Our Mediterranean cruise with Freedom of the Seas started in Barcelona and continued with stops in Marseille and Nice. The next stop on the cruise was the Italian port city of La Spezia. From here you can travel on to Florence or Pisa, but we chose to slow down a bit and take a day in La Spezia.
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Leave the ship or not?
Every time the cruise ship stops in a port, you can choose whether to stay on board, hang out in the immediate area or travel on to a larger city. The Freedom of the Seas stops very close by Marseille and a very short train journey from Nice, but for the stops in La Spezia (Florence/Pisa) and Civitavecchia (Rome) the journey time from the ship is longer.
If you choose to book the shipping company's own tours, you get a lift and a guide, and you don't have to worry about getting back in time. On the other hand, this means that you will have to pay significantly more than if you are travelling on your own. Travelling on your own is fine, but you need to get up early and make sure you keep track of train or bus times so you don't get delayed on your return...
This day we chose to start with a quiet breakfast on the balcony (top picture) and then we came back in good time to hang out on the ship.
A day in La Spezia
La Spezia is an Italian harbour town, not far from the popular medieval villages of Cinque Terre. The town may not be as fascinating as those villages, but on the other hand, it's somewhat liberatingly non-touristy. If you take a bus or boat ride out to the headland, you can also get to Portovenere, which looks incredibly charming in pictures. We chose to take a lazy day and not do any excursions at all. Pretty nice for a change!
Stairs up to a 13th century castle
We simply hung out for a day in La Spezia. Among other things, took us up to the castle Castello di San Giorgio, which is from the 13th century. We took the stairs up to the castle ... then we found the funicular railway. But hey, exercise is good, right?
View of the city and harbour
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Lena - good for the soul says:
Wow, what a wonderful trip you are on. It seems to be a good mix of boating and going ashore to tour a bit.
I myself am leaving for New York in an hour. Looking forward to coming back to this great city!
Hug Lena
09 September 2017 - 6:33
Helena says:
The mix is perhaps the best thing about cruising, that you both have life on board and can discover places on land. How wonderful with the New York trip! Wishes a really nice trip !!!
09 September 2017 - 8:07
Mr Steve says:
That balcony breakfast, talk about a great start to the day.
You seem to have had a really nice day. A good choice for you, by the way.
09 September 2017 - 7:39
Helena says:
Yes, it was nice to just stroll around and not rush on to a city further away. (Although we would love to see Florence, but that will have to be another time).
09 September 2017 - 8:08
Lennart says:
Good as long as there is a break!
09 September 2017 - 9:40
Helena says:
We had a few drops of rain at one point, but nice weather almost all the time. And warm! 🙂
09 September 2017 - 10:47
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
It's nice to have a day off and Florence is still there. Then there is a reason to come back and we recommend hiking between the small villages in Cinque Terre. Absolutely wonderful views along the way.
09 September 2017 - 9:45
Helena says:
I can imagine that it is nice there! Yes, we would love to come back 🙂 .
09 September 2017 - 10:47
Marina says:
It's good that you can actually make a choice and "mind your own business" for a while if you want to.
09 September 2017 - 10:27
Helena says:
Absolutely! Every time you add it is free choice what you want to do during the day 🙂 .
09 September 2017 - 10:48
Ama de casa says:
We have varied between walking around on our own and taking excursions via the boat. The latter is good if you are going far away from the quay as you are guaranteed that the boat waits for a possible delay. (I always get a little excited when I have to fit times, will probably never change my mind on that point 😉 ).
Hmm... I had probably tried to dare to refuse the castle. Although the view is usually worth the effort once you are up there. On the other hand, I would have cried myself to death over having missed the cable car... 😉.
Keep up the good work!
09 September 2017 - 11:53
Helena says:
We took the cable car down ... but it didn't have quite the same effect, haha. And yes, you can vary between your own excursions and organised ones. We prefer to do our own excursions, but it can feel a bit stressful if it's a long way to go ...
09 September 2017 - 13:25
Mum C says:
Great exercise with all these steps. Nice to make some discoveries on your own too.
Mum C
09 September 2017 - 12:45
Helena says:
This particular part of travelling, just strolling around somewhere on your own, is perhaps our favourite part 🙂 .
09 September 2017 - 13:25
Role o Carina says:
The breakfast with that view seems absolutely great!
Have fun and enjoy for us too.....:-)
09 September 2017 - 14:11
Helena says:
Not wrong at all 🙂
09 September 2017 - 18:56
Husis blog says:
The balcony on a ship seems to be great. Sitting there in peace and quiet and having breakfast instead of in the dining room must be a bit nice.
Ouch, too bad if you miss the boat after an excursion....
09 September 2017 - 15:11
Helena says:
Yes, we liked the balcony! As cosy as possible 🙂 And no, you don't want to miss the boat ...!
09 September 2017 - 21:57
BP says:
That exercise was good enough I must say!!! Many new leg muscles that you did not know you had I guess.
The view is absolutely magnificent and was well worth the exercise;-)
09 September 2017 - 17:43
Helena says:
We probably needed that exercise after all the eating I guess 😉.
09 September 2017 - 21:57
Yvonne says:
Great trip you are doing!
Answer...Beetroot patties are easy to make.
Take large beetroot and do not cook them too soft.
Peel slices and breads in eggs and turn in crusty flour with spices fry and eat with fried onions and potatoes.
Good luck to you
🙂
09 September 2017 - 21:44
Helena says:
Thanks for the tip! Doesn't sound so difficult after all 🙂
09 September 2017 - 21:58
Lots of other stuff and some concrete says:
Oh, what a balcony! I would also like to have breakfast there...
There was so much to do on the boat. Had probably thought it would be boring. Cosy to go ashore too.
It seems so lovely to cruise! Not a bit jealous.
PS. Even if you have been to Birka, it is probably worth another visit. Much has been added.
Agneta
09 September 2017 - 22:56
Helena says:
It is difficult to get bored on the boat, I must say! And a visit to Birka may be on occasion! 🙂
10 September 2017 - 8:03
Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:
It seems like a wonderful journey! Having a balcony to eat breakfast on seems so much nicer than sitting in a dining room!
09 September 2017 - 23:20
Helena says:
Breakfast on the balcony was soooo cosy 🙂.
10 September 2017 - 8:03
Maria's Memoirs says:
What a cosy place, nice to get away from other tourists for a while! By the way, how much does a cruise like this cost? Maybe you already mentioned it, but I have missed it isf 🙂
10 September 2017 - 16:52
Helena says:
Prices vary greatly depending on which month it is, which ship, which route, which cabin, etc... The price for the cruise we did (7 days in the Mediterranean in September) is about SEK 11,000 / person. This includes all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at all times of the day). Shows and activities are also included, but there are other things that are not included (such as drinks and excursions). We plan to write a more informative post in a few days about how everything works.
10 September 2017 - 18:33
Across the board says:
Nice to be able to vary a bit with activities. Maybe saw some of Chinque Terre from the boat. It is incredibly cosy to hike there (if you have not already done so).
12 September 2017 - 7:00