Livorno - Florence and Lucca

[crayonri]

Hi,

We're trying to find out if there is a way of getting to Florence and Lucca in one day using either a train or bus? I know the excursions says 10 to 10 1/2 - with three of those hours being on the bus. But do we really need 7 hours in Florence? I'd love to see Lucca as my parents had business with a company there and would love to visit them . Any ideas? or suggestions?

We're going to be on Oceania's Insignia on 6/29/07

Thanks!

Jean

[Denn33]

I have not yet been to the port in Livorno, but I once spent four days in Flornence and made a side trip to Lucca during that time.

 

First, I would say that I loved Lucca; I thought it was absolutely charming, the people were very nice and the food was excellent. Walking or cycling around the city walls is great. Nice place also if you want to get away from being surrounded by fellow tourists. On my upcoming cruise that stops at Livorno, I am going to skip Florence, and might well return to lucca for a nice, relaxing day, as it was one of the highlights of my previous trip to Italy.

 

I would say that it's certainly possible to make it to both in a day--but it's pretty impossible to do justice to Florence in a single day, let alone splitting the day with something else. (I honestly did not like Florence very much, but there is certainly a lot to see there). You have to go to the Uffizi, which takes a while because it's usually mobbed with people and your sort of have to go through in a single-file line, and to the Accademia to see Michaelangelo's David (the rest of the gallery is less interesting, but seeing David is the most breathtaking experience of viewing art that I've ever had--seeing David was as overwhelming as it was underwhelming as it is to see the Mona Lisa), and the Duomo. I also recommend Vivoli for pear-carmel gelato.

 

If you are determined to make it to both Lucca and Florence, it is probably possible, but it would definitely be rushed. I would also check the train schedules very carefully to make sure you can make it back to the ship in time...there were delays on the trains serving lucca and pisa when I was there.

 

Combining Lucca and Pisa is much more manageable--very close by train-- but Florence is definitely more of a "must see" then Pisa. The field of miracles is beautiful and all, but that's about it, one small square in a very large city. It's a long walk from the train station, too (about half an hour).

[LisaV6]

We too, are considering a side trip tp Florence and Lucca, but by private driver. Hoping to see the sights overall along with some of the countryside.

[24butterfly]

Hi,

We're trying to find out if there is a way of getting to Florence and Lucca in one day using either a train or bus? I know the excursions says 10 to 10 1/2 - with three of those hours being on the bus. But do we really need 7 hours in Florence? I'd love to see Lucca as my parents had business with a company there and would love to visit them . Any ideas? or suggestions?

We're going to be on Oceania's Insignia on 6/29/07

Thanks!

Jean

 

Livorno is a shipping Port. You will need to get to the train station from the Port. It is walkable but it's a mile. Taxi's won't take you; they want the big $. Lucca is about 15-30 mins by train. You can also get there by bus. It is a small, quaint village very different from Florence. It won't take you a long time in Lucca, it's not Rome or Florence. If you are travelling on a Sunday, both Florence and Lucca will be very quiet. Florence wakes up on a Sunday at about 1:00PM. Lucca on a Sunday is very quiet. Also, watch so that you don't miss the ship...It depends on what you want to see in Florence--M'angelo's David? I would suggest getting tix b4 hand. The Duomo is huge--the outside is pink and white marble--just beautiful. If it's on a day other than Sunday, by the Duomo, there is a street market selling leather goods. It all depends on what you want to do/see in Florence. The Arno Bridge--the scenery- you can climb up to the top in the Bell tower and see all of Florence--I think it's about 300 steps. It was worth it to me. If you really appreciate art, Florence is for you. It also has the Uffizi gallery. It's also alot of fun just to wander around. Hope this helps.

[24butterfly]

Hi,

We're trying to find out if there is a way of getting to Florence and Lucca in one day using either a train or bus? I know the excursions says 10 to 10 1/2 - with three of those hours being on the bus. But do we really need 7 hours in Florence? I'd love to see Lucca as my parents had business with a company there and would love to visit them . Any ideas? or suggestions?

We're going to be on Oceania's Insignia on 6/29/07

Thanks!

