fly over to one or more of these places. For some reason, I have it in my head that I have to take a cruise.

I have been researching PI and found a nice one near Victoria Station. If I go with London, I might stay around Victoria Station.

I checked ship and cost.

If I do London, I am going to sail the NCL Getaway which is one of the older and very large ships. The total will be about $2,343 for the ship not including shore excursions .

But if I do Rome, I will be sailing on a ship that is still being built, The Viva, which will cost me about $3,095 not including shore excursions. The Viva is going to be more of a medium size ship with supposedly first rate services. and oh so beautiful according to NCL.

It is possible that I am going to get a 10% reduction on total cost of The Viva which might bring the cost down to $2,700.00 for the ship .

The itineraries are both wonderful as far as I am concerned. The ports do not matter as much as where I disembark.

We have cruised through Rome and Lisbon, but not London. We have taken both the train and a car service to Civitavecchia. I don't believe you made clear whether you have set foot in London or Rome before.

It's not clear what your highest priorities are, but I'd second your observation that Rome and London have annoyingly distant cruise ports. I believe cruiseport public transit for London is less awful, if you know the route (which is certainly described online, and I'll bet you can find a YouTube video of someone walking from the ship to the bus ... !)

The Lisbon cruise port is pretty convenient, and taxis are not expensive in Lisbon. But you have to deal with Lisbon being a little remote from the rest of Western Europe, even from Spain. Direct flights to Lisbon are not as easy to book as you'd like, and going through (nice city) Madrid can be tedious.

Since you are willing and able to buy the cruise's transfer, that is not a big factor. Are you much more inclined to visit a big city of the world where they speak English (after a fashion ... ?) Since your profile says you cruise once a year, I suspect you are more sophisticated than that. But the idea that some people cruisers have to settle for a tedious one-day excursion from Civitavecchia to "see Rome" is sad. So I think one factor is how many days you can spare to visit a city where five nights are not, remotely, too many.

geovagriffin

I watched a very long youtube video of Walking Around Rome. The person who made it wanted to show not just the beautiful but the not so beautiful and there were shots of the homeless and garbage piled on the streets. The video made a lot of Rome look not so beautiful and I am talking about areas where tourists walk.

She did show some very pretty areas and sights but the majority was not so pretty. Maybe that is what she wanted to do.

I also saw a video of the crowded buses in Rome and it was not a pretty sight.

I have also seen other videos of Rome that were beautiful but sometimes way overly crowded. These were recent ones like Rome in September and Rome in October.

bostonphil-I don't get it. The poverty rate in Austin is about 10%. In NYC it's about 15%, and in Houston it's about 19%. 40% of children under 6 in Travis County live below the poverty level. Are you hoping to travel only to paradises? Large cities attract people with less money and with hopes. They are shut out of wealthy suburbs like the one I live in. And Europeans are beginning to suffer the American disease of politicians who are no longer willing to levy the taxes necessary to maintain the expected standard of living (in was used to be, nominally, a Welfare State.)

England is expecting a disastrous winter of high energy costs, with old and poor people in serious difficulties.

I'm a native of behavioral-sink Manhattan, and go there twice weekly.

Hi Tim,

I was in both London and Rome for about one or two days each about 1966 with a friend.

That was a long time ago and I have changed a lot. Possibly these cities have changed some but the whole world has changed a lot since 1966.

My tastes and interests have changed. I am more mature and see the world differently.. I am no longer young and fancy free.

The Colosseum and The Vatican are still in Rome. Buckingham Palace is still in London but it is still a whole different world.

And this time I am traveling alone.

I spoke to my cruise consultant and I have until May to make up my mind although I want to do it much sooner.

He told me what it would cost to do Lisbon to London and Lisbon to Rome. The former will cost me several hundred dollars less than the latter.

Unfortunately I think you are tending to focus on the negative aspects as being a new standards. We have been traveling to Rome since 92 for about 30 days over those years. I don't consider Rome to be dirty or see a lot trash piles . Sure in the morning there may be piles of trash in front of restaurants and bars but by noon the trash truck will have picked it up. Since many places don't have alleys, that is where the trash goings in the morning. Saw same thing in Manhattan. NOleans, and even Chicago. There is a lot graffiti in Rome and in most of Europe. We associate graffiti with the slums, danger, etc., but European's have a different attitude abut graffiti. We are eager to get rid of it. They live with it.

Personally I would take the cruise that ends in Rome. The harbor is Civitavecchia, about fifty miles from Rome with easy train access. The train station right at the port and easy to find. We done that maybe four times. Very convenient. But Rome is busy and chaotic so probably not your cup of tea. We love it.

We have departed in Harwich and Portsmouth. Harwich is super easy with the train station right at the port. For Portsmouth (next to Southhampton) had to take a taxi to train station and the train back to London.

London probably is a better fit for you. They speak English (more or less) and less of a challenge for transportation.

