This is the index to a series about doing cruise ports without a ship excursion, written by Jan Madeus, a ship’s videographer at sea since 2008. Each article covers one port I have actually called at: where the ship ties up, what can be reached on foot or by public transport, what the same day costs with and without the ship’s tour, and how much return buffer to keep before all-aboard. Prices and timetables are checked at the time of writing and dated in each article.
The ports covered so far
| Port | Country | Ashore | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponta Delgada, São Miguel | Azores | Portas do Mar terminal in the town itself, 200 m to the port gate | Lagoa do Fogo, Caldeira Velha and the Gorreana tea plantation |
| Horta, Faial | Azores | Alongside, 500 m from the centre | The Capelinhos volcano on your own |
| Praia da Vitória, Terceira | Azores | Cargo quay, 3 km from town and 20 km from Angra | Angra do Heroísmo on your own |
| Kirkwall, Orkney | Scotland | Hatston Pier with shuttle, or tender into town | Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae without a tour |
| Invergordon | Scotland | Alongside, ten-minute walk into town; coaches inland | The murals, the church and the Highlands beyond |
| Saint Peter Port | Guernsey | Tender to Albert Pier, town centre | A half-day on Guernsey without a tour |
| Stockholm | Sweden | Stadsgården, 30-minute walk to Gamla Stan | Gamla Stan and the City Hall in one day |
| Stavanger | Norway | Alongside in the centre, fjord boats from Strandkaien | Lysefjord and Pulpit Rock by boat |
| Honningsvåg | Norway | Alongside in town, bus to the North Cape | The North Cape without a tour |
| Geiranger | Norway | Tender, or SeaWalk for one ship a day | Dalsnibba and the Eagle Bend without the ship’s tour |
| Honfleur | France | Alongside in Honfleur, 20 minutes on foot to the old town (shuttle ~15 min) | The Vieux Bassin, the old town and the wooden church |
| Dover (for Rye) | England | Cruise terminal, one hour by coach to Rye | Rye, the town the sea left behind |
| IJmuiden (for Haarlem) | Netherlands | Berth near the sea locks, about 30 minutes by coach to Haarlem | Haarlem, Amsterdam’s older neighbour |
| Portsmouth (for Buckler’s Hard) | England | Cruise terminal at Portsmouth International Port; a little over an hour by coach into the New Forest | Buckler’s Hard, the village that built Nelson’s ships |
| Plymouth (for Totnes and Buckfast Abbey) | England | Anchorage in Plymouth Sound, about 15 minutes by tender to the Barbican landing stage; 30 minutes inland by coach | Totnes and Buckfast Abbey, a day up the Dart |
| St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly | England | Anchorage in St Mary’s Roads or Crow Sound, about 15 minutes ashore by local tender | St Mary’s on your own: the tender, Hugh Town and the Peninnis loop |
| Falmouth | England | Alongside at Falmouth Docks, about 1 km into town; free port shuttle, or 15 minutes on foot | A full day on foot: the old town, Pendennis Castle and the museum |
| Falmouth (for St Ives) | England | Alongside at Falmouth Docks; about an hour by coach across Cornwall, then a shuttle bus down into the town from the coach park | St Ives on your own: what two hours in the town actually buy |
| Portsmouth | England | Portsmouth International Port, the ferry terminal; free shuttle into the centre on transit calls | How far you get without a ticket: the Historic Dockyard and HMS Victory under scaffolding |
| Portsmouth (for Chichester) | England | Portsmouth International Port; about 30 minutes by coach, or train from Portsmouth Harbour via Havant | Chichester on your own: the cathedral, the Cross and two and a half hours to spend |
| Bergen | Norway | Skolten and the central quays, 5–15 minutes on foot to Bryggen; shuttle from Dokken | Bryggen and Fløyen from the pier |
| Longyearbyen | Svalbard, Norway | Alongside at Bykaia, about ten minutes on foot to the museum | How far you can walk without a rifle |
| Ísafjörður (for Hesteyri) | Iceland | Alongside in town; boat from the harbour, 70 minutes each way | Hesteyri, the village the herring left |
| Funchal | Madeira | Breakwater berth, about 1.6 km on foot to the old town | Half a day in Madeira’s capital on foot |
| Porto Santo | Madeira | Tender port; about 15 minutes to the marina, then 1 km on foot to Vila Baleira | The tender, the town and the nine-kilometre beach |
| Lisbon | Portugal | Jardim do Tabaco quay, about 500 m to Alfama | Alfama, Queluz and Cabo da Roca in one call |
| Leixões (for Porto) | Portugal | South breakwater terminal in Matosinhos, 9–10 km from the old town; metro from Matosinhos Sul | Porto by metro: the terminal, the fares and what half a day in the city buys |
