Livorno to Pisa and Lucca by Train

[Tintown]

Would anyone happen to have any information available on this trip. We will be on a cruise on the Grand and will be in Livorno in September. We would like to try and do this trip by train, rather than a tour. Have read about train strikes though, and that has us concerned. If we decided to do this and then were affected by a strike, are there other alternatives, such as buses etc, or would everthing be pretty full up with cruises in port?

[teacherman]

We did this in September. Read my review on Celebrity Century (there are 2 of them because we did a B2B). Easy to do. There is some way you can check for a train stoppage before you leave from home. Others might help with that.

[GSPLover]

Would anyone happen to have any information available on this trip. We will be on a cruise on the Grand and will be in Livorno in September. We would like to try and do this trip by train, rather than a tour. Have read about train strikes though, and that has us concerned. If we decided to do this and then were affected by a strike, are there other alternatives, such as buses etc, or would everthing be pretty full up with cruises in port?

 

Train strikes are few and far between. I have ridden probably 150+ trains in Italy and have only been on two with strikes. They most post in the media, well in advance, of any planned strike. Strikes don't last that long. Yes, there are buses and taxis as backup.

[golfergal]

I agree with the others. You'll know well in advance if there is going to be a strike. When we arrived in Livorno a couple years ago, there were plenty of taxi for tours. We're stopping there again this year and want to do Lucca and Pisa by train as well.

[pmdc5696]

Europe has the US beat on public transport hands down. The trains in Italy are easy, comfortable and cheap. I have done that trip several times via train and wouldnt consider doing it any other way. I will often print the scedule out before I leave home and double check it when I buy my tickets. If you are there on a weekend, make sure you are looking at a schedule for the weekend day as they can be different from week days.

 

They advertise their strikes in Italy long before it happens. Check before you leave and you will be fine.

 

Dont forget to book the Uffutzi and Accademia online, in advance. You will avoid those very long, hot lines.

[genni]

Lucca - Settembre Lucchese - September is a sort of a mix of county fair/religious occurence since the Middle Ages for Lucca...the height is Sept. 13th/14th - the 'Volto Santo' procession (in the evening - streets candle lit...) so it may be very crowded that day. Just something to keep in mind. The train station of Lucca is right outside the city walls, no problem there, but the station of Pisa is something of a walk to the Leaning tower.

 

Pisa/Lucca - about 1/2 hour by bus, Livorno Pisa - there may be more stops, so a little longer. Take a GOOD look at the train schedules - some are quite slow. (Usually if the trains are on strike, the busses are not). There is a bus stop (not main station) right outside the city gates of Pisa where the tower is (ospitale Santa Chiara)...Busses run every hour until about 8:00pm, then get more scarce. DO check that it's not a Sunday or a legal Italian holiday (there don't seem to be any for Sept.).

 

Pisa - book online a time for the Leaning Tower if you plan to go up it (the baptistry is an alternative - less steps!) Time is essential - at Pisa head straight for the Piazza dei Miracoli (Leaning Tower) and not plan on much else if you are going on to Lucca.

Florence/Lucca/Pisa altogether...? Not enough time to bother with all 3 unless one has already seen Florence, even though the cruise excursions propose this.

[Hlitner]

Its actually a very easy train trip. Just keep in mind that you will need a taxi to get you to the Livorno train station and you will have to nearly beg the drivers to take that short haul (be assertive and keep telling them you want to go to the stazione). The train to Lucca from the main station in Pisa usually leaves from a track that is off to the side. Check the board for the track number (in Pisa) and if it has a number with a "B" behind it, it will be a track that is way down to the right as you exit the station onto the platform. Double check with the information folks at the station. As to the train strikes, after 35 years of traveling in Europe we have only run into the problem on one day. And that was a weird strike that only affected a single line that ran from Siena to Florence! Got to luv those Italian unions.

 

Hank

 

Hank