Holland America Mediterranean Cruise Port Tours

Trying to decide whether to book a cruise excursion or explore your Mediterranean ports on your own? I did both on my Holland America Oosterdam cruise, and this guide breaks down exactly what I would do in each port.

When you’re standing on a cruise ship looking at a destination you’ve never visited before, it can be tempting to book an excursion simply because the idea of figuring it all out yourself feels like a lot. Where do I go? How far is it? What if I get lost? And, perhaps the biggest cruise-day worry of all, what if I don’t make it back to the ship in time?

I get it. I’ve traveled quite a bit, and I still don’t love feeling like I have to navigate an unfamiliar place under a deadline.

On my 7-day Western Mediterranean cruise aboard Holland America’s Oosterdam, I tried a mix of approaches. Some ports were easy enough to explore independently, while others were better suited to a Holland America excursion. I also found that a hybrid approach can be the sweet spot.

These are the Mediterranean cruise port tours I experienced in Portofino, Ajaccio, Marseille and Gibraltar, including what I loved, what I’d skip, and which approach I’d recommend for each.

Portofino, Italy

Portofino is one of those tiny Italian coastal towns that looks almost too pretty to be real. The village sits around a small harbor on the Ligurian coast, and it’s known for its colorful waterfront, upscale shops, restaurants and beautiful views over the Mediterranean.

✨My recommendation: Explore Portofino on your own.

We took a tender directly into Portofino, which was part of the fun because you get a pretty spectacular first look at the town from the water. Although we were technically in port for about eight hours, tendering cut into that time, leaving us roughly six hours to explore. That was plenty.

We started with a wander through town before making our way to Castello Brown. The walk up is moderate, but completely doable if you’re reasonably comfortable walking uphill. The views from the castle are the payoff, with Portofino’s colorful harbor spread out below.

Afterward, we wandered back toward the waterfront, stopping at Faro di Portofino and taking in the scenery before grabbing drinks at Il Faretto.

And yes, there was gelato. This is Italy, after all.

We also stopped at ö Magazín Ristörante for lunch, where we had tuna with olives, tomatoes and thyme. Between eating, shopping, wandering the harbor and generally taking our time, Portofino was exactly the kind of port where I was happy not to have a scheduled excursion.

I even found the cutest hat. I tried it on, loved it, and then remembered that I had to somehow get it home in my suitcase. Sadly, it stayed in Portofino.

If you’re a nervous cruiser wondering whether you can handle this one independently, you absolutely can. Just keep an eye on your ship’s all-aboard time and give yourself plenty of cushion for the return tender.

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Ajaccio, Corsica

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica and is particularly famous for being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. You’ll see that history everywhere, but there’s much more to the city than Napoleon. There are markets, waterfront walks, cafés, beaches and plenty of Corsican food to discover.

✨My recommendation: Explore independently, especially if you want a combination of sightseeing and beach time.

Once off the ship, we walked toward the historic center and made our way through the city. We stopped for coffee and a pastry before heading to the market at Place Campinchi, which was one of my favorite parts of the day.

The market was packed with Corsican specialties, including charcuterie, cheese, honey, olive oil and pastries. We tasted plenty of charcuterie and cheese, although we didn’t buy anything. If you’re looking for an edible souvenir, this would be a good place to find one.

From there, we wandered through Place Foch and the Old Port, then continued to Maison Bonaparte, Napoleon’s birthplace. It was closed during our visit, but we could still see the exterior. We also visited Ajaccio Cathedral where Napoleon was baptized.

Eventually, though, I was ready for something that had nothing to do with Napoleon.

We walked to Plage Saint-François, and I’m so glad we did. The water was incredibly clear, and the beautiful beach ended up being my favorite part of Ajaccio. It was a completely different experience from simply checking historical sights off a list.

If you want to see more of the coastline, a tourist train is another option, but we didn’t take it. I liked being able to move at our own pace instead.

The biggest advantage of doing Ajaccio independently is that you can decide what kind of day you want. Spend hours exploring history, linger over lunch, shop the market or, like me, decide that a beautiful Corsican beach sounds pretty darn good.

