Livorno Self Tour with Kids

[mtcruise10]

Hi! Next July my family will be stopping in Livorono with our two boys, ages 8 and 10. I have a few ideas of things to do but would love some advice. 

-Pisa: I think my kids would find this entertaining, but past taking the pictures and maybe running in the open field....I'm trying to decide if it's worth the drive to do this or if we should just go to Florence

-Florence: I know there are so many things to do here. I'm hoping specifically for some tips on a self tour we could do with kids. They won't mind some museums, etc, but would also like to mix in some things they will find entertaining. Also sounds like some of the museums you need to book tickets ahead of time. Trying to decide which ones. What about transportation here besides an expensive tour? Any train, bus, taxi recommendations? 

-Stay in Livrono instead? I hate to miss out on Florence (I need someone to tell me don't miss Florence also!)...but would there be interesting things to do that would cost a lot less if we stay in town? 

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, mtcruise10 said:

Hi! Next July my family will be stopping in Livorono with our two boys, ages 8 and 10. I have a few ideas of things to do but would love some advice. 

-Pisa: I think my kids would find this entertaining, but past taking the pictures and maybe running in the open field....I'm trying to decide if it's worth the drive to do this or if we should just go to Florence

-Florence: I know there are so many things to do here. I'm hoping specifically for some tips on a self tour we could do with kids. They won't mind some museums, etc, but would also like to mix in some things they will find entertaining. Also sounds like some of the museums you need to book tickets ahead of time. Trying to decide which ones. What about transportation here besides an expensive tour? Any train, bus, taxi recommendations? 

-Stay in Livrono instead? I hate to miss out on Florence (I need someone to tell me don't miss Florence also!)...but would there be interesting things to do that would cost a lot less if we stay in town? 

Take them to Florence and the Divinci Museum.  It is a lot of fun for both adults and kids with many hands on Divinci inventions with which you can play.   

 

Hank

[dronnygirl]

You  can take a train from Livorno to Lucca, a beautiful  walled town about 30 minutes away by train. You can wander through the streets or can hire bikes to ride round  the walls.  You can then get off the train half way back and visit Pisa so the kids can have the usual photos holding the tower up!  We always found if the kids were happy so were we!

[cruisemom42]

In addition to the goofy pictures, your boys would be old enough to climb the tower at Pisa, which I think would be fun for them. (My son, while considerably older, just did it in 2018 and rated it one of his trip highlights out of our 10 days in Florence and Venice!)  If interested, you should definitely figure out your timing and make reservations in advance.

 

However, if you stop in Pisa, your time in Florence will likely be pretty limited. I would not plan on doing the Uffizi Gallery. The Accademia, where Michelangelo's David is displayed, is well worth a short visit -- it seems to appeal to all ages, whether or not you are an art lover. Reservations are a must, especially in summer.

 

In Florence, the Da Vinci museum is a good suggestion. It may also be fun to visit the straw market (mercato nuovo) and find Il Porcellino and rub his nose (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcellino). 

 

The upscale foodie market in Florence (mercato centrale:  https://www.mercatocentrale.com/florence/)  is a great place to watch Italian foods being prepared (classes are offered) and to grab a quick lunch. 

 

Your kids may be a bit young, but my son also enjoyed visiting the Palazzo Vecchio, the city administration center-cum-residence of the Medici in Florence. He had watched a series on the Medicis prior to the trip and enjoyed looking at the portraits of the many generations of the family. We also spent a fun 10-15 minutes searching for the hidden "Cerca Trova" in the huge painting by Vasari in the Hall of the 500 (if you are a Dan Brown fan....)  https://www.florenceinferno.com/the-battle-of-marciano/

 

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

17 hours ago, mtcruise10 said:

-Stay in Livrono instead?

Do not stay in Livorno for the day. You will be docked in a commercial area and need to use  a shuttle bus to get into town.  Once you get into town, the best thing is the bus leaving for anywhere.  There is nothing in Livorno. nada!

