Transportation from Livorno to Pisa and Lucca

[Geebles]

We will be docking in Livorno on a Sunday and a Monday. We are interested in seeing Pisa and Lucca in the same day.What's the most efficient way of getting to these places. Any ideas on the cost of a tour compared to the train? Are the train stations close to the areas of interest in Pisa and Lucca? Thanks

[Hlitner]

The train is pretty darn cheap and it would only cost you a few euros from Livorno to Pisa and/or Lucca. You would need a taxi or a shuttle to get you from the Livorno port to the station (stazione). Its only a few minutes (about 15) to Pisa and Lucca is about another 15 min using the train. A taxi will cost you a lot more... depending on how good you can negotiate. In Pisa, its a good 45 min walk from the train station to the Leaning Tower, but you can use the local buses as an alternative or even grab a taxi. In Lucca the station is just outside the city walls, and you can walk through the gate and start exploring the city (this city is best seen on foot). Wear comfortable shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking. We find Lucca a very fun place for walking and lunch. As to Pisa, the square around the tower is a good tourist place, but we have not found much other charm in the city.

 

Hank

[vacationaddict]

We rented a car at the port through Hertz. Drove to Pisa and Lucca and then dropped the car back at the port. Locked the keys in the car and got back on the ship. We had planned on taking the train, however, when we arrived in Livorno the trains were on strike. All in all it worked out great. Easy to follow directions with maps. Had a wonderful day.

[Sandy R]

We hired a taxi and driver off the pier. Can't remember the cost but it wasn't excessive. The drive to Lucca was maybe 30+ minutes... an easy drive. There are no cars allowed in the walled city so the driver let us out at the entrance. We took our time exploring, stopped for a light lunch and a gelato. Lucca is a wonderful choice to see. After Lucca, we drove to Pisa. I was surprised how close it was to Lucca. The driver stopped in the middle of town and told us where he would parked when we were finished exploring. Some friends opted for the train but didn't like that the train schedule didn't mesh with their timing. They felt they did a lot of waiting at the train stations.

 

Sandy

[Hlitner]

I agree that renting a car is a good way to do Italy (we do it all the time). But, for some reason there are many cruisers (and even folks on land trips) that are hesitant to drive in Italy. We have found the Italian drivers to be absolutely nuts,,, but actually very good drivers. After driving thousands of miles in Italy, we have actually seen very few accidents. But, we have found that you really need to be more alert for what's happening behind you.. than in the states.

 

Hank

[I&MsMom]

For those of you who have driven to Lucca and Pisa on your own, how are the roads? And how impossible is it to find a car park?

 

To be honest, I've had my fill of winding roads on the edge of mountains. As the years go by, my anxiety level goes up...Although from the map, it doesn't look too mountainous (although I've learned to my dismay that the maps can be very deceiving!!)

 

Also, I'd rather wait at a train station than spend an eternity trying to find a place to leave the car...

 

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

[vacationaddict]

We didn't have any trouble finding parking at Pisa or Lucca. For Lucca we parked in a large parking lot close to Lucca. Can't remember what we paid for parking but it wasn't a lot. For Pisa we parked several blocks away and walked. No problem there either. Maybe we just got lucky. The roads are mostly freeway (highway).

[Hlitner]

I fully agree with vacationaddict. In Lucca there is plenty of parking just outside the walls (on all sides). In Pisa we have been able to park on the street (free) within a block of the Duomo. This being said, you might find that you have to drive around in Pisa to find a spot...but many of the side streets do have on the street parking. If you haven't parked in Italy, where they have metered parking there are no meters (smile). There is usually a machine on each block where you buy a parking ticket and than display it on your car. We have gotten more than our share of parking tickets in Italy, but it always seems to happen when we have rented our cars in France (which means we never paid the tickets). One nice thing about Pisa is that its a pretty fast drive back to the port (once you get out of the city).

