Renting a car in Livorno

[easy spirit]

How viable is renting a car in the Livorno port?

 

Planning to do a day trip to Cinque Terre from the Livorno port. I read the roads are pretty narrow without a safety rail.

 

Will renting a car will be a reasonable thing to do??? How will the logistic work ??? I know walking is the best way to really appreciate the towns. In which town should you park the car??? & then hop along the towns.

 

Lastly.... how many hours in total should we dedicate to the whole trip. We depart Livorno at 7:00 PM.

 

I want flexibility & another option from the ship's tour that doesn't cover all my wish list in Cinque Terre.

 

Any input will be appreciated.

[Hlitner]

We have often rented cars at Livorno and have driven to Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore) on two port days plus a couple of more times when we were simply on a driving trip in Italy. There are several rental car companies that do business in Livorno and may, or may not be able to deliver a car to the pier (there are security issues that seem to impact some operations.) We think the most reliable company (when it comes to delivering a car to the pier) is the local Hertz franchise which is operated by a company called "Sifracar" http://www.sifracar.com/home.htm?lingua=2

 

You can expect the drive to take approximately 1:20 each way and we recommend getting a GPS unit to help keep you from getting lost. The nearest Cinque Terre village is Riomaggiore which has two parking options. You can try to get free parking along the road as you get near the city (but you can expect to walk a distance) or you can park at the paid parking area that is well-marked in the village.

 

 

Hank

[easy spirit]

Thanks so much for the info....

[letsgo39]

We also rented a car from Sifracar in Livorno when we were there in June this year.They had the car at the base of the gangplank waiting for us when we docked and we dropped it off at the same place when the day was over. We visited Pisa and Lucca and had a great time. The cost was 110 Euro for a midsize car as there was 4 of us. We paid 10 euro extra for a GPS and our destinations were already programmed in. We decided this was the best way to go for our family that was 2 Grandparents,son and Grandson.It was a wonderful day and we would definitely do it again next time.

[wcook]

We rented a car from Sifracar and they were great to work with. We ended up going just to Pisa and Lucca. I can't say enough how wonderful Lucca was. Wish we had spent more time there.

 

But at one point I was planning to drive to the Cinque Terre and did a bunch of research. If you are at all nervious about driving to the Cinque Terre towns themselves, a good option (so I've read) is to drive all the way to Levanto, which is the first city North of the Cinque Terre. Easy drive and good parking at the train statin. Take the train from there to visit the towns of the Cinque Terre.

 

As for timing, wherever you go, this is one of the most amazing parts of the entire world. You'll want as much of the day as possible. But do give yourself lots of extra time when returning - plan for no later than 5:30 for a 6:30 all-aboard/7:00 departure. The port area is very big. We had a road closed due to an accident, and a slightly confused GPS. Ended up having to ask some port workers how to get to our ship.

[0493669935]

We also used Sifracar last year. They are excellent but do compare the rates directly with Hertz. We saved quite a bit having the pre-paid voucher in US dollars and just paid the delivery charge of 15 euros directly to Sifracar at the gangplank.

[flyingboy]

We have rented a car twice at Livorno, both times without a reservation from agents who set up a desk at the gangplank.

Both times we drove to the cinque-terra thru La Spezia and parked the first time at Manarola and the next time at Riomaggiorre.

It is very easy to take trains or walk from one village to the next. We had time to take the scenic route back and even stop at Pisa.

The cost was 100 euro plus tolls and fuel.

[Hlitner]

We rented a car from Sifracar and they were great to work with. We ended up going just to Pisa and Lucca. I can't say enough how wonderful Lucca was. Wish we had spent more time there.

 

But at one point I was planning to drive to the Cinque Terre and did a bunch of research. If you are at all nervious about driving to the Cinque Terre towns themselves, a good option (so I've read) is to drive all the way to Levanto, which is the first city North of the Cinque Terre. Easy drive and good parking at the train statin. Take the train from there to visit the towns of the Cinque Terre.

 

As for timing, wherever you go, this is one of the most amazing parts of the entire world. You'll want as much of the day as possible. But do give yourself lots of extra time when returning - plan for no later than 5:30 for a 6:30 all-aboard/7:00 departure. The port area is very big. We had a road closed due to an accident, and a slightly confused GPS. Ended up having to ask some port workers how to get to our ship.

 

We really have to disagree with this strategy, having driven to Cinque Terre on several ocassions. Driving to Levanto or even LaSpezia and taking the train makes little sense since you waste precious time waiting for trains. It is easy enough to drive directly to the nearest of the 5 villages which, when coming from Livorno is Riomaggiore. As I mentioned in my prior post, there is a large paid parking area (including an indoor garage) right in town and also some free parking along the approach road. The route to Riomaggiore is all 2 lane roads once you get to LaSpezia, but it is not a particularly difficult driving route (although it does have its share of curves. Once you are at Riomaggiore (one of our favorite villages) you can start your day by taking the Lovers Walk (or Trail) to the next village (Manarola). For those reading this who might be driving to Cinque Terre from a port that is north of Cinque Terre (or doing a driving trip within Italy) we recommend driving to the northern most village of Montorosso al Mare where there is pretty easy access and plenty of parking.

 

Hank