Livorno/Florence - Must See Sites if Doing on your own?

[hondagirl55]

We are booked on the Noordam for our honeymoon in September 2010. Our first port is Livorno on Sunday September 19th and of course we want to head into Florence. For those of you who either took the HAL transfer or got there on your own, what were the top sites you had to see and did you have enough time to do them? I see from our shore excursion info that when taking the HAL transfer you have about 5 hours to sightsee. Did you book Uffizi gallery tickets in advance?

[beckntom]

Hondagirl, come back to visit us on the Roll Call that you started! We have a private tour booked to Florence that, when full, will price out equivalent to HAL's transfer-only "tour" that you mention. It should be a great all-day tour and includes Pisa. Our Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Museum tickets will be booked in advance by the tour company (Rome in Limo). Hope to see you again on the Roll Call.

[SwissMyst]

Don't overlook Lucca which is closer, more intimate and fascinating and on the main train line to Florence from Viareggio/Livorno. One can easily spend a day exploring the quaint pedestrian streets, cafe, markets and shops in this ancient walled city as well as walking the full circle around the top of the walls under huge spreadiing trees and two way bike lanes.

 

Still fairly off the tourist beaten path in this area and much more low-key than the crowds and craziness of Florence today. You are in the hometown of Giaccomo Puccini in Lucca. It was always an elegant, noble and independent city state and this still shows today. The Italian silk industry was centered here which is what made it so wealthy and a patron of the arts.

[DrTee]

For Florence:

 

The Duomo

The golden baptistry doors of Brunelleschi

The Botticellis at the Uffizi Gallery (but you must reserve in advance!)

La Galleria dell'Accademia for Michelangelo's David

The Ponte Vecchio and the Arno

 

There is much, much more to see, but these are the "musts"

[GeezLouise1]

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding! Florence is easy by train if you decide to travel on your own. Just make sure you are back at the ship in plenty of time. There will be a shuttle from the ship to the train station and you can take a cab from the train station back to the ship, if you decide to travel on your own. You can book tickets to the Uffizzi on line - a must, you won't want to spend your time standing in line. It is a little more expensive, but honestly, the way to go. All of the sites mentioned by others here, are wonderful , would recommend any of them. Florence is a beautiful but very crowded city.

[I_r_a]

Hi H,

 

Congrats on the upcoming wedding.

 

The Livorno Centrale train station is <1 km from the cruise docks. See http://www.maps.google.com for directions.

 

A DAY IN FLORENCE:

 

Train to Florence SMN:

 

From Piazza d' Stazione, walk up via ****onale to via d'Ariento and the Mercato Centrale, wander through.

 

Take any street going NE to Via Degli Alfani and go right to the Accademia for The David.

 

Take via Ricasoli SE to the Duomo, the Baptistry and the Opera Museum (Originals of the bronzes on the doors)

 

From the Campanile, take via Calzaiuoli S (do some window shopping) to the Piazza d' Signoria. Look around, take a break.

 

Continue S to the Uffizi. Visit.

 

From the Uffizi, walk W along the Arno River to the Ponte Vecchio.

 

(You can walk up to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens if there is time. Great views of Florence from the top of the Gardens)

 

If you have time, walk E along the S bank of the river to Ponte alle grazie and cross over to visit Santa Croce.

 

If not, go W along the Arno from Ponte Vecchio to Ponte S. Trinita and go right. Go left on Via d'Spada to via d'Fossi and go right to Santa Maria Novella. Look around.

 

SMN is across the square from the train station.

 

If you have time, take the no. 7 bus (you can find it at the SMN train station) up to Fiesole (0:20 hr 1E) to watch the sunset from the terrace of the Bar Bleu.

 

Be sure to have lots of gelato (in a cup, not a cone), take some wine breaks and a light lunch.

 

Train schedules, prices and tickets are at http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Call center from outside Italy is 39-06-68475475

 

Bus routes are at http://www.ataf.net/

Buy your ticket before you get on the bus. Stamp it in the yellow box on the bus.

 

Uffizi and Academia Museum Reservations

You can purchase tickets online at http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/uffizi/

Or call the museum booking line on +39 055 294883, open during Italian hours from 8.15 am to 5.50 pm Tuesday to Sunday for the English-speaking operator.

 

Have a nice visit.

[poppys]

I took a RCI cruise in the fall, which stayed in Livorno for 2 days. I took the train to Florence and stayed overnite in a gorgeous 4 star hotel.

 

I booked a tour of the Uffizi through Context Travel (maximum 6 in each group - - great tour) and I booked my ticket to the Uffizi online so there was no wait to see the David -which is spectacular.

 

If you have only one day, hookup with the folks doing a small group tour. You will enjoy it far more than the big bus tour offered by your ship.

 

And congratulations!!

[fann1sh]

HondaGirl, I couldn't imagine being that close to Florence and not hitting the highlights drtee mentions. I heartily endorse I_r_a's walking tour.

 

However, I majored in Art in university, and few people have lived and breathed Florentine Italian Ren to that extent!

 

Do you love art and architecture? Will you *kick* yourself if you miss this opportunity? Because Florence in tourist season can be frantic.

 

If you're just looking for a romantic day in a historic setting, SwissMyst's suggestion of Lucca is a shrewd one.

[beckntom]

HondaGirl, I couldn't imagine being that close to Florence and not hitting the highlights drtee mentions. I heartily endorse I_r_a's walking tour.

 

However, I majored in Art in university, and few people have lived and breathed Florentine Italian Ren to that extent!

 

Do you love art and architecture? Will you *kick* yourself if you miss this opportunity? Because Florence in tourist season can be frantic.

 

If you're just looking for a romantic day in a historic setting, SwissMyst's suggestion of Lucca is a shrewd one.

 

 

Very insightfully put, Patricia. Admittedly I'm about as uneducated in "art and architecture" as a person can get; however, it would practically reduce me to tears to get so close to the wonders that Florence offers, and that I've heard about (if not studied) all my life, and not see them. My husband and I have plenty of opportunites for those romantic interludes and probably only one chance to see these marvels. Thanks for reaffirming that decision. :)

[m steve]

and buy some jewelery w/ the wedding money. Then the market for leather and silk goods and foods.

[vinodoc]

Personally, I think Florence in a day is just too hectic to really enjoy it fully. If this is for honeymoon (congrats by the way), I would go with Cinque Terre. Depends on how much time you have, and if you have a private driver, you can easily visit Pisa on the way back.

 

Photo taken this July

 

Kevin

[hondagirl55]

Wow thanks for all the great replies! We absolutely are going to do Florence - love all that art history! I was there once before but it was a long time ago. Since we will be there on a Sunday will there be any shops open? Will the shops on the Ponte Vecchio open?