Livorno port to ? - done Florence

[bluebird watcher]

We are arriving for a 6:00AM-6:00PM day on 10/9/11 with Ruby Princess. We have visited Florence before and would like to head in another direction using public transportation. I dislike ship tours and am willing to get to the bus or train stations and back to port. Have done Cinque Terra also and trying not to repeat places-yet. Is Sienna possible? Tuscany towns? Many thanks!

[nparmelee]

Siena is doable with a private driver, Lucca is doable by train to train/bus combos. We've done Lucca from Livorno and had a very nice day there, walk or ride bikes around the wall, visit the shops, have a nice lunch.

[Mines]

By train, you can do Pisa or Florence and perhaps Lucca. You could try a private tour to San Germiniano or to Sienna - public transport is too risky for these places.

[bluebird watcher]

Did you have to go into Florence to make a switch to Lucca?

[nparmelee]

To get to Lucca you go to Pisa first, from Pisa you can train or bus to Lucca. No need to go to Florence first, it would be out of your way.

[wcook]

We went to Lucca this summer, and it was absolutely wonderful. I've heard similar things about Siena, but Lucca is closer to Livorno.

[ksps cruise fan]

Volterra, southeast of Livorno, is a lovely hilltop town that rarely gets mentioned on this board. That's a shame if you like to walk ancients walls and are interested in the Etruscan civilization. There's even a Roman theater standing just outside the city. The trainride from Livorno to Voterra is about 75 minutes with a change of train.

 

Definitely a contender for a great "What to do?"

[aohkay]

Lucca is very pretty and easy to walk; there's some nice shops there as well.

[Cruzer Two]

We are arriving for a 6:00AM-6:00PM day on 10/9/11 with Ruby Princess. We have visited Florence before and would like to head in another direction using public transportation. I dislike ship tours and am willing to get to the bus or train stations and back to port. Have done Cinque Terra also and trying not to repeat places-yet. Is Sienna possible? Tuscany towns? Many thanks!

 

Back in 2007, we did a cruise on the Princess Star that included a stop in Livorno, Italy. This is the port that serves Pisa, Florence, and the Tuscany region of Italy. Our roll call group we hired Driver-in-Rome http://www.driverinrome.com to conduct a private tour of some hill towns in Tuscany for our group. This was just about the time that I started making and uploading travel videos to Youtube. I was so surprised today with I went to the Driver-in-Rome website and saw that my Youtube video of Tuscany is featured on their homepage. I have no idea how long they have been featuring this video, but I’m honored.

 

The video shows a full day tour that include several Tuscany hill towns. It was a great tour.

 

Ron

[Marianna49]

My husband and I just got back from a cruise to Livorno, Rome & Naples. We had private drivers/guides and loved it. We used Papillon in Livorno and Joe Bananas Limos in the other two. The prices were reasonable and if you can put together 10 people the prices go way down per person. The private tours will do whatever you like. Remember, Italy is notorious for trains being late and you should not rely on them for getting back to the ship on time. The Italians decide to strike and shut the trains down.

[Winnipeg]

Hi, Do you have email for papillon in Liverno.How long was the tour?

Thanks:)

My husband and I just got back from a cruise to Livorno, Rome & Naples. We had private drivers/guides and loved it. We used Papillon in Livorno and Joe Bananas Limos in the other two. The prices were reasonable and if you can put together 10 people the prices go way down per person. The private tours will do whatever you like. Remember, Italy is notorious for trains being late and you should not rely on them for getting back to the ship on time. The Italians decide to strike and shut the trains down.

[Marianna49]

Papillon Service email is info@papillonservice.com. I went to their website. The tour began at about 7:45 am and ended around 5 pm. It is all day with lots of time to meander through the villages. We made a photo stop (around 1/2 hour) at Pisa. It was a great day because the kids got a break from walking in the museum. You won't regret it.

[Hlitner]

We could probably list 25 decent places to go from LIvorno on a cruise day but most of them would require you to rent a car or hire car/driver. With public transit you really do limit your options. Places like San Gimignano, Volterra, Cole val d'elsa, the S222 Chianti wine road, etc. cannot be easly reached by public transit. However, if you have your heart set on using trains then we agree with the idea of going to Lucca. Since you must change in Pisa to get the train to Lucca it is also possible to combine Lucca and Pisa in a single day (go to Lucca first and then stop in Pisa on your return).

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

If anyone in your group has interest in the Twilight series, Volterra could be fun to visit. The town's information center has a "Twilight Tour" that takes people to various locations identified in the books and movies. Even if you aren't interested, Volterra is a nice little town to walk around.

