Florence (Livorno) Overnight

[cruise kitty]

Hi, our ship will overnight in Livorno in late Nov., 2013... arrive at 7am Tues depart 3pm Wed... We have been to Florence before, & mainly concentrated on the Academia & Duomo on that visit, so on this trip, we plan on just using the Rick Steves Audio tours, & spending a bit of time just wandering.

 

Given the distance from port to Florence, I'm trying to decide between seeing florence on day one, & returning to port on the latest train possible, then on day 2, seeing Pisa, returning to ship by 2:00

 

or

 

Would you just get a hotel room & overnight in Florence??

 

I've got plenty of time to decide, but would love some opinions & alternate suggestions.

[euro cruiser]

I think I'd go with plan B and see two different places, plus you'd be closer to the ship on the day that you need to get back.

 

The last train of the day back to Livorno leaves at 11:07 PM, arriving in Livorno at 12:47 AM. The only concern I would have about that would be getting back to the ship; I think I'd make sure I have a couple of phone numbers for taxis so you can call one when you get back to the station in Livorno, because I don't think you can count on one being there at that hour.

[cruise kitty]

Thanks so much Euro Cruiser, especially for the train times... I honestly don't think we'd stay there that late, we tend to like to get out as early as possible, so, I'm thinking we'd head back sometime between 6 & 7ish, depending on exactly how exhausted we are.

 

What about renting a car for the day & half? I know there's not much parking in florence, but could we park a bit away & take a bus in? That might be nice.

 

Any thoughts?

[Carolyn R]

I think if I had an overnight in Livorno I would get a hotel room in either Florence or one of the towns in the Cinque Terre.

[ksps cruise fan]

Given the distance from port to Florence, I'm trying to decide between seeing florence on day one, & returning to port on the latest train possible, then on day 2, seeing Pisa, returning to ship by 2:00

 

or

 

Would you just get a hotel room & overnight in Florence??

 

I've got plenty of time to decide, but would love some opinions & alternate suggestions.

 

Let me offer an alternative -- not the most cost effective -- but by my standards the most appealing. No matter how good the food on your cruise ship, it isn't as good as eating a meal in a restaurant. This is particularly true when your port is virtually anywhere in Italy. It's certainy true of Florence. Also, one the most delightful things you can do in Italy is to take a passeggiata, an evening stroll, through the beautiful streets.

 

So here's my alternate suggestion: Consider going to Florence for the day and staying overnight there. Then, the next morning head to Pisa and/or Lucca before returning to the ship comfortably in time for sail away.

[aohkay]

I would have loved to spend the night in Florence; you're lucky to have that time.

 

Spend the night! :)

[cruise kitty]

Thanks for all the responses so far, still undecided, we also have an overnight in Venice, it's so much easier when the ship is docked so close to everything!

[NCMtnBoys]

Thanks for all the responses so far, still undecided, we also have an overnight in Venice, it's so much easier when the ship is docked so close to everything!

 

Kitty, we're on your same sailing and hadn't thought about a hotel room overnight in Florence. Not sure what we'll do there, although I know we'll definitely go in to Florence. Last October we fully intended to quickly see a few things in Florence enroute from Rome to Verona. I purposely pre-purchased two train tickets online (Rome-Florence, and Florence-Verona) so that we could spend a few hours in Florence. Well it didn't work out quite the way I would have liked because of delays with trains and a cancelled train in Florence (that I didn't know about until we got to the station). Anyway, that was the 2nd time going through Florence without being able to see anything. So this time...third time's the charm. Since we'll be overnighting in Livorno, I feel confident I'll get to see the few things in Florence that I've been wanting to see. Í've also been to Pisa twice, and the Cinque Terre twice. IMHO, one can never tire of the Cinque Terre, so maybe we'll try to get up there, too.

 

And last year we also overnighted in Venice, but our overnight was the last night of the cruise. So the next morning we were off the ship at 6:00am boarding our pre-reserved private shuttle to the airport for our flight home. This time, it will be great to arrive, then depart via ship.

[cruise kitty]

Kitty, we're on your same sailing and hadn't thought about a hotel room overnight in Florence. Not sure what we'll do there, although I know we'll definitely go in to Florence. Last October we fully intended to quickly see a few things in Florence enroute from Rome to Verona. I purposely pre-purchased two train tickets online (Rome-Florence, and Florence-Verona) so that we could spend a few hours in Florence. Well it didn't work out quite the way I would have liked because of delays with trains and a cancelled train in Florence (that I didn't know about until we got to the station). Anyway, that was the 2nd time going through Florence without being able to see anything. So this time...third time's the charm. Since we'll be overnighting in Livorno, I feel confident I'll get to see the few things in Florence that I've been wanting to see. Í've also been to Pisa twice, and the Cinque Terre twice. IMHO, one can never tire of the Cinque Terre, so maybe we'll try to get up there, too.

 

And last year we also overnighted in Venice, but our overnight was the last night of the cruise. So the next morning we were off the ship at 6:00am boarding our pre-reserved private shuttle to the airport for our flight home. This time, it will be great to arrive, then depart via ship.

 

Hi Jon & Mark!

