I went on a cruise recently, and it was advertised as going to Paris and Bordeaux – but it didn’t. I was miles away from those places.

The container ports we actually stopped at were miles away from the big cities.

I just went for a walk in Le Havre (for Paris) but decided to stay onboard in Le Verdon (for Bordeaux). I didn’t want to spend hours sightseeing on a hot coach and there was nothing much in the port.

I think this is more common than people assume. With ships getting larger and larger, they often can’t dock at the smaller ports in the cities.

The larger the ship, the more likely you are to end up at a container port.

This often means that you will have to pay for an expensive cruise ship excursion to explore the surrounding areas or travel to the main attractions by yourself.

To get an idea of the distances Between Port And City:

Civitavecchia (Italy) – for Rome (~80 km/ 50 miles, around 1.5 hrs)

Livorno (Italy) – for Florence (~90 km / 55 miles – around 1.5 hrs)

Livorno (Italy) – for Pisa (~25 km /15 miles – around 30 mins)

Le Havre (France) – for Paris (~220 km / 135 miles – around 2.5–3 hrs)

La Spezia (Italy) – for Florence (~150 km /93 miles – 2 around hrs)

La Spezia (Italy) – for Cinque Terre (~around 30–45 mins by train)

Le Verdon Sur Mer (France) – for Bordeaux (~100 km / 60 miles – around 2 hrs)

Warnemünde (Germany) – for Berlin (~230 km /140 miles – around 2.5–3 hrs)

Trieste (Italy) – for Venice (~160 km /100 miles – around 2 hrs)

Ravenna (Italy) – for Venice (~145 km /90 miles -around 2.5 hrs)

Cádiz (Spain) – for Seville (~120 km /75 miles – around 1.5 hrs)

Why not stay in Cadiz instead of travelling to Seville? It is well worth a visit!

Getxo (Spain) – for Bilbao (~15 km / 10 miles – around 30 mins)

Portsmouth (UK) – for London (~120 km /75 miles – around 1.5–2 hrs)

Southampton (UK) – for London (~130 km / 80 miles – around 1.5–2 hrs)

Piraeus (Greece) – for Athens (~12 km / 7.5 miles – around 30–45 mins)

Kusadasi (Turkey) – for Ephesus (~20 km /12 miles – around 30 mins)

Greenock (Scotland) – for Glasgow (~40 km / 25 miles – around 1 hr)

Zeebrugge (Belgium) – for Bruges (~17 km / 10 miles – around 30 mins)

All times and distances given are approximate. They may vary according to local conditions and traffic on the day.

Before You Go

Find out why it is often less stressful to sail from your local cruise port here:

7 Reasons To Sail From Your Local Cruise Port

If things do go wrong, don’t forget to claim on your travel insurance, many do…

5 Things People Forget to Claim on Travel Insurance (That Could Be Worth $$$)

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