Questions about land tours

Hi. I'm not sure if this should be in new cruiser threads or not but as we are travelling with Azamara and so many people seem to be experienced travellers I am posting here.

We are booked on the Adriatic & Greek Isles cruise in June 2015 and would like advice on whether or not we should be booking land discovery tours or if there are other recommended choices. Please see our questions below:

1. As new travellers do we need to book tours everywhere or can we just do self guided tours? Do you have any recommendations on which tour guides we could use?

2. Are there ports where we would be better advised to book tours?

3. We are also wondering how far in advance we need to book these? We were very surprised at how early the cruises were booked in advance and are now concerned we may miss out on some opportunities.

So many questions! Please advise!

Scott & Susan

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as i need and others do to which ports please.. i might of been to one or two and others more.. At times i book ship tours in Europe. Other times privite guides. i type in private guides and the port. I look on the Ports of Call boards.. i also go to a B&N or another bookstore and read up on ports. many port i just wander around taking pictures, doing museums and having lunch out.. if we are there late i go for late afternoon drinks or dinner.. look to see what the ship is offering, then look at books and go from there. No, you do not need tours in many ports but yuo do need to know what you want to see and know how far from the ship.

Hi...a couple of suggestions for you. First, have you checked the roll call for your cruise? There may be fellow cruisers putting together some private tours which you may find interesting. Second, do look at the Ports of Call forum on cruise critic...lots of good suggestions for do it yourself and for tour guides.

My method is to look at the ports and do a little research about what to see and do. Then I look at the ports of call and check out suggestions on tour guides. Then I look at what the ship is offering and compare it to what I want to do. I would certainly start making plans now, especially if you want private tour guides. (p.s. Our first Azamara cruise was Greek Isles and Adriatic too! A wonderful experience that hooked us on Azamara...we did a combo of ship and private tours on that cruise)

mare

Good point! My apologies. Here is our itinerary.

VENICE, ITALY

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

CHANIA, CRETE, GREECE

SANTORINI, GREECE

MYKONOS, GREECE

PATMOS, GREECE

KUSADASI (EPHESUS)

MITILINI (LESVOS), GREECE

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Thank you for your advice. I purchased some Lonely Planet guides. Do you recommend any others? I appreciate your tip about distance. Hadn't thought to that detail yet but will be sure to do this now.

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Good point! My apologies. Here is our itinerary.

 

VENICE, ITALY-i have done part of this on my own;part following friends around with a guide book. i saw st marks sq-both inside the churxh-shawl please and the place. line looks longer han it was. .but figure for both all morning. saw other museums and church. . one is near the "bridge of locks". you can do msot by the little boats on the waterway. .many peopel walked into Venice from ship- i did not.. lots of bridges to climb and could get lost.

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA-been 3 times.. did private tour- i did not set it up-left the town to go to an area that we had lunch of mussels famous there. also walked the walls in Dubrovnik. saw one of the oldest European temples- had ice cream and shopped. hit two museums.. if it rains therre very hard to walk.

CHANIA, CRETE, GREECE

SANTORINI, GREECE

MYKONOS, GREECE

PATMOS, GREECE

KUSADASI (EPHESUS)

MITILINI (LESVOS), GREECE

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

 

Thank you for your advice. I purchased some Lonely Planet guides. Do you recommend any others? I appreciate your tip about distance. Hadn't thought to that detail yet but will be sure to do this now.

 

 

The other ports not seeing until 2016. many CC baord members have been to these as i have seen the names on reviews.I have been to Istanbul years ago and going back. .you need a post cruise day or two to see more.. the ship does a fast overview if you are overnighting but it sounds to long and to fast.

Personally i like reading Frommers or Frodders. i do not buy them but read sections in the store. i take notes too.Lonely Planet is ok but look for "inside somehing" great pictures of inside buildings and tells what not to miss in them. .very expensive. again i read them in store. i like guide books so i do not miss anything important..

I also love to eat and shop as i want to see what is offered and what the locals buy.

I would sightsee in morning and beach inafternoon. stop for a drink and enjoy the sunset. read the ships tours and then look for private..

Robin and Mare have given you some great advice so I'll just add my 2 cents on the ports I'm familiar with and tell you what we did.

