Florence to Cinque Terre to Pisa to Livorno all in one day?

[Macdooger4]

If we got up early and took early train from Florence to Cinque Terre, spent an hour or two there, then onto Pisa, another hour or so there and then took train back to Livorno where the ship is docked, can it reasonably be done? 

 

Out ship is docked until 7pm, so we'd like to plan to be back no later than 6pm. 

 

Or are we fooling ourselves? Is it too much? So badly want to see cinque terre and Pisa too. We will be spending prior day in Florence and sleeping over there...

Edited January 11, 2023 by Macdooger4

[marazul]

58 minutes ago, Macdooger4 said:

If we got up early and took early train from Florence to Cinque Terre, spent an hour or two there, then onto Pisa, another hour or so there and then took train back to Livorno where the ship is docked, can it reasonably be done? 

 

Out ship is docked until 7pm, so we'd like to plan to be back no later than 6pm. 

 

Or are we fooling ourselves? Is it too much? So badly want to see cinque terre and Pisa too. We will be spending prior day in Florence and sleeping over there...

That is nuts.  Cinqueterre is five different towns.  If you are going there, you should at least take the little ferry between 2 or 3 of the towns, enjoy walking around, enjoy the view from the sea.  One hour in Cinqueterre would mean that you get out of the train in Riomaggiore, walk two blocks and turn around to catch the next train.  You would not have seen Cinqueterre when you leave.   

 

If you are bound and determined to see the Tower, consider getting a private transfer to Florence with a first, quick stop in Pisa.  Take your pictures and go on to Florence.  Using public transit or a ship's excursion would eat too much time from your sightseeing in this case.  Next day go to Cinqueterre.   

 

The more you want to pack in, the less you will see, and the more expensive it will be to get to all the places.  

Edited January 11, 2023 by marazul

[Macdooger4]

yep, gotch ya. I think we will do florence the first day, possibly stop in pisa on way back (around 8pm ish) and then do a tour to cinqueterre the entire next day. Sound better?

[marazul]

30 minutes ago, Macdooger4 said:

yep, gotch ya. I think we will do florence the first day, possibly stop in pisa on way back (around 8pm ish) and then do a tour to cinqueterre the entire next day. Sound better?

Yup. 

Don't know if you can climb the Tower then, but it will certainly be illuminated and you can get really nice pictures.

[Macdooger4]

41 minutes ago, marazul said:

Yup. 

Don't know if you can climb the Tower then, but it will certainly be illuminated and you can get really nice pictures.

That's ok, we are fine just looking at it from the outside, no need to climb it. Thank you!!!

[Hlitner]

Agree with Marazul that the idea is completely nuts!  Keep in mind that the train journey is pretty long, trains can run late, and Cinque Terre is actually 5 different villages (connected by train and/or ferry or a very long hike).  Cinque Terre should be considered a full day place.  And keep in mind that using trains will waste a lot of time in Pisa, since you will still need to get to and from the Tower from the train station.  And then there is the matter of working with train schedules and hoping that the trains are not running late.

 

Once upon a time we did manage to go to Cinque Terre and Pisa on the same port day, but we only did this at the request of another couple who were making their first visit (we have been to the region many times on both cruises and driving trips).  But we had a very long port day in Livorno and used a rental car.  The car meant we did not need to deal with getting to/from train stations, waiting for trains, etc.  We drove directly to Riomaggiore (which takes less time than the train from Florence) and parked in the large pay lot.  We than spent about 5 hours in the area visiting 3 villages.  Then back in the car and a quick stop (about 30 minutes) at Pisa's Field of Miracles so our friends could have a photo op.  

 

Hank

[marazul]

Macdooger4 -

Hank is right about walking time from the Pisa station to the tower.  It's 20-25 minute walk each way.  You might not want to do that at night. 

Reconsider my suggestion of a private one-way transfer to Florence in the morning with a quick stop in Pisa.  You can return to Livorno in the evening by train at your convenience. 

Edited January 12, 2023 by marazul

[mapleleaves]

OR, take a cab from Pisa Centrale to the entrance of Field of Miracles.  It's less than 10 minutes by car, so maybe $15.

That's what we did. We had 12 hrs in port at Livorno and wanted to see Pisa and Florence. We took the train to Pisa, then hopped in a cab to see the Leaning Tower, spent 30 minutes, then took a cab back to the station. 

 

[GreenFamily]

Unpopular opinion: Pisa is definitely not the highlight of Italy. Don’t make an extra effort to see it because you might be disappointed. 

[marazul]

49 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

OR, take a cab from Pisa Centrale to the entrance of Field of Miracles.  It's less than 10 minutes by car, so maybe $15.

That's what we did. We had 12 hrs in port at Livorno and wanted to see Pisa and Florence. We took the train to Pisa, then hopped in a cab to see the Leaning Tower, spent 30 minutes, then took a cab back to the station. 

 

That works. It still takes longer than a private transfer, but it works best to go to Pisa for a quick stop first thing and then on to Florence.

 

I believe the OP is in a group of three people. It would pay to add up all the shuttle, train and taxi charges and compare them to a quote for a transfer.

Edited January 12, 2023 by marazul

[Macdooger4]

8 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Agree with Marazul that the idea is completely nuts!  Keep in mind that the train journey is pretty long, trains can run late, and Cinque Terre is actually 5 different villages (connected by train and/or ferry or a very long hike).  Cinque Terre should be considered a full day place.  And keep in mind that using trains will waste a lot of time in Pisa, since you will still need to get to and from the Tower from the train station.  And then there is the matter of working with train schedules and hoping that the trains are not running late.

 

Once upon a time we did manage to go to Cinque Terre and Pisa on the same port day, but we only did this at the request of another couple who were making their first visit (we have been to the region many times on both cruises and driving trips).  But we had a very long port day in Livorno and used a rental car.  The car meant we did not need to deal with getting to/from train stations, waiting for trains, etc.  We drove directly to Riomaggiore (which takes less time than the train from Florence) and parked in the large pay lot.  We than spent about 5 hours in the area visiting 3 villages.  Then back in the car and a quick stop (about 30 minutes) at Pisa's Field of Miracles so our friends could have a photo op.  

 

Hank

Agree, the idea was nuts, lol. We will so cinqueterre the next day and do florence and Pisa the first day. Not sure if we should do quick stop in Pisa then to Florence or the other way around...thinking maybe to avoid Pisa at night, maybe stop there first and then not be rushed in Florence. 

[marazul]

2 hours ago, Macdooger4 said:

Agree, the idea was nuts, lol. We will so cinqueterre the next day and do florence and Pisa the first day. Not sure if we should do quick stop in Pisa then to Florence or the other way around...thinking maybe to avoid Pisa at night, maybe stop there first and then not be rushed in Florence. 

Good idea. Pisa first. Then you can have a relaxed dinner in Florence and you'll be wanting to get back to the ship after a long day.

Edited January 13, 2023 by marazul

[harrodsfan]

On 1/12/2023 at 1:56 PM, GreenFamily said:

Unpopular opinion: Pisa is definitely not the highlight of Italy. Don’t make an extra effort to see it because you might be disappointed. 

Indeed. Huge tourist trap imho. Lots of leaning towers in Italy. Plus tons of pickpockets. Skip!