adriatic explorer advise please

[infoqueen]

Hi all after having jumped ship from the dream we are sailing the adriatic on the spirit on 27th aug. We have never been on this coastline before, have only done the med. Can you advise the best excursions to do. things that shouldnt be missed. Which ports of call are easy to do on your own and which thomson trips should'nt be missed. After all the stress over the Dream am now happy to be looking forward to this trip as this was the itinery that i fancied in the first place and only booked the med to go on the new (??) ship. so quite happy now as have been on the spirit before.

thanks all.

 

shirley;)

[Nuthouse]

Hi there, back now for 3 weeks having had fab time. I travelled with my sister and we decided not to do an excursion in every stop so I'll pass on our thoughts.

KOPER....only a small place and you are there on a Sunday so very little open with a long day spent there. We went on trip to Ljubliana which we found really interesting and not too far to travel. We then went into Koper later on in the day, easily done on your own.

 

VENICE.... we did the Venice on Your Own full day (£20pp). Very smooth passage in to Venice with loads of time to do everything we wanted.If you want to do the Gondola ride I would go early as less queues and not too hot. Same with the free entry attractions in ST marks square. I'm not sure on how to get into Venice so we felt better doing the trip. We went on our own as we just wanted to wander around at leisure. It's fairly easy to get around the streets and bridges, just keep looking up on the street corners for the yellow signs which point you in the direction for many famous places.

 

KORCULA.... very easy to do on your own, a beautiful little gem of a place, we loved it! Not sure what any of the trips were like, but we strolled around the winding streets and walked around the harbour.

 

DUBROVNIC....again very easy to do on your own. We actually did the tour 'Medeival Dubrovnic' but didn't think it was worth the money. We left the tour part way through and did our own thing. We made our own way back to the ship on the local bus and it was dead easy and very cheap. Bus depot is just outside the ships berth and takes you direct into the town centre.

 

KOTOR....another lovely old town, easy to do on your own. I have visited there before and did a tour of Montenegro so we weren't bothered about going anywhere other than the town. It's lovely to wander round, stopping for a drink or ice cream or even lunch at one of the many cafes.

 

CORFU....having visited Corfu a few years ago we just went into the town to do a bit of last minute shopping and had lunch there. We got a taxi outside the terminal, look around for someone to share with if you are only two people, there is always someone wanting to do that(10 euro for taxi - one way).

 

As it is the change over day in Corfu your time there may be limited. We arrived in Corfu very late but also left late on the following Friday. The ship was very busy with new arrivals all day so if you are staying on the ship I would advise to get yourself a sunbed and stay in the same place!

 

If there is anything else I can help you with the please ask away. You will have a wonderful time and the Spirit is a super friendly ship. Have fun Janice;)

[kruzseeka]

Hi infoqueen,

 

Here is a copy of the review I did on adriatic Explorer when we came back in May. I agree with everything nuthouse has said, but we did some differnet excursions - some DiY and a Thomson one too so you might find it useful.

 

Koper:

It’s Sunday for this port call, so it’s very quiet although there’s a warm welcome at this destination. A small band play in local dress, some small souvenir stalls and a tourist information stand are quayside. You just walk off the ship here into the old town. On the day we went there was a local food/wine tasting market (don’t know whether this is a weekly feature though) which provided some character and colour to the town. There are some cafes around but not much in the way of shops – but a pleasant place for a stroll through the old town (interesting square with palace – although not much in the palace to see).

 

The first time we went we did the half-day excursion to Ljubljana which we really enjoyed – it’s a lovely drive there with a flat hour long guided walking tour of this small, compact but quite lively capital city. Many locals were around with their families and some local markets of glass and craft products as well as a fascinating (and somewhat bizarre) flea market and a café culture with open air seating along the riverside. (Someone we spoke to went this year and enjoyed it but said there weren’t many market stalls so I don’t know whether this is less than last year or whether the other passenger was just expecting more.)

 

This year we did a DiY excursion on local buses to Piran. If you ask at the tourist deck on the dock, they will give you a map showing where the bus stop is and you can pull up the timetable from tourist information for local bus services for Koper on the web. I think it was the 9.15 bus we went to catch. You walk around to the right from the berth, follow the walls around and when you see a main road in front of you going off to the right, the bus stop can be seen about 50m along this road – there is no need to cross over – that’s where you are dropped on the way back. It cost 3.10E (one way) but took us through Izola and Portoroz on the way so was like a sight-seeing tour. Piran is at the end of the line and the bus picks you up at the same place you’re dropped off. Piran was lovely – an old town but with much more of a ‘buzz’ than the sleepy Koper. You can walk around the promontory, up to the church for great views and there are cafes in the square (also a lovely chocolate shop!). We had a nice coffee at the café/bar (Neptune Café) where the bus waits and there is free internet access there if you buy a drink. We didn’t notice that until the bus was due to go but may be useful for someone else. It was very easy to do this on your own on public transport so no need to pay for an excursion unless this is your preferred way of going.

