Advice for the train in Livorno

[hylasgirl]

I have read several post about the train in Livorno to Florence. Quite a few review suggest this. Does anyone have any information on how easy this is to do?? Where do you get the train... where does it let you off in Florence?? And are the scedules easy enough to figure out to get back? Has anyone taken the train? What type of train? Are there restrooms on board and how long does it take to get into Florence? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Steph

[zductive]

train station in florence is a very busy place. The information people while efficient were very curt. The train lets you off near the medici chapel. This is about a 5 block walk to the duomo. From the duomo, it is about a 10-15 minute walk to the ponte vecchio bridge.

 

My experience with the train was going from paris to florence. It was

[zductive]

(Battery ran out on my remote keyboard)

The trains from florence to Paris were definitely on time and clean.

 

I saw many other trains in the terminal and in general, they all looked clean and well maintained.

 

Again - the only problem that I would have in using the trains is the large amount of confusion in the terminal.

 

You will get your exercise in Florence - the walk is only about 15-20 minutes form the train station to the Ufizzi. But, the streets are confusing. Take a map with you and study it before you get there. Once you find the main streets and stay away from the side streets, you will not feel like you are lost.

 

BTW - getting advance tickets is a must at the galleries. I got mine through the hotel.

 

BTW - avoid hotel globus - I was very unhappy with how they handled a problem there.

[Bobblsc]

You will need a taxi from Livorno dock to station. Last did this in 2001, but memory is station about one mile. There is information close to dock. Train time less than one hour(?). Info about Florence station above is correct. Some Florence museums close early afternoon. David is easy walk from station, but you had better know exactly where Academia Galleria (David) is. Easy to miss. Once we had just been there a month before, and almost walked right by it without recognising it. You can also get to Pisa from the same Livorno station.

[Emolly]

We just go back from the Splendour. We took a RCL shuttle bus into town $5 PP each way. From there we were going to take a taxi to the train station, but met up with 2 couples who said they were taking the bus to the train station - it would only be 10 minutes and 1 or 2 euro. We got the tickets for the bus and train at a nearby tobacco shop. We ran to get the bus and ended up getting on the wrong direction and having to turn around. Needless to say, we missed the train and had to wait 1 hour before the next one came. Remember to "validate" your ticket after you buy it at machines in terminal. On the way back a ticket taker came around and was lenient with us cruise passengers, but there is a $50 or so fine for not validating your ticket before getting on the train.

 

Florence station is large, but most everything is within a 10-20 minute walk. Bring a map. Ship provides train schedules at excursion desk or shoppers desk each day.

 

Amy

[hylasgirl]

I am going to be cruising with RCCL also... so, there is a shuttle that will take you into town where you can get a taxi to the train station? Did you take the train back to Livorno from Florence? I was just wondering how bad the language barrier is when you are trying to get back?? My husband and I were brave last year and took the train from Villefranche to Monaco... and getting there was easy... but getting back was another story. We couldn't even figure out which tracks were departing... which direction... ect.

 

Keep the info coming... I sure appreciate it :)

 

Steph

[Stanley Wang]

We took a taxi from the port to the train station in Livorno. It is NOT in the walking distance. The taxi is 20 Euro. The shuttle bus provided by Grand Prince only reaches the city, and we have to take the bus to the train station, therefore we picked the taxi.

 

The train from Livorno to Florence is very easy and on time. It is about 8 Euro round trip. You can read the time schedule of the returning train. We stopped by Pisa on the way back. We love train. Sometimes the taxi drivers are driving crazy. They charge 300 Euro for the round trip. You make your decision.

[mik]

Stanley Wang,

 

My husband and I are going to be on the Grand in October and would love to take the train. Which train are you referring to? I looked up pricing on RailEurope and the price for two was 132 euros. Could you give me specifics on which train; any related website? I sure hope we can find something in the price range that you mentioned. What were you able to comfortably see and do in your day in and around Florence? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Stanley Wang]

Mik,

 

You can visit the site: http://www.trenitalia.com/ for the train schedule for planning purpose. When you go to the training station, there is no confusion and selection. You just tell the ticket booth that you want to buy a round trip ticket to Florence, you will get the ticket for Trenitalia, not Eurorail. The prices on the website for either first class or second class is very confusion and more expensive. I don't know why. In real practice, you do not have selection, but I am comfortable with seat. You can read the departure and arrival schedule everywhere in all the train station. You will not be confused.

