Epic - Livorno to Pisa

[lachelli]

Hello

 

I am planning on doing a self tour to Pisa when we dock in Livorno next month as I believe it is a simple and quick train journey to Pisa.

 

I am just wondering if any one has done this lately and can offer some tips and also if any knows if NCL offer a shuttle bus into Livorno so I can get to the train station easily

 

Thanks in advacne

 

Lacehlli

[Cat4158]

Hi. We have docked in Livorno on several cruises. Fellow passengers have told us that there is a shuttle bus (we've never used it) that goes into central Livorno. It drops you about a mile from the railway station.

Previously we have hired a car in Livorno. Car hire companies can bring the vehicles right next to the ship. Last time we drove to Pisa and from there on to Lucca. This might be an option for you if you are happy to drive.

[lachelli]

Hello and thanks for the reply, to be honest I would not feel comfortable with a self drive, They drive on the opposite side of the road than what I am used to and given that I would only be for a few hours I feel that I would just be stressing myself unnecessarily

 

I have read several mentions about a bus to Central Livorno, and then the walk to the rain station, just trying to weigh up the cost of that versus a taxi straight to the train station

 

Lachelli

Edited October 5, 2015 by lachelli

[MeHeartCruising]

Hello and thanks for the reply, to be honest I would not feel comfortable with a self drive, They drive on the opposite side of the road than what I am used to and given that I would only be for a few hours I feel that I would just be stressing myself unnecessarily

 

I have read several mentions about a bus to Central Livorno, and then the walk to the rain station, just trying to weigh up the cost of that versus a taxi straight to the train station

 

Lachelli

 

I would recommend you research (and possibly ask this question) in the Italy forum - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=595

 

If NCL does offer a shuttle to central Livorno (I do NOT know this), it most likely drops you off at Piazza Grande. When I was last in Livorno, this is where they dropped and I have not seen any difference in posts on cruise critic. This leaves you quite some distance from the train station. Google maps shows it as a 30 minute walk (just under 1.5 miles). I think most people take a bus from Piazza Grande to the station. Or better yet, if possible, they take a taxi directly from the ship to the train station. This is what we did, but I've read lately that taxis willing to take you to the station are not always obvious at the ship. You could also take a taxi from P. Grande to the train station.

 

When we returned to the train station from Florence later in the day, there were no taxis at the train station to take us back to the ship. So we boarded a bus which took us to P. Grande. And from there, we found the NCL bus and convinced them to take us back to the ship, even though we had not purchased tickets. We were willing to pay, but the driver was not equipped to sell us the ticket, so he just let us on for free.

Edited October 5, 2015 by MeHeartCruising

[Xmansmom]

Check out this

. I just watched it yesterday and it really helped me to put in perspective getting from the cruise ship to Florence and it talks about Pisa too. Edited October 6, 2015 by Xmansmom

[rochelle_s]

I have been to Livorno before and did Pisa on my own with the train. I am returning next spring and will be a train trip again.

 

There is a shuttle put on by the port (5 euro) that will bring you to the center of Livorno and you can then purchase a bus ticket to take you to the train Station (Bus #1). If you go this route you might as well by two tickets and save yourself queuing to purchase again on the return. I believe the bus tickets are €1.50.

 

New though is a shuttle that will bring you from the ship directly to the train station. My understanding is this new shuttle costs 15 euros. So you pay more but you have the convenience of going directly from the ship to the train station and direct again on the return.

 

Pisa is very nice and if you are planning on spending all your time there then you might want to check out some travel books at your local library. There are several self guided walks you could do to explore the city further.

 

If you would like to check out somewhere a little further afiend you might want to consider Lucca. It is very close and you can easily explore Lucca and Pisa in a day. Google Rick Steve's and Lucca to find out a little more.

 

Finally if you have a smart phone or a tablet and like to DIY in the ports you should check out an app called GPS My City. I love this app. There is a free (lite) version for the various cities or you can upgrade to a paid version for under $5. Both versions will help you plan a walk or walks in the city of your choice and you can choose the walk that best suits your interests, whether it be historical, culture, architecture, food, shopping, nightlife etc. The paid version will even give you step by step directions and tell you more about what it is you are seeing.

 

Finally if you are interested in climbing the tower consider purchasing your ticket and booking your time online. It will save you a lot of valuable port time waiting in line.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

Rochelle

[trfccruiser]

We did exactly the same journey from Epic in May.There are 2 shuttles a local one and an NCL one as described.We caught the local one which is much cheaper but not direct to the station.We caught a taxi on the way and bus number 1 on the way back.Trains to Pisa are very regular about every 20 minutes and don't take long about 20 minutes.You then either need to catch a bus to the Tower or taxi (about a 10 minute ride).

My 2 top tips if you've not been on a train in Italy before you need to frank your ticket via a machine in the station either on the way to the platform or on the platform itself.You just feed the ticket in and it stamps it.

Secondly if you are going to the Tower why not prebook online?Probably won't be that booked up at your time of year, but it saves queuing.You are not allowed ANY bags up the tower but your ticket includes access to a safe deposit luggage drop (just allow time for this)

Online booking for the tower is here;

http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Turisti/

Have a great cruise!

[trfccruiser]

Picture of ticket franking machine to look out for:

[lachelli]

Picture of ticket franking machine to look out for:

 

 

Thank you so much for your help, Its great to hear that NCL are running a bus to the train station because I have read lots of reviews saying that taxis are reluctant to take you there and that its easier to navigate the train station, ticket machine and platforms combined than trying to actually get to the station

 

You have put my my mind at ease and it all looks completely doable now

 

Thanks

Lachelli

[Blocks]

We did exactly this in August. We took the NCL shuttle to Livorno train station, you buy tickets in the port building and it is charged to your room. The bus journey to the station took 10-15 mins and you have to go past the station and double back. At Livorno train station we bought return tickets to Pisa and the trains were quite regular.

Once we reached Pisa (approximately 15 mins) we bought bus tickets x 2 for each person from the newsagent in the station and went across the road and waited for the bus outside the hotel. The bus was packed and just about everyone got off at the tower.

Getting back was straight-forward although we missed the first train because we couldn't get onto the platform due to a closed stairway and the number of people getting off another train on the adjacent platform.

The NCL bus was waiting in the car park at the back of Livorno train station, we got on and the driver immediately left and took us back to the ship.