What to do in Livorno?

[suttoncruisers]

Hi

 

I haven't been to this port before and was wondering if anyone had any idea of costs of taxi/shuttles and is Livorno a nice place to walk around?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Sue

[-Lew-]

For us Livorno is a gateway to Tuscany. If you haven't visited Florence or the hills of Tuscany, I suggest you investigate visiting those areas.

 

[eclue]

Take the train to Pisa and then on to Lucca...very doable. Rent a bike in Lucca and ride around the walled city then ride around the town before taking the train back to Livorno.

eclue:rolleyes:

[hubofhockey]

Florence is one of the world's great cities. I would recommend it as a must do/see.

[eclue]

Totally agree, but if you've been to Florence once or twice before - check out the options.

eclue:rolleyes:

[anthonyy7]

Another vote for Lucca, what an amazing place!

[Hlitner]

We like to refer to Livorno as a "gateway port" to western and central Tuscany. While Livorno does have some of its own charm, we do not think it comes close to the charm that can be found in other places within range of a daytrip. So here is just a quick list of some options, Lucca, Siena, the villages of Cinque Terre, San Gimignano, the S222 Wine road (runs between Florence and Siena and winds through the Chianti wine region), Volterra, Florence (a true world-class gem), and many other smaller villages we have learned to enjoy.

 

As to accessing these places, besides cruise line excursions there are private tours, taxis (hired for the day), rental cars, trains, local/regional buses, etc. Our choice of transportation mode is usually based on where we want to go. For example, for Florence or Lucca we would normally use the train. But for places like Volterra or San Gimignano we would usually opt for a rental car (or one could hire a taxi for a lot more money).

 

Hank

[b_cruise]

I just got back and u have been a few times now and I love Florence. I did a tour with Joe banana limos that included the Chianti region which ended up being a highlight. They toik us to Florence pisaand a family run winery. It included lunch. I highly recommend seeing the countryside and visiting a family estate. Also. Cinque terre is amazing!!!

[Miryam1234]

We like to refer to Livorno as a "gateway port" to western and central Tuscany. While Livorno does have some of its own charm, we do not think it comes close to the charm that can be found in other places within range of a daytrip. So here is just a quick list of some options, Lucca, Siena, the villages of Cinque Terre, San Gimignano, the S222 Wine road (runs between Florence and Siena and winds through the Chianti wine region), Volterra, Florence (a true world-class gem), and many other smaller villages we have learned to enjoy.

 

As to accessing these places, besides cruise line excursions there are private tours, taxis (hired for the day), rental cars, trains, local/regional buses, etc. Our choice of transportation mode is usually based on where we want to go. For example, for Florence or Lucca we would normally use the train. But for places like Volterra or San Gimignano we would usually opt for a rental car (or one could hire a taxi for a lot more money).

 

Hank

 

Can you suggest any taxi company to be hired ahead of time for a half day trip to Pisa?

We are a family of 3, we dont want to go to Florence, but to see Pisa tower and just walk around and maybe have a lunch. So we would need a taxi to and from Pisa, with a couple of hours waiting time. Or should we just wait and see once in Livorno if there are taxis willing to do that.

[Hlitner]

Can you suggest any taxi company to be hired ahead of time for a half day trip to Pisa?

We are a family of 3, we dont want to go to Florence, but to see Pisa tower and just walk around and maybe have a lunch. So we would need a taxi to and from Pisa, with a couple of hours waiting time. Or should we just wait and see once in Livorno if there are taxis willing to do that.

 

We do not generally do taxi hires (except for short haul transportation). But there are usually a queue of taxis right at the port and you can simply negotiate a price with the driver. But since taxis are somewhat limited it is wise to be among the first off the ship. Keep in mind that hiring a taxi for a half day will not be inexpensive (you are probably going to pay at least 200€). You can certainly book a private "tour" online with any of several local providers...but this will not be cheap. For example, Romecabs (we have previously used this company for transfers) offers a tour covering both Pisa and Florence for about 450€ total for up to 3 people.

 

Keep in mind that a taxi from the cruise ship to the Livorno train station (assuming you can find a taxi to do the short haul) wlll cost about 30€ (total cost for the taxi) and the train to Pisa only costs a few Euros. One could also reserve a rental car (Sifracar delivers right to the ship) for about 100€ which gives you a small car for the entire day. Doing a DIY driving trip that, for example, might take you to both Pisa and Lucca, is quite easy (especially with GPS). You would likely have to pay a few Euros for parking at Pisa (although we have sometimes found free on the street parking)....but Lucca has plenty of free parking close to the walls. The reason we suggest Pisa and Lucca is that the route works well for that combination....and Pisa is not a place we like to spend significant time.

