Pisa/lucca - possible in 1 day???

[AlFrank]

We will be docking in Liverno on Monday, 10/11/10. We plan on getting an early start getting to Pisa and climbing the Leaning Tower that morning. Does anyone know if it is possible to get from Pisa to Lucca by train or bus? How close are they? We know we will only be in Pisa for a few hours and would like to add Lucca to the days sightseeing. We will be leaving Liverno at 7 that evening so have the rest of the day to see Lucca if it's possible.

 

Would appreciate any and all information you are able to share, thanks.:p

[euro cruiser]

Yes, you can do both in one day as long as you recognize that you will not see much of either.

 

Before I go into how, be sure to make reservations if you want to climb the tower. Entry is timed and only about 20 people are allowed in for each segment.

 

Now, here's how you do it:

 

• Get to the train station in Livorno (Livorno Centrale). In my opinion, the best way to do this is by cab, which will cost 20 Euro, but can be shared with others (there will be plenty of folks heading the same way). Alternately, you can take the shuttle bus into town, then the public bus from there to the train station.
  
• Take the train from Livorno to Pisa Centrale. Get a cab at the station (you're in a hurry here - there is a public bus, but time is of the essence) to Piazza dei Miracoli. Tell the driver you need to go to the tower ticket office, so he takes you to the eastern side of the Piazza.
  
• At the ticket office, exchange your computer print out for the actual ticket to climb the tower.
  
• After climbing the tower, if there's time, visit the Duomo and Baptistry.
  
• When you are ready to head to Lucca, walk to the western end of the Piazza and exit onto Via Andrea Pisano. Walk about a third of a mile to the Pisa San Rossore train station. You must be at this point no later than 10:25, because if you miss the 10:25 train, the next one isn't until 12:25.
  
• From Lucca, take the train to Pisa Centrale and change there for a train to Livorno Centrale, then either cab or bus to shuttle bus to the port.
  

[hkto]

Yes, it's possible and doable. Advice from euro cruiser is correct. However I may suggest to go to Lucca first (there are lost of trains up to 10:20 but then there is 2 hr gap), eat lunch there and return to Pisa no later than 3 pm. Also you can get Lucca map from http://www.planetware.com/map/lucca-map-i-luc.htm

 

Buy your train ticket directly to Lucca; ticket is not for a specific train; it allows stopover in Pisa. Don't forget to stamp it in Livorno. Walk from Tower of Pisa to Pisa Centrale is around 20 min.

[screwcork]

Hi,

 

This is my reply to a similar question regarding this "problem":

 

 

Last year we rented a car in Livorno (delievered at the gangway). We first drove to Lucca (45 min.), spent several hours there, including lunch and stopped in Pisa on the way back to Livorno. Avis has an excellent service in Livorno, and I believe we paid less than USD 100 for the whole package. If you don't have an GPS with European maps, it would be wise to have one delivered with the car.

 

Please see my photos from Lucca and Pisa in this link:

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/573...xAGNfF?start=0

 

 

Good luck!

 

Screwcork

[patrickmoran]

We did Pisa and Lucca by train ourselves in November following euro cruiser's instructions except times. I would not rush the Field of Miracles. I climbed the Tower and then we did the museums. We caught the 12:25 train to Lucca to have lunch. Lunch options in Lucca seemed much more interesting than around the Field. We caught the 3:30 pm train back. We enjoyed it and had great weather.

The downside to our schedule was that the shops were just closing as we arrived in Lucca and were reopening as we walked back to the train station.

[euro cruiser]

To Patrick's point, it may make more sense to go directly to Lucca in the morning, end with lunch there, then head to Pisa. That way you're halfway back to the ship and can enjoy your time at the Field of Miracles.

[AlFrank]

Thanks all, great directions Euro Cruiser, I'll be bring those with me. Starting to rethink and may do Lucca first and hit Pisa on the way back to the ship. It does seem to be the easier way to do both.

 

Thanks everyone for all you help and suggestions.

 

Mary

[euro cruiser]

A couple of points about doing it in reverse:

 

• Get off the Lucca - Pisa train at Pisa San Rossore, which is the stop just before Pisa Centrale. It's a small station with a triangular shaped track area.
  
• Depending on which track your particular train uses, you may or may not need to use the stair to go under the track to cross over, but ultimately you need to get to the ther side of the station area, where the other set of tracks are (you are at a point where the tracks fork, one set heads north toward Pisa, the other heads northeast toward Florence).
  