 

We were in Florence in late Nov. 2009, & ran into a few problems too, the weather was too rough to dock in Livorno, so the ship went to La Spezia instead, taking the train into Florence took a good deal longer, & we ended up only having about 4 hours there, but it was still wonderful. I'm glad we were able to see our 'must sees', & now this time, we can enjoy a much more leisurely day!

 

I've seen photos/video of the sail in & out of Venice, & it truly looks amazing!

 

Debbie

[NCMtnBoys]

I've seen photos/video of the sail in & out of Venice, & it truly looks amazing!

 

Debbie

 

Yes, it is! Our cruise last year was round trip Venice, so it was dusk when we sailed out, but of course dark when we sailed back in. Then we had the whole day in port and stayed docked overnight.

 

October is the latest I've vacationed in Europe, I hope mid-late November will be decent weather and sailing conditions.

[Carolyn R]

Yes, it is! Our cruise last year was round trip Venice, so it was dusk when we sailed out, but of course dark when we sailed back in. Then we had the whole day in port and stayed docked overnight.

 

October is the latest I've vacationed in Europe, I hope mid-late November will be decent weather and sailing conditions.

 

In mid to late November take a waterproof raincoat, winter parka, hat, scarf and gloves and you will be all set. Better safe than sorry and cold which I belatedly found out last fall.

[slidergirl]

In mid to late November take a waterproof raincoat, winter parka, hat, scarf and gloves and you will be all set. Better safe than sorry and cold which I belatedly found out last fall.

 

I wouldn't go the parka route. I'd opt for layering. A good waterproof shell outer layer, then get a down or synthetic down sweater (look at Patagonia, REI or MEC for "down sweater"), and possibly a fleece vest. Combine as you need. I got through 2 weeks in Europe (St. Moritz, Venice, Innsbruck, the Dolomites) with this system and was never cold. The parka just takes up room. With the layering approach, you'll have whatever you need for your varying conditions.

 

Back to topic: I would do the overnight in Florence. Like someone else said, part of the ambience of Florence can't be experienced in the daytime with the thousands of other cruisers. Stay late, walk around - it is fantastic!

[ksps cruise fan]

I wouldn't go the parka route. I'd opt for layering. A good waterproof shell outer layer, then get a down or synthetic down sweater (look at Patagonia, REI or MEC for "down sweater"), and possibly a fleece vest. Combine as you need. I got through 2 weeks in Europe (St. Moritz, Venice, Innsbruck, the Dolomites) with this system and was never cold. The parka just takes up room. With the layering approach, you'll have whatever you need for your varying conditions.

 

Back to topic: I would do the overnight in Florence. Like someone else said, part of the ambience of Florence can't be experienced in the daytime with the thousands of other cruisers. Stay late, walk around - it is fantastic!

 

I was so focused on helping the OP enjoy a passeggiata in Florence, that I overlooked the importance of the timing of her cruise. Good catch Slidergirl! I'll second Slidergirl's recommendation of a down sweater. I own L.L. Bean's Ultra-light 850 down jacket (Product number: TK259310) Fabulous product for cool weather travel!

 

The key is the rating of the down. Most down parkas are filled with 550-rated down so the manufacturer needs to pack more down into the jacket to get a reasonable level or warmth; the jackets get bulkier and heavier but not necessarily warmer. The higher the down rating, the less down needed to accomplish the same degree of warmth.

 

An 850 jacket is so lightweight that when I don't need to wear it in the afternoon, I can tie the sleeves around my purse handle and not feel the weight of the jacket.

 

I strongly recommend you travel with a wind blocker fleece hat. Again, L.L. Bean makes one (Product number: TA220453). You won't win any fashion prizes, but you'll be smiling while you're climbing the Leaning Tower in Pisa or outside looking at the doors of the Baptistry in Florence

 

Even traveling in summer, I always pack ar least one lightweight fleece quarter-zip if only to wear on long distance travel when the plane gets very cold at maximum altitude.

 

Here's a link to a web site that will give you day-by-day weather averages for several cities in Italy. (I've supplied the specific link to Florence, but it also gives the information for Livorno and Pisa.)

 

http://www.knowital.com/weather/florence/

[cruise kitty]

Hi everyone! Thanks again for all the great tips, our previous trips to Europe have been late fall, early winter & we had weather ranging from warm enough for shorts & tees, to cold & rainy... I stick with the light layers method, & we both carry a very small backpack so we can add/remove items as needed. DH has several super light weight Timberland performance fleece pullovers that are one of the best purchases we ever made. A couple of trips to REI usually takes care of his travel wardrobe.

[slidergirl]

My Patagonia down sweater was the best latest thing I've bought. It is very lightweight and stuffs into one of it's own pockets for a very compact item. I actually have 3 of them: 2 are half zips from MEC (the Canadian version of REI) and the Patagonia full zip. If you are in to color, the Patagonia one has a few cool colors to go along with basic black. I don't like to travel with fleece anymore. It is just too bulky for me. The down stuffs down to nothing. You can always take it on the plane with you and use it as a supplement to the airline pillows!

 

Nothing beats walking in an Italian city or town at night. I've been out at midnight in Rome and Florence and there are still people out enjoying themselves. Can't find that in the daytime with the masses! But, I will say that Cinque Terre was one of my favorite places to stay. Hiking between the towns, just relaxing around at night, it was fantastic. You won't go wrong with either place!