Some questions on Med ports please

On Cinque Terre - Is the ship's tour better, or would it be better to do private?

On Kotor, Montenegro - Any comments on this port or tours?

On Zadar, Croatia - Same question - comments on port or tours?

On Koper, Slovenia - Same question - comments on port or tours?

I really appreciate your help in advance.

Kotor is really easy to do on your own. There will be vendors as you leave the quay. The old town is just across the road and has a nice feel to it.

Koper is nice for a short time but you do not need all day. Piran is an easy local bus ride away. I was happy to find this thread before we went.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1510519

Kotor.... DH and I hiked up to the top of the hill/mountain. Its old granite steps, and is fairly easy. Wear good walking shoes. The people in flip-flops scared me!

Koper.... We did the underground cave hike. Another fairly easy one. The lady in her 4" black leather boots scared me on this one.

We did these on our own.

Cinque Terre: Check out what day of the week you will be there FIRST, and if it is a weekend or Holiday , I'd skip it altogether. Europeans have rediscovered Cinque Terre, and the crowds can be maddening.

Kotor: Find a Tour that takes you out on the Bay. You want to see the "Fjord" from sea level.......absolutely breathtaking

Helpthejuggler...lol, I am wearing my 5" heels with platforms! LOL. Got it.

Stan&Jim...knew you would produce something FINE. Will show DH those pics. What do you think on CinqueTerre..private or ship?

Whohoo...It is a Wednesday! Works for me!

Helpthejuggler...lol, I am wearing my 5" heels with platforms! LOL. Got it.

 

Stan&Jim...knew you would produce something FINE. Will show DH those pics. What do you think on CinqueTerre..private or ship?

There is a small boat service that stops at each village, hop on hop off style. The views from the water are beautiful. You can buy your ticket just off the tender dock. Take note of the return times & schedule. Some people take the train back to dock for a change of scenery.

For both Kotor & Koper you can easily pick up a tour at the dock. Drivers offer different tours & the prices were very reasonable. The scenery and panoramas of Kotor's countryside was spectacular. O offered walking tours of Koper that we easily did on our own.

On Cinque Terre - Is the ship's tour better, or would it be better to do private?

 

On Kotor, Montenegro - Any comments on this port or tours?

 

On Zadar, Croatia - Same question - comments on port or tours?

 

On Koper, Slovenia - Same question - comments on port or tours?

 

I really appreciate your help in advance.

Kotor....We shared a private tour with another couple. Drove up a mountain ...included Beach Jaz,old town Budva,St.Stefan,Brajici,Centinje, Njegusi ...Beautiful scenic drive magnificent panoramic views.

Koper....Also had private tour...Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle.

The caves are amazing ...well worthwhile.

Richard

What do you think on CinqueTerre..private or ship?

I would do something private, where the car drops you off at one end of the ferry route, and collects you at the other.

http://www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it/orario.asp?lang=eng

The Ferries are HOHO's, so you may spend as much or as little time in any of the Villages as you like, and if you can possibly make it work, the Belforte Restaurant in Vernazza is nothing short of spectacular. Particularly from that Terrace.

http://www.ristorantebelforte.it/en/restaurant

Pay no attention to their drab website, their abundant portions of seafood are so fresh that most of them still have a faint pulse, and you will talk about the desserts forever (you OWE IT TO YOURSELF to try the caramalized strawberries!)

It's all prettier from the water, anyway

Good information on all these ports on the Ports section of cruise critic.

I will check the ports section...and

JimandStan..you must spend all your time touring as you seem to have pictures of simply everything. Those are lovely pictures and we are excited to be going on these two cruises. We are also looking in to getting a car in Palermo so we can find the little village where Joe's family came from. This is big for him. There are not too many ships that stop in Palermo.

Both are very easy to do on your own, although I suppose how far you dock from CT and the port hours might be a factor. If it's Livorno then maybe the ship's tour with its hassle and worry-free transport becomes more attractive.

We did this at those ports. Hope you have better luck than me with the weather at CT, although it was still a great day, and the same luck at Kotor :) All the best, Tony

[YOUTUBE]MPZfm28F_lc[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]fUzQl8KA2Uk[/YOUTUBE]

On Cinque Terre - Is the ship's tour better, or would it be better to do private?

 

On Kotor, Montenegro - Any comments on this port or tours?

