Advice pls - rent car in Livorno to drive to Florence, park outside & catch tram in?

[:)DITA]

Hello,

 

I have read lots of very helpful Cruisecritic threads on options of seeing Florence from Livorno. Can you please give me some advice about the options below - specifically if anyone has driven to Florence?

 

A:

It seems that the recommended way to DIY is to get a taxi to Livorno station (around 25 euros per taxi) then catch a regional train to Florence (32.80 euros return). And then either another taxi or Bus #1 (1,20 euros) then shuttle bus (I've seen US$5-7pp reported?).

 

B:

Another ship excursion alternative I am considering is this tour from Cruising Excursions (which seems to have mixed reviews - either glowing or very much not glowing experiences)

http://www.cruisingexcursions.com/excursion.php?ID=4554&Key=36db20581d98b74df21ad66b81d1393a2a0

: a fly-by tour of Florence and Pisa from 59GBP (65GBP for my date) - we normally like to DIY, but this is a reasonable price which includes a guide and is probably not a bad way to get a taster on our first visit. However, it only goes to the Academia and we are keen to see the Uffizi gallery.

 

C:

With 2 of us, a private excursion will be too expensive and there is not one to join on our Roll Call. I won't have time to organise one.

 

D:

I wondered about renting a car? Main areas of concern I've seen are

1. car not being delivered to the port - in which case I would err towards taking the train if we have to make our way into Livorno anyway - otherwise, I was hoping this option would cut out the negotiations with unwilling taxis.

 

2. restricted traffic zones (ZTL) - I would think parking outside of Florence would avoid this?

(eg. Tripadvisor - A highly recommended safe and convenient way to park is to use the public transport system and park well out of the way of the ZTL and heavy traffic areas of Florence. Tram and bus share the same ticket (ATAF) and cost 1.20 euro for 90 minutes.)

It also sounds like some of these parking options are quite cheap and some free.

 

3. driving in Italy - we have driven in many other countries in Europe but only Sardinia in Italy. Is it naive to assume it wouldn't be too different? We have a GPS.

 

4. bad traffic - I can't seem to find out much on this. We are in port from 0700 - 2000 on a Friday. If it is regularly bad traffic, then trains may well be a much safer option.

 

Pros: Does not cost too much more than doing by trains (looks like car rental starts from 50euros), hope it would be more time efficient (not waiting 30mins or more if miss a train)

 

Questions:

~ Has anyone managed to pick up a car at 7.15am?

~ Do you think it will be a more time efficient option?

 

Sorry for such a long post. Thanks so much for getting through it!

[euro cruiser]

You will sit in traffic near Florence (from the intersection of the A1 and beyond), pretty much at any time of the day or night.

 

That said, if you don't mind driving it isn't difficult. I've parked outside the wall several times and walked in, but I don't know if that lot is now inside the expanded ZTL area. I've looked into parking at the end of the tram line and do see a lot, but have not been able to get any information about it regarding fees.

[:)DITA]

Thanks Euro Cruiser. From your post, I tried to find out if the tramvia extends beyond the A1. The end station Villa Costanza, seems to be just inside the A1. From what I can find in English, it has free parking and is 20 minutes into Stazione S.Maria Novella.

 

From googlemaps, it looks like you could turn off Strada di Grande Comunicazione Fi - pi - li earlier than the A1 intersection to go to the Villa Costanza station via the SS67. Do you think that would help to avoid the A1 congestion?

 

Euro Cruiser - have you managed to get an early hire care before?

I also read just now an expat stating he never drives on the highways in August because traffic jams are unavoidable..

[Hlitner]

We have driven extensively in this area including into Florence multiple times when we stay at the Hotel David (our home away from home in Florence). Although we love having a rental car we do not generally recommend renting a car to simply drive from Livorno to Florence. Parking in Florence can be tricky (although there are some decent paid parking garages near the train station) and much of central Florence is located within a ZTL (Limited Driving Zone) where you will get a nasty fine (added to your credit card months after you return home) so you need to know where you are going. Folks also need to be cognizant that if they are driving into Florence on a weekday it will probably still be the morning rush hour and you can find yourself stuck on the highway (as far out as the ring road) in traffic jams.

 

Regarding the initial post, there is no need for any public transit with Florence (if you use the train) as just about everything is within walking distance (if you have no mobility issues) and walking can often be faster then buses. The one major exception is the Academia (Michaelangelo's David) which is quite a hike from the tourist area (we can walk it in about a half hour) where you might want to simply grab a taxi.

 

Hank

[:)DITA]

Thanks for responding Hank - I have read your recommendations previously and have made note of your helpful advice about how to take the train.

 

I was wondering if this car rental option involving parking outside of Florence would work because you leave the car outside of Florence (hence avoiding the ZTL).

 

The Tramvia is just inside the A1 (is that the ring road you referred to), has free parking and is about a 20min journey into Florence (trams every few minutes, no traffic problems).

 

It looks like a straightforward highway journey on the map, but my concerns are whether it actually would be more time efficient (traffic, whether we can get a car early enough at the pier)?

[euro cruiser]

I've never rented from the pier in Livorno but Hank has, so he can give you first hand information on that.

 

Even with traffic I think it would be about a wash to drive, as you'd be on the road while those on the train are taking a taxi to the station (or even slower, going the shuttle to the public bus route), buying tickets and waiting for the train. On the other hand you'll eat some time finding parking, buying tram tickets, waiting for the tram, etc. In the end I expect it would wind up being about the same, with maybe a slight edge toward the train.

 

On the back end you'd need to leave time for returning the car but, again, I think that's balanced in the train option by getting from the station back to the ship.