Venice: we signed up for the free walking tour. http://freetourvenice.com/ The guides work for tips and we typically give them about 10-20 euros depending on length of tour and how good they were (they're invariably very good).

Dubrovnik: hot in the summer and very crowded! We walked through the town to the far edge where the boats are and took a short boat ride to the island of Lokrum where we swam for the afternoon. The water is crystal clear and there's changing facilities, a cafe and restaurant on the island. Afterwards when we came back to Dubrovnik, the crowds and heat had lessened a bit and we explored on our own. http://www.dubrovnik-guide.net/lokrum.htm

Chania: take a Land Discoveries excursion! We thought Chania was nice to wander around but it really didn't hold our attention for a full day. Everyone raved about how beautiful the island is and we wished we'd seen it.

Santorini: we took the Land Discoveries island tour that included a stop at a winery with tastings and free time after in the town. If you do this, take the afternoon tour, not the morning tour. Our daughter took the morning tour and they measured out strict samples of the wine but we were on the afternoon tour and they wanted to the empty out the bottles as we were the last Azamara tour that day. :p

Kusadesi: either Land Discoveries or go on TripAdvisor for private guides or piggyback onto a tour organized on your roll call, but whatever route you choose, go on a tour, not on your own. Easier and more rewarding to have a guide who will talk to you about Epheses.

We've had very good luck booking Land Discoveries with Azamara so I have no hesitation in recommending them. We've also enjoyed private tours and it's lots of fun going with roll call groups because they're people you've been talking to for months and months online. It's fun to meet up in person.

For research I depend on TripAdvisor.com and official online tourist information put out by the countries I'm visiting. The Ports Forum here on Cruise Critic, as mentioned, is also a fantastic resource. Tons of information there and any question you ask, someone's bound to know the answer, and quickly, too. The local library is another good source for varied guide books. I have a Kindle and I've loaded Rick Steve's book on Mediterranean cruise ports on it and that's been handy. Good luck! And I'm jealous about Istanbul. I still haven't been and I want to. Some day...

Frommer's and Fodor's can be overwhelming -- too many choices for the short time available on a river cruise. So I prefer Rick Steves, because he only writes about the top sites and then covers them in more depth.

Your itinerary is very good, with some less-visited ports. Therefore the new type of guidebook that covers the entire Mediterranean in one volume probably won't have all your stops. You will need the country-specific books, and may need to cross-check all three series.

Public libraries usually have them all (at least if you can place a hold through a county-wide system).

Diedre-I knew you would help. you already gave me ideas for 2016. knew you have been to Greece. i want to do a tour that includes wine too. Thankd for your help. you need to go to istanbel. you need more than 2 days there too. heat will make you rest-

Jazzbeau- i do not totally gree with you on books.. i never found either book overwhelming-you just need to know what you are looking for.. it is my first choice for hotels when needed and for places to eat in major cities. i have been told by lovers of Rick Steves his info on sights is great but not hotels and resturants..

Diedre-I knew you would help. you already gave me ideas for 2016. knew you have been to Greece. i want to do a tour that includes wine too. Thankd for your help. you need to go to istanbel. you need more than 2 days there too. heat will make you rest-

.

Deirdre

Did you not tender into Dubrovnik??? If one docks you are not near the city- if the OP tenders you are right in the heart of the Old Town. there are museums right near the tender dock and palces to eat. but i was told not to eat there by locals but more in town. tendering is better as you save tons of time.

another thing to do is take the cable car up the mountain- my group did not but we were up there for the views.

This is all great advice!

Deirdre, I just read your guest blog and it was wonderful! Ellbon and Mare thank you so much as well!

I will start looking into your recommendations right away. I am particularly excited about Ephesus and the more we research the more excited we are becoming about our visit to Istanbul. We will be flying to Amsterdam and staying there for three days and will then fly to Venice to spend extra days there before the cruise. We have also planned extra days in Istanbul post cruise so we can explore.

It was mentioned that we should see where we arrive at each port so that we can gauge the distance. Where would I find that information ? We have booked B&b's and Boutique hotels at all our stops above and were wondering where the ship would be in Venice and Istanbul but it appears that we should be aware of this in all locations so that we can plan appropriately.

