what trips to do? and other things to do. Adriatic Affair 2016

[gizzie4]

Not been to Croatia before and will be visiting a few new places, such as Venice . We've looked at Thomson's excursions and considered them, but what advice would peeps give as to how to get around Venice? Would we be better doing our own thing, or sticking with the Thomson excursion for this one? Would like to see all the usual attractions as well as gondola ride. Also for anyone who has done this cruise, any advice on other ports of call? We are not massive fans of visiting historical sites or churches. We much prefer to see how the locals live and spend time wandering around looking at various sites.

 

cheers for any advice :)

[stevedeccaman]

Hi Giizzie,

sorry no info for this one, hope u both ok is your son still on the ships as as dancer etc ?

remenber the cruise we did calling at amongst other ports , Istanbul ?

 

I had a dodgey leg ! :D think you gave me a potion to sort it out:confused:

 

for all those with a dirty mind it was a cream for strained ligaments:rolleyes:

 

Stevie :)

[Pensioncruiser]

Have a look at my report, & others, under Golden Celebration☺

[gizzie4]

Hiya Stevie. Hope you are well. Yes i remember the leg ;) We are all good thanks and Darren is still singing and dancing his way around the ships. He's joining P&O Australia in January. :) Won't be going though as we'd just booked this latest trip. He's also getting married in 2017 so lots of things going on. give my best to Mrs Steve x

[gizzie4]

Thanks for that Pensioncruiser, will take a look

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Venice is easy to do on your own. You can get the vaporetto or you can walk in to Venice, Apparently there is something called a people mover, but we have never found it :o - others will know. When we were there in September we had an extra day in Venice due to not being able to dock at the next port. We got off the ship and caught the hoho boat. It was very good.

 

Where else are you going?

 

http://www.venezia.city-sightseeing.it/eng/faqs.html

Edited November 14, 2015 by CRUISIN LINDA

[jenny wren]

Yes the people mover can take you from outside the port gate to piazzale Roma which is where you can start your walk into the centre of Venice or catch a vaporetto. It is just one stop and costs one euro each way....just walk out of port gates to the right and it is there. It is a driverless monorail train and is very easy to use.....when you arrive in piazzale Roma keep to the right and cross the square and generally walk in that direction following the signs on the walls to Rialto and then San Marco......:)

[gizzie4]

Hi Linda. We are also staying for a week in Dubrovnik. During the cruise we are calling at Koper, Rijeka, Korcula, and Durres, so any info on these places would be welcome. Thanks :)

[gizzie4]

Thanks for the info Jenny. We weren't sure whether we would have to do one of the Thomson excursions in order to see the best of Venice, but i know more often than not, that you can do the same things on your own at a fraction of the cost so i think we will probably try this. :)

[Granny grumps]

Very easy to use people mover .you see the sign and mono rail when u get off ship and walk left out of port then to the right there is ticket machine in foyer .as Jenny wren said you can walk to st marks square ,we took vaporreto down the centre of the grand canal past all sights and Rialto bridge fabulous very cheap to use . Then easy to walk back ( unless you go in every handbag shop ) follow yellow signs on wall high up The ship does vaporreto from port about£15.00 I believe but it takes u to st marks down the external grand canal .enjoyed so much booked again for next year !

[joeholiday2]

Hi Gizzie.

Good to know you are both keeping well, we met Feb 13 on Dream, pleased Darren is doing OK, send him our best wishes.

 

Only done Koper and Venice out of those ports.

 

People mover is a good option for Venice. Have a look at toms port guides, he has good info on Venice.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html

 

Koper is a nice place to just have a walk around, not much there but it's pleasant to have a beer or 2. I remember Kruzeeka saying she used to get the bus to a town lower down the coast that was nice, so that could be an option as well.

[kruzseeka]

Hi Gizzie.

Good to know you are both keeping well, we met Feb 13 on Dream, pleased Darren is doing OK, send him our best wishes.

 

Only done Koper and Venice out of those ports.

 

People mover is a good option for Venice. Have a look at toms port guides, he has good info on Venice.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html

 

Koper is a nice place to just have a walk around, not much there but it's pleasant to have a beer or 2. I remember Kruzeeka saying she used to get the bus to a town lower down the coast that was nice, so that could be an option as well.

 

You're right joe - wish I had such a good memory!!!:D

 

It's Piran you're thinking of - I've pulled up a part of a review I did about our trip there:

 

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.

 

It may not be Sunday for you gizzie - but it is a fairly quiet place - I would recommend the trip to Piran. It's so pretty. You could even break your journey back in Portoroz depending on timings and have an hour or so there too. We've done the Piran trip again since I wrote this and would plan to go there if we went to Koper again. I seem to remember someone reporting back that the bus stop wasn't exactly where I'd described - but you can ask for directions when you get there. I'd suggest making an earlish start though - will give you a decent amount of time in Piran plus an opportunity to explore Koper on your return.

