Soon it will be time for us new Regent cruisers to choose our in-port excursions for Voyager's Sept 9 cruise--Honfleur, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Bilbao, La Coruna, Oporto, Lisbon, Valencia, Barcelona, Marseille and Monte Carlo (plus we're adding a day or two in Nice).

Anybody have any "don't-miss-this" experiences?
Anybody put off by a crowded tour in these ports under the new free unlimited policy?

Ngaire, thanks for posting the reports from the meetings with Regent. very helpful.

By the way, this Dec. 28th--our 49th wedding anniversary--Ann and I were in our favorite Bethesda bistro and I got up and made a toast to Ann, calling her my "trophy wife" of 49 years. It was a joke of course, but a woman called Ann over to her table and asked "Were you his secretary?" (Truth is she was too young to know how to type when I proposed!)

Oh yes! This was one of our FAVORITE cruises. Maybe Fred or Wendy will pipe in but we had the most incredible private tour to St. Emilion with Alain. I forgot who arranged it, but it was a great day touring the Chateaux. And we loved Honfleur. We also went on a different cruise to the Goat Farm out of Nice and three of the hill top towns. I will ask Freddie to get the information.

HEre is the info on Alain: BORDEAUX
Alain (pronounced “Alan”) – tours set up by JD Coulon. Email: jdcoulon@bordeaux-map.com

I agree with Kathy, we were on the same cruise as her and loved it.

What are they offering for Porto? One idea is to do a port wine tasting. That gets you to the south side of the river, across from the old city, with very scenic views.

If there is a free shuttle into town, I would also suggest just walking around the old town, and across the bridge to one of the port houses and do your own thing (if you are good at hoofing up and down). Porto is a beautiful place.

Honfleur is eminently walkable--we were docked a bit far out, but there was a shuttle bus available (although we walked it one way, so not too far.)

Wow! This is such a great site. Thanks for the input, folks, and keep it coming!

Hi Ann and Jim: My son (Michael) and I, together with Kathy and Al (LCTers) will also be on that cruise if you're interested in meeting. You're in the best place for helpful information. Lee

Absolutely lee, let's do it. And in the meantime we should consider comparing notes on what excursions to take. Jim (and Ann).

Hi Jim and Ann (and Lee and Michael and Kathy and Al)!

Jim and I will be on this cruise too. Looking forward to meeting and cruising with all of you.

Mary Ellen

Jim & Ann - I arranged the various private tours that we took with Kathy & Frank and Wendy & David and have found as much contact info as I can. (Full disclosure here, as they say on the cable news networks - Pat & I are very biased in favor of private tours and are not big fans of bus tours.)

Honfleur - I agree with Wendy that it's a great little town in which to wander about. A nice lunch of mussels at one of the waterfront cafes is quite a treat. Skip the harbor tour by boat, as all it did when we took it was show us the bridge from underneath and then take us close to the "fancy American cruise ship" (as the guide described Regent Voyager) to wave at the passengers.

Bordeaux - St. Emilion is beautiful. We visited two wineries and had a pleasant lunch at a little cafe overlooking the whole city. Try to limit your time at the underground church, however. It's interesting; but the 45 minute tour is about 30 minutes too long. Kathy gave you the contact info for Alain, who has been used by many people here on LCT, as well as several on Cruise Critic. He is quite good.

Nice - Our favorite place in Nice is the Marche, particularly early in the morning when all of the vendors are setting up their stalls. It's the perfect place for a cafe au lait & croissant for breakfast. On one of our Nice days, we took an all-day private tour, which included a good review of Nice, following which we had a lovely day in the hills to the northwest. We visited the wonderful little towns of Saint Paul-de-Vence, Gourdon, and Tourrettes sur Loup.

The highlight of the day was our visit to La Ferme des Courmettes, a goat farm high on the mountainside where fine organic goat cheese is made. I had arranged for a "tasting" of their products, assuming that it would be just a little snack event. After meeting and playing with the herd of extremely friendly goats and learning a bit about the cheese-making process, we were shown to a picnic table near the farmhouse with a magnificent view all the way to Nice and the sea. Then our little "degustation" took place. To our surprise and delight, it was an outdoor feast: a pitcher of local wine, a lovely salad compose, a splendid wicker platter of seven different goat cheeses (including one that had been made that morning, along with several superb aged varieties), a basket of sliced baguettes, baked chevre on toasted baguette, and, of course, a delicate goat cheese dessert. It was one of those marvelous surprises and travel memories that seem to belong on the pages of "A Year in Provence".

Our guide had never been to the farm. He said that he would indeed add it to his file for clients who wanted something extremely French and unique. Here is the website for the farm:
La Ferme des Courmettes

You can get the English Version by clicking on the bottom icon on the left on the home page.

The guide service we used in Nice, as well as for transfers from the airport and from Nice to the ship in Monte Carlo, was Dream Tours:

Hmm, another Alain: infos@dream-tours.com

Have fun planning your cruise. Give Molly a scratch of the ears from us. Our bichon, Tatiana (now waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge), was not a major fan of our travel. Our two current furry kids, Misha & Katyusha, also do not take kindly to cruise brochures and try to chew them to shreds before we can read them and thereby be tempted to travel.

Cheers, Fred

Wow Fred - your knowledge matches your sense of humour - brilliant! I must admit I haven't tried private guides, simply because I don't retain too much information these days (if I ever have). We haven't thought about what to do after the cruise, so are interested in all suggestions. Lee

Misha and Katyusha would be offended to know that you have accused them of paper shredding. They are far too well mannered for that kind of behavior. Barking at Boats is more descriptive of them.

Hi,

In La Coruña I highly recommend that you take the excursion to the stunning city of Santiago de Compostela (an hour from Coruña). Although the Cathedral here is what gets top billing, the historic town itself is beautiful. It is pretty much pedestrianized , full of medieval stone buildings, lovely to walk around. If you are adventuresome eating, stop for some "pulpo a la feria" , their signature dish (octopus). Yummy!

In Bilbao, I wouldn't miss the Guggenheim, frankly more for the building itself than its art collection. Cross the bridge over the river to the opposite side of town , and admire the building from there. On that side you also have the old town and market which is worth a look.

In Valencia we only had a few hours, so we walked around the town on our own and also visited their Central market, which is a beauty. IMO, it is up there with La Boquería market in Barcelona.

Honfleur in itself is lovely, but if you have never been to Normandy and the D day beaches I would recommend a tour there (if they offer it). It is very emotional and impressive.