We are taking a cruise that starts outside Rome and ends in Barcelona. Am looking for insight on things to do at the following ports that do not involve spending tons of money on an organized tour offered by the cruise line. I will have a 10 and 13 year olds with me! THANK YOU :) Naples (we are doing an early morning organized tour of Pompeii, but will have about 4 hours in the afternoon free ... are there sites within walking distance of the port?) Valetta Sardinia Palma De Mallorca Valencia
Posted by
The Heartland USA
9079 posts
I don't know if it covers any or all these ports, but RS does have a med cruise port guidebook.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Leigh: In Valetta the children (and you) might enjoy a visit to the Lascaris War Rooms. These were the WWII Operations Rooms 70 feet under the walls of the city of Valetta. The walls and battlements were built by slaves owned by the Knights of Malta and what are now the "War Rooms" once housed those slaves. You can see the offices where the allied invasion of Europe was planned. It is quite fascinating. For the other ports, go to cruisecritic.com for "ports of call" and you'll get tons of information on what to do other than the ship's excursions.
Posted by
OP
Herndon
3 posts
Thank you for the cruise critic suggestion. I'll give that a try!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16238 posts
Sardinia is not a port city. It's a huge island.
Which is the port of call? Olbia? Palau? Cagliari? Golfs Aranci?
Posted by
Austin
977 posts
Hi, we docked in Olbia Sardinia last month and did not take a tour. There is a TI close to the port. You can take a local bus to a nice beach about 35 minutes away, tickets are sold at the TI. They also have bus info for other destinations. We walked through the city, saw the train station ( thought it was too risky for our schedule, bus is better). Our table mates took a cruise ship tour to the Costa Esmeraldo and saw the beautiful beaches on another part of the island; I think they chose well. Taxis were not inexpensive but prices were hourly and set by destination, seemed comparable to taking a tour.