Susan

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Ah, Ephesus! We took a private tour there...excellent! I would give you the name of the tour guide but since it was a few years ago, you would be better off checking on the Port of Call forum for Turkey for more recent recommendations. But be sure you see the Terrace Houses while in Ephesus. We did the ship tour on Santorini (I think it was the same one as Deirdre's) and it was very good. I hope you're going in early to Venice (that's your embarkation port?) because it is such a walkable city. So much to see and getting "lost" in the little streets is part of the joy of the city.

mare

This is all great advice!

Deirdre, I just read your guest blog and it was wonderful! Ellbon and Mare thank you so much as well!

 

 

my name is Robin.

I will start looking into your recommendations right away. I am particularly excited about Ephesus and the more we research the more excited we are becoming about our visit to Istanbul. We will be flying to Amsterdam and staying there for three days and will then fly to Venice to spend extra days there before the cruise. We have also planned extra days in Istanbul post cruise so we can explore.

 

 

do you need help with Amsterdam?? i took a private tour there on the first day. .Thank God i did due to rain. I did Annne Franks house- interesting and sad. Plus two more museums and lunch. walked in the rain to dinner.. wanted to just eat off the ship. The next day took a taxi to the Jewish museums and walked from there to Rembants house, then thru the Red Light area to lunch. from there just walked around and saw the main SQ etc.. Near lunch was some very funky stores.. Stopped back where i had lunch for another drink and walked back to the ship. Missed boat drill but was there to sail away. i do not know places to eat i just stopped in one that looked good. This is where books come in handy and hotel front desk.

It was mentioned that we should see where we arrive at each port so that we can gauge the distance. Where would I find that information ? We have booked B&b's and Boutique hotels at all our stops above and were wondering where the ship would be in Venice and Istanbul but it appears that we should be aware of this in all locations so that we can plan appropriately.

Susan

 

 

venice port- hate to tell you that i do not know how to get there but by boat. people carry on their bags. not sure how to get there by taxi. Deidre do you know? The hotel should be able to help here.. Istanbul -no clue as i have not been thee but i think the European side and all the big sights are in the Asian side. Do i have that right people? i would just taxi from ship. .the ship can arrange a taxi for you on Deck 4. as far as other ports i am not sure.. one port could tender or dock and that can switch on the ship.. others nto been too.

Deirdre

 

Did you not tender into Dubrovnik??? If one docks you are not near the city- if the OP tenders you are right in the heart of the Old Town. there are museums right near the tender dock and palces to eat. but i was told not to eat there by locals but more in town. tendering is better as you save tons of time.

 

another thing to do is take the cable car up the mountain- my group did not but we were up there for the views.

Robin, in Dubrovnik we weren't actually sailing with Azamara; it was Celebrity Solstice and we docked. If you look at my signature, the last trip report on the list is that cruise and #38 is about being in Venice and #41 is about Dubrovnik. We were there in June/July 2012. In Venice we arrived by air and took the shuttle bus that drops you off near the main train station. The line was really long to get the tickets so next time, if there's a way to buy them on-line prior, I'm going to do that. To get to the ship, we took the vaporetto back to the main train station and walked. We travel fairly light so it wasn't any hardship for us. We could have taken the People Mover part way (it's only a euro or two) but the weather was nice and we didn't bother.

Thanks for your nice words about the Azamara blog, Susan. I bet you'll have the same opinion of your cruise as I did after you get back. :rolleyes:

Mare, we booked a private tour too and like you I can't remember who it was with!!! :eek: I should have written it down somewhere because they were really good.

Robin, in Dubrovnik we weren't actually sailing with Azamara; it was Celebrity Solstice and we docked. If you look at my signature, the last trip report on the list is that cruise and #38 is about being in Venice and #41 is about Dubrovnik. We were there in June/July 2012. In Venice we arrived by air and took the shuttle bus that drops you off near the main train station. The line was really long to get the tickets so next time, if there's a way to buy them on-line prior, I'm going to do that. To get to the ship, we took the vaporetto back to the main train station and walked. We travel fairly light so it wasn't any hardship for us. We could have taken the People Mover part way (it's only a euro or two) but the weather was nice and we didn't bother.

 

 

about 4 years ago i went into User CP and removed all the signatures. i care more where you are going than the past.. just took to long with some listng 20 plus cruises.

