Question about Florence

[St Croix]

How far is it from port into Florence; do you recommend the shuttle or private car?

 

Any advice would be helpful.

[mp8shnt]

Livorno to Florence is about 1 and 1/2 hours drive time. You can take private cars, taxi or even a train. If you have not been to Florence, there is a lot to see and if you only have a day, you might be better off doing the ship's tour. They will make sure you see the highlights in the shortest amount of time and they'll get you to the ship on-time.

[St Croix]

That's exactly what I needed to know; thank you very much.

[RachelG]

I probably wouldn't take a private car to Florence--parking is impossible and traffic is crazy. Now if I were going to one of the smaller Tuscan villages, a car would be great, but not to Florence. Would probably take the train or the bus from the ship which will go there.

[kazover40]

We where going to go to take a cab to the train station then go to Florence by train!

When we left the ship, we had to go right down the line before we got a driver willing to just take us to the station! All the earlier drivers where really grumpy about it!

The young guy we eventually got spoke perfect English and was really friendly! On our way to the station we asked him how much it would be to go to Florence and he quoted half the price of the other drivers.

We had a great day in Florence then he took us to Pisa for half an hour which was plenty of time for photo shoots!

He was so pleased he had beaten all the older drivers and we had a great day!

[divenski]

I am going to be on a Voyager cruise which has a one day stop on a Sunday in Livorno, and am trying decide what to do for an excursion, and the choice seems to come down to a 1/2 day in Pisa or Lucca vs a full day in Florence. The following 2 days will be full days in Rome and Sorrento/Capri, and so the idea of taking it a bit easier the 1st day has some appeal.

 

One key question is, what will be open in these places on a Sunday? Also, what is the scenery like on the ride to Florence? Any other pros/cons for Pisa vs Florence? BTW, this will be my first time on a cruise and to Italy.

 

Thanks a lot.

[cruiseluv]

Hi Divenski,

 

I have been to all 3. If this is your first time to Italy I would certainly encourage you to go to Florence. There are so many treasures there! The Uffizi, which is IMO Italy's greatest art museum, is open on Sundays as well as the Accademia where the magnificent statue of Michelangelo's David is. And of course , you can visit the Duomo as well and walk in Florence which is a beautiful city.

 

If you are willing to get a good guide book and map, you could do it on your own by train. If you do this, I encourage that you do advance reservation for entrance to Uffizi and Accademia, so you don't waste time in lines.

 

I love Lucca, it's a beautiful small Tuscan city. But Florence is in a class by itself.

[parisbully]

We did the ships trip to Florence. This is a full day and rather tiring. It depends on your age and if you are used to walking and standing. We had been to Florence several times in the past and knew where we wanted to go. So if you do go for the first time be sure and do your research before going. Also found that the museums were very crowded and you sometimes needed reservations, etc. The scenery was very nice on the trip there and back. I think if you are planning full days for the following days you might enjoy a half day tour more of Pisa or Lucca.

 

One year on the Diamond we decided to just stay on the ship and not do any tours. If was very relaxing. I think we were the only passengers on the ship. Needless to say we had the best service ever. Like having our own very large yacht.

[NJBelle]

While I realize you may have 2 full days of activities following this port, don't miss Florence. It is one of my favorite cities in the world. If this is your first time to Italy, then I guess you have not been there, and it would be a shame to be that close and not experience this wonderful city even a little. If you really cannot push yourself to do this, then definitely Lucca over Pisa. I have done both and while everyone has heard of the Leaning Tower, Luccca is a lovely little town.

 

Whatever you choose, you will enjoy.

 

NJBelle

[St Croix]

We will be going into Florence this June and wondered the pros and cons of getting from the ship by taxi vs. the train.

 

Can anyone help with this dilema

[St Croix]

I realized I posted on this topic earlier but now I would like more specific information on the train.

[cruiseluv]

Hi,

 

The train is approx 1 hour, 20 mins. It seems there is a train once an hour from Livorno to Firenze, with some stops in between . You can go to http://www.trenitalia.it for timetable.

 

Price is 9 Euro 1st class, 6 Euros 2nd class, one way.

[St Croix]

Wonderful!! Thank you very much.

[AngieS]

Hi there...do you mind me asking how much your cabbie charged for your day to Florence and Venice please? We are thinking about doing Siena and San Gimignano and your ides of spontaneously finding a cabbie seemed rather fun!

Thanks. My email is angie.silagy@verizon.net if you want to reply directly.