• Go under the Florence-bound tracks (there is a passageway) and, after you come back up on the other side, walk along the tracks (they will be on your right) for a little bit until you can turn left onto Via Andrea Pisano.
  
• When the road forks, stay to the right (still Via Andrea Pisano). You'll cross one main street (Via Bonanno Pisano), then walk through the arch into the Piazza dei Miracoli and the tower will be right in front of you. The entire distance from the station is less than a third of a mile.
  

I did this last summer with my mother and a (foldable) wheelchair, it's not hard, but the area right around the train station can be a little confusing.

 

I encourage you to make a google map to bring with you, and look at the satelite picture of the San Rossore station, so you have a sense of it before you go.

 

To make the google map, use the coordinates 43.722168,10.387943 as your starting point, and Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa, Italy as your ending point. The starting point will be just after you emerge from the underground passageway .

[flcruiselovers]

We just got the Jade on June 13. In Livorno, Avis and Hertz have portable kiosks set up 20 feet from the gangway. If you reserve ahead online from home, its much cheaper. We got a brand new car with 800 miles on it for 67 dollars,including taxes. The roads are very well marked to get to the Autostrada 12. Go North toward Genoa direction and Pisa and Lucca exits are well marked.( I read there is a shuttle bus from Pisa to Lucca but cant confirm it.), WE actually went to La Spezia and got on the local train to Cinque Terra, then drove back to Lucca and back to the ship. The highway is in great shape and be ready for some tolls with euros in your hand. We saw the leaning tower off in the distance from the highway, so I imagine its pretty close to the highway exit. We didnt do Pisa, but got back to the ship within plenty of time. The cheapest car they had there was 100 euro ($122) for on the spot rental, not sure if that included the taxes.

On a side note ... We have a FREE ticket on the Livorno-FLorence train for 2 if anyone wants it..its worth 13.20 euro and expires July17.. we will mail it free to first taker.. email sky561p@aol.com

[euro cruiser]

We saw the leaning tower off in the distance from the highway, so I imagine its pretty close to the highway exit.

You were able to see it from the A12? That's about two miles away, I had no idea it could be seen that far.

[AlFrank]

Thanks everyone for help & suggestions. I have been to Pisa but my husband has not. He is only interested in climbing the tower. I think it may be better for us to do Lucca first and then Pisa on the way back to Liverno. I plan on ordering the tickets as soon as possible but since we won't be there until October we aren't able to book them yet.

 

Thanks again,

Mary:p

[blueapsara]

Hi,

 

I believe I will do the same route when I dock in Livorno this August. Go to Lucca first, spend a couple hours and have lunch there, then go to Pisa and climb the tower. Visit the Baptistry, etc. if time permits, hop back on the train to Livorno by 5pm. Is a 3:20pm tower climb reasonable, given this itinerary? (Ship docks at Livorno at 7am, leaves at 7pm.)

 

The Trenitalia website is a little confusing to me. I looked up schedules, but they don't allow you to purchase tickets for some of the trains. From what I remember from my past visit to Europe, you can just walk up to the ticket counter the day of and purchase a ticket for the next available train, correct?

 

If so, do I purchase one-way tickets each time, or a roundtrip between Livorno and Lucca (do they allow stopovers)? Also, how much are the tickets -- the website showed some at around 5 Euros, others at almost 10 Euros. I clicked around the site and couldn't find more specific information.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[euro cruiser]

Unless you have a credit card drawn on an Italian bank, odds are you won't be able to purchase a ticket ahead of time on the Trenitalia site. Even if you could, regional tickets (the type you'd need for these trips) are not sold on line. The seats on these trains are "first come, first served", and you'll have no problem buying them at the train station on the day of your travel.

 

You might just as well purchase round trips tickets (actually, they are two one ways - they don't have round trip tickets) in the morning, why wait on line twice, especially since regional train tickets don't specify a particular train or time. You can use the ticket for any train in that class (Regionale), so you don't HAVE to be on the 3.27 train, for example. The ticket will be just as good on the next train, or the one after that, as long as they are regional trains.

 

A signifant price change usually means you are looking at a different class of train (an IC for example, rather than a regional).

[blueapsara]

Thank you, euro cruiser!

