Info needed on Livorno port of call

[MarYSol]

DH and I are traveling on the Legend 10/24/07. Have 2 days at Livorno and need info on transportation to Florence. Would like to spend 1 day in Florence and 1 day in Pisa. Is it easy to get transportation to Florence from the Port or should we just book a ship excursion? Would prefer to do the cities on our own to have a little more freedom with our time. Please advise. Thanks

[eh2zed]

DH and I are traveling on the Legend 10/24/07. Have 2 days at Livorno and need info on transportation to Florence. Would like to spend 1 day in Florence and 1 day in Pisa. Is it easy to get transportation to Florence from the Port or should we just book a ship excursion? Would prefer to do the cities on our own to have a little more freedom with our time. Please advise. Thanks

Gloria, you should go to Cruise Critics Port of Calls posts and search Livorno, Pisa and Florence. You will get lots of hits.

For my own opinion I would use a private tour operator or else thetrain. Service to Florence is fairly regular. Pisa a bit less so.:) :) :D :D

[CelticChick]

I just returned from Italy, although not on a cruise. While the Leaning Tower of Pisa is worth seeing, the town of Pisa definitely is not! It is not anything like the other quaint towns in Italy. A better use of your time would be to take the train to the Cinque Terre, which is only 30 - 45 min. north of Livorno. There you can hike, boat, or take the train to five amazing villages clinging to the rugged coastline. A true Italian delight! You might want to research the Cinque Terre on line. Have fun, no matter what you do Italy is incredible!!

[Keith1010]

Mary, if you want to get specifics on tours then repost your question on the Mediterranean Port of Call which can be found under the Europe Ports of Call Section on Cruise Critic.

 

I would recommend spending the day in Florence. The advantge of doing a tour whether through the ship or a private tour is to expedite getting the tickets for the various places that you will want to see and to get a nice explanation of what you will be seeing. While we have done quite a bit of touring on our own in the Med, there are certain places where through a formal tour that you will learn quite a bit. In terms of Florence, what adds to the appreciation of what you will see is gaining knowledege of the history of the art.

 

Florence is about a one hour drive from Livorno.

 

Keith

[agabbymama]

I'm planning on utilizing the Hop on/Hop off buses in most of the Italian ports. Rome, Livorno and Naples all have them. And this one will give you 10% of future uses, so after Rome I plan to save my ticket to show them for 10% off in the other ports. I just can't bring myself to pay upwards of $300 to someone for a tour in any pf the ports. I will be doing them on my own.

 

http://www.firenze.city-sightseeing.it/eng/index.htm

 

Good luck and have a great trip!

[MarYSol]

Thank you all for your quick reply. Lots of information. I will definitely check them all out. I have read about the Hop On Hop Off buses and will probably make use of them at all our Ports. Thanks for the link on Florence, will definitely investigate. We are very excited about this Cruise and plan to spend 13 lovely days cruising around Italy. Will save receipts for the buses in Florence, Naples, Rome. Next step will be to investigate Croatia. We will be stopping in Dubrovnik and Split. Will check individuals ports as suggeasted. Thanks again!!!!!!!

[Happy ks]

Thank you all for your quick reply. Lots of information. I will definitely check them all out. I have read about the Hop On Hop Off buses and will probably make use of them at all our Ports. Thanks for the link on Florence, will definitely investigate. We are very excited about this Cruise and plan to spend 13 lovely days cruising around Italy. Will save receipts for the buses in Florence, Naples, Rome. Next step will be to investigate Croatia. We will be stopping in Dubrovnik and Split. Will check individuals ports as suggeasted. Thanks again!!!!!!!

 

We're doing this itinerary in Oct. 08, so I will be very interested in a review from you, please :)

 

I'm travelling with a group of (at the moment) 7 people, so we will do private tours. The buses sound great for 2-4 people, though ;) . I'd not try to attempt it with my aunt, as lovely as she is, keeping up and paying attention to the group is not a strong point with her. I think we would lose her a number of times :rolleyes: . We also fear that with this many people it would turn out to be a "what do you want to do?", "I don't know, what do you want to do?" sort of day. So private tour arranged ahead of time it will be!

