Daytrip from Livorno - Cinque Terre, Siena or Lucca?

[dcinmb]

My friends and I will be on a cruise ship docking in Livorno on Wednesday, November 26th, from 7 am to 7 pm, and we're torn as to which city to visit. I realize that Lucca would be the easiest logistically and that both Cinque Terre and Siena are more complicated to get to, but does anyone have an opinion as to which city is most worth visiting? I visited Cinque Terre years ago and loved it, so I would be perfectly happy to return if my friends decide to go there. We would prefer to travel via train, rental car or bus, as opposed to taking an organized tour. Any thoughts and advice regarding these three cities would be greatly appreciated!

 

Diana

[euro cruiser]

I think of Cinque Terre as an "outside" kind of place, more about the hiking, walking, and views. Late November could make that less attractive - the risk of a rainy, windy day is much greater than during the spring, summer and early fall. If you were there during those seasons the first time, you might be disappointed.

 

Siena is difficult to get to via public transit from Livorno. Not impossible, but it takes so much time that it's almost not worth it - I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out for our cruise this summer and ultimately decided against it. Even though we'd all been to Pisa, Lucca and Florence before, we choose to return to Lucca.

 

So, if transportation is the leading decision variable, I think Lucca is your best bet. There's so much to see and do there, not to mention fabulous restaurants (we had a great lunch there ... I'll have to look up the name).

 

If Siena is really important to you (and I love Siena - it couldn't be more different from Lucca), I'd consider renting a car and driving. With three or more of you to split the cost, it probably won't be much more than the train anyway.

[Mombak]

Personally, I'd choose Cinque Terre, except the train travel would be the deal breaker. It's about a two hour trip each way -- that's four (give or take) extra hours that could be spent elsewhere. Not really worth it in my opinion.

 

Unfortunately, my second choice would be Siena. Again, it's a little over two hours each way. So, again, it's a no-go.

 

So... That leaves Lucca, being a "mere" 45 minutes away.

 

I'd much prefer spending time in a nice city/town such as Lucca (which I've never been to), than be riding on the train for that extra time.

 

Of course, as I type this, I can hear Vernazza calling me back to the Cinque Terre! :D

 

I'd say, if you don't mind the extra train time, go to the Cinque Terre. Just leave PLENTY of time to get back. Travel times are multiplied exponentially when things go wrong!

 

That being said, when we're docked in Livorno, we'll be doing Pisa and Lucca -- only because my parents, wife, and daughter have never seen the tower.

 

I love the Cinque Terre, though.

 

 

Have a look at this thread on a similar topic: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1042130

 

 

Hope this helps a tiny bit.

[CintiPam]

The Cinque Terre in last November? No way at that time of year.

 

Siena is a fantastic destination, if you are willing to rent a car and drive there. But it's a long drive to and from.

 

Lucca definitely is the easiest of the three because it is the closest, and also is a very charming place to spend the day. I would go there; the train connections are easy, and you can stop in Pisa on your way there or back if you want to do so. (I assume you already have visited there.)

 

We probably will go to Lucca on our Livorno port day next May.

[dcinmb]

Good point about the weather, euro cruiser. The thought of hiking through mud doesn't sound very appealing. And thanks for the link to the other thread, Mombak. While doing my research I actually came across two kind people who had each posted their step-by-step instructions for traveling from Livorno to Cinque Terre by train. Here's the link to one of them which includes tips for trains all over Italy:

 

http://www.ftroute.com/ItalianTrains.htm

 

I did check the Trenitalia site and it looks like the best we could do is arrive in La Spezia at 9:51 am and depart at 4:06, arriving back in Livorno at 5:14 pm. That's a decent chunk of time and I normally don't mind European trains because I find the scenery beautiful but the weather's making me think twice.

 

So it looks like our best options are either renting a car to visit Siena or spending a leisurely day in Lucca. Both of you are choosing to return to Lucca so it must be worth the visit! I'll look into the logistics of renting a car and the parking in (more likely outside of) Siena, but Lucca's looking pretty appealing right now!

