Civitavecchia and Livorno

[pinkpanther52]

Ok, I am going on Western Med Cruise 2014. As I can pop accross to Rome or Florence pretty easily from the UK I was not intending to go on Tours to either of these places. So does anyone have an info on what alternative trips you could do? Not really interested in a load of Historical sights or churchs they are just not my thing. What is there to do in the ports themselves I would be happy to wander round them if there was a bit to see. Thanks.

[Hlitner]

The truth is that there is not much worthy to do in either of those ports. DW and I sometimes enjoy spending a quiet port day in Civitavecchia (we have been there many times) where we can just walk around town, along the new seaside promenade, visit their market, and perhaps have lunch in one of the restaurants located across the street from the sea. As to Livorno, some folks will just enjoy the city, but we have not been won over to its charms.

 

The thing about Civitavecchia is that its so darn easy to grab the train to Rome where there is a lot to do and plenty of good restaurants. A BIRG Ticket is only 12 Euros and gets you round trip train plus all days use of Rome's Metro and bus transportation system.

 

But Livorno is a tougher problem since just getting from the ship to the train station is a minor hassle (you need to find a taxi to share). But having been to Florence many times (on both port days and long driving trips where we spent several days in hotels) we never tire of this wonderful city. Just walking along the river, having a long lunch at one of their well located outdoor cafes, enjoying some of the best gelato on earth, perhaps browsing their large outdoor market, etc ....makes for a fun day. Another great option from Livorno is to take the train to Lucca (change at Pisa) which is a perfect walled city for walking. If you prefer to rent a car at Livorno (you can have it delivered at the port) there are numerous driving trips in Tuscany (we can give you some suggestions if needed). Of course you would need to remember that they drive on the right :)

 

Hank

[pinkpanther52]

Thanks for your reply Hank it was most helpfull (and for your other reply as well). I do have a further question. Why is it a problem getting to the Train station in Livorno? Can youu not walk - I dont mind a 30/40 walk or get a Bus? Sound like Pisa or Lucca would be a good option. So the info would help me decide if I do it DIY or take a Tour. Did not realise it was so easy to get to Rome will not book anything but see how I feel. Oh No!! No car for me I cannot get use driving on the WRONG side of the road :). Tried it in Paris once what a Mare!!

[dogs4fun]

Thanks for your reply Hank it was most helpfull (and for your other reply as well). I do have a further question. Why is it a problem getting to the Train station in Livorno? Can youu not walk - I dont mind a 30/40 walk or get a Bus? Sound like Pisa or Lucca would be a good option. So the info would help me decide if I do it DIY or take a Tour. Did not realise it was so easy to get to Rome will not book anything but see how I feel. Oh No!! No car for me I cannot get use driving on the WRONG side of the road :). Tried it in Paris once what a Mare!!

 

I agree with Hank ... neither Civi nor Livorno are of any great interest to me. Very easy to get to Rome using the BIRG.

You cannot walk in the port of Livorno ... it is forbidden. There is a shuttle that you can take into the city center. Once in the city center, you would need to take the public bus to the train station for either Pisa or Lucca.

Or, as Hank suggested ... you can share a taxi.

[Hlitner]

Thanks for your reply Hank it was most helpfull (and for your other reply as well). I do have a further question. Why is it a problem getting to the Train station in Livorno? Can youu not walk - I dont mind a 30/40 walk or get a Bus? Sound like Pisa or Lucca would be a good option. So the info would help me decide if I do it DIY or take a Tour. Did not realise it was so easy to get to Rome will not book anything but see how I feel. Oh No!! No car for me I cannot get use driving on the WRONG side of the road :). Tried it in Paris once what a Mare!!

 

Dogs4fun (great nick) has it right. But its even more complicated. Most of the taxis that come to the pier in Livorno will refuse the short haul fares to the local train station. So you need to be insistent and keep asking for a taxi to the station (stazione) and eventually somebody will take the fare for 20-25 Euros. But that is the cost for the taxi and you can get 4 in most taxis. Its actually cheaper then taking the shuttle bus which will often cost $7-$10 and still leave you a long way from the train station.

 

And by the way, I once picked-up a rental car in a garage under Marble Arch (London). When I drove up the ramp I was in the middle of the large circus and had no clue since everything was the wrong way. So I do understand about your issue.

 

Hank

[WildWind]

I would not bother with a taxi to the train station and with the train itself. You can book a transfer from door to door for the whole day for about 40 Euro per person. It will save a lot of time and efforts. The van is for 8 persons. Find people from your cruise who would be interested to visit the same places (roll call for your cruise) as you and book a transfer. We used the service provided by Nicola Scovenna (http://www.livornotoflorence.com/) . Very nice guy! He is about 25-30 years old with limited English but it was enough to communicate. He met us in port holding a plate with my name. He drove us first to Florence, then Pisa and then back to the port as we wanted. Because he has a license he can take you very close to the point of interest. It will minimise your walking. For example, he dropped us about 20 metres from the Leaning Tower. We loved it. If we would take the train we would save may be 10-15 Euro per person but we would lose valuable time and of course we would be very tired. I am so glad that I booked the transfer before we go and did not bother with the train. The van (FIAT) was very comfortable.

