Livorno Car Rental and Drive destination

[irenez]

Hello to all of you experienced travelers. We really need advice on what to do in the area. We will be docking in Livorno with 3 kids. We plan to rent a car and need to decide where to go. My husband wants to explore Tuscani which is big so after reading the boards, I found some choices: Our choices are:

Pisa to Lucca to Forte dei Marmi(beach visit) or Viareggio

or

Volterra with a visit to Colle Val d'Elsa to San Gimignano.

We would like to see some nature, vinyards and make it fun for the kids. Some peole write about fields of sunflowers, which drive is that?

Thank you for the advice:)

[lisiamc]

When are you there? The sunflowers are blooming now, but will finish during the next month or so, depending on how high up they are. If you are travelling later in the year, the olive or grape harvests could be happening. If earlier, then fields of poppies and wildflowers are possible.

[irenez]

We are there at the end of july. I hope you can help with destination choice, so much to see and so little time...

 

 

Thank you!

[euro cruiser]

With kids I think I'd start at Pisa, but be sure to prepurchase tickets to climb the tower if that's something you'll want to do. The web site for that is here: http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Torre/index.jsp. Note that children must be 8 years old to climb.

 

Also be sure that you learn about ZTL areas in any city you might drive into. Pisa has a ZTL, and the fines for straying into the area are high. With a little pre-planning, however, you can easily avoid them.

[ksps cruise fan]

I found some choices: Our choices are:

Pisa to Lucca to Forte dei Marmi(beach visit) or Viareggio ...

 

We would like to see some nature, vinyards and make it fun for the kids. Some peole write about fields of sunflowers, which drive is that?

Thank you for the advice:)

 

 

Would you actually spend any time on the beach if you visit Forte dei Marmi? If so, I think you'll have to decided between Pisa and Lucca rather than doing both.

 

And just to make your problem even more complex, I'm going to recommend two other places to consider, both somewhat north of Marmi: Carrara and Parco Naturale delle Alpi Alpuane. I think either of these might have more appeal to kids than Viareggio.

 

Carrara is, of course, famous for its marble. In town, you could vist some workshops making slabs that eventually end up on our counter tops. Other workshops are doing sculptures. The house where Michaelangelo stayed when he want marble shopping in Carrara is identified. There are several quarries just outside the town that accept visitors.

 

There's a spectacular drive within the Parc... Alpi Alpuane passing through the Turrite Secca valley. Whenever my husband and I make a trip that involves a particularly scenic drive, we refer to the tour books published by the Touring Club of Italy, the equivalent of the US's AAA. Those are available online.

[irenez]

Thanks for the advice. Can we rent a car when we get there or do we need to pre-purchase?

[Hlitner]

Thanks for the advice. Can we rent a car when we get there or do we need to pre-purchase?

 

As a general rule you would need to reserve in advance in order to have a car at the port. This is especially true if you want an automatic transmission (you might not even get an auto with a reservation). The local Hertz franchiser (Sifracar.com) seems to be able to deliver cars to the port even when some other companies are denied access due to security (this makes no sense but after all, it is Italy).

 

Hank

[KayAnnie]

On our recent cruise, we met a couple who were not experienced travelers at all who rented a car just fine when they got to Livorno and had a lovely day touring vineyards etc. They had not pre-booked or anything, but being the planner I am, I would.