maggie3

We have been to that port a few times and usually just spent time in town, on the town beach, and having a nice lunch. But on one trip, for a change of pace, we booked a cruise line excursion (very rare for us to ever book any excursion) to the "Calanches." It turned out to be interesting because the route was quite picturesque and it was nice to see some of the island outside of Ajaccio. If we ever get back to Ajaccio I imagine we would probably do our usual beach day.

 

Hank

It is good to read these responses. Unfortunately, our ship does not offer an excursion to the Calanches. They offer trips to high parts of the island to smell the maquis(?) and eucalyptus or taste the wine. Has anyone here seen local operators at the port offering day trips to the Calanches? We may decide to follow advice here and enjoy the little town, and possibly the beach.

Thanks Maggie, I have done Florence previously and it is true that most of the sights are in the pedestrianised old town, my parents are interested in doing the hop on off bus tour however as it visits a few other areas of the city such as the piazzale Michelangelo where the best views are, we will likely do the shorter route which takes one hour I believe and then have a walk around the old town where the duomo and the ponto vecchio is, we will have a read of the Rick Steves guide as we have a copy of this book and see what is recommended in the book. I would love to have more than five hours in Florence as it is a beautiful city

That makes sense, dallas16. That walk up and down for Piazzale Michelangelo would be taxing for older folks. Sounds like a good plan.

Thanks coralreef, hopefully we will get the 9.12 train to get us to Florence for 10.30, although the ports schedule has us docking at 6am in Livorno now but it says 8 on our itinerary, hopefully it will be earlier for us, how much does a taxi cost from Livorno port to the train station?we sail at 7pm and the last ships shuttle leaves from the train station at 6pm so we will probably get the 15.28 train to get us back to Livorno just before 5pm and hopefully then there will be either a ships shuttle or a taxi waiting for us, hopefully we should be able to get five hours in Florence to see a few sites, do the open top bus tour and have time for a nice lunch too :) thanks for your help

Others may correct me, dallas 16, but I know from previous visits that most of what you'd want to see in Florence is in a pedestrianized zone. The open top bus tour might not do you much good. I remember Florence as a pretty compact place for walking and exploring the sights. Find a good self-directed walking tour in Rick Steves' Italy or other guidebook. That will help you get priorities organized for exploring.

Thank you dallas16 and ganigani for the clarifications!

The free shuttle bus continues leves us off at Largo della Pace.You can go walking, from here to the Catedral, where the bus to Tarquinia stops. From Piazza Vittorio Emanuele (Cathedral) you can get a COTRAL bus line bound for Tarquinia (Barriera S.Giusto) that will drop you within walking distance.Take a look COTRAL website to check timetables. .

 

You can reach Tarquinia by train.

 

Take the train (bound for Pisa Centrale/Grosseto - € 1.50) and get off after one stop at Tarquinia (Museum). In front of the entry to the Museum leaves a free shuttle bus to the Necropolis (Historic Center - valverde Line B-D).

 

There isn't a set timetable for the shuttle bus: it runs approximately every 20/30 from 9.15 to 12.10 and from 16.00 to 19.20. For bus timetables refer to the*official site. Coming back from Tarquinia Station you will only have to get the first train bound for Civitavecchia/Roma Termini. For train timetables refer to theTrenitalia site

 

 

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-address-how-get-and-useful-info

 

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/tarquinia-and-etruscan-necropolis-monterozzi

 

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/new-bus-stops-cruise-passengers-port-civitavecchia

 

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/mappa-del-porto

Thank you,ganigani, for your kind help. May we assume that in looking at the map of Civitavecchia port, depending on time of day, for exploring the town sites of Civitavecchia itself during a port stop, it would be better to depart the shuttle near the fortress? I see on the map there is a shuttle bus picture at "Porto Livorno". Should I assume we may not get off the shuttle there?

Does this mean we no longer exit the port from Via Turco 3? Was that just the temporary port exit? We will arrive in port in September and are confused! It appears now there are multiple stops where we may leave the shuttle? We may decide to explore Civitavecchia itself as the itinerary info in this thread looks good. Our original plan was to find the bus for Tarquinia, but we keep finding different info on where the shuttle leaves us off and where we would find the bus for Tarquinia. Exploring Civitavecchia itself is looking like a good bet. (We have been to Rome many times.) All advice is welcomed!

On an Australia/ New Zealand cruise a few years ago, I bought a couple of jars of vegemite to bring home to the U.S.. I had often read about it, but hadn't yet tried it, and was looking forward to enjoying it at home. I had packed the two jars in my carry-on, not remembering that at the airport anything of a gel consistency would be confiscated, and it was! I begged the agent to please let me at least taste it, as I didn't want to miss the experience. He said "Here, Sure. Go ahead." I thanked him and innocently dipped in my finger, scooped out a good sized dollop and popped it into my mouth. The face I made must have been terrible, because everyone around us was laughing hysterically! The agent cheerfully apologized and said he was sorry he didn't warn me, but he just had to see what would happen. He also hinted that in his country, they didn't much care for our peanut butter either. It was a memorable learning experience! I will look for the marmite on an upcoming Med. cruise and I will try it properly, very sparingly! One day I will find vegemite again, and I will give it, also, due respect!

Our ship will dock in Ajaccio, Corsica for one day. We are torn between exploring the town of Ajaccio on our own for the day, or taking a tour into the Corsican countryside. Is the countryside not to be missed? Which parts of Corsica would be most beautiful or enjoyable for the day? We will be very grateful for all advice.

