Port Rating:

For those not on organised tours there was a City sightseeing Bus waiting on the dockside, these hop-on hop-off buses run frequently throughout the day, and call at the port.

The main city sights are all accessible on foot, although the Funicular is an uphill walk. Trips depart up to a viewing point about every 15 minutes in Spring and Summer. At the top there are wonderful views of the City and the surrounding area, well worth a trip. Fare is apx. £9 return, so much cheaper than the organised excursions.

Port Rating:

We were looking forward to the scenic train trip up the valley but wanted to do the trip independently, as we thought the organised tour was overpriced. In the event, it was straightforward to buy a return ticket to the top and jump on the train, the cost was apx. £40 for the return trip. Trains leave every 90 minutes or so throughout the holiday season, so it's a good idea to have some knowledge of the timetable before you go, which is easily found on the Internet. The first 2 coaches of the train were occupied by the organised tours, with the remainder of the train available to the general public. The scenery was truly fabulous despite the overcast weather conditions, and the train makes a brief 5 minute photo stop at the base of a huge waterfall both on the way up and again on the way down. At this point everyone gets off the train to take lots of pictures etc. and then clambers back 5 minutes later. The same trip organised by the ship was around £90 which included coffee and cake at a hotel near to the top.