Livorno-Driving to Pisa and Lucca?

[sasha6259]

Hi,

We are thinking of renting a car and driving ourselves to Pisa and Lucca and hopefully to a couple of vineyards?. Is this easy to do? What are the roads like and is it easy to find your way to these places? Can any one give us some tips as to where we can locate a map that would have vineyards on it and other touristy attractions. Any advice would be appreciated. We will be in port on a Sunday and thought doing it this way may be easier. Suggestions please.:)

[GSPLover]

Hi,

We are thinking of renting a car and driving ourselves to Pisa and Lucca and hopefully to a couple of vineyards?. Is this easy to do? What are the roads like and is it easy to find your way to these places? Can any one give us some tips as to where we can locate a map that would have vineyards on it and other touristy attractions. Any advice would be appreciated. We will be in port on a Sunday and thought doing it this way may be easier. Suggestions please.:)

 

I've driven in the area many times (though not recently). Roads (except the larger stradas) are generally narrow and not well marked. It is easy to get lost. It can be fun as long as you don't have a time deadline looming overhead. I would not try it without a GPS. You might be better off hiring a private driver who knows the area. I would not rent a car for one day and I lived in that area for three years.

[6rugrats]

Not a good idea. Highly recommend you hire a car and driver or just take the train. No, it's not easy to find your way.

[Hlitner]

We have driven in this area many times (we just returned 2 weeks ago from a long driving trip in Italy and France) and its quite easy to get to Pisa and Lucca by car. It is very helpful to have a GPS (some of the rental car companies will rent you a unit) and you would want to arrange to get your car at the port (do this in advance). From Livorno you can take the Autostrade (fast interstate like roads with 4 wide lanes and a 130 KPH speed limit (80 MPH). You can also get from Pisa to Lucca on main roads (we are talking about the A12 and A11) although the two lane S12 is more fun and picturesque. Parking at Lucca is easy since the town is ringed with parking lots (just outside the walls). Parking in Pisa is a problem, but we have always managed to find a spot on the street not far from the Tower. There are also some pay parking lots in that area..but it can be pretty congested in the summer.

 

Hank

[sasha6259]

Thanks all of you for the advice but pretty confused as to what to do. There is always the ship tour? Can anyone recomend a driver if we went this route? There is only two of us so it can be quite expensive. Hubby is keen to drive but I would hate to get lost! We are in port from 7am until about 8pm at night so have plenty of time.

[GSPLover]

We have driven in this area many times (we just returned 2 weeks ago from a long driving trip in Italy and France) and its quite easy to get to Pisa and Lucca by car. It is very helpful to have a GPS (some of the rental car companies will rent you a unit) and you would want to arrange to get your car at the port (do this in advance). From Livorno you can take the Autostrade (fast interstate like roads with 4 wide lanes and a 130 KPH speed limit (80 MPH). You can also get from Pisa to Lucca on main roads (we are talking about the A12 and A11) although the two lane S12 is more fun and picturesque. Parking at Lucca is easy since the town is ringed with parking lots (just outside the walls). Parking in Pisa is a problem, but we have always managed to find a spot on the street not far from the Tower. There are also some pay parking lots in that area..but it can be pretty congested in the summer.

 

Hank

 

Hank,

 

Thanks for jumping in on this post - hoped that you would. OP was not only talking about Pisa/Lucca but also driving that backroads looking for vineyards. Could you chime in on that. It has been years since I have done that.

[Hlitner]

Ahhh. So we have a confirmed "winer." To be honest, we have never considered western Tuscany to be a particularly good wine area. Our preference is the area between Florence and Siena along the S222 route which many call the wine trail. This road winds through the heart of the Chianti region and literally has hundreds of vineyards. However the area around Pisa has more than its share of wineries (we will leave the issue of quality up to others). If you simply Google "Pisa and wineries" you will get all kinds of info. We have often had our best experiences just driving along back roads until we see a winery that has a sign indicating they are open or have tastings and than making the stop. Sometimes our GPS will show wineries as a "Point of Interest" and most of the time these places welcome visitors.

 

Hank

[sasha6259]

We would dearly love to do a wine trail but with driving in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road would need to be very careful of any alcohol consumed. At the end of our cruise we are driving from the port oiutside Rome to Florence via Sienna so may call into one or two winerys time permitting. New- Zealand has many fine wines and we often spend a Saturday touring our vineyards and sampling the wine but ...we are on the right side of the road here and know our way round! What are the drink drive rules in Italy. In N-Z you can consume a couple glasses over a couple hoursand generally be under the limit, with food a little more. Still not sure about the driving thing;will leave the decision to hubby as he will have to do the driving. Anyone know of a good winery in the area?