 

Hank

[ehogan]

We traveled from Livorno to Pisa by train in May 2005. It was quite easy. The cruise line (RCCL) provided a shuttle into Livorno downtown for a small fee, from the drop off point it was a one block walk to the bus stop that serviced the train station. (There was a tourist info booth right where we were dropped off if you need directions) The fare was inexpensive - maybe 5 Euro. From the train station in Pisa, I would recommend you walk to the Leaning Tower. There are lots of great shops along the way along what is essentialy a pedestrian only zone.

 

I don't know if you could do both Lucca and Pisa in a day - depends how long you are in port.

[Houner]

Just wondering what was the cost of renting a car for the day in Livorno?

And the time and ease of picking up and dropping off.

Our family of five is on the Grand this June and we have booked private tours in many of the ports. So were thinking of spending fewer dollars in Livorno. We are interested in seeing Pisa and Lucca and these two cities seem easy to travel to from Livorno.

[cruisinsince75]

We rented a car at the port through Hertz. Drove to Pisa and Lucca and then dropped the car back at the port. Locked the keys in the car and got back on the ship. We had planned on taking the train, however, when we arrived in Livorno the trains were on strike. All in all it worked out great. Easy to follow directions with maps. Had a wonderful day.

 

Same for us. Trains were on strike and Hertz had a table set up just as we departed the ship. I think it was about 125 Euro and we had four of us and it was very comfortable. On the cruise that we we are go0ing on in a couple of weeks we are renting a car in Genoa when we disembark and driving to Lucca for a post cruise stay before we fly home from Pisa.

 

It is beautiful.

[cruisinsince75]

It is only about a 20 minute drive to Pisa and a 40 minute drive to Lucca. It is a beautiful drive and I would highly recommend it. There is no better way to get around Tuscany. The roads are very well maintained and well marked. You can also get driving directions ahead of time on http://www.viamichelin.com

 

Cost for a rental car for the day should be about 100 Euro +/-. Hertz also has an after hour drop.

[Jomo]

Just wondering what was the cost of renting a car for the day in Livorno?

And the time and ease of picking up and dropping off.

Our family of five is on the Grand this June and we have booked private tours in many of the ports. So were thinking of spending fewer dollars in Livorno. We are interested in seeing Pisa and Lucca and these two cities seem easy to travel to from Livorno.

 

Hi There

JUst interested in private tours you booked.I'm also fanily of 5.Could you ndirect me to some of the sites.

Thanks;)

[The Traveling 4]

We rented a car at the port through Hertz. Drove to Pisa and Lucca and then dropped the car back at the port. Locked the keys in the car and got back on the ship. We had planned on taking the train, however, when we arrived in Livorno the trains were on strike. All in all it worked out great. Easy to follow directions with maps. Had a wonderful day.

 

How much is it to rent a car for a day and what are the hours?

Thank:)

[The Traveling 4]

Thank you for all the great information!:)

[Houner]

Hi There

JUst interested in private tours you booked.I'm also fanily of 5.Could you ndirect me to some of the sites.

Thanks;)

 

We are all very excited as our cruise is just over a month away. Though I booked our guides, each daughter has a port to decide what we will do in the region. If it were just me and my DW we would probably do most of it on our own. I believe we will be better served by hiring local guides, where we won't be in large groups adn bigger busses. Here is what we have arranged.

 

In Athens, we have booked with Rania Vassiliadou rania@raniavassiliadou.virtualave.net . A full day tour of Athens.

 

In Kusadasi Sammys Travel mehmet@***** . It will be a half day tour of Ephesus.

 

In Istanbul we have hired Kagan Kosagan kosagan@yahoo.com for a full day.

 

Naples will bring us Marcello Maresca info@seesorrento.com and a tour of Prompeii and the Amalfi Coast drive.

 

In Rome we wil have Vincent from www.limoinrome.com . Claudio Caponera

was unavailable so we will have another of his drivers.

claudio@limoinrome.com

In Marseilles we have booked Tania Kucharski provencetours@free.fr .

I got information for all the guides from this board and its wealth of resources. The one exception was Tania who was referred by a guide recommended on this site.

[titicaa8396]

Hi Guys,

 

I like the idea of renting a car in Livorno. Do I go to the website directly for Hertz to check rates?

 

Liz