 

We only stay in Florence for 4 hours. The museum is closed since it is a Monday. So we just walk though the street. The map of Florence looks very complicated and big, but when you walk in the street, it is quite small. There is an information center just cross the street of the Florence train station, where you can get a map and some tourist guide book. We follow the direction and all the city done in 4 hours. It must be another 2 hours if we want to do the museum. Anyhow, we compensate that by visit Pisa on our way back. You cannot do both Florence museum (Uffizzi) and Pisa in a day. We scheduled one hour after we get off in Pisa station. We took the bus to the leaning town and get back in an hour. Check the train schedule when getting off the train to save the waiting time.

[edinburgher]

And if you feel that Florence will be too much you (and remember that entry lines are long) then I suggest you use the Trenitalia site to get train info for Lucca and Pisa.This is a lovely, quieter and less tiring day and with many trains and very short distances its worth considering. Pisa, Lucca and Florence on the same line. Head for Lucca first, (before the shops close for lunch and siesta) a wonderful Tuscan gem, then head back towards the ship getting off in Pisa. The Leaning Tower doesnt close so its ideal for a pm visit. Livorno only a few mins away on the train.

[WAAZ]

Anyone out there going on this cruise? (As you can tell, I'm new to using this site. I would like to be in a "roll call" for this cruise.

Thank you.

[KirkNC]

You would be better served by posting this in the Italy forum. In addtion, there are numerous threads there on taking the train to Florence. The only challenge is getting to and from the train station. Some report taxis are willing to take you and some report they are not, they want a longer (i.e. larger) fare. Also when returning, sometimes it is hard to get a taxi back to the ship, sometimes it is not.

 

Kirk

[ab0si]

And if you feel that Florence will be too much you (and remember that entry lines are long) then I suggest you use the Trenitalia site to get train info for Lucca and Pisa.This is a lovely, quieter and less tiring day and with many trains and very short distances its worth considering. Pisa, Lucca and Florence on the same line. Head for Lucca first, (before the shops close for lunch and siesta) a wonderful Tuscan gem, then head back towards the ship getting off in Pisa. The Leaning Tower doesnt close so its ideal for a pm visit. Livorno only a few mins away on the train.

 

Two points, if I may...

 

1) Long lines: You can reserve times in advance thus avoiding the lines.

 

2) The main line for Pisa <-> Florence does not pass through Lucca although a secondary line (slower, but nicer scenery) does.

 

Florence is my favorite city in the world, but rushing from and back to Livorno does make for a tiring day. I agree with your advice to consider wandering around Lucca instead.

[Queen of the Queen]

Anyone out there going on this cruise? (As you can tell, I'm new to using this site. I would like to be in a "roll call" for this cruise.

Thank you.

 

Hi

Go to the Roll Calls and look for Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam roll call for this cruise.

 

There are over 50 of us already on the roll call and have already planned

two meet & greets along with a Private Flamenco Show in Cadiz.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you on the roll call

Lorraine :)

[Hlitner]

I have read several post about the train in Livorno to Florence. Quite a few review suggest this. Does anyone have any information on how easy this is to do?? Where do you get the train... where does it let you off in Florence?? And are the scedules easy enough to figure out to get back? Has anyone taken the train? What type of train? Are there restrooms on board and how long does it take to get into Florence? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Steph

 

I will respond to your specific question rather then going off in all kinds of directions. The most difficult part of the train (between Florence and Livorno) is getting from the Livorno port to the train station. The best (most efficient way) is to get off the ship as soon as you are allowed to disembark, go directly to the taxi queue, and ask for a taxi that will take you to the Livorno train station (stazione). Most taxi drivers will not do that short haul, but if you keep asking there is usually a taxi that will agree. The cost is 20-25 Euros but that is for an entire taxi so you should look to share with another couple. Once at the station you should buy round trip tickets (they will actually give you two separate tickets) which you can get at the ticket counter or by using an automatic machine (which will not work with US credit cards). Take the one ticket for your trip to Florence and validate it by putting it in the stampling machine located near the platform. The train itself is normally pretty old, but its clean and does have typical train rest rooms. You do not need any kind of reservation for these regional trains. You will get off in Florence at their main train station which is called the Firenze (the Italion word for Florence) Santa Maria Novella Stazione. From that station you can walk to center of Florence (the main tourist area).

