Livorno Travel Forum

Hi. Been reading all the posts on transport from Livorno and out to the outlying areas. Question: I read that cruise packages are a rip off and compared to doing, say Florence, on your own, this is true. BUT-- do you think the Tuscan hill towns are just as manageable on your own with the different train switches on the way to Siena as well as the bus rides to San Gimignano? I will be on a cruise visit in two weeks and am realizing how rushed a self made trip to the hilltowns might be. So I am either considering renting a car (also a complication for parking reasons) or just doing the "rip off" cruise excursions. For Siena and San G., what do you think?

Rent a car,buy a road map before hand and do it yourself.Then please yourself.Parking is only a problem in city centres but if you're staying a night in an hotel,they should provide.So plan small towns in morning,city at night to stop in and use their parking,then if needed local transport.

I am not a regular cruiser - have done three in 12 years. On all of them we called at places I wanted to see but doubted that I would ever get back to under my own steam. So I went on the excursions and at least had a taste of places I might never have seen. They were not cheap but were very well organised, excellent guides and overall good value. A lot does depend on the Cruise Line.
The cruises I did were mostly outside Europe - Middle East, Africa, Asia. I doubt I would consider a Meditererranean Cruise because most places there I can fortunately get to by ferry/car. rail or by air. If this is, for you, a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Tuscany I'd go for the escorted excusion.
At least you will get a taste and won't end up stranded somewhere as your ship sails out of port without you! Good Luck.

Well, I am no expert, since I have never been on a cruise at all, but my impression is that these excursions are not a "rip-off" but are merely expensive. After all, you are paying for a lot of convenience and a local guide/operator, so while I am sure that these excursions are quite profitable for the operator, so long as they deliver what they promise, it's just not a rip-off.

I would like to know if you are planning on doing both Siena and San Gimignano in the same day. That is, your ship docks at Livorno for a day, right? Maybe from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.? And effectively, the best you can do is leave by 8 a.m. and have to return by 6 p.m., giving you only 10 hours? If you do both Siena and San Gimignano, you're going to spend a sizeable part of that ten hours on trains and buses - perhaps 4 hours or more. This doesn't give you much time in either location...unless you have a different plan...

Bill

Go without squig's for a while and put the money towards the organised tour just for peace of mind. de p

Thanks to all for the resposes. Here is what I am presently considering:

What if we take the 8:11 AM train to Firenze and hang out there for the morning. Giving us a meager 2.5 hours to probably just walk around or maybe get tickets for the Accademia (ahead of time from home of course) and run to see the David.

Then, I found an affordable car rental company called Nova Car Hire out of Firenze (103 Euro for the day). We can take about 4 hours to drive to San Gimignano (according to Michelin web map info, it is an hour trip just south of the city) and see the town for say a bit over an hour.

We can meander our way back (I wouldn't do Siena as it is larger and a bit further south)through the Chianti Road, return the car by 4PM and hop on the 4:27PM train back to Livorno (of course, I gotta check to see how far the rental office is from the station for this to be feasible). Arriving at 5:49PM, it gives us a bit more than an hour to get back onboard the ship.

All FORSEEABLE costs excluding parking the car and lunch make the day trip come to under 200 Euro. The ship excursions do NOT combine Tuscan towns with Florence (its either one or the other), so there is no real comparison to make. Their usual prices are $150 p/p though! So, what to you all think? Crazy???? Tell me, PLEASE!

Check out Lucca, not far from Pisa and a delightful place. There are several nice VT pages (not mine). You can combine that with Pisa for an easy delightful day. We thought San Gimimoney was a tourist trap from the get-go, horribly overcommercialised. But the bottom line - if you have never been to Florence, that is the place to spend your time. N.

Well, I have been to Florence and San G (I want to return b/c of some fond memories sipping beer outside a really cool bar), but my wife hasn't and would like a taste of BOTH art and medieval vineyard hilltowns. As the ship does not allow you to do both unless its PIsa (which I did NOT like), this seems to be the only way to get both done.

How about renting a car straight away in Livorno? Anyone know where to park in Florence since the main area is for only pedestrian traffic?

Why not consider picking one town, Siena or San Gimignano.
Just see one town and relax and enjoy it. Not try to see two places and not enjoy either one for all the stress.
You really can't see either one that you chose in a full day. You will still get the joy of a drive thru Tuscany with only one stop.
You can always go back another time and see the other town.

One good thing about the ship's excursion is that the ship will not sail without you if you are late, unlike what will happen if you go on your own and are late.

I've been on plenty of cruises, and I would say that one distinction you might consider in making this choice is --
(1) Is the town/destination walkable or easy by short taxi to do on your own? Then do it yourself.
(2) If complicated transport is involved for a day shore excursion, such as the necessity of public transport or a rental car (which could waste a lot of your time just renting it), then I'd recommend buying the shore excursion. You will be a lot more relaxed to enjoy the sites, also with knowledgeable guided commentary, than trying to navigate around some unknown place on your own, with possible traffic/parking frustrations. And this way, you avoid the risk of missing the ship, which could happen if your car breaks down. The ship isn't going to wait for you, if you are independent. Good luck in your decision!

Well ... we are opting for renting the car the whole way through. From Livorno, we will drive out to Florence as early as the agency opens, and we will endeavor to see as much as we can in Florence (strictly the Accademia's prize David). After lunch, we will drive ot to the Chianti Road and if we have time head toward San G. Wherever we are, we will head back at about 4:30, to get back to Livorno by 6PM. We should be able to make the ship before it leaves at 7PM. Wish us luck! I'll write back when we get back!

Bon Voyage!!

As for parking in Florence, I recommend parking at the main train station in their covered parking. It's certainly the easiest place to park, though I relegated the driving to my 22 year old; his nerves are better than mine!