Pisa and Lucca from Livorno

[Marie-Claude]

I've read from this board that it is relatively easy to get to Pisa and Lucca from Livorno. We've spent a few days in Florence before so we thought Pisa and Lucca would be a nice excursion for a day. However, our ship HAL Rotterdam only offers one or the other in half day tours, and both in the morning (?!). So if we want to see both, which I understand is feasible, we'll have to do it on our own.

 

If anyone has done this by train, I would appreciate details as to which station in Livorno we should go to, how far is it from pier and also once in Pisa, which station to go to Lucca.

 

Thanks in advance - I need all the help I can get in planning this trip!!

[Guest Crazeecat5]

Don't know what your budget is, but you could hire a private driver and do both easily and comfortably.

My DH and I have been to Florence twice so when we return this summer we hired driverinrome.com to take us to Lucca and Pisa. We used them last summer in Rome and they were terrific. We had the best experience ever.

Hope this info. helped.

Sheryl

[Georgia-boy]

The train staion in Livorno is a 45 min. walk. here is a shuttle bus that runs from the port to down town, then only two blocks to the train station. Don't believe all the horror stories about the trains in Italy. I have been all over Italy on the trains and have had very few problems. I love to ride the train. At the train station in Pisa you can catch a local bus to the tower.

Hope this will help.

Charles

[Marie-Claude]

Thanks Charles for reassuring us... we also love to take the train in Europe. We've had some incidents but never anything major, just to make good stories!!

From your comment I assume you have done the Livorno to Pisa route. I take it's not a long ride? The shuttle you talk about was that the ship's shuttle or was it a service offered by the port authority?

Also, do you know what station to go to in Pisa, I read there were two of them, and one is real close to the tower - but I don't know its name, or if it's on the route from Livorno.

Thanks for your help!

[Sandy R]

A few years ago we saw Lucca and Pisa. We were going to hire a taxi and driver on the dock in Livorno but they were way too expensive. We caught the ship's shuttle that let us off very close to the train station. We thought we'd take the train but a taxi driver approached us and for well under 200 euro we spent the day with him, seeing Lucca and Pisa. I know the train goes to Lucca but I have no idea if you can then take the train to Pisa and then back to Livorno. One of the reasons we didn't take the train was there was a 1/2 hour wait for the train. The trains don't run every 10 minutes so you really need to find out the train schedule before venturing off for the day. By taxi, it was about a 45 minute drive to Lucca, then about 20 minutes to Pisa. We spent at least 6 hours exploring both towns.

 

Sandy

[Georgia-boy]

The station in Pisa is Stazione Pisa Centrale. The shuttle bus is run by Porto Livorno 2000 (http://www.portolivorno2000.it).

The train schedule can be found at: http://www.trenitalia.com/home/en/index.html

 

Charles

[Marie-Claude]

Thank you all for this wealth of information. I really want to try to do this by train... we always enjoy riding the train in Europe and since the distances are not too great, if worse comes to worst, we can always get a cab to get back!

Again, thanks for the info!

[kjn]

The second and not so well-known Pisa train station is Pisa S. Rossore. This station is not on the main train line that runs to Florence. It is on a smaller regional train line that originates at Pisa Centrale at runs toward Lucca, Montecatini, and other Tuscan cities.

 

You can make the stop at Pisa S. Rossore as part of your round-trip Lucca ticket fare. Just get off and on the train at Pisa S. Rossore either on your way to, or on the return from, Lucca. When departing from the Pisa Centrale station, the Pisa S. Rossore station will be the first stop and about 5 minutes from Pisa Centrale. When returning from Lucca, the Pisa S. Rossore station will be the second stop and about 20 minutes from Lucca.

 

For the train schedule from Pisa Central to Pisa S. Rossore (and then on to Lucca), go to http://www.trenitalia.com/home/en/index.html and enter the station names.

[Marie-Claude]

Thanks KJN!

This is exactly the info I was looking for! Can you get off and on with the ticket to Lucca, or do you have to buy a special ticket to do that??

[kjn]

I think it can be done on the same ticket, but I'd suggest that you check at the ticket counter when you buy your ticket at Pisa Centrale. The ticket you use must be validated with a date/time stamp prior to departing, so you will have a "window of time" in which to travel from Pisa to Lucca. The same will apply on the return trip. Accordingly, if you spend a lot of time at the Leaning Tower, you may be outside of your window.

 

In any event, the cost will be minimal even if you are required to add some fare for the stop. If I remember correctly, the fare between Pisa and Lucca was about 3 euros each way (less with a round trip), so it won't be a large "add-on" fee if you must add some fare.