Mediterranean tours or on our own?

We are going on a Mediterranean cruise this year that hits the cities of:

Olympia

Athens

Ephesus

Istanbul

Naples (Pompeii/Positano)

We have had some valuable tours (Rome) and some bad tours with wasted time in the past. My husband and I are active and hate to wait around but enjoy time spent on valuable information given.

Do any of you have advise on which of these cities would be good to do on our own, and which are better with a tour?

Thank you.

If you do some research on the appropriate Ports boards, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

you will see you have the option of do it yourself (DIY) or private tours in all of them. Athens is very doable, Naples with Pompei also, but adding Positano complicates things DIY-ing.

We are going on a Mediterranean cruise this year that hits the cities of:

 

Olympia -- Assuming you plan to visit Olympia (the port is at a distance, can't remember exactly but at least 30-45 minutes), it may be easier to take a ship tour unless you enjoy renting a car. There have been some other options suggested, but the timing for the TRAIN option doesn't work for all cruise schedules, and the BUS option has had some not so good feedback. You can read more on the "Med Ports -- Greece" forum.

 

Athens -- There are several ways to see the main sites of Athens on your own. My personal suggestion (from experience of 4 cruise stops!) would be to get a taxi directly from the port to the Acropolis (about 20 euro for up to 4 people) as soon as you can get off the ship to beat the terrible crowds. Take Rick Steves' guidebook pages on Athens (or his podcast) for background. Wander around the Plaka, maybe the Agora or the new Acropolis museum -- it's all very close together. You can take the metro back cheaply or another cab ride at the end of the day. Again, more specific info available on the Greece forum.

 

Ephesus -- Good place to take a private tour as they are not too expensive and the ruins at Ephesus really are best seen, at least the first time, with a guide or someone with a LOT of knowledge. The site is about 20-30 minutes from the port. Good recommendations for private tours on the "Med Ports -- Other Countries" forum. Be sure to specify that your private tour include the Terrace Houses (extra charge but WELL worth it.)

 

Istanbul -- Quite easy to do on one's own. Easy tram into the old town from the port that is both inexpensive and avoids Istanbul's terrible traffic. Most sites are walkable from the central tram stops including Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, etc. Detailed info on how to do this on the "Med Ports -- Other Countries" forum.

Naples (Pompeii/Positano) -- Difficult to do both of these in a single day on your own. If you have your heart set on both, a private driver for the day is probably your best bet. If you put together a small group of 6-8, it won't be as pricey and it is absolutely better than going with the ship's tour in a big bus. You can arrange for a private guide for the Pompeii portion, if desired...usually about 100 euro per group.

 

We have had some valuable tours (Rome) and some bad tours with wasted time in the past. My husband and I are active and hate to wait around but enjoy time spent on valuable information given.

 

Do any of you have advise on which of these cities would be good to do on our own, and which are better with a tour?

 

Thank you.

See my comments above. On the Ports of Call forums you'll find lots of more detailed information if you want to pursue either private tours or doing the ports on your own via public transportation, walking, etc.

See my comments above. On the Ports of Call forums you'll find lots of more detailed information if you want to pursue either private tours or doing the ports on your own via public transportation, walking, etc.

Thank you SO much for the great tips and advise!

If you do some research on the appropriate Ports boards, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

you will see you have the option of do it yourself (DIY) or private tours in all of them. Athens is very doable, Naples with Pompei also, but adding Positano complicates things DIY-ing.

Thank you for the link.

Get a copy of Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports. Written specifically for cruisers, he tells you what there is to do in each port, in the time you have available, and how to do it DIY. Also, join your roll call and see what others are planning/organizing. EM

We also used Rick Steve's book and didd the ports on our own. It was great.

Another vote for Rick Steeve's book, which I downloaded onto my i-phone and had every step of the way with me.

As for what you do on shore, it really depends on what appeals to you. I truly believed I would love all those ancient places and stones - I wanted to so much. I had studied them and known about them, and I so wanted to see them. But I found out they didn't have much appeal for me. I couldn't really imagine any people there, or see how they actually lived.

But what I did find out is that the people who live there now and their societies were wonderful to me. I loved the food, the music, the street life. So don't lock yourself in. Have a look at some of the old stuff and see if it makes your heart sing. But if not, have a look at the people there now and see how they live and what they're doing.

Rick Steeve's book will help you either way.

Thank you all for your suggestions and insight.

Luanne

Good tips above, including that Rick Steve book.

When booking any tour, especially private ones, be careful that you may have the pleasure to spend quite some time at various shops or facories for "bargain shopping".

Make it clear when booking if you do / do not want to go shopping for more than a few minutes.

Turkey in particular is known for "carpet demonstrations".

If that is "your thing" then fine, of course. :-)

But if they try to drag us into one more carpet / leather / glass / yewelry / wood carving / cameo / local handycraft store or factory on a tour I wont be pleased...

We did all of those ports, except Olympia, on our Med cruise. We used private tours, that we arranged or joined on our roll call for each port.

Ephesus; had a great independent tour with about 15 others. I'd definitely want a guide there.