 

Edited to add: Thanks, CintiPam! Yes, we've already been to Pisa. Even though it's a long drive to Siena, I love the freedom of being in a car. One of my favorite trips to France was when we rented a car in Paris and drove up through Normandy getting to visit places like Giverny, Caen, Honfleur, Deauville and Mont-Saint-Michel, then drove down through the Loire Valley to Provence and the French Riviera, ending up in Nice. Of course, we had more than one day and weren't running the risk of missing our ship!

 

Thanks so much for all of your help!

 

Diana

[euro cruiser]

Both Lucca and Siena are good choices, full of things to see and do. Lucca is particularly good for anyone who is mobility challenged, as it's one of the only flat towns in Tuscany.

 

Driving in Italy is fairly easy, but finding your way can be difficult. If you rent a car, spend the extra few dollars for a GPS system, it will make it so much easier for you.

 

Parking inside the walls of Siena isn't really an option anymore, there is a strict ZTL area; however, there are several large parking garages around the outskirts with elevators right into town.

 

Siena is, as you said, about two and a half hours of driving each way. If you drive to Lucca it's less than an hour each way. By train it's a little longer, figuring in time for transfers, etc. Lucca has easy parking outside the walls, only steps from town.

[CintiPam]

Wow, five hours of car driving is a lot for a one-day port visit (the drive to Siena). We were fortunate enough on a land trip to Italy three years ago to spend two nights in Siena, with a bus day-trip to San Gimignano from there.

 

My excuse for the return to Lucca is that we did not bicycle or walk on the walls during our visit. We were on a day-trip by train to both Pisa and Lucca from Florence, and we spent more time in Pisa, our first stop, than I had anticipated, primarily because we are slow museum visitors, and enjoyed the museum there as well as the Baptistery, Duomo and Leaning Tower.

[GSPLover]

The subject of renting a car has come up frequently. However, since the discussion seems to be about the November time frame, has anybody given thought to driving in Italy when it's dark? Nighttime comes early in November! Italian roads, other than the Autostrada, are not well signed and not well lighted. I would not recommend driving for somebody that is in a specific time window.

[dcinmb]

Thank you for pointing that out, GSPLover. I've driven in Italy before but it was on the Amalfi Coast and between Florence and Cortona, and never under the pressure of trying to catch a ship. And even though I've rented cars on two previous visits to the Amalfi Coast, we are not doing so on this trip because of the time pressure and the now alarmingly high rate of car thefts and burglaries there.

 

Our tour operator in Naples tells us that it generally gets dark at around 5:30, which should still be all right since we'd want to be back in Livorno by then anyway to make sure we get back to our ship (which sails at 7 pm) with time to spare. The main question is whether we want to spend 4 - 5 hours on the road to spend only 4 - 5 hours in Siena? Looks like I'll have to save Siena and Cinque Terre for my next non-cruise trip to Italy when the weather's good!

 

Assuming we plan to be back in Livorno by the time it gets dark, would driving to San Gimignano be more feasible? For those that have been to both Lucca and San Gimignano, which one would you recommend? (We're in our 40s and fairly active, so I'm hoping hills won't faze us too much.)

 

GSPLover: Thanks also for your wonderfully informative site that I happened to link above!

 

Diana

[GSPLover]

Assuming we plan to be back in Livorno by the time it gets dark, would driving to San Gimignano be more feasible? For those that have been to both Lucca and San Gimignano, which one would you recommend? (We're in our 40s and fairly active, so I'm hoping hills won't faze us too much.)

 

Diana

 

Lucca and San Gimignano are both interesting and charming towns. Travel to Lucca from Livorno is much faster and easier (especially by train). Getting to San Gimignano will take about the same amount of time (possibly more) as Siena. There are no trains to San G. It is a train + bus trip, or car.

 

Given the time constraints, I'd have to recommend Lucca.

[CintiPam]

Lucca and San Gimignano are both interesting and charming towns. Travel to Lucca from Livorno is much faster and easier (especially by train). Getting to San Gimignano will take about the same amount of time (possibly more) as Siena. There are no trains to San G. It is a train + bus trip, or car.

