best way to get to San Gimignano from Livorno?

[finallyavacation]

We are still looking for an excursion outside Florence. San Gimignano came recommended. RC has a ship excursion, but I'm not sure if it is easy to get to and we could do it on our own. Can someone recomend a private tour company for this area?

 

Thanks

 

Joy

[Hlitner]

San Gimignano is our "special" place in Italy and we have spent substantial time at the nearby Villa San Paolo (about 3 miles outside town). As good as this walled city is during the day, it becomes magical at night after all the day tours have exited for other places. As to getting to San Gimignano from Livorno, its not easy. There is no train station in San Gimignano, although its possible to take a train to a nearby town and get a bus to San Gimignano (a pain for a short day trip). We have done the trip from Livorno by simply renting a car and driving ourselves (we went to Siena for lunch, and spent the afternoon in San Gimignano). You could also hire a taxi or arrange for a private car/driver for the day (this will cost you about $250 to $300). There are two routes between the cities, one being the interstate type road that runs around Florence and than you head towards Siena until the San Gimignano turn-off. The other way (which is more fun and much more beautiful) is to pick your way along the country roads where you will see changing landscapes, some hilltop villages, etc. Keep in mind that San Gimignano is actually a pretty small town and is a major tourist day trip site that is pretty crowded bus tours during the daytime. You need to figure almost 2 hours each way from Livorno although we have made it in about 1 1/2 hours.

 

Hank

[dkcruiser]

Hank,

For private tours the cheapest I've heard of is 300E. How do you get a driver for the day at closer to $250? Is that what you negotiate with a taxi? Are you taking a risk if you do that?

[Hlitner]

Well, it used to be about $250 but I guess the falling dollar (down over 30%) has not helped! Yes, you can negotiate with the taxis that are on the pier. The only risk would be that you might have to pay more than you prefer, but such is life. Most of them are looking for a full day hire.. but its supply and demand. Keep in mind that there are a limited number of taxis, so its probably best to be one of the first off the ship. Sometimes groups of 6 or 8 can luck out and find a taxi/van and save some money. I guess that is why we like driving in Europe. My wife and I like to go by ourselves (we sometimes will take another couple) and it usually costs us about $80 to rent a car for the day. This gives us the freedom to go where we want, when we want! However, we have driven thousands of miles throughout Western Europe and are very comfortable with this mode of transport. Many prefer to let others do the driving.

 

Hank

[finallyavacation]

Hank,

Thanks for the info. When we went to Italy 5yrs ago we rented a car and drove all over. We really loved it. I was afraid this would be a huge hassle when trying to get off the ship. I have driving guide books already. My husband arranged the car last time but it was all from the airport. Are there rental spots near the port? Will they meet you at the port to go get a car or do you have to hire a taxi to get to the car rental place? Who do you suggest trying to arrange a car with?

I do think this could be a great solution.

Thanks,

Joy

[Hlitner]

Joy,

As is typical of Italy, what was yesterday may not be today! The last time we rented a car in Livorno, we used Avis. We had to grab a taxi from the pier to their downtown office (less than 10 min drive) where we obtained the car. They told us to drop the car on the pier by just parking it across from the ship and leaving the keys under the mat. We noticed that some of the other rental companies (Europcar) was also allowing folks to drop on the pier. I am not sure if anyone will deliver to the pier, but we have since had some great delivery service from Europcar in Civatavecchia. My advice would be to directly contact Avis and Europcar and ask if you can arrange for pier-side delivery. We were able to get Europcar to deliver to us at the pier in Civatavecchia for $20, and they did this on a Sunday when the agency was actually closed! The nice thing about Livorno is that if you are returning to the port from the direction of Pisa, its very easy and fast to get to the port without going through town. One warning! We have always had traffic problems when trying to use the bypass around Florence in the morning. The traffic can be awful. Personally, we will always use the back roads to avoid this area. My other advice would be to never ever drive into Florence!

 

Hank

[finallyavacation]

Thanks for the advice and experience. I will check into both companies. We will not be going to Florence but rather San Gimignano and maybe another town along the way. Hopefully we can aviod the traffic you mentioned.

[dbh62ark]

We just returned 2 days ago and went to San Gimignano and Siena from Livorno for 320 Euros for 4 passengers (we could have taken another couple for 360 Euros total for the car or 8 passengers for 400 Euros). We traveled on short notice due to my husband changing companies and didn't have time to form a group before we left, so we found passengers on the ship (most realize that a private tour is far superior but simply don't know how to book).

 

We received a referral to a newer company at http://www.papillonservice.com/. Their prices were also much lower than the competition if you use an Enlish-speaking driver only. The e-mail address is mcroy@iol.it. We had seen Florence, although I'm sure they do a great job there, so we had a wonderful day seeing Siena and San Gimignano. And okay, call me shallow, but when will you have another opportunity to say that you used the same driver that Nicole Kidman and Don Johnson (separately--I don't want to start any rumors) used?? Max was just great.

 

Our ship was 1 1/2 hours late in port due to weather, and Max had no problem with the wait. He stayed with us for almost 11 hours (we paid him extra for that) because we were having such a great time. He also drove us the scenic route on the Chianti road through the Tuscan countryside and did a side stop at another village (I don't have the name with me). Can't say enough good things . . . .

 

Hope you have a great time.

 

Donna

[lov2travel]

Joy,

 

We hired a private driver/guide last year named Alessandro Cammilli (for two years now). He has a roomy car with air conditioning, he speaks good english & is very prompt--never a worry to get back to the ship on time! The itinerary you're looking at is exactly what we did, but also saw Lucca (for the best Olive Oil). We did the full trip in 8 hours, 2 people $25Euro per hour, 4 people $35Euro per hour, plus tip of course. The money you'll save in shopping & restaurants with Alessandro's recommendations will offset the additional cost of a guide. He made our visit to Tuscany more memorable than we ever thought possible. Feel free to contact me for more details, or you can reach Alessandro Cammilli at alecamma@hotmail.com

[ppiew]

We just returned from a cruise that included Livorno. We had planned to rent a car (Avis) and had one reserved for the day, the rate we were quoted was $173.00 for ONE day! Upon reaching the pier, we hired a taxi to drive us to the Avis office, and he convinced us to hire him instead - a wise choice! We had the luxury of an interpreter as well as a driver. We went to Lucca and then on to Collodi and much of the Tuscan countryside. It was excellent and he charged $200 for the day.

[SteveS]

We toured with Alessandro last summer and had a great time. It was much better and cheaper tha a ship's tour.

 

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[lovely12no]

Hello Love2Travel - I am inquiring as to the email address or other known contact point for Alessando. I have attempted numerous times to email him and regrettably my emails are all kicked back to me. Any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciated.

 

lovely12no

[laurieh]

We also used Alessandro and he was excellent. We went to Cinque Terre for the day, and it was beautiful! Alessandro speaks great English and his prices are very reasonable. Lovely12no-his e-mail address is: alecamma@hotmail.com

[lovely12no]

Hi! Thanks so much for your email address. I just received a reply and that is promising. My husband has never had the pleasure of visiting San G. or Siena...both such memorable and charming spots. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to reply and help.

 

Many thanks!

[laurieh]

Lovely12no,

 

Have a great trip!

 

Laurie

[MVPinBoynton]

We used Marco Minati from TuscanyTours. The website address and Marco's picture is in my review. It sounds like you already have some good leads. Siena and San G are two beautiful cities and the ride through Tuscany is just so gorgeous.