 

On Zadar, Croatia - Same question - comments on port or tours?

 

On Koper, Slovenia - Same question - comments on port or tours?

 

I really appreciate your help in advance.

Is this the cruise out of Venice 25th of July? If so we are on that as well, looks like a great itinerary :)

Both are very easy to do on your own, although I suppose how far you dock from CT and the port hours might be a factor. If it's Livorno then maybe the ship's tour with its hassle and worry-free transport becomes more attractive.

 

We did this at those ports. Hope you have better luck than me with the weather at CT, although it was still a great day, and the same luck at Kotor :) All the best, Tony

 

[YOUTUBE]MPZfm28F_lc[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]fUzQl8KA2Uk[/YOUTUBE]

**Caroldoll take a look. Excellent videos including the CTerre tour by HOHO boat & return by train..

We did the ship's tour a couple of weeks ago. It was fine but private tours in my experience, are usually better. I am pleased to have seen the area, it is very pretty, but neither my spouse or I was blown away. We were there on a Friday and the ferries were crowded.

Fabulous videos. Thank you soooo much from DH and me. I am quite positive I will not climb those steps...OMG...YOU ARE THE BEST.

Cinque Terre seems so romantic.

We are going on two segments October/November 2015. I do hope it doesn't rain in Cinque Terre especially.

Thank you so much.

Fabulous videos. Thank you soooo much from DH and me. I am quite positive I will not climb those steps...OMG...YOU ARE THE BEST.

 

Cinque Terre seems so romantic.

 

We are going on two segments October/November 2015. I do hope it doesn't rain in Cinque Terre especially.

 

Thank you so much.

Remember not to bother with the five towns of the Cinque Terre if it is a weekend because the locals truly fill this area on the weekends.

Yes, it is best done by water and Jim and Stan are correct with all of their info. If you do do private, make sure you have the correct ferry schedule because it can get confusing. Ferry is very crowded and crazy so you must allow time to be able to board. Do not forget La terasse!

We did a self-drive trip to Tuscany in 2005 and spent a few days in Portovenere. On one day we took the ferry to Cinque Terre and had a wonderful day in a few of the villages. But I agree, not on a weekend!

Mura

I would ALWAYS do a private tour over ship's tour. In Kotor we booked Adventure Montenegro for two excursions, city walking tour And land/boat trip to Perast and our Lady of the Rocks. This was a fabulous day!! And, not being religious, I wasn't all that keen on the Our lady part but it was a highlight! They are a wonderful, reasonable & delightful family run business - amazing day!!

Cinque Terre - remember that the ferry & boats are impacted by schedules & weather & may be risky time wise. We did private van tour to first village & took the train between the towns. Again, terrific!

Haven't been to other ports....

So we can go to LaTerassa (?). I do believe StanandJim have been everywhere and should be food writers. I am booking some stuff tomorrow.

So we can go to LaTerassa (?). I do believe StanandJim have been everywhere and should be food writers. I am booking some stuff tomorrow.

First of all, if I could do Cinque Terre over tomorrow, I would leave the ship hungry.

We got up at the crack of dawn to breakfast beforehand, and when the tour van dropped us off at the entrance to the five towns, there were dozens of little "pastry and a coffee" shops which it would have been heaven to try.

Now, nobody loves the chocolate croissants on Oceania more than Stan and I, .....well, maybe except Bob Binder, who clued us into dunking them into Peanut Butter, but I digress. The point is that if you're in Italy......Enjoy the local food!

For Luncheon, I strongly suggest Restaurante Belforte in Vernazza.

http://www.ristorantebelforte.it/

My memories of it are so amazing that I went back to Yelp and Tripadvisor to see if it could have been as good as I think it was.......and they AGREE! :D

Speaking of food: they are famous for their pesto in this area and I brought home a few small jars on last visit. Also, a must is their Apertif called Aperol Spritz. You will see many sitting in outside cafes enjoying the orange colored drink on sunny days. It is Aperol (orange liquor) and Prosecco over ice with a slice of orange. Very refreshing and Italians love them..Cin Cin !

Now, nobody loves the chocolate croissants on Oceania more than Stan and I, .....well, maybe except Bob Binder, who clued us into dunking them into Peanut Butter, but I digress.

OMG! :eek:

Made reservations for a private tour today and specified that restaurant! You guys have to start charging for referrals! LOL

Carole