Extending a Cruise Holiday
Extending a Cruise Holiday
Quite often cruise holidays around the Mediterranean and Europe are reached by flying to a European city. many holiday makers are now extending their stay getting more out of their holiday, and exploring the city your cruise ship departs from. This is also quite handy when flying from regional airports from around the UK where flight times don't quite match up with cruise departure and arrival times. Also by adding on an extra night or two it may mean you are not flying on peak days of the week and could reduce the cost of your flight.
Most popular cruise ports in Europe.
BARCELONA
This is a great place to stay with lots of things to see and do for everyone. The airport is situated South along the coast from central Barcelona . The city centre can be reached in 25-30 minutes depending on traffic taxis cost approx 25-30 Euros. The only place to stay is centrally as close to Las Ramblas area as possible. Las Ramblas is a 1.2 Km pedestrian avenue full of shops, bars and restaurants this is the equivalent of Leicester Square in London . At the end of Las Ramblas is the monument to Christopher Columbus which marks the entrance to the Port area. The nearest cruise terminal is about 10 minutes walk from here & there are 7 cruise terminals in total. In fact the Blue Bus Shuttle departs from this monument and can take you directly to your ship for just 2 Euros.
Sightseeing musts in Barcelona are the Sagrada Familia Cathedral - they started building this in 1882 and it is still not finished. To satisfy hubby perhaps try the Barcelona FC museum . There is also the Picasso Museum and the Magic Fountain of Mon Juic for Nightly light , water and Music extravaganza's. The last thing to mention about Barcelona is Port Aventura theme park about an hour outside of Barcelona . This is Spain's answer to Universal Studios of Walt Disney World in the States with it shows, roller coaster rides and themed areas of the Med , Imperial China , Aztec Mexico , Wild West and Polynesian Jungles.
ROME
There are two airports for Rome - Ciampino and Fiumicino. Fiumicino is likely to be the airport used for cruises served by Easyjet and BA. Fiumicino is also known as Leonardo Da Vincci airport and is situated approx 16 miles from Rome City centre. Rome is an incredibly busy city and is more for those who want to see the sights. The best place to stay is as close to the train Terminal as possible as it is easy to get to all of the main attractions from here on the Metro. You can buy a metro ticket for just 4 Euros riding for up to 6 hours to all of the main sights for this price. Whilst in Rome you must visit the Colosseum, The Roman Forum ruins (which is the old heart of the Roman Empire), the Trevi Fountain , the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. All of these are easily reached by the metro. Civitavecchia Port is situated 50km north west of Rome .
VENICE
A wonderful place to stay for style , scenery , history and romance. There are two airports for Venice - Marco Polo (approx 20 minutes drive) & Treviso (approx 1 hours drive). We recommend always using Marco Polo ( used by BA , Aer Lingus , Easyjet & BMI) as it can sometimes be difficult to get a taxi driver to take you from Venice to Treviso airport. We would recommend two areas to stay in Venice . Piazalle Roma which is literally the end of the road for cars , taxis and buses. This terminus type square is also only 10 minutes walk from the cruise terminals plus restaurants and bars in this area are cheaper. The square is also very well connected by all to all areas of Venice by waterbus which is the cheapest way of getting around (from here to the Rialto Bridge the cost is approx 5 Euros). It takes approx 30 minutes to travel by waterbus to the Rialto Bridge and it is a great introduction to the wonders of Venice . There are some great restaurants by the canal next to the Rialto Bridge . From the here you can walk through to the most famous part of Venice - Saint Marks Square (Piazza San Marco) which is our second choice for accommodation. The restaurants and bars lining Saint Marks Square are the most expensive; but whilst in Venice you must at least have a drink here to watch the world go by. Top souvenirs would be Venetian Glass or the famous and incredibly flamboyant masks. There are lots of museums to visit and it's a great place just to get lost and wander through the alleyways, over the bridges and by the canals utterly charming. When the cruise ships are in a water bus connects Saint Marks Square to the cruise terminal. For those on a budget we even found a Burger King between Saint Marks Square and the Rialto Bridge !!!
AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam it is kind of like a bigger more modern version of Venice . With wonderful tree lined canals , picturesque buildings , great shops and very friendly locals. The Airport is situated 9 miles South West of Amsterdam and is easily reached by train which takes you to Central station (journey time 15 minutes). This is in the heart of Amsterdam and is only 5-10 minutes walk to the cruise terminal. We would recommend the 4 star Movenpick hotel at the cruise terminal or any hotels in the centre for longer stays to enjoy the excellent nightlife. Amsterdam city centre is contained within a series of interconnected concentric canal rings and so its great to explore the city by boat. Whilst in Amsterdam you must visit the red light district (of course just for a topic of conversation on your cruise), Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum , Rijksmuseum and the Magere Brug for an iconic shot of the double leaf Dutch draw bridge connecting both sides of the River Amstel. Everything is within walking distance of central station or alternatively trams are a quicker way to get around.
GENOA
Christopher Columbus airport is situated 6km from Genoa city centre passing the port on the way. This may be a bit of an obscure place to stay - but Genoa is steeped in history, has lots of low price cruises departing from here and is the gateway to the Italian Riviera including Portofino - just 15 miles away. Genoa is a dense and fascinating medieval warren of alleyways where Christopher Columbus grew up. Steeped in history Genoa has always been a city of merchants where tiny grocers, textile workshops , and bakeries jostle for position with boutiques, design outlets and goldsmiths. The rejuvenated Old Port area is a great place to stay with its celebrated architecture and lots of things to do. Perhaps explore the maze of narrow streets in the historic centre and marvel at the juxtaposition of late Renaissance style palaces next to humble houses on Via Garibaldi. This is a seventeenth century street with lots of museums and gardens to visit. Nightlife can be found along the waterfront , there are also two theatres, an opera house and even the Britannia Pub. A Country Of Glamour And Best Tourism Cheap Travel...A Few Ways To Save Your Moola"! Destination Focus – Scandinavia & Russia Festivals List in Mexico Continued The Historical Tradition Of Harvest Festivals Celebrity Gossip Too Fun To Follow Edinburgh & London (uk) Based Web Development Company Destination Focus - The Exotic Far East Plan Ahead For Christmas Shopping And Save! Tour To India: Come To The Magical Land Light Adult Incontinence – Celebrity Reveals All Date A Stripper – How To Convince A Stripper To Go On A Date With You Corbett Dhikala Tour At A Glance