My husband and I are taking a cruise in September for our honeymoon where we will have stops in Florence, Rome, and Naples. Since the ship docks in Livorno (Florence) and Civitavecchia (Rome, we are trying to decide if we should arrange private tours (which are costly) or try to see the sights ourselves. We only have about 10 hours in each port. Any helpful suggestions? It is our first time visiting Italy. Thank you!
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1449 posts
if money is no object (or little object) go with the private tour; someone who knows the area can do more in 10 hours than you can do in 2 days, plus knows more about it to boot. Think about someone from CA showing up in Houston to look around and doing it on their own, compared to what you can show them... And licensed guides in some areas are allowed to go to the front of the line; the old saying "you can't buy time" is not true. You can be sure that your boat will be met by plenty of companies offering small-group tours as well, which may be a less expensive option. That all being said, 10 hours is not very much time to do more than see a few highlights and then back to the boat before it sails. Not that its a bad thing, just accept it as it is and don't try to cram a million things into 10 hours. I have not personally done a private tour so hopefully you'll get some responses from people who have who can tell you what they thought of it. I have been in all 3 cities you mention, though, and think it would be tough to see very much in 10 hours or less.
Posted by
Little Rock, AR
105 posts
The extremely limited amount of time you have means that you need to maximize your time. The private tour gets you into museums without waiting (and you don't want to spend 3 of your 10 hours in Florence waiting in line to see the Uffizi). Also, remember that Rome (about the same population as Houston in a smaller area) and Naples (over 1 million) are very large cities. Happy Travels!
Posted by
Boston, MA, USA
262 posts
We are doing a little bit of both actually. We are doing a guided tour of the Forum and the Coliseum but going it alone at the Vatican.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23338 posts
We have done seven European cruises and rarely take the ship's excursions. However, to be productive within that time period, you need to do a lot of homework prior. Work the quidesbooks so you know EXACTLY what you want to do and HOW to do it. Generally the hop on/off buses are good options for an overview of the city and a little local transportation. We will ride one complete loop prior to getting off for different sites. Second, find the closest TI, it will be a good source for local, inexpensive walking tours. The R Steves' guidebooks will often id the best walking tours. The day before the port, the ship will have an orientation program for "independent" travelers which will discuss some of the city high lights, where the ship docks, and arrangements for local transportation to city center if it is not walkable. That program is often broadcast on the ship's TV network. Our experience is that over half the ship will be independent travelers so don't be afraid to link up with other travelers. Sometimes you can share the cost of a cab driver tour. We have had some great tours with a local cab driver that you can hire for half a day or a full day. Split with an couple and it is fairly economical. When you are on your own you just learn to be creative.
Posted by
Austin, TX, USA
492 posts
The answer depends on what you want to do in each port. For Naples if you just want to go to Capri or to Pompeii, very easy to do on your own. For Livorno if you just want to go to Florence, also easy to do on your own, depending on what you want to see and how much you want to plan yourself. Another option would be to share private tours which makes the cost much more reasonable. Check the cruisecritic.com website and on their boards you can meet up with other people on your cruise and the Europe boards have lots of hints on how to do those ports on your own and tour recommendations.