 

BTW, Cinque Terre sounds delightful, I think I'm gonna look into that!

[MarYSol]

OK Happy - Will try to post a review pretty quick. BUT.......we are arriving in Rome Wednesday early morning - the Legend departs at 5:00 pm, and on our return we will be spending 4 days in Rome. We will not be back State side until 11/11. Hope you do OK with your private tours.

[Blackrobe]

Let me concur with CelticChick. A full day in Florence is not enough. A full day in Pisa is way too much. It certainly is worth seeing the Leaning Tower and Miracle Square but even our guide did not speak favorably of the town. There are a lot of better opportunities out of Livorno than spending a whole day in Pisa.

[MAKEM]

DH and I are traveling on the Legend 10/24/07. Have 2 days at Livorno and need info on transportation to Florence. Would like to spend 1 day in Florence and 1 day in Pisa. Is it easy to get transportation to Florence from the Port or should we just book a ship excursion? Would prefer to do the cities on our own to have a little more freedom with our time. Please advise. Thanks

 

There are several ways,but the most practical to take cab from port to rail station,for train web trenitali.com this will give times and cost,and catch the early train

try to share a cab 15 euros each way

If you take the ships shuttle into Livorno,still have to get the bus to station,

early morning train, you can do both Florence and Pisa.

[Happy ks]

OK Happy - Will try to post a review pretty quick. BUT.......we are arriving in Rome Wednesday early morning - the Legend departs at 5:00 pm, and on our return we will be spending 4 days in Rome. We will not be back State side until 11/11. Hope you do OK with your private tours.

 

 

Not to worry, our cruise is 08, not this year :)

 

We do plan early!

[MarYSol]

Great info! Got it! Will concentrate on Florence - hopefully full day - and forget Pisa. That trip thru the Country side sounds just marvelous! Hopefully we will be able to share a cab to Florence and spend lots of wonderful hours seeing the sights and ALL THAT SHOPPING - YEAH!!!!!

[SPY1956]

Hi Gloria

We were in Livorno last May and caught a local bus from the town centre into Pisa. The journey took about 45 mins and quite crowded as lots of Africans were carrying big bags with goodies on the bus. You have to rush to get a seat otherwise its a long journey to Pisa. After arriving you still need to walk about 1/2 hour to the Leaning Tower. Return journey is better and not as crowded. I think the bus service is hourly.

You have to walk across the square, about 5 mins where the shuttle drop off the passengers. Just ask the driver. Hope this helps.

[fmax]

I agree with previous comments. When we did this port in 2005 we had private guide - we went to Pisa first, climbed the tower and then were on our way to Florence - did spend much more than an hour in Pisa.

 

However, there are threads on this board on how to do both ports, in a day, on your own. Here are FAQ Threads on some of the ports you mentioned that will help with your planning

 

Forence Pisa

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=264654&highlight=faq

 

 

Rome

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=283936&highlight=faq

 

 

Dubrovnik

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=562358&highlight=faq

 

 

Split

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=562372&highlight=faq

 

Another thing to do is check into your roll-call, if there's not one, start one. My sister and I found 4 fellow travellers who were planning private tours and asked to join them - it was must cheaper than the ships tour, easier than doing on our own and we managed to see as much as possible in so little time.

 

You could do one day on your own and a private tour with a group on the other day.

 

Frances

[DavidandPaula]

We had one day for Tuscany on the 12th July cruise on Freedom.

 

Plan was to get off the ship, get into Livorno on the shuttle and then to the station. Go to Pisa than on to Florence for our pre booked tickets to see David.