 

Given the time constraints, I'd have to recommend Lucca.

 

I liked both, but absolutely adored San Gimignano. However, because of the distance from Livorno, Lucca certainly is by far the best choice of the two.

[gunther]

Yes...... if you want to make this tour I suggest you to get in touch with http://www.italydrivinguide.com -

Time ago I've been travelling with this company having professional and serious driver guides.

We enjoyed very much crossing the 5 lands and Siena as well - we came back very satisfied to Livorno port.

 

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My friends and I will be on a cruise ship docking in Livorno on Wednesday, November 26th, from 7 am to 7 pm, and we're torn as to which city to visit. I realize that Lucca would be the easiest logistically and that both Cinque Terre and Siena are more complicated to get to, but does anyone have an opinion as to which city is most worth visiting? I visited Cinque Terre years ago and loved it, so I would be perfectly happy to return if my friends decide to go there. We would prefer to travel via train, rental car or bus, as opposed to taking an organized tour. Any thoughts and advice regarding these three cities would be greatly appreciated!

 

Diana

[hylasgirl]

I highly suggest Romeinlimo.com We have taken a couple tours out of Livorno with this company and had fantastic days. You can set your own pace, and your own schedule of what you want to see.

 

Have a great time.

[Hlitner]

If you are OK getting yourselves a rental car than you have a tough decision. Assuming you get an early start you could drive to Siena for a few hours and than stop at San Gimiganano (we love this town) on your way back to Livorno. Lucca is easily accessible by taking the train (change in Pisa). As to which is the most worthy place, we love them all (and many more places in the region) which is why we have spent weeks exploring the region. But, if you do not mind the drive we do like the combination of Siena and San Gimignano. There is parking in Siena just outside the walls of the old city and there is paid parking outside the walls at San Gimignano (as well as free parking along the road if you get lucky).

 

Hank

[hkto]

We were in Livorno with NCL Jade in early and went to Lucca and Pisa (just the Tower). Loved both especially Lucca. Livorno was probably the worst port for getting to train logistics.

 

Jade docked in cargo container section of the port and it took close to 1 hr to get to the train station in Livorno (combination port shuttle/city bus). Lucca is easily reachable by train with transfer in Pisa. There is a 10 am train to Lucca that you should be able to make (next one is at noon) which is kinda of late. My advice is to get a map of Lucca in tourist office (or before) as it is hard to see outside city walls when walking there. Also remember the gate near the train station that you've entered from (I forgot the name).

 

Our cost was around 15 euro pp for round trip (5 euro for port shuttle, 7.20 for train and 2 - for bus). Train ticket allows to get off at Pisa if desired.

 

My review in detail are here http://harryk.hostzi.com (see Lucca/Pisa section)

[CintiPam]

My review in detail are here http://harryk.hostzi.com (see Lucca/Pisa section)

 

Thanks for the link; lovely photos of both Pisa and Lucca.

[joyfulonealways]

I found the shore excursion people knew very little about the day trip they were offering of Cinque Terre. I am glad we took the trip over their recommendations that it was exceptionally strenuous. We docked in Livorno and took a bus to Riomaggiore. The walk down hill is steep, but not exceptional. I wouldn't recommend it for someone who is using a walker or cane, for the stones are uneven throughout the town. Since the Lover's Walk was closed by a landslide, we went by train to Manorola bypassing Corniglia (which is very high on the hill and would have been quite a hike upward). Next onto Vernazza which was having market day, something we thoroughly enjoyed. Again, the streets are uneven, but easily walkable. I purchased a lovely leather handbag from Florence in one of the shops. From Vernazza we went by boat to Monterosso.

There is so much I could write about each town, but it has been written by Rick Steves and others. Purchase a one day train ticket if you feel you can't do the walking. I entitles you to get on and off as many times as you like, and it goes to all five cities. You could arrange to meet your guide at a specified time if you think you can't walk the entire tour. Don't miss this for fear of being unable to navigate by foot. It is a wonderful place to visit!

[aohkay]

Loved Lucca; we also included a couple of wine tours when we were there. Wonderful day!