weather =Iberian Peninsula in October

[marise]

We will be cruising the Iberian Peninsula Sept.30-Oct.11th Could anyone help with what kind of weather we are to expect, so we know what clothes we need to take? Will it be typically Fall, so, long pants/long sleeves/light jacket? Or will it be colder than that?

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

marise

[Morgans]

The southern area i.e Spain & Portugal should be fine and you will probably need cool clothes & swimsuits. The northern area (are you heading down past France for example?) will be cooler so bring something slightly warmer for on deck such as a fleece or jumper. The Iberian peninsula is a huge area and can vary from "one end to the other." We did this cruise at the end of March - France was freezing and Portugal/Lisbon was gorgeous.

 

Marge M

[Ine]

Check all detals and statistics on:

www.wundeground.com

[keltic]

Well it depends the place you want to visit. The country has got a huge weather diversity. October is a transition time. Still warm but could be affected by storms in the Mediterranean, a bit chilly at night in most places of the North and centre, and bring umbrella and a light raincoat in case you want to come to the north and specially the Northwest which is the rainniest part of the country. Mild weather, light jacket and umbrella. Prepare for the changes

[marise]

Thank you so much Keltic and Morgans, for your replies.

 

Morgans, since you were most recently on this cruise (March did you say?) could you tell me a little about the ports? Vigo, Bilbao, Malaga in Spain and La Rochelle in France. I have no idea what tours to take in these cities? Also, is one able to just walk off and tour around or is it necessary to have tours booked? Would very much appreciate your take on this cruise and it's ports. Did you cruise with Legend of the Seas or another cruise ship/line?

 

Anyone else with any info on the above would be most appreciated.

 

marise

[Morgans]

We called at Vigo and La Rochelle, Lisbon & Brest in March but also called at Malaga last year. We went with P & O who are excellent.

 

For Vigo you can walk around the town fairly easily from the ship as ours berthed very close to town. It is a typical Spanish city with several good shops and restaurants, but is quite hilly. There is an interesting modern art museum, fish market and oyster counters open onto the pavements near the port. Also a beatiful park to the north of the city. One excellent trip from here is the excursion to Santiago de Compostela which we can recommend - a beautiful place and well worth seeing. The Cathedral is magnificent. It takes approx 50 minutes in the coach.

 

Malaga should be very warm even in September/October. This is a lovely town, but busy. There is a delightful museum of typical Spanish life, a Picasso Museum and the Castle high on the hill which we walked up to - were shattered when we got to the top but the view made up for it once we got up there. There is also a round Malaga Bus Tour which is good. The centre is walkable from the ship - we were very close to town.

 

La Rochelle is a very pretty and attractive town with a beautiful harbour. You will need a shuttle or taxi into the town as it is quite a distance from the ship and not possible to walk. Lots of restaurants selling fish and crepes - the local drink here is cider and some of the restaurants serve it in little bowls and you have a choice of dry or sweet. Recommended!! Our friends took the excursion to Ile de Re which we would have done but it was too cold for us in March. The Ile is beautiful and also well worth seeing - it's one of the places where the top French film stars all have houses and go for their holidays (also Johnny Depp and several others.) The sand is white and goes on for miles. The island is connected to the mainland by a huge bridge which you should see when you dock - again too far to walk however.

 

We can't help with Bilbao as haven't been, but we hear that the Art Gallery is unmissable.

 

We have sailed the Bay many, many times and have had no major trouble with rough seas so try not to worry about bad weather - be prepared just in case. We are in the middle of a heatwave at the moment - 36 degrees yesterday and Portugal & Spain it has been over 40 degrees lately. - we can get beautiful weather in September so keep fingers crossed. It will get hotter as you sail further south.This should be a lovely holiday - any more questions feel free to ask. Have a great time.

 

Marge M

[marise]

Marge M, that was a lovely report on your cruise. I am so looking fwd to mine now. Thanks for the reassurance about the weather. I guess no one can predict it and I will keep my fingers crossed - and send some positive vibes over to the weather god!!!!

We also have Gibralter and St.Peter Port in the Channel Islands. Have you been to these ports at all?