[jiiimse]

We are also in Livorno for 1 day, have never been there before, but done Pisa, Florence, Lucca etc.

Is there nothing to see, do in Livorno ?

[Marianna49]

We could probably list 25 decent places to go from LIvorno on a cruise day but most of them would require you to rent a car or hire car/driver. With public transit you really do limit your options. Places like San Gimignano, Volterra, Cole val d'elsa, the S222 Chianti wine road, etc. cannot be easly reached by public transit. However, if you have your heart set on using trains then we agree with the idea of going to Lucca. Since you must change in Pisa to get the train to Lucca it is also possible to combine Lucca and Pisa in a single day (go to Lucca first and then stop in Pisa on your return).

 

Hank

Please remember that the trains in Italy are notorious for "striking" and not running. If you get stranded somewhere and you are relying on the train you will miss your ship. Better to spend the extra money and hire a car/driver. You can sit back, and enjoy as you learn about the country and see the landscapes.

[ksps cruise fan]

Please remember that the trains in Italy are notorious for "striking" and not running. If you get stranded somewhere and you are relying on the train you will miss your ship. Better to spend the extra money and hire a car/driver. You can sit back, and enjoy as you learn about the country and see the landscapes.

 

I'm not sure where you're getting your information about Italian trains being notorious for striking. That strikes can happen -- no argument. However, I respectfully disagree that strikes happen with the frequency your posts suggests. At the very least, both the French and the Italians have the charming habit of announcing in advance when they will be striking. This gives folks who had planned to use public transportation a chance to make alternative arrangements. That certainly was case of the most recent strike; this board had advance information and folks contributed advice about coping strategies.

 

Anyone who is using the train to go anywhere on a DIY excursion should be prepared with phone numbers of taxi companies and the port agent as a back up. This has nothing to do with strikes. This is just common sense.

[Marianna49]

My point is that when traveling in Europe be prepared for the unexpected. If you are on a rigid time schedule (which is the absolute case for all of us traveling on the cruise line time schedule - be back by 6:30 pm or we leave without you) then you can't be as easy going about local transportation. I have watched many travelers running back to the ship as the gangway is being pulled back into the ship. My brother and other members of the family have lived in Italy for six years as students and what I said is accurate. Strikes are not always announced - please don't give anyone the false impression that it will be easy, especially first timers. Or, make sure you give yourself plenty of time - even with a car/driver there is a lot of traffic.

[Softball20]

This may be a silly question, but here goes. While I realize that strikes can and do happen in Italy (experienced first hand!), and that they do announce them in advance (been there, too), do these transit strikes also affect boat transit, such as ferries? We're going to be doing a ferry to Sorrento out of Naples, and this thread got me thinking about the strike factor. I just want to be prepared with a "Plan B," just in case.

 

Back to the original post, I, too, agree about hiring a some kind of private transportation to do the Tuscan countryside from Livorno. There are so many beautiful places to see, but given the distance, it's worth it to know that you'll have transportation back to the ship.

[Marianna49]

There are also ferry strikes - not as frequent as trains, but possible. Plan B's are always a good thing. And, the traffic is the same as NYC during rush hour. And, there is a lot of construction on the roads which slows it down even more. But, Italy is the best European experience because the people just go with it and thank God that they are.

[Softball20]

Thanks. I do like to have options, so it's nice to know. I know that the traffic is bad, but I'm hoping that since we'll be there in October on a weekday (vs. in July on a Sunday!) the traffic in the Amalfi area won't be so bad. That's one reason we're taking the ferry between Naples and Sorrento and then hopefully to Positano.

[Hlitner]

Please remember that the trains in Italy are notorious for "striking" and not running. If you get stranded somewhere and you are relying on the train you will miss your ship. Better to spend the extra money and hire a car/driver. You can sit back, and enjoy as you learn about the country and see the landscapes.

 

Really? Actually, in more then 30 years of European travel (a lot of it in Italy) we have only had one problem with train strikes in Italy (also had some problems in France). As a rule, Italian train strikes (and strikes in general) are annouced well in advance. That being said, we do agree that strikes should be a consideration. But here is the reality. If there is a train strike it is almost always an announced 1 day strike (either on specific lines or nationwide) which means you would not be able to even get out of Livorno on a train (so you would not miss the ship). Also, as a long time independent traveler we always suggest that cruise passengers have a "Plan B" in case things go wrong. In the case of taking a train to Lucca the "Plan B" would be to simply hire a taxi to get back to Livorno....which would still cost less then the cost of hiring a car/driver for a full day. Lucca is a walking town (or bike riding around the wall) and a car/driver means your car and driver would spend much of the day sitting in a parking lot. That convenient car/driver may well cost you about $500 as opposed to trains which would cost less then $40. If one wants the best of both worlds (freedom of a car and a reasonable price) it makes sense to simply rent a car for the day ($80 - $150). In fact, there is at least one Livorno rental car company that will deliver (and pick-up) cars right at the port (the local Hertz franchiser which goes under Sifracar (Sifracar.com).

