Pisa & Florence or Cinque Terre?

[ussminnow]

Hello, Cruisers!

 

We are cruising to the Western Med on Celebrity Solstice in September, and we are trying to decide what to do in the Livorno/Florence port. We have been to Florence before, but we have never been to Pisa. We are also interested in seeing the sunflowers because our only trip to Tuscany was in November and the fields had been plowed by then. Pisa itself looks like it is only 1/2 day or less, so we thought of doing the Pisa & Florence On Your Own tour. However, our ship also offers a shore excursion to Cinque Terre which sounds intriguing. Can anyone offer suggestions as to which may be more worthwhile? We would like to see Pisa because of its history but at the same time, we do love beautiful scenery. Any thoughts and comments on these destinations would be most appreciated! Thank you! :)

[wcook]

Just to complice things further, consider any tours that go to Lucca... a wonderful medevial city close to Pisa.

[maryann ns]

You go to Pisa (overrated) and Florence (need weeks or more to see it all) for history and culture, and to Cinque Terre for scenery and ambiance. That is overgeneralizing, but should help you decide what you want.

 

If you are like me and want all of the above, you have a tough choice to make.

[teacherman]

When we were there, we did Luca and Pisa on our own by using train to Luca, spending several hours there strolling the town, and then a public bus through the countryside to Pisa, which stops right at the Tower. We spent an hour or so there and then walked to the train station for a return to Livorno. Easy to do IF you plan ahead.

[eh2zed]

If going back to Florence is not so important to you because you have done it that leaves Pisa or CT. We have done both. Pisa and the Leaning Tower first and some years later CT. If I were to have to choose to do one a second time now I would pick CT because of the scenery and ambience. Other than the Leaning Tower which is in the backyard of a modern subdivision, Pisa is a bit of a tourist trap. CT is beautiful. But there is a draw to the Tower for a first timer. That probably doesn't help a lot.

[KansCocoa]

When we were there two years ago, we did BOTH CT and Pisa in one day... spent most of our time doing CT, but had 30 minutes at Pisa to take the requisite photos of the Tower.

 

Loved, loved, loved Cinque Terre....

[mlbrockies]

We did Cinque Terra and loved it...it is all about the ambience as someone said. We saw Pisa on our way....not the least bit sorry I missed it. LOVED Cinque Terra!!