[kruzseeka]

Hi Gizzie.

Good to know you are both keeping well, we met Feb 13 on Dream, pleased Darren is doing OK, send him our best wishes.

 

Only done Koper and Venice out of those ports.

 

People mover is a good option for Venice. Have a look at toms port guides, he has good info on Venice.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html

 

Koper is a nice place to just have a walk around, not much there but it's pleasant to have a beer or 2. I remember Kruzeeka saying she used to get the bus to a town lower down the coast that was nice, so that could be an option as well.

 

You're right joe - wish I had such a good memory!!!:D

 

It's Piran you're thinking of - I've pulled up a part of a review I did about our trip there:

 

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.

 

It may not be Sunday for you gizzie - but it is a fairly quiet place - I would recommend the trip to Piran. It's so pretty. You could even break your journey back in Portoroz depending on timings and have an hour or so there too. We've done the Piran trip again since I wrote this and would plan to go there if we went to Koper again. I seem to remember someone reporting back that the bus stop wasn't exactly where I'd described - but you can ask for directions when you get there. I'd suggest making an earlish start though - will give you a decent amount of time in Piran plus an opportunity to explore Koper on your return.

 

P.S. Would also recommend just exploring Venice independently - spend as much or as little time at the various sites and find cafes, icecream shops and gondola rides off the main drag! If you get a vaporetto from P.Roma make sure it's one going the whole length of the Grand Canal to St Mark's Sq - we got on one which stopped at the Rialto Br. but worth doing it as you don't get those views from anywhere other than from the water.

 

It's worth going to the Accademia Br for the classic photos and if you get close to there, find Nico's Gelateria for fabulous icecreams - not expensive either. It's on the Guidecca Canal - you oass it on the right hand side as you sail in . And don't miss the sail in!!!! I find one of those PopOut maps great for Venice - you will get lost - but not for long. Directions are everywhere at ist floor level on buildings pointing to Accademia, St Mark's and the Rialto so it never takes long to find a landmark.

[Jakanne1]

There is now a tourist coach that takes you from the dock next to the ship to Piran. People were giving leaflets out after we passed through passport control. There was a guide on the coach who pointed out places of interest, history, geography and agriculture of the area. At €20 each return it was excellent value. The only down point was that we only got two and a half hours in Piran.

 

We had taken the local bus on our previous visit and that was ok at the time but we did have anxious moments finding the bus stop and hanging about waiting for it, as no one seemed to know when it was due.

 

Piran is definitely an excellent place to visit.

[biffybear]

Hi

 

We called at Venice in September on the Majesty. We booked the motor launch transport from the ship then did our own thing in Venice. It is very easy to get around (although crowds were awful) and as there were four of us it worked out much cheaper to book the gondola trip ourselves. Watch out for prices around the main square, my other half nearly had a coronary at the prices for a pint of beer! Found a lovely little bar a few streets back which served delicious Bellini cocktails for us girls.

[gizzie4]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I'm sure with this we can look forward to finding our way around a bit easier. Great site and I hope we can be as much help to others once we have experienced a few trips.:)

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Hi Linda. We are also staying for a week in Dubrovnik. During the cruise we are calling at Koper, Rijeka, Korcula, and Durres, so any info on these places would be welcome. Thanks :)

 

Sorry gizzie, just realized I had not replied to you. We did Adriatic affair in September, but they seem to have changed the itinerary!

 

Venice as others have said is easy to do. Because we had been before we did a Thomson trip - Secret Corners - very good - an early start, but that is good as it avoids the crowds in St Mark's Square. As I said before the hoho boat is good too, they had BOGOF when we were there - so good value.

 

Koper - we had been before, but only explored the main square, but this time we were directed down to a place where they were holding a confectionery fair, so realized it is a bigger place than we had thought.

 

Korcula was a beautiful place to wander round, lots of little bars and cafes along the waterfront - absolutely gorgeous.

 

Sorry, I haven't been to Durres or Rijeka :(

[happy v]

Have a good holiday Linda.:)

 

We're away for a few days so you will be gone when I get back.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Thanks Vera. No flying on this one :) Train to Southampton and, hopefully, not too long a wait to get on the ship (new boarding procedures on P&O ;) )

[Carib cruiser]

I agree with others about the people mover in Venice and the Ljubljana trip anc the walk round Koper. Lovely little place with cobbled street and a few bars. There is also a beach, turn right off the ship. It takes about 5 mins. Small cafe and lots of families due to it being Sunday. It was like stepping back in time 20 years. We did a local beach in Split if you are going there and like to join in with locals. Turn the opposite way to the old town and follow the railway line. Enjoy