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Marseille & Provence, France

Marseille is one of France’s oldest cities and a major Mediterranean port, known for its Old Port, Provençal culture and famous bouillabaisse. Since I’d already visited Marseille several times, I decided not to spend this cruise day exploring the city again.

✨Instead, we booked Holland America’s Provence Highlights: Gordes & Roussillon excursion, and I’m glad we did.

The tour took us into three of Provence’s incredibly charming villages: Lourmarin, Roussillon and Gordes. Lourmarin was my favorite, although honestly, they were all adorable. They were all filled with little cafés, bakeries, shops, ivy-covered buildings and the kind of scenery that makes you understand why people fall hard for Provence.

One thing I particularly liked about this excursion was that the guide gave us information during the drives between destinations rather than keeping us in a group for lengthy explanations once we arrived. At each village, we had time to explore, shop and eat on our own.

Roussillon was especially memorable because of its ochre. We did the shorter ochre walk, which I would consider moderate because of the uneven and hilly terrain. The best-colored ochre was actually right near the beginning, so you don’t necessarily have to complete the entire walk to get the experience.

We had lunch at Chez Léonie et Marcel, where I had a burrata salad with prosciutto and melon followed by beef tartare.

The excursion was a little rushed in some villages, but that’s the tradeoff. Without a schedule, we wouldn’t have been able to see all three.

Even though I’d already visited Marseille, I’d recommend this excursion if you’re interested in seeing more of Provence. For anyone with mobility issues, For anyone with mobility issues, I’d skip the ochre walk and spend more time exploring the village.

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Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British territory at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. Its enormous limestone rock is the main attraction, with sweeping views toward Spain, Africa and the Strait of Gibraltar, along with caves, military tunnels, viewpoints and the famous Barbary macaques.

✨My recommendation: Consider a hybrid approach, especially if you aren’t comfortable with a lot of walking.

We booked Holland America’s Rock of Gibraltar On Your Own option, which was essentially a transfer to the Upper Rock followed by time to explore independently. For me, this was a great compromise.

We had about three hours on the Rock and visited St. Michael’s Cave, O’Hara’s Battery, the Skywalk and Windsor Suspension Bridge before walking downhill toward town.

And I want to emphasize the word downhill.

Even walking down was moderate to strenuous in places. I honestly cannot imagine starting in town and walking all the way up. If you’re not comfortable with steep paths, stairs and uneven terrain, I’d choose a full sightseeing tour that shuttles you between the major attractions instead.

The monkeys are, of course, part of the experience. We encountered dozens, including some adorable babies, and thankfully had no bad encounters. But don’t let the cuteness fool you. They’re wild animals. Someone in our group had an ice cream grabbed right out of her hand, and she was scratched in the process.

So please don’t carry food around trying to make friends with a monkey.

After exploring the Rock, we had time to wander around Gibraltar’s town center. We could have eaten there, but we opted to return to the ship for lunch.

For a cruise port day, I liked the flexibility of getting transportation to the top and then making our own way down. It gave us the freedom of exploring independently without taking on the stress of figuring out how to reach the Rock in the first place.

Which Mediterranean Cruise Ports Should You Explore on Your Own?

After doing these four ports, I came away with a pretty simple rule: don’t assume you need an excursion just because you’re on a cruise.

Portofino and Ajaccio were easy places to explore independently, and I loved having the freedom to change our plans as we went.

Marseille was different. Because I’d already seen the city, the Provence excursion gave me access to places that would have been much more complicated to visit independently in a single port day. Having transportation between the villages was worth it, especially when we could still explore each one on our own.

Gibraltar fell somewhere in the middle. Getting transportation to the Upper Rock eliminated one of the biggest logistical and physical challenges, while exploring the attractions independently gave us the freedom to move at our own pace.

That’s really what I liked about this Holland America Mediterranean cruise. I didn’t have to choose between being completely on my own and being shepherded around all day.

Sometimes the best excursion is the one that simply gets you where you want to go and then gets out of your way.

And if you’re a little nervous about exploring a Mediterranean cruise port on your own, start with the places that feel easiest. You don’t have to prove anything. Pick one port where the sights are close together, give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship, and go see what happens.

That’s how you turn a cruise port from something you look at through a bus window into an actual memory.

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