Lucca and Florence in one day?

[jstducky]

Is it possible to do Lucca and Pisa in one day from Livorno using the train?

 

Thank you.

[Hlitner]

Is it possible to do Lucca and Pisa in one day from Livorno using the train?

 

Thank you.

 

Possible? Yes. Practical? No! So lets talk about this option. Assuming you go to Florence and catch an early train you will probably not get to Florence until around 9:30 am. Florence is a wonderful city (we have spent many days and nights there) worthy of lots of time. But, for you to then go to Lucca it means you must leave Florence very early in order to catch the train which takes 1:14. There is generally a train at 10 min past each hour so lets assume you took the 1:10 train from Florence to Lucca. That means that until you walked from the Florence train station (at 9:30 am) into the heart of town you would have about 2 1/2 hours (at the most) to see Florence. This is enough time to stroll some of the streets...but that is about all. You certainly would not have any time to go into a museum such as the Uffizzi or Academia or eat lunch. Taking that 1:10 train would get you to Lucca at 2:29 (assuming its on time). It takes about 10 min to walk from the station across the roads (and grass) and get into Lucca (and you still have not had time to enjoy a nice Italian lunch). Assuming you need to be back at your ship by 6:30 (most ships depart about 7) this means the latest train you can take from Lucca back to Livorno leaves Lucca at 4:12pm (you must change in Pisa) getting you into Livorno Centrale at 5:14. This gives you a little over an hour to find a taxi to get you back to the port (this time of day you may have to wait for a taxi). When you consider the time necessary to walk back to the Lucca station it means you would have had no more then 1:10 min to actually enjoy Lucca. And also keep in mind that Lucca is typical of most Italian cities in that a large majority of its' shops and boutiques are closed in the afternoon from about 1 until 4....

 

So, after reading my info do you still want to go to both Florence and Lucca on a single port day?

 

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

I'm a little confused, your heading says Lucca and Florence, but the body of your post says Lucca and Pisa.

 

Lucca and Pisa can easily be done in one day, by train, from Livorno.

[euro cruiser]

If your goal is Lucca and Pisa, and if you want to climb the tower in Pisa, you should start by reserving a time for the climb, either in the beginning of the day or the end. The last time I did this we started in Pisa so we could be in Lucca for lunch (far more interesting restaurant options there, and one in particular that I wanted to revisit).

 

The total travel time between Livorno Centrale and Lucca is about an hour, give or take a few minutes depending on connections. All trains will require a change at Pisa Centrale.

 

A regional train ticket in the Tuscany region is good for four hours from its validation, so you can use the same ticket even if you stop off for an hour or two in Pisa.

 

From Pisa Centrale to the tower area (Piazza dei Miracoli) is about one mile on foot (slightly longer if driving due to one way streets). You can easily get a cab from the train station, or take a local bus.

 

When you are ready to leave for Lucca you can use the Pisa San Rossore train station, which is only a few blocks away (maybe a third of a mile). This station is on the Pisa Centrale - Lucca line, the one you would switch to if you simply went from Livorno to Lucca without visiting the tower.

 

You do need to be careful about your timing, as there is only one train per hour and you don't want to waste 59 minutes waiting for the next one.

[jstducky]

Sorry, I meant Lucca and Florence, not Pisa, that was a mistake.

 

Thanks for the advice. THis is for my parents who are taking this itinerary. I'm going to Scandinavia myself!