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 | A cruise call on St Mary’s without a tour |
| 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 |
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, Funchal on Madeira and Narsaq 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 · Azores · Greenland