[GSPLover]

We would dearly love to do a wine trail but with driving in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road would need to be very careful of any alcohol consumed. At the end of our cruise we are driving from the port oiutside Rome to Florence via Sienna so may call into one or two winerys time permitting. New- Zealand has many fine wines and we often spend a Saturday touring our vineyards and sampling the wine but ...we are on the right side of the road here and know our way round! What are the drink drive rules in Italy. In N-Z you can consume a couple glasses over a couple hoursand generally be under the limit, with food a little more. Still not sure about the driving thing;will leave the decision to hubby as he will have to do the driving. Anyone know of a good winery in the area?

 

In Italy they drive on the right side of the road (there may be some who also drive middle and left - I've seen both).

[Hlitner]

We would dearly love to do a wine trail but with driving in a foreign country on the wrong side of the road would need to be very careful of any alcohol consumed. At the end of our cruise we are driving from the port oiutside Rome to Florence via Sienna so may call into one or two winerys time permitting. New- Zealand has many fine wines and we often spend a Saturday touring our vineyards and sampling the wine but ...we are on the right side of the road here and know our way round! What are the drink drive rules in Italy. In N-Z you can consume a couple glasses over a couple hoursand generally be under the limit, with food a little more. Still not sure about the driving thing;will leave the decision to hubby as he will have to do the driving. Anyone know of a good winery in the area?

 

When we visited NZ the customs/immigration officer gave us a hard time about the fact that we "yanks" drive on the wrong side (he had everyone within hearing distance laughing). If you drink enough wine you might even think you are on the right side of the road! (only teasing). The drunk driving laws in Western Europe (including Italy) are very tough. Driving after 1 or 2 glasses of wine is common, but after thousands of miles of driving in Europe we have never seen a drunk driver (I guess they are there somewhere). We like to do a lot of wine tasting, but when I am driving I truly just taste (not gulp) and will even spit out the inferior wines. I guess Bill Clinton would have said he tasted but never swallowed! :)

 

Hank

[sasha6259]

When we visited NZ the customs/immigration officer gave us a hard time about the fact that we "yanks" drive on the wrong side (he had everyone within hearing distance laughing). If you drink enough wine you might even think you are on the right side of the road! (only teasing). The drunk driving laws in Western Europe (including Italy) are very tough. Driving after 1 or 2 glasses of wine is common, but after thousands of miles of driving in Europe we have never seen a drunk driver (I guess they are there somewhere). We like to do a lot of wine tasting, but when I am driving I truly just taste (not gulp) and will even spit out the inferior wines. I guess Bill Clinton would have said he tasted but never swallowed! :)

 

Hank

Good one!

[mlbcruiser]

We were in port in Livorno 2 wks. ago and drove ourselves to San Gimignano (VERY lovely hill town and the scenery along the way was wonderful!). We had no problem whatsoever, but then we have driven in Europe and other countries before and normally drive some narrow, hilly, winding roads, as well as in heavy city traffic, at home. It's SO much nicer to be able to go at your own pace and visit places that interest YOU. Besides, you may even save money as the ship's tours are pricey.

 

By all means, get a GPS if possible, though for 4 out of 6 rentals w/various agencies on our last trip - which incl. both a cruise and a land trip - we were told that GPSs were not available!. However, all but one office had them! (The one that didn't was Iberrent in Lisbon).

 

Hlitner's advice about getting a rental car at the port is important. However, after quite a bit of checking, I was unable to find a rental agency located close to the port or that offered pick up at the port. HOWEVER, when we arrived at the port in Livorno, Hertz, Avis and Europcar all had little tables set up dockside! What a surprise! Of course, by then, had we backed out on our Budget reservation, we would have been charged anyway, so switching was not an option for us. This caused us to basically become sort of like contestants on the Amazing Race! I won't go into all the details, other than to say the cab drivers at the port WILL NOT take you into town because they all want to make more money driving people to Florence or someplace. Besides that, their "no's" were pretty forcefully conveyed! There was a bus from the ship to the center of town, but it was not cheap and our rental agency was not located anywhere near the only bus dropoff point. (I had a googled map of it's location.) In the end I had to be creative and once we managed to get well outside the port (to a gas station), an agent from Budget came and got us. He kindly also drove us back to the port after we returned our car, thankfully. (One thing to remember, there is 15 kilometers of port in Livorno, so you can't just say, "We're at the port" and expect someone to know which area you are at!)