 

Hank

Edited August 12, 2016 by Hlitner

[Miryam1234]

We do not generally do taxi hires (except for short haul transportation). But there are usually a queue of taxis right at the port and you can simply negotiate a price with the driver. But since taxis are somewhat limited it is wise to be among the first off the ship. Keep in mind that hiring a taxi for a half day will not be inexpensive (you are probably going to pay at least 200€). You can certainly book a private "tour" online with any of several local providers...but this will not be cheap. For example, Romecabs (we have previously used this company for transfers) offers a tour covering both Pisa and Florence for about 450€ total for up to 3 people.

 

Keep in mind that a taxi from the cruise ship to the Livorno train station (assuming you can find a taxi to do the short haul) wlll cost about 30€ (total cost for the taxi) and the train to Pisa only costs a few Euros. One could also reserve a rental car (Sifracar delivers right to the ship) for about 100€ which gives you a small car for the entire day. Doing a DIY driving trip that, for example, might take you to both Pisa and Lucca, is quite easy (especially with GPS). You would likely have to pay a few Euros for parking at Pisa (although we have sometimes found free on the street parking)....but Lucca has plenty of free parking close to the walls. The reason we suggest Pisa and Lucca is that the route works well for that combination....and Pisa is not a place we like to spend significant time.

 

Hank

 

Thanks a lot for the valuable info. I got two quotes for taxis - one way to Pisa 50 eur and return with 3 hours waiting for 200 eur, so exactly what you estimated.

I wonder if it is easy enough to get a train back if we just booked oneway. Or if it is possible to find a taxi in Pisa to drive us back to Livorno.

My family really does not want to have a whole day excursion, but I insist that we do "something". Visiting the leaning tower in Pisa and having lunch there would land on that "something".

[Hlitner]

Thanks a lot for the valuable info. I got two quotes for taxis - one way to Pisa 50 eur and return with 3 hours waiting for 200 eur, so exactly what you estimated.

I wonder if it is easy enough to get a train back if we just booked oneway. Or if it is possible to find a taxi in Pisa to drive us back to Livorno.

My family really does not want to have a whole day excursion, but I insist that we do "something". Visiting the leaning tower in Pisa and having lunch there would land on that "something".

 

You can make the long hike (about a 30 min walk) from the Field of Miracles to the Pisa train station and simply wait for the next train. There are also a couple of local bus lines that can get you to the station. But once in Livorno, you would still need a taxi to get you back to the port (no more then 25€ for the taxi). If you would spot a taxi at Pisa, they would be happy to drive you back to the port and would probably charge about 40€.

 

Since you want to use taxis, you should also explore radio taxis...which is when you simply call for a taxi via phone (assuming you have a cell phone that works in Europe). But if Pisa is your only destination, and you go relatively early in the day, you will have the luxury of time to make your way back to the port. You can have a Plan A of looking (or calling) for a taxi and your Plan B would be to go to the Pisa Centrale Station and grab a train back to Pisa. But we think the taxi idea makes more sense since they will take you directly to the Port and will probably cost you no more then 30€ above the cost of using the train/taxi option.

 

So now you just have to pray for good weather :).

 

Hank

[Miryam1234]

You can make the long hike (about a 30 min walk) from the Field of Miracles to the Pisa train station and simply wait for the next train. There are also a couple of local bus lines that can get you to the station. But once in Livorno, you would still need a taxi to get you back to the port (no more then 25€ for the taxi). If you would spot a taxi at Pisa, they would be happy to drive you back to the port and would probably charge about 40€.

 

Since you want to use taxis, you should also explore radio taxis...which is when you simply call for a taxi via phone (assuming you have a cell phone that works in Europe). But if Pisa is your only destination, and you go relatively early in the day, you will have the luxury of time to make your way back to the port. You can have a Plan A of looking (or calling) for a taxi and your Plan B would be to go to the Pisa Centrale Station and grab a train back to Pisa. But we think the taxi idea makes more sense since they will take you directly to the Port and will probably cost you no more then 30€ above the cost of using the train/taxi option.

 

So now you just have to pray for good weather :).

 

Hank

 

Hank, you are a gem! Thanks

 

The weather can be a major factor to have a successful or miserable day in late Oct. We faced that when visiting Athens in Oct 2013. Got totally soaked and returned rather quickly from Acropolis back to ship.

 

Booking a one way taxi and then having several options to come back sounds good. We do have mobile phones which will work fine in Europe, since we are European. And nowadays the EU law protects us from high mobile costs, too.

 

Getting a train back would give us possibility to see Livorno as well, and cost wise it will be about the same considering the taxi from the central Livorno to the port as well. Or maybe just walking if it is a nice day. We like walking. You see a lot more that way and can always stop for a drink on the way - if there is anything to see on the way. Sometimes ports are just industrial area - i dont have any clue of Livorno. Got to do some googling now!