 

This is a pleasant stop but because it’s Sunday, there’s not a great deal to do so perhaps it’s worth thinking of going further afield or on a trip.

 

 

Venice:

Last time we arrived in a pea-souper – this time in the rain!!!! At least we could see Venice as we sailed in – but this is a ‘must-do’ weather permitting! It’s stunning.

 

There is a vaporetto stop in the dock area which for 6.50E will transport you to St Mark’s. The first one doesn’t start until about 8.50? and as we’d got off early to get to the centre ahead of the crowds, we walked to Piazzale Roma to catch the vaporetto there. This is a reasonable walk though – 15 minutes and you need to follow others or have a map to be sure to find the station as it’s not sign posted very well. The vaporetto we caught only went as far as the Rialto so we still had to walk to St Mark’s! As it costs another 6.50E to come back and you have to be sure the vaporetto is actually taking you where you need to go (we thought we’d caught the vaporetto to get off at the port again but it just sailed past and took us to the P. Roma again. Fortunately we recognised where we were but it did mean we’d got the walk back to port). The Lines of the vaporetto are a bit like the Tube (with route maps available) and some are ‘fast’ ones with few stops so care is needed – it is easy to DiY provided you get the correct one! But you will pay 13E p.p. return so may wish to weigh that up against the ‘Venice on your Own’ option which takes you by motor launch direct to St Mark’s at £18 for a half day and £20 for a full day. We’ve decided to walk all the way in if we’re in Venice again – a lot of people did just following the frequent signs for the centre.

 

Sadly it was raining in the morning – I felt very sorry for those who’d booked a gondola ride and got drenched. Not the best introduction to Venice! We went to the Doge’s Palace and bought a radio commentary so spent an interesting couple of hours in the dry. Luckily, it brightened up in the afternoon and was lovely – Venice looked at it’s best. St Mark’s got very busy later on but we elected to explore going over the Accademia Bridge onto the side of the Guidicca (sp?) Canal and found a superb icecream shop (Nico’s recommended in the AA guide) and bought a double scoop icecream for 1.70E – a bargain compared with coffee prices typically 3.50E (away from St Mark’s – extortionate there). It was lovely away from the crowded St Mark’s.

 

The sail-away was gorgeous with most people on deck taking pictures and admiring the fabulous views.

 

 

Korcula;

This is a charming little spot – very oldy-worldy with cobbled streets and small tourist shops. There are lots of lovely cafes and a tourist information office to the left of the steps/sweeping staircase as you approach the town from where the tender drops you. This must have the best ever views for a tourist office. We had coffees at the café at the top of the steps which had a lovely view. It was a bit blustery when we arrived with a slight shower from time to time but it soon brightened up and was a pleasant by late morning. We chose to explore here – it may not be suitable for those with walking difficulties as it’s uphill to the centre however you tackle the approach – and it’s not a large place but we thought it was lovely. There are some pleasant limited areas to stroll along the level with cafes. There were some interesting looking trips but as we hadn’t been before, settled for a leisurely stroll, explore and coffee.

 

 

Dubrovnik:

If you want to ‘do’ Dubrovnik independently it’s very easy. Fixed priced taxis at the port cost 10E to get to Pile Gate which is the entrance to the Old Town. Most passengers were looking for others to share taxis so it cost 10E total for two of us to get there and back. (The taxi rank to go back is just across the road from Pile Gate.) Quite a few people walked but it’s about 45 minutes each way. It’s worth getting in early if you want to walk the walls (70Kuna each) as it gets quite crowded later (plus walking tours) and it gets very hot! It’s quite strenuous though with a lot of steps to climb at different points – but it’s well worth doing. The views are fabulous. The pay desk is to the right as you go through the gate and the entrance to the walls on the left. There are lots of shops both touristy and up-market goods and cafes and boat trips being offered from the harbour (opposite side from Pike Gate – just walk straight through the centre). It’s a fab stop and very picturesque – and when we were there the mock orange was in bloom and the aroma from all these trees was gorgeous.

 

Kotor:

This is stunning. The sail in is really worth getting up for (or watch as you leave later in the day). It’s like the fjords in Norway. It’s a small, very attractive walled town but with a lot of character and café culture. If you’re VERY energetic you can walk up to the fort but be warned – they say it will take 45 minutes but I reckon that’s for a mountain goat!!! Last year we gave up at the little church (third of the way?) after almost 40 minutes so you’d have to be a very fit and serious walker to do it in that time-scale. However we met people who did make it so it can be done! As we’d been before we decided to do the Hightlights of Montenegro tour (£42 for approx 6.5 hours).