Thanks, everyone, for the kind replies.

Since no one has responded to my question of where to buy bus tickets for the Sedici Settembre bus stop for Tarquinia, may I assume there is no place nearby to buy tickets for that bus stop?

The bus stop for Tarquinia is literally just around the corner from the Via Turco shuttle bus drop off point, less than 500 feet.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Via+Turco,+3,+00053+Civitavecchia+RM,+Italy/42.0964118,11.7895821/@42.0967903,11.786782,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x1328a352f79d6c37:0xc83f653c8d14d927!2m2!1d11.78865!2d42.09713!1m0!4e1

Thank you, Cruisemom and eurocruiser for clarifying. I know we will need to purchase the bus tickets in advance. Where would we purchase tickets to board the bus at this 16 Settembre bus stop location?

I have found the Via Sedici Settembre and the Largo Camillo Benso stops on the Google map. Now I just need to know the exact point on the map where the NEW Civitavecchia port shuttle from the ship will leave us off. Can someone please pinpoint that location for me, for example the corner of blank and blank? We will be traveling in September. Is the new shuttle temporary or should it be the same in September? Thanks everyone for your help. I really need to pinpoint these locations so we don't wander aimlessly that morning. ALSO if we go to the Via 16 Settembre bus stop, where will we buy the ticket before the bus arrives?

Our ship will dock in Ajaccio, Corsica for one day. We are torn between exploring the town of Ajaccio on our own for the day, or taking a tour into the Corsican countryside. Is the countryside not to be missed? Which parts of Corsica would be most beautiful or enjoyable for the day?

It's right about there. That's the closest point I could easily map. If you get there, just look for the bus stop -- they usually have a sign that's pretty visible.

Thanks so much! This advice will be most helpful.

Thank you both for your advice. So, in looking at Cruisemom's google map, am I correct that we will find the bus to Tarquinia at Largo Camillo Benso on the map?

I am reading there is a bus that goes from right in front of the cruise port of Civitavecchia to the center of the town of Tarquinia. Is there a landmark at the cruise port that will help us locate that bus stop? I know the Shuttle from the ship to the port exit has changed somewhat. Can a fellow traveler please give us specific directions for how to find the bus to Tarquinia once we exit the ship?

Am I correct in noticing that Cap Ferrat views seem to be all about the cliffs and the sea? Is there a quaint village to explore as well, or is it all modern hotels, resorts? Outside of Eze and St. Paul de Vence, can fellow travelers, please recommend quaint villages within an easy bus or train ride from the port of Monte Carlo?

If I remember correctly from a trip we took on our own years ago, we needed to take an elevator from sea level up to the level of the notorious Monte Carlo Casino. If the #112 bus actually does stop there, that should be a relatively easy to locate landmark. I, along with envy4u would love to hear from any previous travelers who have taken this bus route from the Monte Carlo Casino to Eze, upper town level. It will make travel more efficient time wise if we know exactly where we need to be. The information we have always gotten from these boards, from Hank and others, has inspired confidence and has made travel much more pleasurable.

I agree with marazul. The first tour gives you more inside visits. You really do need to see the original David on a trip to Florence. There is lots more of interest in that museum as well, but you will not be overwhelmed with too much museum time. Carry some water and snacks for nourishment or buy a panini at a bakery. Buy it early in the day to eat later, as often bakeries sell out early.

Thank you, Hank. We truly value your advice. We will check the bus schedules for #112 to Eze village now and as we get closer to our cruise date in September, as we know they may be different.

Mskaufman, your pictures of Eze are enchanting. I am looking at pictures of Antibes and Menton and, while beautiful, they don't seem to have the same kind of appeal. Am I correct that the bus from Monte Carlo will take us to the lower part of Eze? Is there a form of public transportation from below to the upper town? If not, is it an extremely steep walk?

Thank you to both for your replies. We did not have difficulties navigating St. Paul de Vence, so perhaps we will be fine in Eze. We will be in port in Monte Carlo for a day. We explored that locale, as well as Nice, Cannes, Grasse, St. Paul on past visits, a few years ago. DH complains that everything worth seeing in Europe is built on a hill. Yes, it is. That is part of its charm. I am just hoping to have a complaint free day. Would Menton and Antibes be easier to access, with more to see? We don't need to see another perfume factory, for certain. I do appreciate all advice.

Is Eze a town that is easily explored on foot? Is the town laid out on a hillside? DH has difficulty navigating steep hills. Eze sounds as if it would be a pleasant town to explore, but I'll be doing it on my own if it is mostly uphill. Thanks for all advice.

Yes, our gondola ride a few years ago was shared with four other people. It was in the evening and the singer and music on a beautiful evening were memorable. This time we will negotiate and perhaps, on our own find others to share. We've enjoyed Venice several times over the years, and our favorite activity has been getting "lost". We see so much more that way. We are ready, once again, for the gondola experience. Yes, it is kitschy, like hula dancers and leis in Hawaii, and very much worth doing!

Several years ago DH and I were able to buy, from the American Express office in Venice, tickets for a half-hour evening gondola ride at the cost per person of $25 U.S.. I realize the cost will have risen, but can any recent traveler to Venice please advise, first of all, whether there is still an American Express office in Venice, and of course, whether they still sell the gondola tickets and what is the current cost?