We also used this same company for Istanbul and got a great price for the two tours. We were in Istanbul overnight and the second day we walked into the city to see some of the markets and other sights on our own. Not a bad walk if you like walking, otherwise there are other ways to get there. It would be easy enough to go to the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace on your own as well, but I'm glad we had a guide.

In Athens we were on a private tour with about 12 others. It was perfect for our time frame. With some research into transportation it could be done on your own, but it was nice to be driven to the various sights without having to hassle with trains, etc.

Naples: We were on a private tour with about 8 others here also. We went to Pompeii and then on up the Amalfi coast, stopping along the way at several of the scenic towns, ending in Positano. Then we drove back to Sorrento and took the ferry back to Naples.

This I think would be very difficult to do on your own, just because of the time and driving involved, as well as traffic on the scenic drive up the coast. We ate lunch in Ravello, which was stunning. Time at each of the stops was limited, due to the distance and traffic, but we got to see the main sights. If you skip Pompeii, you would have more time at the various towns, but I wouldn't want to miss the ruins. Traveling back to the dock on the ferry was lovely and saved time getting back into Naples.

I used the Rick Steves book too--good advice if you want to truly go on your own, and also helped in planning what we wanted to see and do. Your roll call may be helpful if you want to join others from the cruise, as well as the Ports of Call boards here. It was a great cruise--enjoy!

We did all of those ports, except Olympia, on our Med cruise. We used private tours, that we arranged or joined on our roll call for each port.

 

Ephesus; had a great independent tour with about 15 others. I'd definitely want a guide there.

 

We also used this same company for Istanbul and got a great price for the two tours. We were in Istanbul overnight and the second day we walked into the city to see some of the markets and other sights on our own. Not a bad walk if you like walking, otherwise there are other ways to get there. It would be easy enough to go to the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace on your own as well, but I'm glad we had a guide.

 

In Athens we were on a private tour with about 12 others. It was perfect for our time frame. With some research into transportation it could be done on your own, but it was nice to be driven to the various sights without having to hassle with trains, etc.

 

Naples: We were on a private tour with about 8 others here also. We went to Pompeii and then on up the Amalfi coast, stopping along the way at several of the scenic towns, ending in Positano. Then we drove back to Sorrento and took the ferry back to Naples.

 

This I think would be very difficult to do on your own, just because of the time and driving involved, as well as traffic on the scenic drive up the coast. We ate lunch in Ravello, which was stunning. Time at each of the stops was limited, due to the distance and traffic, but we got to see the main sights. If you skip Pompeii, you would have more time at the various towns, but I wouldn't want to miss the ruins. Traveling back to the dock on the ferry was lovely and saved time getting back into Naples.

 

I used the Rick Steves book too--good advice if you want to truly go on your own, and also helped in planning what we wanted to see and do. Your roll call may be helpful if you want to join others from the cruise, as well as the Ports of Call boards here. It was a great cruise--enjoy!

Concur completely with the above comments - for Olympus we rented a car at the port and were joined by another couple we met onboard. The car rental agency was just outside the port gate. They gave us detailed directions to Olympus and even told us the best place to top off the gas. It was maybe a 30 minute drive. We went first to the museum which was absolutely stellar. After 2.5 hours there we left for the ruins themselves which were well signed but not nearly as good as the museum. A number of piles of rocks :D was one comment. Interesting historically but not visually stunning. The museum gave the context and overview.

The best thing about this was that we got an early start and had the museum pretty much to ourselves. As we were leaving hoards of busses arrived (from 2 ships) and overwhelmed the place. After seeing everything we stopped in the town (Olympia??) for a light lunch and a little shopping. Again, uncrowded and very pleasant. All in all a very nice day.

Driving was not much of a challenge here but if you are not comfortable with driving in a foreign country I strongly suggest a private guide and a very early start. The museum is not all that large and is overwhelmed when there are 4 or 5 groups of 40+ tourists milling about.

Robbie

Athens and Istanbul are great for doing on your own - read up a little in advance and plan your own excursion. Pompeii and Ephesus are best done with a private guide - economical if two couple share a guide. I do not have experience with Olympia. Talk it up on your roll call: you can usually touch base with another couple with similar interests to share planning and costs.

Ephesus: We used a private tour and the five of us felt it was the best bargain ever. We used Ephesus Deluxe and we loved it. We plan to use another private guide for Pompeii and Sorrento. I wouldn't do it without a private car and guide because we learned so much without it being a lecture. It was geared specifically to suit our time and what we wanted to see.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions and advise. We have booked or joined private tours for all the ports except Pompeii/Positano. Currently looking for people in our Roll Call to join us on that one.

You are all seasoned travelers - nice of you to take the time to share your experiences.

Pompeii is easy to do on your own from Naples. The trolley stops right outside the cruise terminal. You buy a ticket to Pompeii at the kyosk there. Take the trolley to the trainstation and the get on the Circumvesuvius train to Pompeii. Seems the r/t ticket was about 8 Euros per person. At Pompeii, you purchase the admission ticket (9 Euros??). We used the Rick Steves' book to tour.

Positano is difficult to do on your own. I would not drive on the Amalfi Coast. The views are just too distracting. I would drive off the cliff. Also, large buses are not allowed to Positano. So we hired a driver for the 8 of us and went to Positano, Ravello (sp??) and Amalfi.