 

All the plans went out the window as there was a train strike called at the last minute. Shuttle bus into Livorno was the horror of horrors and I think I developed some understanding of the scenes that we saw about Hurricane Katrina on our news services here in Australia. I have never been so disgusted with my fellow human beings. Door to the bus opens and a group of about 30 just swamped the door and physically pushed everyone that was already there aside. Then they argued about having to pay 1 euro for the trip and when that argument was lost then wanted to know why they could not pay in dollars. In Livorno a similar scene was enacted when the same group discovered they could not buy tickets on the bus but had to go to the booth near the bus stop.

 

All I could see was my desire to see David dissappearing very rapidly. Thankfully a Canadian family we had made friends with on earlier excursions had grabbed a taxi and invited us to join them, even offered to pay extra so we could stay a bit longer in Florence and use our tickets at 2pm. So in the end it worked out fine and we saw enough of Florence to want to go back again in the future.

 

So my advice. For somewhere as special as Florence forget the extra expense and book a guide and transport (or at least for you with a 2 day if you are staying in Florence overnight then book the going and returning trips in advance if possible).

 

And what was it like seeing David. I am not ashamed to admit I cried, to me it is the most beautiful piece of sculture I have ever seen. The perfection of the marble and the detail in the work is superb. Want to go back sometime soon but for the next visit we will stay in Florence for at least two nights, hopefully more.

 

David

[TrishaHamilton]

I just returned from this cruise on August 23rd on the Legend and all I wanted to say was be careful that you actually have 2 days in Pisa/Florence. Many of us were fooled as we were supposed to be in Livorno/Pisa for 2 days. Our itinerary actually had us arriving August 20 at 7:00 am and leaving August 21 at 1:00 am which translates into 1 hour past midnight! There were many people who had to cancel hotel rooms etc. I also recommend you don't take the ship Florence on your own. You will arrive at approximately 10:30 and have to leave at 3:30 - not nearly enough time for such a beautiful city!

[carlmm]

While the Leaning Tower of Pisa is worth seeing, the town of Pisa definitely is not!

 

A full day in Pisa is way too much.

 

Different opinion here. Even a day is not enought to do the town justice. Just the Campo dei Miracoli will keep you busy for a full day. Its name "square of the wonders/miracles has a reason: The buildings and pieces of art are breathtaking and beautiful. Just to look at the tower is a waste of time.

Buildings around the square include the cathedrale (from 1064, bronze doors, pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, ...) the baptisterium (most impressive round building, pulpit by Nicolai Pisano) the Camposanto ("the most beautiful cemetery in the world", outside long wall of marble, inside most impressive frescos, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and the Museo delle Sinopie.

More churches, museums, towers and more can be found spreaded over the city.

Thus Pisa, only half an hour away from Livorno, is a perfect place for a great day.

[John&Betty]

Hi MarYsolo,

 

Since you will be there 2 days why not rent a car so you can spend more time in Florence and really get to see the countryside? The roads and freeways are clearly marked and it's not a difficult area to dive in.

 

There are maps, pictures and links under "Florence" in "Med 2008" below. Avis will deliver a car to the dock and pick it up there when you get back.

 

John

[alee]

First thing to do is check your itinerary. I just got off the Legend on the same itinerary and while Florence was listed for two days, it really was just one as the ship departed Livorno at 1AM. So in fact, we were there for one full day and one hour of the next. Many passengers questioned why we left since we proceeded to sail along the coast of France that day. Anyway, we booked a private car & guide through InItaly.com. The driver was waiting to take us to Florence where we had a 2 hour walking tour (we were there on Monday so the museums were closed) then we had some time for lunch and shopping. Then we stopped in Pisa for an hour on the way back to the ship while the driver waited. This is more than enough time to get your photos of the Leaning Tower - there truly is nothing else worth doing there. InItaly.com is a great company - we also booked a Pompeii tour and a full day tour in Rome with them. We felt it was worth it to not be with a large group from the ship and I believe our teens connected better with their surroundings. Enjoy the cruise!