| Måløy | Norway | Alongside in the sound, the town centre begins at the quay | Kannesteinen, Vågsberget and the harbour on your own |
| Vilagarcía de Arousa (for Santiago de Compostela) | Spain | Alongside; O Ramal at the edge of the centre, or the southern commercial quays about 2 km out, with a free road-train shuttle | The town the ships use as a back door — and why it is worth the day |
| Oulu | Finland | Working cargo quay, no terminal building; under 4 km to the centre, shuttle or taxi only | A winter call: Pilpasuo on snowshoes, and why the kit decides it |
| Narsaq | South Greenland | Anchorage in Tunulliarfik Fjord, about 15 minutes ashore by tender; the landing is in the town | What two hours ashore allow — and why the ice can cut the call short |
| Santa Cruz de La Palma | Canary Islands | Alongside the harbour mole, 10–15 minutes on foot to the old town | The green north on your own or by ship’s tour — and the forest the brochure names wrongly · Tazacorte by bus: €8.20 return across the island |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Canary Islands | Alongside on the city side, 15–20 minutes on foot to Plaza de España | The Las Raíces pine forest at 1,000 m — a two-hour waymarked loop, and how to get up there · The island tour: Cañadas del Teide, Icod and Puerto de la Cruz for €69 |
| Puerto del Rosario | Canary Islands | Alongside in the town; about 400 m from the ship to the beach and the centre, bus station about 1 km inland | The €109 jeep safari against a €49 local operator — and the €3.40 bus to the dunes |
| Arrecife | Canary Islands | Alongside at Puerto de los Mármoles, the commercial harbour; about 30 minutes on foot to the centre, taxi around €10, car hire desks in the terminal | Caldera de los Cuervos: the €49 volcano walk against a free trail — and why Timanfaya does not fit a short call |
| Agadir (for Taroudant) | Morocco | Commercial port at the north end of the beach, no terminal; 30–45 minutes on foot or a 10-minute taxi into town, shuttle about €6–8. Taroudant is 80 km inland, about 1.5 hours by coach | Taroudant: the €49 excursion against the CTM bus — and what 90 minutes in the medina buy |
| Flåm | Norway | Alongside at the village quay at the head of the Aurlandsfjord; station, visitor centre and shore path all a few minutes away | Flåm Railway NOK 730, Stegastein by shuttle in 90 minutes — and why both rarely fit one call |
| Tromsø | Norway | Alongside at Prostneset in the centre, five minutes on foot; larger ships sometimes at Breivika with a shuttle | Cable car NOK 645 and Arctic Cathedral NOK 90 against the €119 excursion |
| Tromsø in winter | Norway | Breivika cargo port, 4 km north of the centre — no shuttle listed, bus 42 or an hour on foot | A March port day on foot: the walk, the daylight, the heated pavements, no aurora |
What each guide answers
- Where the ship docks — pier, tender or shuttle, and how far that is from the first thing worth seeing
- What is reachable on your own — on foot, by public bus or train, with real journey times
- What it costs — the independent price against the ship’s excursion price, in a table
- How much buffer to keep — worked backwards from all-aboard, not forwards from breakfast
- Where the photographs are — light, tide and the spots that are worth the detour
Is it worth leaving the ship on your own?
Usually yes, and rarely for the reason people expect. The money matters — a ship’s archaeology tour on Orkney costs around £130 to £160 where the same stones cost a bus ticket — but the real difference is time. A coach gives a stone circle forty minutes. On your own you can give it two hours, or skip it entirely and stay in the harbour at low tide. What you give up is the guarantee: the ship waits for its own excursions, not for you. Every guide in this series says plainly where that risk is real and where it is not.
Which ports do not suit going alone?
Ports where the sight is far inland, where public transport is thin or seasonal, or where the call is only four or five hours. In those cases the guides say so rather than pretending otherwise. Kirkwall outside the summer bus season is one example: without a pre-booked taxi, the Neolithic sites are not a safe independent plan.
And the days in between?
Between the ports lie the sea days. What actually happens on board on one of them, how long it feels, what costs nothing and what is being sold, is in A Sea Day on a Cruise Ship.
More ports are coming
The series grows with each voyage. Akureyri in Iceland and Qaqortoq in Greenland are next in line. If you want a particular port covered, write to info@madeus.org.
By region: Scotland · England · Netherlands · Norway · Iceland · Finland · Azores · Portugal · Spain · Madeira · Canary Islands · Greenland · Morocco