Also, you mentioned that La Rochelle is a taxi/bus ride to the city centre. Does the ship have a shuttle or is it safe to pick up a taxi port side, and could you recall how much that cost?

I sure appreciate your experience and info. Look fwd to your reply.

thanks again.

marise

[Morgans]

Hi there Marise. So glad that you are looking forward to your cruise. Yes we have done Gibraltar and St. Peter Port and they are both lovely. St. Peter Port is very weather dependant so keep your fingers crossed that the tenders will be able to get in. It's a small harbour, very walkable and I would suggest a walk to the castle - this will take you through the marina and the castle is reached at the end. It's easy to do and easy to see as well as being very interesting. St. Peter Port itself is lovely and quaint. It has lovely shopping with cosmetics, perfume and alcohol being discounted well. Brands such as Chanel ect are good buys here as they're cheaper than elsewhere.There are some lovely eating places such as traditional pubs and fish and chips on offer. A lot of French is spoken and you will see lots of the names in French.

Gibraltar is one of my favourite ports - it's a fair walk into town but most ships put on shuttles (at least the ones we've been on.) From the ship, it's a straight walk into town - you will find yourself in Main Street which is primarily a long street packed with shops selling (again) alcohol and jewellery and perfumes. By and large this is one of the cheapest places in Europe for alcohol & spirits. You can use British pounds or Euros but watch your change as you could get Gibraltarian money which you can't spend elsewhere. At the very top of the Main Street there is a graveyard which is very poignant in that it is the cemetery forsome of the sailors from Trafalgar. The gravestone make interesting reading (without being morbid at all!) From here if you turn to the right there are signs for the Cable Car which will take you to the top of the Rock - but there can be quite a queue. This is well worth doing. After the top and then the descent, you will have the long walk back to the ship - a taxi might be a good idea and wouldn't be expensive.

 

Re your question about La Rochelle - I believe most ships will put on a shuttle for the passengers which drops you right in the centre.A taxi would take about 15 mins I would think but I'm not sure about the cost - possibly 15-20 euros? Sometimes the local Chamber of Trade supplies the shuttles and they are free.

 

Hope to have helped,

Marge

 

P.S. As you go through the Straits of Gibraltar watch out for dolphins - they are in abundance in this particular area and tend to follow the ship.

[edinburgher]

We were in St Peter Port in June. Its a small but pretty island. There was some tourist info beside where the tenders drop you off, and for more info from the main tourist office, walk to the end of the pier and turn left. The office is across the street in a very splendid building. The staff were extremely helpful with info, maps, transport etc.

Lots of people on our ship (including us) took local buses to sightsee. There are 2 in particular which go right around the island following the coast, one in a clockwise direction, the other anti clockwise. There were others to the interior. There is a flat fee of 50 pence per journey, irrespective of journey distance. We all thought it a terrific bargain as the round island bus trip takes one and a half hours. It was a scenic drive and brings you back to where you started from. WE just stayed on the bus. I can recommend this. The bus station is a little under 5 mins walk from the Tourist Office. You can see it from the Tourist Office. I would recommend getting on here as the buses are quite small and can fill up quickly if theres a cruise ship in.

 

Afterwards we strolled the waterfront and shopping area, the castle is also there. Its very compact and easily walkable.

[edinburgher]

We were in La Rochelle last September.

 

Our ship (Marco Polo) charged $15 pp for the shuttle into town. We shared a taxi with another couple who we arranged to meet later for the return. We paid €15 plus €5 tip each way. It therefore cost us 1/2 what the ships shuttle would have cost us.

 

Its a lovely town, very nautical!, fairly compact, several museums, nice shops and cafes etc. We also took one of the little boat shuttles to Les Minimes, a short and scenic trip to one of the biggest marinas in Europe. Its part of La Rochelle. It cost a tiny amount of money. Locals use it like a bus. You can stay on and just come back into La Rochelle again. The Town Hall is a fabulous building, theres a market etc. We enjoyed our day here very much. It was one of our favourite ports.

 

There should be info on La Rochelle online. Have you tried googling for a local tourist office site? And another good one can be:

www.virtualtourist.com