 

The drive up into the mountains was breath-taking – literally!!! So many hairpin bends – you have to be prepared for that as it was a bit scary! But was it worth it? Wow – definitely yes. It’s stunning scenery. We stopped at little village sooon after departure for some local fare (large thick slices of bread with cheese and ham and a drink) but it was really too soon after breakfast to want anything or appreciate it but I suppose with a relatively long tour and no lunch included they probably thought they need to provide us with something ‘to keep us going’! Then we went to the old capital and saw the ‘palace’ (not what you’d imagine – very plain, quite small and very modest but I suppose it reflected the small nation at that time). It was more of a museum really – not especially memorable but a welcome stop for a quick coffee in the adjacent town and stretch the legs. (There’s a fair bit of time on the coach for this one – but it’s a great way to see the stunning mountainous countryside).

 

Finally we stopped at Budva which is another with a walled old-town. Our guide had told us how the area was being heavily invested in by Russians who were very evident in the town and that it was an ‘up-market’ resort. I didn’t think it was as attractive as the build-up had lead me to believe but the (small) old town was very characterful (sound like an estate agent now!) with some pretty corners with vine covered cafes where we got the bargain coffee of the week – 1.5E for a lovely cappuccino, water (and toilet stop!). If you do this tour be sure to make careful note of where the bus will collect you – several of our group found difficulty finding the coach again having gone up the wrong (parallel) road from the old town. Perhaps other guides will have a closer pick-up point near the walls to meet then walk you back to the coach but our guide wasn’t as precise or careful about the meet-back arrangements as she might have been.

 

We felt we could have benefited with slightly longer in Budva but for the cost it was a great trip to see so much of this small country and, with an excellent guide, a good way to learn a lot about this small country.

 

We had enough time on our return to wander round Kotor on our return and enjoy a coffee in the square. The ship is berthed right by the entrance to the walls so it’s a very easy place to get into and explore.

 

Do make sure you see the sail in/out though – it’s one of the highlights – and free! It’s like being on an excursion in it’s own right!

 

Enjoy – it’s a fabulous itinerary. We felt there was something memorable at each port of call and really loved every minute. :D

 

Also, as nuthouse says, if you have a late departure time at Corfu you have plenty of time to go out and do a DiY trip or Thomson excursion here.

 

I have three suggestions here:

1. Go to the Old Town

2. Do the half-day morning Thomson excursion to Bella Vista to see something of the island and a very picturesque cafe stop at Bella Vista where they sell excellent walnut cake and baklava (not cheap though 16E for 2X cappuccino and cakes - but it's deleicious and generous portions of cake). (We did this trip last year)

3. Get the local bus to Kanoni

 

Here is a copy of our experience this year of going to Kanoni. We were back on board by about 1pm although we went straight back - but you can stop off in the Old Town on the way back if you have time.

 

Corfu:

The coach transfer through Corfu town is a bit disappointing for those who haven’t been before – it’s not very inspiring. But don’t let this put you off – the Old Town is lovely with loads of tourist shops, narrow streets and cafes. The fort is quite an imposing sight and it’s only a few Euros to get inside. It’s certainly worth going into the Old Town to explore if you have a late departure or a middle day there on a b2b. As you leave the port, turn right and follow the road round along the waterfront – it will take you directly into the Old Town - it's about a half hour walk.

 

As we planned to walk into Old Corfu town on our last day we decided that on our middle day we would try to get to Kanoni by local bus. This is situated at the end of the airport runway and just at the end of the runway are two little islands – one with a small church and the other approached by a causeway with a monastery. It was a recommended place to visit in an AA guide and apparently a No. 2 blue bus was what we wanted from the town centre. (Given the late departure from Corfu we felt confident we would get back in time!!) As we were leaving the port we spotted a blue bus parked inside the port and noticed it had a number 2 ‘Kanoni’ destination!!!! What a piece of luck! :D I don’t know whether it starts in the port at other times of the day but we were able to jump on there!!! (This was around 10am but the bus did pick up again at the bus stop outside the port too.) It was only 1.10E each and took less than half an hour.

 

Kanoni has a number of cafes with terraces and super views over Mouse Island and the monastery – also as it's change-over day of the aircraft coming in and out of Corfu Airport (and there are plenty of Thomson ones!). We walked over to the monastery (not much to see but a lovely setting) and caught the ferry for 2.5.E return over to Mouse Island. There really isn’t much there – a small church – the whole island has a rather neglected look but you can walk around the perimeter and look in the church and the ferry returns quite frequently. It’s an interesting spot though to have a coffee at one of the cafes overlooking the islands and do a bit of plane spotting or photography (if that’s not too nerdy!). :o

 

We caught the bus back at the same stop it dropped us off. It turns out that it’s a circular bus so didn’t go back the same way it came (around the back of Corfu town and via the airport). On the return it followed the bay around to Corfu Town centre then continued on stopping outside the port gates – so quite a useful service. At very little cost we went to Kanoni then came back and could have stopped off in the centre had we wished and from there walked into the Old town quite easily. Not a bad round trip.

It's a super itinerary - i'm sure you won't be disappointed. we did it last year and again this year and I hope we may go back again sometime - the scenery is spectacular! Enjoy! :)