 

Personally, we love to rent a car in Livorno unless we are simply planning a day in Florence (for this, the train is a better option). Most of Tuscany is very rural and does require a car to really explore the area (we have spent many weeks in this region). With a car it is possible to do multiple things in a single day such as pairing a visit to both Sienna and San Gimignano (a magical combination) with perhaps a quick visit to another small town such as Colle val d'Elsa. Another fun day can be had by simply driving on the S222 road (between Florence and Sienna) which runs through the heart of the Chianti wine district.

 

Lastly, we do agree that hiring a car/driver is an ideal way to visit Tuscany, but one needs to be congnizant that many travelers do not want to spend the amount of money required for that type of travel. A group of 4 splitting the cost of an autor rental can actually keep their transportation cost to about $40 per person/day (rental plus gas) which is a darn good price for a full day tour.

 

Hank

P.S. My least favorite way to see Italy is on a large tour bus which, unfortunately, is the only way many cruisers and tour-takers will ever get to enjoy Europe.

[slidergirl]

Really? Actually, in more then 30 years of European travel (a lot of it in Italy) we have only had one problem with train strikes in Italy (also had some problems in France). As a rule, Italian train strikes (and strikes in general) are annouced well in advance. That being said, we do agree that strikes should be a consideration. But here is the reality. If there is a train strike it is almost always an announced 1 day strike (either on specific lines or nationwide) which means you would not be able to even get out of Livorno on a train (so you would not miss the ship). Also, as a long time independent traveler we always suggest that cruise passengers have a "Plan B" in case things go wrong. In the case of taking a train to Lucca the "Plan B" would be to simply hire a taxi to get back to Livorno....which would still cost less then the cost of hiring a car/driver for a full day. Lucca is a walking town (or bike riding around the wall) and a car/driver means your car and driver would spend much of the day sitting in a parking lot. That convenient car/driver may well cost you about $500 as opposed to trains which would cost less then $40. If one wants the best of both worlds (freedom of a car and a reasonable price) it makes sense to simply rent a car for the day ($80 - $150). In fact, there is at least one Livorno rental car company that will deliver (and pick-up) cars right at the port (the local Hertz franchiser which goes under Sifracar (Sifracar.com).

 

Personally, we love to rent a car in Livorno unless we are simply planning a day in Florence (for this, the train is a better option). Most of Tuscany is very rural and does require a car to really explore the area (we have spent many weeks in this region). With a car it is possible to do multiple things in a single day such as pairing a visit to both Sienna and San Gimignano (a magical combination) with perhaps a quick visit to another small town such as Colle val d'Elsa. Another fun day can be had by simply driving on the S222 road (between Florence and Sienna) which runs through the heart of the Chianti wine district.

 

Lastly, we do agree that hiring a car/driver is an ideal way to visit Tuscany, but one needs to be congnizant that many travelers do not want to spend the amount of money required for that type of travel. A group of 4 splitting the cost of an autor rental can actually keep their transportation cost to about $40 per person/day (rental plus gas) which is a darn good price for a full day tour.

 

Hank

P.S. My least favorite way to see Italy is on a large tour bus which, unfortunately, is the only way many cruisers and tour-takers will ever get to enjoy Europe.

 

I totally agree with you! In the 10+ years that I've taken land trips in Europe, and Italy, I haven't had a train that was more than 5 minutes late. I've not been stranded anywhere (air flights, that's a totally DIFFERENT story). That being said, a prudent, prepared traveler will have a "Plan B" kit, with names and numbers for local taxis in case something does happen. As far as the tour bus comment, it is indeed unfortunately true. But, some people have no other option (or at least they believe that). I hope they all get to experience going it alone and see what a difference that makes in the holiday!

[dogmanpaul]

Try this website, the lady is a local lady who knows the area like the back of her hand, she will arrange a tour for you, see my other thread on our trip with her, she was brilliant and will take you off the beaten track, very reliable.

 

http://www.tuscanunplugged.com

[dogmanpaul]

sorry mistake should be http://www.tuscannyunplugged.com