Best Viking Excursion in Florence/Pisa (Livorno)

[bacmb]

We've never traveled to the mediteranian before, and are going on a Viking Ocean cruise to the area in May.  In Florence, we have a choice of "Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa", "Italy's Art and Architecture", "The Renaissance Treasures of Florence" or hiring a pedicab and doing a self tour.  The Renaissance tour is about $100 more per person, and online, because of the limitations of busses and the streets, we've seen recommendations of a tour guide or pedicab.  Any suggestions for newbies?

 

Thanks 

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 minute ago, bacmb said:

We've never traveled to the mediteranian before, and are going on a Viking Ocean cruise to the area in May.  In Florence, we have a choice of "Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa", "Italy's Art and Architecture", "The Renaissance Treasures of Florence" or hiring a pedicab and doing a self tour.  The Renaissance tour is about $100 more per person, and online, because of the limitations of busses and the streets, we've seen recommendations of a tour guide or pedicab.  Any suggestions for newbies?

 

Thanks 

My advice, forget Pisa and spend as much time in Florence as possible. Pisa is a long ride for what is essentially a photo op of the tower.
 

We were just in Florence in January on a post cruise extension. Here is my writeup for that portion of our cruise.

[Peregrina651]

Step 1: Prioritize what you want to see in Florence. There is no way you can see it all in one day, so if you only have 1 day what are the 3 things that you must see or do.

 

Then there are the other questions, you should have settled in your mind -- and only you can answer these questions.

• Is a guide a must or are you willing to explore on your own? What is your level of comfort?

• How is your general health? Do you walk unaided? Can you climb stairs?  How many? How many miles can you cover comfortably? Florence is a walking city; they have closed the center of the city to buses and most cars. Even on the Viking tours you will be dropped off near your first stop and then you will have to make your way to the bus parking lot near Santa Croce.

• Do you want to whiz by as many places as possible or do you want to a few places and do them well?

• What's your budget? "Watching the pennies" or "Sky's the limit"? -- and don't answer this one here because it is really none of our business

 

2 hours ago, bacmb said:

In Florence, we have a choice of "Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa", "Italy's Art and Architecture", "The Renaissance Treasures of Florence" or hiring a pedicab and doing a self tour.

 

Next step is to compare these three tours side by side.

• Make a list of the places each tour covers.

• Mark whether it will be an inside visit or just a stop and look at building/view/facade.

• Compare the length of the tours (and don't forget the drive time that will will eat into the time that you actually have to tour the city; Google maps can help you figure out long you will be on the bus -- then add in a 20 minutes pit stop each way). 

 

 

 

 

[Selion]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

As others have said, focus on Florence especially since this is your first time there.  We visited Florence twice on two different cruises, and there are still more to be seen.  Question for you: Is your cruise overnighting at Livorno?  If so, that gives you a lot more freedom with Florence on the first day.

 

We signed up Viking's "Florence on our own" tour, basically a bus ride to and from Florence.  The caveat?  Depending on the guide you have, the 1.5 hour ride to Florence may turn into 2 hours because he wanted to stop at a cafe his friends own on the way (in the name of a pit stop 20 minutes out of the port 🙄).  We didn't arrive at Florence until 12 noon.  Sleazy guide aside, you have the option to stay longer in Florence and take the train back to Livorno, which was what we did.

 

Based on our experience in Florence, here what I'd suggest you do to maximize your time there (and if your ship is staying overnight):

Buy your train tickets from Livorno Centrale to Firenze S.M. Novella (direct train preferred) on Trenitalia.  They are regional commuter trains, but comfortable enough for an 1 hour 20 minutes ride.  Note the arrival time at Florence.

 

We bought the train tickets back to Livorno towards the end of our time at Florence, as we did not want to be tied to a set time.  Bought the tickets on my phone via Trenitalia's website in a few minutes.

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

 

The easiest way to go to and from Livorno Centrale is by taxi.  Last November the ride was 25 Euros each way.  

 

Based on the train's arrival time, buy advanced timed ticket(s) to the Academy (for David), Uffizi, or Duomo.

Academy: https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/tickets/

Uffizi: https://www.uffizi.it/en/ticket

Duomo:  https://operaduomofirenze.skiperformance.com/en/store#/en/buy

The entry into the cathedral is free, but ticket holders have a separate entrance (skip the line).

 

There is really no realistic way for you to see all 3 in one day.  Plan out what you really want to see, and prioritize them.

[Selion]

BTW, Pisa.  We went to Pisa with Viking's included tour on the 2nd day.  We had tickets to all the museums and for the tower itself.  Needless to day, we stayed behind in Pisa and took the train back to Livorno.  You could spend 6 hours in Pisa, just not with any tours.

 

If you are inclined to climb the tower, you can get tickets up to 20 days out: https://www.opapisa.it/en

Edited March 2, 2023 by Selion

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, bacmb said:

We've never traveled to the mediteranian before, and are going on a Viking Ocean cruise to the area in May.  In Florence, we have a choice of "Florence and the Leaning Tower of Pisa", "Italy's Art and Architecture", "The Renaissance Treasures of Florence" or hiring a pedicab and doing a self tour.  The Renaissance tour is about $100 more per person, and online, because of the limitations of busses and the streets, we've seen recommendations of a tour guide or pedicab.  Any suggestions for newbies?

 

Thanks 

 

In addition to the Viking Shore-ex and hiring a cab, I'll suggest checking out a couple of local vendors. Here are a couple of suggestions for the port of Livorno:

  RomeCabs - https://www.romecabs.com/

  Italy Tours EU - http://italytours.eu/

   

[Vagabond51]

Heidi13... just a quick thank you for the romecabs suggestion. We ended up booking a private tour to Pitigliano from Civitavecchia we found from the link. We have spent a week in Rome and with such a short window decided this would be much more enjoyable. Would not have found it without the link! Tip of the hat and a thank you!

[lackcreativity]

2 hours ago, Vagabond51 said:

Heidi13... just a quick thank you for the romecabs suggestion. We ended up booking a private tour to Pitigliano from Civitavecchia we found from the link. We have spent a week in Rome and with such a short window decided this would be much more enjoyable. Would not have found it without the link! Tip of the hat and a thank you!

This is why I value the Viking Cruise Critic thread: I continue to learn new things. I thought I had researched all the options of places to go instead of Rome, but I never came across Pitigliano. After a quick glimpse of some photos, it is certainly on my list now! Thanks, and hope you enjoy your tour.