 

It goes w/out saying that you should also plan to be back at the port much sooner than necessary to allow for unexpected delays.

[Hlitner]

I want to add something to the prior posts about the rental car companies at the port of Livorno. This has long been an issue. If you call Hertz, Budget, etc and ask about the port they will tell you there is no direct service. However, if you ask those companies (on their toll free numbers) to please directly contact their Livorno Office (of give you the direct e-mail) you can often make the arrangements. This being said, if you happen to be in any Italian port on a Sunday you will find getting a rental car is very difficult if not impossible.

 

Hank

[sasha6259]

We were in port in Livorno 2 wks. ago and drove ourselves to San Gimignano (VERY lovely hill town and the scenery along the way was wonderful!). We had no problem whatsoever, but then we have driven in Europe and other countries before and normally drive some narrow, hilly, winding roads, as well as in heavy city traffic, at home. It's SO much nicer to be able to go at your own pace and visit places that interest YOU. Besides, you may even save money as the ship's tours are pricey.

 

By all means, get a GPS if possible, though for 4 out of 6 rentals w/various agencies on our last trip - which incl. both a cruise and a land trip - we were told that GPSs were not available!. However, all but one office had them! (The one that didn't was Iberrent in Lisbon).

 

Hlitner's advice about getting a rental car at the port is important. However, after quite a bit of checking, I was unable to find a rental agency located close to the port or that offered pick up at the port. HOWEVER, when we arrived at the port in Livorno, Hertz, Avis and Europcar all had little tables set up dockside! What a surprise! Of course, by then, had we backed out on our Budget reservation, we would have been charged anyway, so switching was not an option for us. This caused us to basically become sort of like contestants on the Amazing Race! I won't go into all the details, other than to say the cab drivers at the port WILL NOT take you into town because they all want to make more money driving people to Florence or someplace. Besides that, their "no's" were pretty forcefully conveyed! There was a bus from the ship to the center of town, but it was not cheap and our rental agency was not located anywhere near the only bus dropoff point. (I had a googled map of it's location.) In the end I had to be creative and once we managed to get well outside the port (to a gas station), an agent from Budget came and got us. He kindly also drove us back to the port after we returned our car, thankfully. (One thing to remember, there is 15 kilometers of port in Livorno, so you can't just say, "We're at the port" and expect someone to know which area you are at!)

 

It goes w/out saying that you should also plan to be back at the port much sooner than necessary to allow for unexpected delays.

Hi again,

We managed to find a rental car company who are reasonable but charge extra as it is a Sunday. ( Think it is Maxirent??) Worked out at about 85 Euro due to Sunday opening fee. Plus 10 Euro for GPS. They won't come to the port. They say they are 400 metres from the port aned easy to find. Is that to far? How long would it take to disembark and get there? It is a local company recomended on this board. Do you think it is advisable to go with the bigger companys? Also do you need to book a wine tour/tasting or can you just bowl up like you do in New- Zealand. We have a full day in port . I think we sail about 8pm so have plenty of time. Thought we'd do Piza, Lucca and a vineyard near Lucca. We are driving from Rome port to Florence after our cruise and will go via Sienna. Thanks

[Hlitner]

We have been down this road with Maxirent. They insist that the port authority will no longer allow them to deliver cars to the ships for security reasons, although this seems strange when Hertz often does deliver to the port (not sure about Sundays). We last rented from Maxirent on May 1, 2008 (Mayday) and they were nice enough to open for us on a major holiday. But, getting to their office (on the other side of the port from our pier) proved to be a major hassle. Since it was only about 1 1/4 miles from our pier to the port entrance (that is where Maxirent is located) we decided to walk. But, the port police would not permit us to walk for security and safety reasons. We than asked the Princess folks (we were on the Emerald Princess) if their shuttle buses (these go into town) could drop us at the port entrance, and the Princess folks said NO. There is often an internal port bus, but that was not running that day (this is all too normal). So, our only option was to take a taxi from one side of the port to the other (about a 3 min ride). After trying to negotiate with the various taxis on the pier one driver agreeed to take us (we were 4) for 20 Euros (this is for only 1 1/4 miles) and we were forced to pay that price. That afternoon we returned the car and dropped the keys into the slot (the dealer was closed). The 4 of us than decided to walk back to the ship and as we made our way through the huge port complex we were stopped by security mulitple times. But, I guess they could not decide what to do so they simply let us pass and eventually we made it back to the ship, which was surrounded by barriers and police tape and security. We just lifted up the tape and walked to the ship and nobody seemed to care (great security). I might add we did have a great day that May 1 as we drove up to Cinque Terre which was the perfect place to be on a major holiday.

