Tower of Pisa help. :(

[DevCruise]

My wife and I are booked on the Norwegian Epic in September and will be stopping in Livorno. We're also brining my under 2 son along with us. We'd both like to be able to do the tower climb, but the excursion through the cruise ship won't be there long enough for one of us to go up and then the other. We already know our son can't go up.

 

Are there any options that don't involve us having to pay $500+ for a private excursion or crossing our fingers and hoping we can traverse the train there and back? :confused:

[ollienbertsmum]

My wife and I are booked on the Norwegian Epic in September and will be stopping in Livorno. We're also brining my under 2 son along with us. We'd both like to be able to do the tower climb, but the excursion through the cruise ship won't be there long enough for one of us to go up and then the other. We already know our son can't go up.

 

Are there any options that don't involve us having to pay $500+ for a private excursion or crossing our fingers and hoping we can traverse the train there and back? :confused:

 

It is easy to go by train. No need to cross your fingers, lots of people go that way. There are shuttles at the port that will take you to Livorno train station ($15 each) it is a short train journey to Pisa and a walk through the town (really easy and flat) takes you to the Tower and the Baptistery/museum.

 

Buy your tickets from here http://www.opapisa.it/en/tickets/buy/

 

You will probs have to buy them 30 mins apart. Give yourself plenty of time to get there. There is lots to see in the Square but you might just want to play with your son in the open air!! You can stop and have a pizza at one of the restaurants, walk around Pisa. Pisa is nice to look around. It is not as big and glamorous as Rome or Florence, but it is charming and is a nice day out when you have to cope with a buggy and child.

Edited July 21, 2016 by ollienbertsmum

[John Bull]

You're lucky. Unless things have changed, NCL is the only cruise line which offers a shuttle to Livorno train station - the others run shuttles between ship & city centre, which inconveniently then involves catching a local bus to the train station.

Taxis are also available at the ship, & if shared by up to 8 passengers the 25 euro e/w fare to the station works out a lot cheaper than NCL's shuttle. But some cruisers have reported a shortage of taxis in the port, so NCL's shuttle is your safest bet.

 

Return train fare to Pisa is only about 9 euros & trains are reasonably frequent - both local trains & the through trains bound for Florence.

Check the times of the return trains when you get to the station

IIRC the train journey is about 20 minutes.

 

You can follow the crowd from station to the "Field of Miracles", which includes the perpendicularly-challenged tower. The walk takes about 20 - 25 minutes.

 

JB :)

Edited July 21, 2016 by John Bull

[euro cruiser]

There are also buses from Livorno to Pisa (near the tower) that leave from the point where the free port shuttle drops off. I think this would be a lot easier than fighting the crowds at the train station trying to get to Florence. Also, this gets you within walking distance of the tower while the train is a mile and a half away (walking distance for many of us but maybe a stretch with a two-year-old).

 

Info here: http://www.livornonow.com/direct_bus_service_from_livorno_to_pisa_and_florence

Edited July 21, 2016 by euro cruiser

[SpainAlien]

You can hire a car through Hertz they put up a tent right on the pier but you do need to prebook. We went to Lucca then Pisa and had plenty of time at both. The traffic is minimal and the roads are good

 

 

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[ollienbertsmum]

There are also buses from Livorno to Pisa (near the tower) that leave from the point where the free port shuttle drops off. I think this would be a lot easier than fighting the crowds at the train station trying to get to Florence. Also, this gets you within walking distance of the tower while the train is a mile and a half away (walking distance for many of us but maybe a stretch with a two-year-old).

 

Info here: http://www.livornonow.com/direct_bus_service_from_livorno_to_pisa_and_florence

 

The bus is an option I have not used. Sounds like a good option.

 

However I have to say that when we went to Pisa in April (not peak season I know), we were in no hurry and left the ship at about 10.30. There were no crowds at the train station because all of the folk wanting to get to Florence had long gone. We got into Pisa about an hour later. Still plenty of time to get to the Tower and climb and be back for sailaway. (as long as the baby is pushed in a buggy).