 

I knew of a couple who use the vaporetto from the ship to hotel... But Azaamra docks somewhere else i think- i was there with the swimmers in water who did not want us docking there.

 

i do know that Azamara has docked in the past in "D'.. tendering is like 10 minutes and you are in the heart of it all. So hopefully the OP can tender.

 

Thanks for your nice words about the Azamara blog, Susan. I bet you'll have the same opinion of your cruise as I did after you get back. :rolleyes:

 

Mare, we booked a private tour too and like you I can't remember who it was with!!! :eek: I should have written it down somewhere because they were really good.

i wish you remembered as i would write in down for 2016. i know the OP is greatful for all your help. i sailed from another port and fly home from Venice so i know nothing about getting to the ship in Venice

Diedre-I knew you would help. you already gave me ideas for 2016. knew you have been to Greece. i want to do a tour that includes wine too. Thankd for your help. you need to go to istanbel. you need more than 2 days there too. heat will make you rest-

 

Jazzbeau- i do not totally gree with you on books.. i never found either book overwhelming-you just need to know what you are looking for.. it is my first choice for hotels when needed and for places to eat in major cities. i have been told by lovers of Rick Steves his info on sights is great but not hotels and resturants..

Exactly. You're on a cruise, so you don't need info on hotels or restaurants. He is the best for sightseeing. I just compared these three books for many cities in France for our three-week tour, and Rick's walking tours of cities and guided tours of major sites (e.g. Notre Dame, the Louvre) are far superior to either Frommer's or Fodor's.

I found the name of our private tour guide in Turkey. Ekol Travel. We went on all day tour of Ephesus (including Terrace Houses) Milates, Artemis, and Didyma. Stopped at a local place for lunch too as well as a carpet factory (I'm not usually a fan of such stops, but it was wonderful! Very informative and we ended up buying a beautiful little carpet which is now hanging in our living room! I think about the wonderful cruise every time I look at it.)

Reading this thread has me now aching to go back to Turkey and Greece! Thanks to all for the memories.

I did a similar cruise on O so at least it was the R-ship type and it was wonderful. We started in Istanbul and had 3 days before the cruise with the most wonderful private guide Lalee. Istanbul is definitely a place that a great private guide makes a world of difference. She knew exactly where to take us in the various markets and bazars. Never knew that I would LOVE the fresh dried apricots at one stand and she took us on a literal taste testing tour of the main food market -- where she buys her food. Her friend who owns a rug manufacturing factory gave us a behind the scenes tour and we picked a ruby red small rug as a 40th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves (softest rug I have ever felt and so beautiful as well as a memory forever). She also took us to a store that had hundreds of scarves. The one I picked even had the picture framer calling to ask where that piece of art came from. She kept us out of crowds and away from beggars and "touts", she took us to where people lived and prayed and over to Asia and back on the "worker's ferry". I found Turkey to be big, fast, frantic and confusing --alphabet on signs etc. not familiar, routines not familiar, especially the traffic seemed confusing as did the huge market where you could instantly get lost but with our "perfect" guide leading and explaining we had the most wonderful experience. If you are spending some time in Istanbul (and oh you should!) and want Lalee's information let me know and I will look it up.

For this very very busy itinerary, I would say to use the ship's tours. They would be similar to Oceania's (many guides work in more than one city) and the quality of the tours in Greece were excellent with one exception. So much to see and do and absorb you will not get deeper than "highlights" and the ship's tours will take care of all the details for you. I am so anxious to go back and see in depth some of the places like Mykenos and The Island of the Gods. They deserve more than a highlights tour but then you can consider this trip "your warm-up" for more -- I would bet you will be talking of going back before you even leave the ship!!

I found the name of our private tour guide in Turkey. Ekol Travel. We went on all day tour of Ephesus (including Terrace Houses) Milates, Artemis, and Didyma. Stopped at a local place for lunch too as well as a carpet factory (I'm not usually a fan of such stops, but it was wonderful! Very informative and we ended up buying a beautiful little carpet which is now hanging in our living room! I think about the wonderful cruise every time I look at it.)