Rome is another story. You do not need a transfer or a tour. The train station is in walking distance. Buy the BIRG ticket (as Hank suggested) and your good to go. On the way back go to Termini station. You will get a chance to get a seat on the train there. It will be important after walking the whole day. We did this traveling with two kids (11 and 9 years old) and it was not difficult at all.

[Hlitner]

We do agree with Wildwood that if you can get a private van for 40 Euros per person..its a good deal. Although the train would be cheaper (even with taxis in Livorno) its hard to argue against the convenience of having a no hassle transfer from the pier. But to get those low cost transfers you need to put together a small group where everyone wants to go to the same place at the same time. And this is where the genius of the CC Roll Call forum comes in very handy. On one trip to Livorno DW and I decided to rent a car to drive to Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre). After reserving our car we thought it might be nice to cut our rental car cost in half by looking for another couple to split the cost. I posted on our Roll Call and within 15 min had 4 couples who wanted to share the cost (we chose the first couple and it was fun). Love those Roll Call boards :)

 

Hank

[pinkpanther52]

Thank you for all your answers. Ok DIY Rome it is. And for Livorno I have seen two orginized excursions one just to Pisa for £22 which I think is just a Transfer from the port but may be worth the money to save the hassle and one to Pisa and Lucca wher the price depends on how many people there are. I will wait a bit and see if we could get a group to go to Pisa and Luca. BTW does anyone know WHY you have to get a taxi/transfer from the port and cannot just wander into Livorno. Thanks

[euro cruiser]

BTW does anyone know WHY you have to get a taxi/transfer from the port and cannot just wander into Livorno.

You can't just wander out because this is a large (huge, actually) industrial port with all kinds of equipment moving about. It's just not safe and the port authority can't make it safe for you, so they simply prohibit it.

 

There are several exit points from the port, depending on where you are berthed. The distance to the train station is 2 - 3 miles on foot, depending on which exit you leave from.

[Hlitner]

We can give lots of support to what Euro says about not being able to wander around the Port of Livorno. We have tried to walk out of the port (its more then a mile from many of the cruise ship piers to the main port entrance) and been stopped by port security. They simply will not allow you to walk away from the immediate area of the ship. Although we only needed to get to the so-call port "Shopping Center" (which is a building near the main port entrance) we were forced to pay a taxi 20 Euros to take us the one-mile through the port! It was highway robbery, but we had no choice.

 

Unfortunately for we cruisers, the Port tends to put the US owned cruise ships at a very distant (from the port entrance) pier since they claim it offers a higher level of security. The shame is there are usually many docking locations much closer to the entrance, but they are never available for our ships.

 

Hank

[scottbee]

We can give lots of support to what Euro says about not being able to wander around the Port of Livorno. We have tried to walk out of the port (its more then a mile from many of the cruise ship piers to the main port entrance) and been stopped by port security. They simply will not allow you to walk away from the immediate area of the ship. Although we only needed to get to the so-call port "Shopping Center" (which is a building near the main port entrance) we were forced to pay a taxi 20 Euros to take us the one-mile through the port! It was highway robbery, but we had no choice.

 

Unfortunately for we cruisers, the Port tends to put the US owned cruise ships at a very distant (from the port entrance) pier since they claim it offers a higher level of security.

 

Total robbery, I agree. We were pissed off by the same thing. 20+€ for a taxi for the 4km to Livorno Centrale

 

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[pinkpanther52]

AH I see. I was imagining some bizare reason. Very much of a pain in the !!!! Think I will just look for a morning tour then.

[hylasgirl]

Ok, I am going on Western Med Cruise 2014. As I can pop accross to Rome or Florence pretty easily from the UK I was not intending to go on Tours to either of these places. So does anyone have an info on what alternative trips you could do? Not really interested in a load of Historical sights or churchs they are just not my thing. What is there to do in the ports themselves I would be happy to wander round them if there was a bit to see. Thanks.

 

 

We took a wonderful tour out of Livorno to the wine region of Montecarlo. We stopped in Lucca for a bit and then we spent our day visiting 3 different vineyards. All of them with tastings and one of them with lunch. It was one of the best days we had with Romeinlimo. I'm not sure what I'd do in Civitavecchia without touring, but I would definitely suggest the wine tour if you are interested in that type of thing. It was a great day and it wasn't ALL spent in the car. If you know what I mean :) And the little town of Montecarlo was adorable. We stopped there as well.

 

Good luck planning. I'm trying to find some alternatives to Naples. I've been all over and am trying to shake it up a bit.

[samavarcruiser]

I would walk out but is simply prohibit it, then taxi might be an option but not cheap, I would look for an alternative.

[cruisemom42]

Good luck planning. I'm trying to find some alternatives to Naples. I've been all over and am trying to shake it up a bit.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but consider going south to Paestum -- the Greek temples are beautiful, there's a small, lovely museum .... and some excellent restaurants nearby featuring the local buffalo mozzarella (there are stores along the way selling it as well). It's a bit of a drive but since you usually go the private route.....

 

Or consider going north of Naples to visit the beautiful amphitheatre at Pozzuoli (you can get into the lower level at no extra charge and it's much better preserved than the underground of the Colosseum) -- and you could add a visit to the ruins of opulent ancient Roman beach villas at Baia or a visit to Cumae to see the ruins and visit the so-called Cave of the Sibyl.

[euro cruiser]

Or Caserta, for the amazing Reggia di Caserta palazzo and gardens.