Livorno Travel Forum

My husband and I will be on the RCCL Independence of the Seas in June 2008 and one of our stops is Livorno. We are undecided as to whether to take the cruise ship tour or go on our own. It seems to be rather easy to go to Pisa and also Florence on the same day if going by train. I would appreciate hear from anyone who has done this recently, Do you know the name of the port that RCCL stops at and also I would like to hear from anyone else who will be on this particular cruise which originates in Southampton.

Your question has been asked many times, so it must be a common thing to consider doing.

For train times/fares in English look at

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Livorno to Pisa Centrale takes around 15 minutes, from Pisa to Florence around an hour. No need to book tickets before you arrive, but remember that you have to get from the dock to the station in Livorno. Depending on where you actually dock you can walk, perhaps get a bus or maybe a taxi (but best avoid the latter, as it's likely to be over-expensive).

Depending on how long you have in port, seeing a little of both Pisa and Florence would be feasible. The 'Field of Miracles' in Pisa is about 15 minutes walk from the station; SM Novella station in Florence is about 10 minutes walk from the Duomo.

Remember the ship won't wait for you if you are late back. Delays can occur on public transport (even strikes) so make sure you give yourselves plenty of time to get back to the ship. If timings seem tight, reduce your plans rather than risk being late; the cost of onward transport could potentially be great.

We did this on 9/07 with HAL, the cruise ship provided a shuttle bus from port to Piazza Grande, from there, you purchase bus ticket from the new stand (1 euro) and take either bus #1 or #2 to the train station. My recommendation is you go straight to Florence first and enjoy florence, stop by Pisa on your way back only if you have extra time. Make sure you validate your train ticket prior to boarding as the Italians don't want to hear any excuses from visitors.

Personally, I would avoid Florence and it needs more time and will be way too ruched. Please consider going to Pisa and then catching a train to nearby Lucca which is one of the most charming places in Tuscany. If you go to Lucca, be sure to walk the intact walls or rent a bike and ride around them.

Tend to agree that you should really do one or the other. Either focus on Florence (with Pisa if time) or focus on Pisa/Lucca.

Hi Marilyn- we're also on this ship, departing June.
We've done Livoron before- it's a bit of a hassle to get to the station but as said before, you get the shuttle, then a bus to the train station then a train to Pisa- this can take quite a bit of time depending on the connections so don't underestimate it- I'd be inclined to get a taxi from the port to the station.

Don't attempt to do Pisa and Florence in one day- you'll just stress yourself out big time.
Go to the field of Miracles, do the Pisa bit and if you've got time, I'd go to Lucca which is really lovely- hire bikes and cycle round the fort walls ( it's very shaded), stopping for a drink halfway round. Pisa is interesting but apart from the tower and Dummo, there's not much to see. If I had to pick one thing, I'd go to Lucca.
If you fancy a day at the beach- there's a lovely town ( can get a train but you'd then need to get taxi to the beach) called Forte De Marmi. You pay to get on to the private beach clubs and it's not cheap but it's a really smart little town- mostly frequented by well heeled Italians as you'll see from the shops.
We're thinking of going there again or even contemplating going to San Gianamo by hire car.
Florence is beautiful but it's very busy and I think you'd give yourself a headache trying to do it in the one day.
We've been to quite a few places on the itinery and know that the tours are vastly overpriced but all the cruise companies are the same. eg in Villefrance, you catch a bus to Monaco or Nice for 4eur which takes 20 minutes and drops you right in the centre- why pay the overinflated tour prices.
Sometimes, if where you want to go is a fair distance and you want the added security of getting back to the ship in time, then booking the ships own transportation might be the answer.

Hope this helps

Michele