Livorno Port to Pisa - Time Question

[CupKayke]

Due to a late tour cancellation, I'm still grappling with our Livorno Port day. We are there 7am to 7pm. Hubby wants to walk up the tower of Pisa and I want to visit a winery (my dreams of Florence are up in smoke for this cruise).

 

Is this possible...

 

Off the ship as early as possible (before 7am if we can)... cruise shuttle to bus stop (200 yard walk actually)... bus to train station... catch the earliest train possible to Pisa (the goal is the 8:12am train)... bus to the leaning tower....tickets to walk up the leaning tower at 9am (if I can get them still).

 

Walk up the tower, walk the area, walk back to the train station, and be back at the cruise ship by 1:00/1:30pm.

 

Is this feasible and am I being basically reasonable???

 

The reason? The cruise ship is offering a 2:00 pm Chianti winery tour that is a must do for me and at only $60 per person, I'm in.

 

On a side note, we would be spending about $130 Euros for the 2 of us to get to Pisa & back and for the Chianti winery tour. There are no tours open on our roll call. So... would there be other options once we get off the port?? Maybe some legitimate tour sales in the cruise port that allows time to walk up the tower & maybe visits a winery?? My husband and I MIGHT not be comfortable with simply hiring a taxi/driver for the day and I'm not for sure what that would cost us anyway?? Input from others in-the-know would be appreciated. We leave in 4 days and I am really struggling with this port. :o

[euro cruiser]

When time is of the essence, as in your situation, the cruise shuttle to the public bus is a false savings. It eats up a lot of time; how much you save vs. a taxi depends on your line. (Each cruise line charges a different fee for this service; NCL a few years ago was 5 Euro, more recently I've heard higher figures.)

 

I'd get off the ship as soon as possible and head right for the taxi line, then start negotiating. Tell the driver you're interested in either a ride to the train station in Livorno or a round trip to Pisa, if the price is right, and see what he offers.

 

It will cost 25 Euro each way for a taxi between the ship and the Livorno train station. Round trip train tickets to Pisa are 5 Euro, and a taxi from Pisa Centrale to the Piazza dei Miracoli is about 10 Euro. So, for four people, the taxi and train route would add up to about 90 Euro. Decide ahead of time how much more than that you'd be willing to pay for the door-to-door ease of a taxi to Pisa and you'll be ready to negotiate, knowing at what price you'll walk away.

[euro cruiser]

With a taxi to the train station in Livorno you can easily make a train that gets you to Pisa at or shortly after 8 AM, which would put you at the tower in time for an 8:30 tower ticket.

 

You'll be out of the tower by 9 and, even allowing a good 90 minutes to see the Duomo and Baptistry, you'll be able to catch a 10:53 train back to Livorno, arriving at 11:08, allowing you plenty of time to get back for your 1 pm tour.

[slidergirl]

I'm with Euro Cruiser on this one (aren't I always???). Just in case, I'll throw out the rental car thing. As long as you avoid the ZTL areas in Pisa (I think Rick Steves will tell you where to park for the Tower), it would be pretty easy. I've driven around Pisa and it's not bad at all. After the hubby does his Tower thing, head for the Chianti area for your winery fix.

[Twickenham]

I'll throw out the rental car thing. As long as you avoid the ZTL areas in Pisa (I think Rick Steves will tell you where to park for the Tower), it would be pretty easy. I've driven around Pisa and it's not bad at all. After the hubby does his Tower thing, head for the Chianti area for your winery fix.

 

This. I personally think going back to the ship to get a tour wastes a lot of time, and I'm sure it would be easy enough to do a winery on your own.

[CupKayke]

Thank you all for the excellent opinions.

 

I don't feel comfortable renting a car in a foreign country. :o

 

Any clues how much a full day tour to Pisa & a winery might cost us if we hired a driver at the port??

[euro cruiser]

It's less expensive to hire a taxi at the port than a car service that you pre-reserve, however (and this is a big however), taxi drivers will rarely speak English and if they do, it won't be fluent. You need to be prepared to either converse in Italian (beyond the basics of time and money) or have everything you need to communicate written down ahead of time in Italian.

 

They'll speak enough English for you to tell them where you want to go, how long you want to stay, etc. and to discuss money. They won't be able to entertain you with stories or regale you with their knowledge of local sites, history, etc. the way the car service drivers do.

[New Jersey Pat]

You might try Alessandro Commelli Wine Tours. If you can get a group of four people, you would find his rates reasonable and he can tailor a day for you. We used him in February and were very pleased.

[CupKayke]

Thank you both for your replies. Definitely considering both and I have contacted the recommended Wine Tour company/guy.

[lesley_willis1971]

Does the cruise line not offer a shuttle to the Train station in Livorno? If so, does anyone know how much it is? and is that round trip, or one price there and pay that again to return to the ship at the end of the day?

[euro cruiser]

I've never heard of one going to the train station. They all drop off at Piazza Grande, which is a mile and a half from the train station.

[Jasonmom]

What did you finally decide to do?

[aamechs2]

Not sure if the OP has left already but we've had good luck with Tuscany by taxi, used them 4 years ago and using them again in a month. I only know that the price for 8 is E400 to go to PIsa and Florence. The driver will speak enough english to get you where you want to go. You definitely can negotiate once you get off the ship too.