Jean

 

Livorno is a shipping Port. You will need to get to the train station from the Port. It is walkable but it's a mile. Taxi's won't take you; they want the big $. Lucca is about 15-30 mins by train. You can also get there by bus. It is a small, quaint village very different from Florence. It won't take you a long time in Lucca, it's not Rome or Florence. If you are travelling on a Sunday, both Florence and Lucca will be very quiet. Florence wakes up on a Sunday at about 1:00PM. Lucca on a Sunday is very quiet. Also, watch so that you don't miss the ship...It depends on what you want to see in Florence--M'angelo's David? I would suggest getting tix b4 hand. The Duomo is huge--the outside is pink and white marble--just beautiful. If it's on a day other than Sunday, by the Duomo, there is a street market selling leather goods. It all depends on what you want to do/see in Florence. The Arno Bridge--the scenery- you can climb up to the top in the Bell tower and see all of Florence--I think it's about 300 steps. It was worth it to me. If you really appreciate art, Florence is for you. It also has the Uffizi gallery. It's also alot of fun just to wander around. Hope this helps.

[24butterfly]

Hi,

We're trying to find out if there is a way of getting to Florence and Lucca in one day using either a train or bus? I know the excursions says 10 to 10 1/2 - with three of those hours being on the bus. But do we really need 7 hours in Florence? I'd love to see Lucca as my parents had business with a company there and would love to visit them . Any ideas? or suggestions?

We're going to be on Oceania's Insignia on 6/29/07

Thanks!

Jean

 

Livorno is a shipping Port. You will need to get to the train station from the Port. It is walkable but it's a mile. Taxi's won't take you; they want the big $. Lucca is about 15-30 mins by train. You can also get there by bus. It is a small, quaint village very different from Florence. It won't take you a long time in Lucca, it's not Rome or Florence. If you are travelling on a Sunday, both Florence and Lucca will be very quiet. Florence wakes up on a Sunday at about 1:00PM. Lucca on a Sunday is very quiet. Also, watch so that you don't miss the ship...It depends on what you want to see in Florence--M'angelo's David? I would suggest getting tix b4 hand. The Duomo is huge--the outside is pink and white marble--just beautiful. If it's on a day other than Sunday, by the Duomo, there is a street market selling leather goods. It all depends on what you want to do/see in Florence. The Arno Bridge--the scenery- you can climb up to the top in the Bell tower and see all of Florence--I think it's about 300 steps. It was worth it to me. If you really appreciate art, Florence is for you. It also has the Uffizi gallery. It's also alot of fun just to wander around. Hope this helps.

[Hlitner]

I am not sure if there are any reasonable bus connections, but I expect not. As to trains, you must first get from the port to the Livorno train station which requires a taxi (not always easy to get one from the port) and about 10min. The train to Lucca is about 40 minutes and usually requires a change at Pisa. A train from Lucca to Florence is approximately 1:20 and than it takes another 1:15 (this can vary somewhat) to take a train from Florence back to Livorno and than you still need to grab a taxi back to the ship. So, you are looking at about 3 1/2 hours of train travel not to mention waiting time for the schedule. I usually recommend that folks using the train to Florence make that their only destination..although a stop is Pisa is certainly easily done. The journey does make more sense with a rental car (assuming you are comfortable driving in Italy) or with a car and driver. Lucca sits right on the main highway to Florence (A11) and is also an easy drive from Livorno. We often drive in Italy and I would not recommend this drive to someone inexperienced with the region because Florence can be tricky for driving and parking. But, if you got a car by 8 you could be in Lucca by 9. If you rushed through the town (we often spend an entire day in Lucca) you might be able to get to Florence by early afternoon, but you would need to leave for the ship by 4 (or earlier) which barely leaves you time to take a breath. As to needing 7 hours in Florence, we have been to this great city 3 times as a cruise stop and have driven there twice on our drives through Italy (spent about a week in Florence) and it is still not enough.

Hank

[harrtchr]

Has anybody hired a driver at the dock to go from Livorno to Lucca and if so how much was the ride?

[Hlitner]

I do not know the exact cost of a taxi from the pier to Lucca, but I suspect you are talking about approximately 100 Euros one-way. The problem is that most of the taxis will be looking for a full-day hire at about 300 Euros. If Lucca is your only destination it really makes sense to simply use the train from Livorno's Centrale station (you will need a taxi from the pier to the station). The train stop at Lucca is right outside the city walls, and the city can only be explored on foot (you can also rent a bike to ride atop the walls). If you take the train you will probably need to change in Pisa. The Lucca train is usually located at a secondary platform which is a bit of a walk from the station (to your right as you exit the station onto the platform area). If you are not familiar with the Pisa station its not a bad idea to ask for directions to the Lucca train platform.

 

Hank