 

The schedules are pretty easy to figure out (you can simply go to the Raileurope site and get the schedule or also get it at the Trenitalia site). Make sure you do not wait for the last minute to get back to Florence and we recommend choosing a return train that gets you into Livorno about 1 1/2 hours before you must be back on the ship. You will need to get a taxi back to the ship from the train station and sometimes you will have to wait to find a taxi (hence a good reason to get back a little early).

 

Finally, I will comment on the shuttle bus mentioned in a previous post. This is a ridiculous way to get to the train station and we strongly recommend against using it. Here is the problem. Most ships dock by 7am and folks are often off by 7:20. If you take a taxi you will be at the station in time to get a train by 8 (we usually make the 7:43 train). But the shuttle bus to town usually does not even start until 8:30 or even 9 and it drops you a very long distance from the train station. You then need to either take a local bus or a taxi (if you find one) to the train station. By the time you get to the train station it can be after 9:00 at which point there is only a single train per hour. You would most likely make the 9:12 train which will get you to Florence at 10:30 or an hour later then if you had just taken a taxi to the train station. That extra hour in Florence is very important in a typcial port day.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

I will respond to your specific question rather then going off in all kinds of directions. The most difficult part of the train (between Florence and Livorno) is getting from the Livorno port to the train station. The best (most efficient way) is to get off the ship as soon as you are allowed to disembark, go directly to the taxi queue, and ask for a taxi that will take you to the Livorno train station (stazione). Most taxi drivers will not do that short haul, but if you keep asking there is usually a taxi that will agree. The cost is 20-25 Euros but that is for an entire taxi so you should look to share with another couple. Once at the station you should buy round trip tickets (they will actually give you two separate tickets) which you can get at the ticket counter or by using an automatic machine (which will not work with US credit cards). Take the one ticket for your trip to Florence and validate it by putting it in the stampling machine located near the platform. The train itself is normally pretty old, but its clean and does have typical train rest rooms. You do not need any kind of reservation for these regional trains. You will get off in Florence at their main train station which is called the Firenze (the Italion word for Florence) Santa Maria Novella Stazione. From that station you can walk to center of Florence (the main tourist area).

 

The schedules are pretty easy to figure out (you can simply go to the Raileurope site and get the schedule or also get it at the Trenitalia site). Make sure you do not wait for the last minute to get back to Florence and we recommend choosing a return train that gets you into Livorno about 1 1/2 hours before you must be back on the ship. You will need to get a taxi back to the ship from the train station and sometimes you will have to wait to find a taxi (hence a good reason to get back a little early).

 

Finally, I will comment on the shuttle bus mentioned in a previous post. This is a ridiculous way to get to the train station and we strongly recommend against using it. Here is the problem. Most ships dock by 7am and folks are often off by 7:20. If you take a taxi you will be at the station in time to get a train by 8 (we usually make the 7:43 train). But the shuttle bus to town usually does not even start until 8:30 or even 9 and it drops you a very long distance from the train station. You then need to either take a local bus or a taxi (if you find one) to the train station. By the time you get to the train station it can be after 9:00 at which point there is only a single train per hour. You would most likely make the 9:12 train which will get you to Florence at 10:30 or an hour later then if you had just taken a taxi to the train station. That extra hour in Florence is very important in a typcial port day.

 

Hank

 

Hank -- great info of course, but the post you replied to is from 2005, dredged up for some reason by the poster before you. ;)

[Hlitner]

Hank -- great info of course, but the post you replied to is from 2005, dredged up for some reason by the poster before you. ;)

 

ARGH! gonna have to remember to look at those dates :)

 

Hank

[scubamargie]

Hey, I appreciated your reply and we're going the first of November. Thank you!

[susiegirl99]

Me too! We go in September, so it is great information for us. Thanks!