What to do in Palermo, Genoa, and Cagliari

While looking for a Western Mediterranean cruise, I found the Royal Princess - a ship I want to sail on someday - goes from Barcelona to Rome and vice versa in 2016. They are not mirror image itineraries, but both go to Livorno and Genoa. One cruise stops at Cagliari. The other stops at Palermo. Which one is better? If I choose one of those cruises, what can I do at each port?

On our last cruise in November we visited Cagliari, Palermo, Barcelona, and started and ended in Rome (Civitavecchia). We did private tours in Sardinia , Sicily and Rome, all very different. See cruise review in my signature for photos.

In Sardinia we visited the Barumini and had a wonderful Sardinian feast. In Sicily we travelled to Cefalu-a seaside town, and Castelbuono in the mountains. We prefer small towns and Palermo itself didn't seem too iniviting to us. But it depends of course on the types of sites you enjoy!

While looking for a Western Mediterranean cruise, I found the Royal Princess - a ship I want to sail on someday - goes from Barcelona to Rome and vice versa in 2016. They are not mirror image itineraries, but both go to Livorno and Genoa. One cruise stops at Cagliari. The other stops at Palermo. Which one is better? If I choose one of those cruises, what can I do at each port?

What sort of things interest you? That would give a good idea on things to do in those ports and which city would be better.

What sort of things interest you? That would give a good idea on things to do in those ports and which city would be better.

Castles, cathedrals, gardens, anything related to animals, and museums. If it is easy, I also enjoy hiking.

Having been to both, I'd choose Palermo over Cagliari -- but I like cities and history. Palermo has beautiful mosaics in the Capella Palatina, and (outside the city, you'd need to take a tour or arrange transportation) at Monreale. It also has other ornate cathedrals and the eerily macabre Capuchin catacombs. Palermo is also a good jumping off point to see other things in the vicinity (but probably not for a first visit....)

Cagliari, on the other hand, is a pleasant enough town, easy to walk around on your own, with a few ruins at the top of the hill.

We were recently at both ports. In Cagliari we walked around on our own and enjoyed the day. In Palermo, we booked a private tour for 4 of us and it was an exceptional day. We wanted to go to Monreale as well as see Palermo. Francesca was able to drop us off at the cathedral in Monreale, well before the tour buses (which had to park down the hill). She then joined us and told us the history and explained all the murals. In Palermo we did a walking tour that included another beautiful church and the local market. She brought us to a place for lunch that is definitely for locals and helped us order. This tour was very personalized and reasonable. If you want more info, you could contact Francesca at lofran07@libero.it

Just returned from a land tour that included Cagliarii. The archaeological museum is superb.

Castles, cathedrals, gardens, anything related to animals, and museums. If it is easy, I also enjoy hiking.

In Genoa you could do a number of things. You could go to Santa Margherita Ligure and do the walk from there along the coastal road to Portofino, it really is a beautiful walk. Otherwse you could stay in the centre of Genoa. There are some beautiful buildings there and some museums. The is a museum about ships and the sea and old palaces from when the port used to be the gateway to the world. There is also a building called castello d'albertis that sits upon a hill and gives panoramic views of the city with a museum inside.