Livorno port

[aaalynn1]

Has anyone taken a tour from this port other than to florence or pisa?  I would like to visit parts of Cinque Terre, and take a boat tour around there.  Looking for advice on some tour groups, or should we try and brave it on our own?

[BarbinMich]

It's about 1.5 hr from Livorno to the south end Cinque Terre so would be a full day.  We did a private tour thru our roll call to C.T. and I believe we had also docked at Livorno, so it's doable.

[dronnygirl]

From Livorno train station you can take a train to Lucca, a delightful walled town.  It's quite easy to buy tickets on the day and the trains run frequently, they stop just across from the city walls.  Its lovely to stroll around and have a nice lunch, you can walk the walls or hire a bike.  Great day out.

[b_cruise]

I used Joe Banana Limos tours and went to cinque Terre.   Just my daughter and I. It was wonderful. He didn’t stay with us the whole time but he told us exactly where to go, bought our train tickets ( or ferry) between towns. Then we met him at end.   You must go. It is fabulous to see!!!

[Hlitner]

We generally do not do tours, but have certainly gone to Cinque Terre from the Port of Livorno.  How do we do it?  Rent a car from Sifracar.com who will deliver a rental car right to the pier.  Get off the ship ASAP and pick up our car.  Then we drive up to Riomaggiore (one could drive a bit further to one of the other Cinque Terre Villages).  It takes about 1 1/2 hours for the drive to Riomaggiore where we park our car and spend the day in 1 or more of the villages.  One can move between the villages on the train or sometimes on ferries.  We later return to Riomaggiore, get our car, and drive back to Livorno.  It is also possible to do a detour to Pisa (we did this one time on our return drive) although we recommend spending all the available time at Cinque Terre.  

When comparing to tours consider that renting a car for 1 day will probably cost about $150 (rental car plus gas).  If you park at the paid parking lot/garage in Riomaggiore this would add another $15 - $20.  Assuming you have 4 in the car your cost per person for transportation (and parking) would be less than $50 per person.  Once at Riomaggiore your additional cost depends on how you spend the day.  One could rent a larger vehicle (Sifracar has vans that can hold up to 9) and reduce the cost per person.

 

I should add that there are many other options from Livorno if one rents a vehicle.  It is possible to get as far as Siena on a port day (we once did Siena, San Gimignano and Volterra in a day) or you could drive further East to the S-222 Chianti wine road and enjoy the charms of the Chianti wine district.

 

Hank

[txspartan]

On 6/25/2019 at 10:58 PM, Hlitner said:

We generally do not do tours, but have certainly gone to Cinque Terre from the Port of Livorno.  How do we do it?  Rent a car from Sifracar.com who will deliver a rental car right to the pier.  Get off the ship ASAP and pick up our car.  Then we drive up to Riomaggiore (one could drive a bit further to one of the other Cinque Terre Villages).  It takes about 1 1/2 hours for the drive to Riomaggiore where we park our car and spend the day in 1 or more of the villages.  One can move between the villages on the train or sometimes on ferries.  We later return to Riomaggiore, get our car, and drive back to Livorno.  It is also possible to do a detour to Pisa (we did this one time on our return drive) although we recommend spending all the available time at Cinque Terre.  

When comparing to tours consider that renting a car for 1 day will probably cost about $150 (rental car plus gas).  If you park at the paid parking lot/garage in Riomaggiore this would add another $15 - $20.  Assuming you have 4 in the car your cost per person for transportation (and parking) would be less than $50 per person.  Once at Riomaggiore your additional cost depends on how you spend the day.  One could rent a larger vehicle (Sifracar has vans that can hold up to 9) and reduce the cost per person.

 

I should add that there are many other options from Livorno if one rents a vehicle.  It is possible to get as far as Siena on a port day (we once did Siena, San Gimignano and Volterra in a day) or you could drive further East to the S-222 Chianti wine road and enjoy the charms of the Chianti wine district.

 

Hank

I was looking at renting a car in Livorno also, does Sifracar set up right when the ship docks (I believe at 7) or do they set up later b/c google searches keep showing they don't open till 9am.  Also is Sifracar the Hertz affiliate in Livorno? 

 

how was driving in Italy?  any unexpected challenges? thx

[Hlitner]

17 minutes ago, txspartan said:

I was looking at renting a car in Livorno also, does Sifracar set up right when the ship docks (I believe at 7) or do they set up later b/c google searches keep showing they don't open till 9am.  Also is Sifracar the Hertz affiliate in Livorno? 

 

how was driving in Italy?  any unexpected challenges? thx

At one time, Sifracar was the local Hertz franchisee in Livorno.  I believe (not 100% certain) that they are no longer a Hertz franchise.  When we have rented from them (the last time was about 2 years ago) they were waiting just off the pier only a few feet from the gangplank.  They delivered our car right to the ship and were there to collect the car upon our return.  It had been this way for many years and they once even delivered us a car on a Sunday (when the agency was closed) for a small extra fee.  But I cannot say for certain what their current policy is since there have obviously been some recent changes (such as not being part of the Hertz empire).  I would suggest you simply do what we do and send them an e-mail with your specific questions.  You can directly contact them through a form on their web site or just send an e-mail to info@sifracar.com.  

 

The only thanks we ask for offering these suggestions is that folks come back to CC and post their own experience :).  That is the only way we can all stay informed and keep up with never ending changes.

 

As to driving in Italy, it can be an interesting experience.   Keep in mind that most rental cars have stick shift (standard transmissions) and automatics (when available) can cost more money.  Italy also requires an International Drivers Permit (you can get these from any AAA or CAA Office) for those of us from North America.  That being said, in over thirty years of renting and driving in Italy nobody has ever asked to see that document....but it is still technically the law.  You also should go online and read about ZTLs (limited driving zones) and then do an online search to make sure you will not be driving into parts of cities that have ZTLs.  Since you are asking about renting in Livorno....be advised that both Pisa and Florence have ZTL areas that you should avoid (or you will be fined at least 100 Euros).  And finally, its a good idea to do some online research about parking rules in Italy.  If you still have specific questions please post them on CC where there are a few of us who should be able to give you some answers (or send you elsewhere for info).  I also suggest having a working smart phone that you can use as a GPS, or renting a GPS unit.  My old alternative of relying on DW to read maps caused me lots of grief...although our marriage has survived :).  Life is more pleasant when we have working GPS guidance.

 

Hank