So, bostonphil7 is just a pseudonym! Glad I didn't spend time looking up transatlantic flights to Boston! ;-)

Your analysis above seems to point to London, and the cruise costs a little less, so why fight it? Also, it seems like there might be some risk in booking on a ship that's still being built -- the launch might be delayed, and/or there might be glitches on the early voyages. We're longtime NCL cruisers but haven't been on the Getaway. But NCL does a good job in general.

Hi Dick in Wa

bostonphil is my screen name on many sites. I have lived in Texas many years but strongly identity with my Boston background. I wanted to go back to Boston for my later and last years but I need affordable housing and could not get on any of the lists.

I have had two cruises cancelled because of supply chain issues but you get a coupon towards the next cruise. I have already had my Viva August 2023 cruise cancelled but got a coupon towards another cruise with some restrictions.

I think that I am leaning towards London but I do not need to make my mind up for some months.

I can always fly to Rome. I do not always need to take a cruise.

Hi Frank,

thanks for your uplifting words and helpful advice.

I am keeping both options open. Have time to make up my mind.

I do think that I would find London less chaotic. I do not like mania and chaos.

Hi Tim and Frank

The video that I watched on youtube was shot this month and just posted. It is over one hour long

I think the developer calls themself Global Walks.

I copied the descriptive link.

"Oct 16, 2022 We walked one hour around Termini, Rome's (Italy) main train station. As well known, Rome is chaotic, degradated, dirty, overcrowded but yet impossible to not love. Rome is pure majesty of history."

If you have any time, watch some or all of the video and let me know what you think

I'm afraid I don't have an hour to watch at the moment, but from the description you post I'm not surprised that you saw things you didn't want to. Termini is not particularly bad, but if you want to shoot things geared to provoke unhappiness an hour walking around the central train train station in any European city won't be as salubrious as places tourists want to see rather than inexpensive transit convenient hotels.

How would a one hour walk around the Combat Zone in Boston in the 1970s look?

Very interesting Nigel,

My family had a small mom and pop meat market and grocery store in the old and rough South End.

When I was small, we were on the infamous Dover Street now called Berkeley Street.

The last location of the store, as we called it, was in the combat zone.

The name of the store was the Fellsway Market.

I'm not sure anyone can really help you make up your mind BUT I just returned from Rome a week ago. I had not been there since 2014. I ended there on a Rick Steves Best of Italy tour but spent an extra day on my own.

I felt Rome was very chaotic although I managed to cross the street unscathed at several zebra crossings by channeling a previous RS tour guide who taught the group what to do, lol. I am sure this will not be a popular observation but yes, I felt Rome was pretty dirty. I felt like there was an inordinate about of dog poop and there seemed to be a lot of broken glass on the sidewalks and in the gutters. The tour hotel was in the Termini area which, as mentioned above, has some less than salubrious areas but what I saw included walking all over the Centro Storico, from my hotel to the Borghese and back which was thru some nice areas (including the upscale Via Veneto) and in the Vatican City area as you go toward the Metro line. My tour ended Oct 16 and I flew home Oct 17. It was 80+ on the 3 days I had in Rome.

There are some fabulous sights in Rome in spite of the chaos. On my own I added in the Domus Aurea and the Borghese Gallery along with the Capitoline Museum. All were fabulous. We did the Vatican Museums on the tour and of course it and the Sistine Chapel are amazing. We happened to hit the museum at a strangely unbusy time so it was not nearly as crowded as I've encountered at other times when it was shoulder to shoulder being herded down long corridors.

I haven't been to London since 2018. I'm planning a trip for next April and can't wait to get back. I don't remember the level of dog poo on the sidewalks in the neighborhoods I walked through. I also like the Victoria Station area although I've never stayed at the PI.

Good luck in making a decision that will work for you!

Lisbon to London. You like cooler weather, there is a better chance of that. It is less money. You have friends and possibly family you can visit. And you have a direct flight home, which is a big plus, in my opinion.

We just returned from Italy and Rome, and while we love Rome, we also found it hot, and at times chaotic.

Hi Pam,

You travelled to Rome Pre Covid and Post Covid. I think some or maybe a lot of the problem is that cities are trying to recover from COVID.

I do not know about Rome but there is not enough essential staff in American cities .

I recently went to Seattle to take an Alaskan cruise and there is a serious problem with the homeless and with crime and with drugs. There may have been problems like this pre Covid but during Covid, when there were not many people visiting or out and about, the homeless were allowed to take over
neighborhoods and areas they were not previously living in, in such numbers.. There is a problem removing them from these same neighborhoods and areas now that COVID is being managed.

I live on Lady Bird Lake and the greenbelt in Austin. During the worst days of Covid, the homeless were allowed to put up tents in the greenbelt. It got really trashed out and now there have been attempts to remove the homeless but there is not enough staff to keep up with the problems.