Villefranche-sur-Mer is the main cruise anchorage for Nice. Passengers come ashore by tender and head for Monaco, Cannes, Grasse or the mountain villages. Another option is to spend the day in Villefranche itself, which climbs up the steep hill behind the bay. It is a warren of shops, art galleries, museums, bars and restaurants, so there is plenty to see and do without losing sight of the ship! Look for the Rue Obscure, an atmospheric passage behind the seafront, originally a cobbled lane for troops defending the town to move supplies and ammunition, but now covered in and hidden by subsequent buildings!
Category Archives: Mediterranean
Nice, France – A Cruise Port Guide
The iconic image of Nice is its wide sweeping bay and beach, overlooked by large imposing hotels. Although some smaller ships dock nearby at the Port de Nice, most cruise ships will dock further along the coast towards Italy. Villefranche-sur-Mer in the next bay, is the main cruise anchorage, where passengers come ashore by tender. From there the ships tours visit Monaco, Cannes, Grasse or the mountain villages but to be honest you really could spend a lovely day without heading far from the ship at all – there are so many things to see and do in the area that you will probably want to come back on another cruise or maybe four!
Athens, Greece – A Cruise Port Guide
We only had a short time in port because we were on a Repositioning Cruise from Civittavechia to Abu Dhabi and this was our last stop in Europe! Celebrity Constellation was leaving for Suez at 15.30 and the next port was Aquaba, Jordan three days away, so this was definitely not the day to get too foolhardy and be late back for the ship!! Constellation berthed in Piraeus the morning at Dock 12. Its a big port and Dock 12 is quite a way out so we took the free port shuttle as far as the Cruise terminal and then walked round to the station which is at the far side of the port. The walk took about forty minutes, and the station is easy to find, it is right by a large pedestrian bridge across the busy road – look for the big M for Metro.
Galataport, Istanbul – a stunning new Cruise Terminal
We are used to being blown away by the destinations we visit but it is pretty rare to feel that about the actual Cruise Terminal itself – my visit to Galaport Istanbul Cruise Port Terminal aboard Regal Princess last week, was definitely an exception – because this brand new terminal is very different, it isContinue reading “Galataport, Istanbul – a stunning new Cruise Terminal”
Barcelona Cruise Port Guide
Barcelona, second largest Spanish city and proud capital of Catalonia, is one of the largest cruise ports in the world with 9 cruise berths. If you cruise the Mediterranean you are sure to end up with a day ashore here and you will probably be back more than once! Which is probably a good thing as, although
A Currency Guide for Mediterranean Cruises
Don’t all European countries take the Euro? No! Oddly they don’t… so we have prepared you a handy checklist of all those that border the Mediterranean or are Island Nations within it