Help with cruise decision

[ncsongbird]

Hi,

 

We are planning on a cruise out of Barcelona for late Oct. We are currently looking at 2 cruises and need help in deciding which one would be best for us. Both visit Livorno, Naples and Civitavecchia which we have been to before. So no problem there. One cruise stops in Nice (Villefranche) and Marseille. The other cruise stops in Portofino and Cannes. We are trying to decide between the two cruises.

 

My husband and I like doing our own thing for shore excursions. We like quaint, picturesque places where we can soak up the local character. Shopping and fancy restaurants are not our thing. We would visit churches, historical buildings and museums and we like the old parts of towns the best. We don't mind walking and taking local transportation. And we've traveled quite a bit in Europe, so we don't mind going off the beaten track but we also don't want to miss the main attractions in a port either.

 

I'm looking for some insight into which cruise would offer the most bang for our buck given what we like to do? What are the "not to be missed" attractions in Nice, Marseille, Portofino and Cannes?

 

Thanks for helping,

[2serendip]

We've visited each of those places and have really enjoyed all of them except for Marseilles which we found to be big but not beautiful. That being said, though, our weather wasn't very good the two times we've been there, and we didn't attempt to walk around very much. Each time for part of the day we took a ship's excursion to Aixe en Provence, once for a walking tour, once for a tour focusing on the impressionists, and we liked those tours a lot.

Nice is wonderful -- the beautiful seaside Promenade des Anglaises, the Chagall and Matisse museums (and a Picasso one we haven't seen), the open market and the old town. We've been there several times and found new things to see each time.

Portofino is beautiful but very small. You can walk it in about an hour and then there isn't much to do but shop or enjoy one of the cafes.

We were in Cannes during the Film Festival, and it was great fun walking around and seeing everything. We've also taken excursions from Cannes into the wonderful little village perches that are on the hillsides.

So every one of those places is a delight to visit. Good luck with your decision!

[hylasgirl]

That is hard... I have been to Villefranche sur Mer twice now and love it! BUT, Portofino is supposed to be fantastic for a day stop. I don't know what ship you are on, but remember... Portofino gets missed a LOT and ends up in Genoa. Because of the way Portofino is situated and also having to tender, the water ends up being too rough to get in there in many cases.

[wurmine]

From your post I would guess, that Canne and Portofino better suit you. Portofino is a lovely village to explore, very relaxing - at least at that time of the year.

[Billiam]

Hello fellow tarheel, we are on the Oct. 24 Century trip. We have similiar backgrounds with Europe travel. I chose this trip because we have seen most of the highlights and want to see more countryside and kickback areas. I'm told, by an Italian friend from Naples that Portofina is a place to spend the entire day in, we also doing Tuscany and the Amalifi Coast. If you decide on the Century we have a roll call going and you are welcome to visit or join. Happy cruising.