[Max2003]

A couple of points about doing it in reverse:

 

• Get off the Lucca - Pisa train at Pisa San Rossore, which is the stop just before Pisa Centrale. It's a small station with a triangular shaped track area.
  
• Depending on which track your particular train uses, you may or may not need to use the stair to go under the track to cross over, but ultimately you need to get to the ther side of the station area, where the other set of tracks are (you are at a point where the tracks fork, one set heads north toward Pisa, the other heads northeast toward Florence).
  
• Go under the Florence-bound tracks (there is a passageway) and, after you come back up on the other side, walk along the tracks (they will be on your right) for a little bit until you can turn left onto Via Andrea Pisano.
  
• When the road forks, stay to the right (still Via Andrea Pisano). You'll cross one main street (Via Bonanno Pisano), then walk through the arch into the Piazza dei Miracoli and the tower will be right in front of you. The entire distance from the station is less than a third of a mile.
  

I did this last summer with my mother and a (foldable) wheelchair, it's not hard, but the area right around the train station can be a little confusing.

 

I encourage you to make a google map to bring with you, and look at the satelite picture of the San Rossore station, so you have a sense of it before you go.

 

To make the google map, use the coordinates 43.722168,10.387943 as your starting point, and Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa, Italy as your ending point. The starting point will be just after you emerge from the underground passageway .

 

 

I am confused. If I understand it correctly, the trip to Lucca from Livorno requires a change of trains in Pisa. Are you saying that the change occurs at Pisa San Rosorre and not at Pisa Centrale?? In that case one would need to get back later to Pisa Centrale to be closest to the Tower??

 

Thanks

[hkto]

You start in Livorno by buying round trip to Lucca, then go to Pisa Centrale, transfer to Lucca train. On the way back get off at San Rossore, see Tower, walk back to Pisa Centrale (20-25 min) and return to Livorno from there.

[euro cruiser]

I am confused. If I understand it correctly, the trip to Lucca from Livorno requires a change of trains in Pisa. Are you saying that the change occurs at Pisa San Rosorre and not at Pisa Centrale?? In that case one would need to get back later to Pisa Centrale to be closest to the Tower?

The closest train station to the tower is Pisa San Rossore. If visiting on the way to Lucca, you would take one train from Livorno Centrale to Pisa Centrale, then either a train to Pisa Rossore (if the timing works out) or a taxi, bus, or walk to the tower. After visiting the tower area, walk to Pisa Rossore and take the train to Lucca.

 

If visiting on the way back, you'd go Livorno Centrale to Pisa Centrale, then Pisa Centrale to Lucca. On the return you'd go Lucca to Pisa Rossore, visit the tower area, then take either the train from Pisa Rossore to Pisa Centrale, or take a cab, bus or walk to Pisa Centrale, where you get the train back to Livorno Centrale.

[Max2003]

Got it! I see it on Google maps!

 

 

Thanks! Great directions!!

[blueapsara]

I have one more question.

 

On the way back to the ship, would you recommend that I take a cab from Livorno Centrale? Or take the public bus (what number is that), then change to the shuttle run by the ship?

 

I'm travelling by myself and am hoping for a more economical option if there is one.

[euro cruiser]

You pay for the shuttle bus round trip. Although it costs more, I really recommend the cab option, the shuttle bus (at least for our stop last summer) was a zoo. Even though we paid for the bus, we opted for a cab back because of the size and behavior of the waiting crowd.

 

You can almost always hook up with other passengers for a cab and share the cost - it just takes the willingness to speak up and ask those heading toward the cabs (when leaving the ship in the morning) if they want to share, and those at the train station cab stand on the way back.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I read somewhere (I did a search, but couldn't find it) that the cab fare from the pier to the Livorno train station was about 30. Thirty what? Euros? Dollars? That seems so steep. Is the train station far? Thanks.

[blueapsara]

Oh, I will have no problem speaking up...let's hope there will be other passengers getting back around the same time as me!

 

thanks as always for your wisdom!

[euro cruiser]

I read somewhere (I did a search' date=' but couldn't find it) that the cab fare from the pier to the Livorno train station was about 30. Thirty what? Euros? Dollars? That seems so steep. Is the train station far? Thanks.[/quote']

Last summer we paid 20 Euro, which at today's exchange rate is about $26. The station is only about two and a quarter miles from the port, but that's the fee, you either accept it or take the bus. You can fill the cab and split the cost, it's the same fare for one as six.