My husband too said he was not interested in carpets but when you see the beautiful ones and feel them and see the way they are woven (the pattern looks very much like cross-stitch patterns) then it is different than the piles of machine made tourist goods that are in the markets. We also went to a scarf store where literally thousands of silk scarves. They are truly works of art and we framed one and it is the prettiest thing I have ever brought home from my travels. Ephesus is also so special. Every time I hear the words of Paul at church in my town Maryland -- I instantly go back to standing in Ephesus looking up at those grandstands from where Paul would have been and remembering the sun's heat and the feel of those ancient stones under my feet. One of the spectacular memories and why I love to wander the world as long as I possibly can.

OP, Rick Steves has a Mediterranean Cruise Port guide that covers many of the ports you'll visit. The advice is tailored for cruise visits -- no long chapters on hotels and restaurants -- and you'll get information on how to plan your day, i.e., how long it takes to get to "X" place and back.

I would also recommend his Istanbul guide if you plan to spend more than a day there. Two experienced local guides co-wrote the guide with Rick so there is a lot of "local" advice you can trust. In our visits to Istanbul, we have used Rick's guide to visit a lot of the most important sights by ourselves with great success.

Another resource I would recommend are the Tom Port Guides:

http://tomsportguides.com/

He provides maps you can print or download and take with you, in addition to very good practical advice on what to see and how to get there from the port areas.

Enjoy your trip -- it's a wonderful itinerary!

The OP says she and her Husband are staying in 3 cities for several days.. i did not tell her to biy abook but to read so she would have ideas on places to eat or shop etc.. itrip over msot dinner palces but i also have the hotel book dinners to.. i saw Rick Steves books at B&N and they are huge-as the others are. so i would jut take notes and go.. oh can yuo put his books on a Ipad??

One of the best resources for independent port exploration is -

http://www.tomsportguides.com

You don't have to carry around heavy guide books - just print out the sections you need.

I found the name of our private tour guide in Turkey. Ekol Travel. We went on all day tour of Ephesus (including Terrace Houses) Milates, Artemis, and Didyma. Stopped at a local place for lunch too as well as a carpet factory (I'm not usually a fan of such stops, but it was wonderful! Very informative and we ended up buying a beautiful little carpet which is now hanging in our living room! I think about the wonderful cruise every time I look at it.)

Thank goodness I haven't cleaned my e-mails out in a while because I was able to comb through all the junk and find out who we used, too. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297972-d1916582-Reviews-Ephesus_Shuttle_Private_Day_Tours-Kusadasi_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html Our guide customized our tour as we were the only ones on it. Rob and I were in Turkey with our two adult children on the Navigator of the Seas last October. Our daughter is a Fine Arts major and she was really keen on the arts aspect of ancient Ephesus so that's what our guide concentrated on. He was really interesting and we ended up with a not-out-of-the-box tour. Afterwards he took us--at our request--to a leather factory and our son and daughter ended up with early Christmas presents. Each of them got the softest, most beautiful leather jackets I've ever seen, even better than Italian ones (like such a thing could be possible). I wouldn't mind going back to Kusadasi to get one for myself. ;)

Hi,

I've been to most of the stops you are going to and I would definitely take the advice of the person who recommends checking if any one is organising private tours at the places you visit.

You really need to do a private tour at Ephesus, less people and you will learn more and the terrace houses are a must see. On my last visit, May this year, we went to a women's cooperative and it was incredible to see the women making the carpets and the difference it made to their financial security.

In Istanbul we did private tours arranged through American express, it is my favourite city. Make sure you go to the Dolombache palace as well as the Topkapi, 3 days is a minimum.

A friend always uses Michelin guides as she loves their recommendations, but I would agree with Robin, go to a book store with a good travel section and browse the books till you get a feel for one, plus utilise the internet. I want to book this cruise to revisit the wonderful places you are visiting.

Pace yourself as it is a very port intensive cruise and allow some time to just wonder, particularly in Venice which is magical with something wonderful to see around every bend, great food to eat , perfect. Soooooo jealous. :D

Deirdre- i am going to save the name. Thanks! what is 18 months for looking.

Gil, it has been more years than i like since Istanbel. i thought i need like 2 or three full days pre cruise and maybe 2 after.. jet lag going and - leaving do not want to sit in airport for hours.. Thanks for backing me up on bookstores..I think you need to look at lots of books. plus going for a day vs a hotel is different. .you have more time to relax with a drink or stop and smell the flowers. latly I went on a day trip on a boat ride to the islands. .another goood memory