[euro cruiser]

Waiting and going later would take away the crowding problem but it still requires two extra steps in each direction that the bus does not (bus from the port shuttle drop off point to Livorno Centrale, then a bus from Pisa Centrale to the tower area).

[Shiraleen]

My wife and I are booked on the Norwegian Epic in September and will be stopping in Livorno. We're also brining my under 2 son along with us. We'd both like to be able to do the tower climb, but the excursion through the cruise ship won't be there long enough for one of us to go up and then the other. We already know our son can't go up.

 

Are there any options that don't involve us having to pay $500+ for a private excursion or crossing our fingers and hoping we can traverse the train there and back? :confused:

 

 

Mini Bus

We went with Norwegian Jade, and simply milled around after disembarking. There are plenty of mini buses willing to take you. I found 2 other couples who wanted to join us, and we paid $40 per head. We were back in plenty of time

,

[Dorkscruising]

hi. we have just booked tuscanybus.com for our trip to pisa in August . €15pp for a bus from shuttle drop off in livorno to pisa, 1 hour 45 minutes in pisa then bus back to shuttle pick up. booked direct and had voucher emailed to me to show to bus driver.

[DevCruise]

hi. we have just booked tuscanybus.com for our trip to pisa in August . €15pp for a bus from shuttle drop off in livorno to pisa, 1 hour 45 minutes in pisa then bus back to shuttle pick up. booked direct and had voucher emailed to me to show to bus driver.

 

Looks like this might be our best bet so far. I'll have to look into it further. I knew someone here would have a good idea. :)

[euro cruiser]

Am I understanding it correctly that tuscanybus.com has a set amount of time in Pisa and that's it? The other bus has several return times and it's the same price. I think I'd prefer the flexibility of returning when I want to rather than be tied to a set time.

[Dorkscruising]

Am I understanding it correctly that tuscanybus.com has a set amount of time in Pisa and that's it? The other bus has several return times and it's the same price. I think I'd prefer the flexibility of returning when I want to rather than be tied to a set time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transfer 40 min.

Free time in Pisa: h 2,20

 

Cost: € 15 up to 9 years € 10 reductions (3-8 years, disabled passengers with ID card, crew), free for infant under 3 years.

there are 3 pick up times from livorno

Edited July 24, 2016 by Dorkscruising

[euro cruiser]

I just read through both offers and they are same, if you take bus A to Pisa you must take return A so they can regulate the passenger flow. I guess if you want a flexible return time the train is your option.

[ollienbertsmum]

To the OP

 

There was a shuttle available beside the ship that would take you directly to Pisa and bring you back after 2 hours. I thought this was old not suit you because you need to be aiming at a specific time in Pisa (the time you have booked your entrances to the tower). It is difficult to be sure, given potential queues at the time you leave, that you will actually get to Pisa when you want.

[gonecroozin]

My hubby and I booked a ships excursion to Florence and Pisa from Livorno for our cruise in June.

The evening before we had a note in our cabin saying that due to lack of interest they had cancelled the excursion.

 

We didn't really have a lot of time to make any other plans.

In the end we got off the ship and took a taxi right from the terminal to Pisa.

The driver dropped us off, waited 3 hours for us in Pisa, then drove us back to the port.

The driver was great, he pointed out the local sights on the way.

The total for the trip was 120 Euro.

 

It was a bit expensive but it was a lovely relaxing day.

[LuckyStar]

My wife and I are booked on the Norwegian Epic in September and will be stopping in Livorno. We're also brining my under 2 son along with us. We'd both like to be able to do the tower climb, but the excursion through the cruise ship won't be there long enough for one of us to go up and then the other. We already know our son can't go up.

 

Are there any options that don't involve us having to pay $500+ for a private excursion or crossing our fingers and hoping we can traverse the train there and back? :confused:

 

So easy to do Pisa on your own. We did this on a trip from Florence to Rome. We took about two hours. You can leave your luggage at the train station for a nominal fee. There are buses behind the train station that will take you to the tower area for I think, about 3 euros each. You can easily walk to the tower from the bus stop.

 

Be careful about pick pockets in this area. It was very bad. A young couple discovered his passport and much of their cash was picked while near the tower area.