I'll be on a 12 days cruise to the Mediterranean this March and wonder if anyone has experiences or good advices for the following ports:

1. From the Rome Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, what's the best way to get to the Civitavecchia port? Should I take airport express to the Termini Station then take a train to Civitavecchia? Or should I just take a limo from the airport to Civitavecchia for 120euro? Or if anyone will offer me a ride? :whistle:
2. In Greece, I'll be visiting Rhodes, Athens and Katakolon. I've been to Athens before so I know what to do, but what's interesting and worth seeing in Rhodes and Katakolon?
3. In Turkey, I'll be visiting Izmir and Istanbul. Is it safe to take a tour there or should I just stay on the ship because of safety reason? What's worth seeing there?
4. When I'm back in Rome, which is the best hotel (best value and location) in town I should go to?

I'll be travelling with my wife and my 10 months old baby girl, so easy itineraries is the first priority. Thanks for your suggestions in advance. :rolleyes:

Rule of thumb in case you haven't done much traveling through Italy. Know exactly how you'll accomplish even the smallest portions of a journey. Not just "oh, I'll hop on the L'aliscafo"... because it's rarely that simple, often requiring advance booking to ensure a spot on some of the more preferred modes of transport. Ticket agents (phone and in person) will regularly refuse advance sales, or provide bad information through either sheer ignorance or just due to the natural lack of uniformity in the way things get done there. Before my comments are written off as an American who wasn't able to communicate, I was traveling with my sister, who is not only perfectly fluent in Italian, she has lived there and has practiced law there - which should prove she wasn't just having a hard time with the language. This has been my experience on multiple occasions.


You might want to enlist the assistance of a travel agent who is in-country to navigate the peculiarities. Also, if you think you'll have a lot of stuff to carry, the trains can be difficult. Traveling even by first class on the trains will not guarantee you an assigned seat in a compartment (with space for lots of parcels and luggage) unless you buy well in advance. This can be frustrating and is often not communicated at the time of purchase.


Every time I have been in Rome, I have stayed at Hotel Suisse which is at the top of the Spanish Steps. It's a great area to be in IMO. The pricing is very reasonable and it's comfortable.


http://rome-hotels.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...Rome_Lazio.html

Well, I think I should take a limo to the port since I have a baby.