 

Go to Florence.  It is worth the effort.  Your boys will remember it as a highlight.

[mtcruise10]

Love the Da Vinci museum idea - never heard of it before now, and the pictures looks great. Kids would love it. Straw market and Porcellino sound fun 🙂 I'll check out the Medici idea as well. Good to know Livorno isn't worth the stay 🙂

 

The train to Lucca could be a good idea as well. Any tips on which train? Navigating transportation is a stress for me. 

 

What about transportation if we want to go to Florence for the day? 

[euro cruiser]

My one and only July Med cruise had three jam packed days before we hit Livorno (Malta, Naples and Rome) and all four of the kids absolutely refused to take the long train ride to Florence only to spend several hours in broiling heat, followed by another long train ride back.

 

We wound up going to Pisa (even though two of them had already been there) in the morning and on to Lucca for lunch and a stroll (some rode bikes) along the top of the wall.

 

The train is easy, whether you make a stop at Pisa or not.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, mtcruise10 said:

Love the Da Vinci museum idea - never heard of it before now, and the pictures looks great. Kids would love it. Straw market and Porcellino sound fun 🙂 I'll check out the Medici idea as well. Good to know Livorno isn't worth the stay 🙂

 

The train to Lucca could be a good idea as well. Any tips on which train? Navigating transportation is a stress for me. 

 

What about transportation if we want to go to Florence for the day? 

 

To get to Florence (and Pisa) on your own there are a couple of options.

 

By train:  After you get off your ship, you would need to either get a taxi to the train station (rip off at 25 euro but it's for all of you) -- that's assuming you can convince one to take you. Most will be looking for all-day tours. The alternative is to get your ship's shuttle to central Livorno and from there a public bus to the train station. Trains to Florence run regularly and stop in Pisa (Pisa Centrale).  In Pisa you can take a but to the "Field of Miracles" where the Tower is. Reverse the process to get back to the station and then continue on the same line to Florence.  With a little additional research you can find all the details, including the timing to get back to your ship -- you'd probably need to leave Florence by mid-afternoon if you have the standard 7pm sailaway time, as even by train it's a long trip. The train station in Florence is very centrally located for all the main sites.

 

By bus:  There is a bus that departs from the same piazza in central Livorno where the ship shuttles drop off passengers. You can buy a ticket in advance for either Florence alone or Pisa and Florence. Read more here:   https://www.tuscanybus.com/en/home.aspx

 

[Hlitner]

On 1/7/2020 at 6:08 PM, mtcruise10 said:

Love the Da Vinci museum idea - never heard of it before now, and the pictures looks great. Kids would love it. Straw market and Porcellino sound fun 🙂 I'll check out the Medici idea as well. Good to know Livorno isn't worth the stay 🙂

 

The train to Lucca could be a good idea as well. Any tips on which train? Navigating transportation is a stress for me. 

 

What about transportation if we want to go to Florence for the day? 

We have been to Florence many times (often multi-day stays) and have been to all the usual (and some not usual) museums more then once.  But until our most recent trip (this past October) we had never even heard about the Divinci Musuem (it is relatively small with an obscure entrance one can easily miss (thank goodness for GPS).  When DW suggested we visit the place I was skeptical.  I was wrong.  We actually had a lot of fun and even as two seniors found ourselves playing with quite a few of the hands on exhibits.    I would never admit this, but the place was more fun then spending a few hours looking at more dreary renaissance paintings (I will get flamed for this comment).

 

Hank

[chipmaster]

We did the Grand Med and our kids were 8, 12, and 14.   We did a Private tour with stops in Pisa, they enjoyed the iconic hold up the tower pictures but the highlight was climbing, get tickets and climb it.  The experience with sloped stairs, worn smooth stairs and then getting the top is very very fun, IMHO

 

You can't get away from a European w/o cathedrals, history, and musuem.  In hindsight I wished we actually got them to see a few more, yeah they get bored, but it makes a lasting impression for them, well worth it!  I wouldn't bog them down with endless painting and madonas but a few is good for the soul, LOL