 

Hank

[sasha6259]

Think we will look at another rental company-it is Sunday so they may not all open for us. Maxi rent were charging almost doublre to open on the Sunday for us. Does anyone have the local website for a company in Livorno who does deliver to port?

[sasha6259]

We have been down this road with Maxirent. They insist that the port authority will no longer allow them to deliver cars to the ships for security reasons, although this seems strange when Hertz often does deliver to the port (not sure about Sundays). We last rented from Maxirent on May 1, 2008 (Mayday) and they were nice enough to open for us on a major holiday. But, getting to their office (on the other side of the port from our pier) proved to be a major hassle. Since it was only about 1 1/4 miles from our pier to the port entrance (that is where Maxirent is located) we decided to walk. But, the port police would not permit us to walk for security and safety reasons. We than asked the Princess folks (we were on the Emerald Princess) if their shuttle buses (these go into town) could drop us at the port entrance, and the Princess folks said NO. There is often an internal port bus, but that was not running that day (this is all too normal). So, our only option was to take a taxi from one side of the port to the other (about a 3 min ride). After trying to negotiate with the various taxis on the pier one driver agreeed to take us (we were 4) for 20 Euros (this is for only 1 1/4 miles) and we were forced to pay that price. That afternoon we returned the car and dropped the keys into the slot (the dealer was closed). The 4 of us than decided to walk back to the ship and as we made our way through the huge port complex we were stopped by security mulitple times. But, I guess they could not decide what to do so they simply let us pass and eventually we made it back to the ship, which was surrounded by barriers and police tape and security. We just lifted up the tape and walked to the ship and nobody seemed to care (great security). I might add we did have a great day that May 1 as we drove up to Cinque Terre which was the perfect place to be on a major holiday.

 

Hank

Thanks. This thread is proving very useful.

Maria

[iancal]

We were in Florence this past September. Our original plan was to rent a car on Sunday and leave town. We discovered that all of the city car rental locations (thru autoXXXX) were closed with exception of the airport location. We stayed until Monday AM. Had the same experience in Ancona and in Bari. Whatever you do, if you find a location that is open, arrange in advance and lock down your rate. When we were returning a car to the Hertz location in Ancona, a walk in couple were quoted 110E to rent a car for the day! We had good luck with SIXT but not sure what city business hours they keep.

[sasha6259]

Thanks.vIs SIXT a company-any e-mail website links please?

Maria

[Hlitner]

I do have some additional Livorno rental car news. Dealing with Hertz in the USA does not always bear fruit but there is a better way if you want to pay a few extra dollars. The Hertz franchise in Livorno is actually operated by a private company called Sifracar. They offer a package that includes delivery and pick-up of a car right at the pier. It does cost a bit more, but given the hassles of getting to the other rental car dealers it might be worth the extra Euros. Here is their direct web site.

http://www.sifracar.com/servizi.htm

 

Hank

[iancal]

sixt is a car rental company that i believe is owned by Lufthansa. Google them. We have used them for one day rentals when we could not, or did not book in advance before departing. The last time we rented from them, in Croatia, the had the absolute best rate w/full 0 deductable insurance. For a one day rental it may not matter, but car rental rates are like cruise rates-they really fluctuate and if you monitor prices from time to time you have an excellent chance a realizing a rate reduction.

[sasha6259]

Many Thanks -off to e-mail them.

Maria

[nursebubba]

Hi again,

We managed to find a rental car company who are reasonable but charge extra as it is a Sunday. ( Think it is Maxirent??) Worked out at about 85 Euro due to Sunday opening fee. Plus 10 Euro for GPS. They won't come to the port. They say they are 400 metres from the port aned easy to find. Is that to far? How long would it take to disembark and get there? It is a local company recomended on this board. Do you think it is advisable to go with the bigger companys? Also do you need to book a wine tour/tasting or can you just bowl up like you do in New- Zealand. We have a full day in port . I think we sail about 8pm so have plenty of time. Thought we'd do Piza, Lucca and a vineyard near Lucca. We are driving from Rome port to Florence after our cruise and will go via Sienna. Thanks

We are using Salacar and it was 70E plus 10 for gps. They even offered to hook us up with a winery. He has been very helpful

[sasha6259]

Thanks for all the info. Think I am sorted now.

[nursebubba]

Think we will look at another rental company-it is Sunday so they may not all open for us. Maxi rent were charging almost doublre to open on the Sunday for us. Does anyone have the local website for a company in Livorno who does deliver to port?

We are using salacar.it