Transport from Livorno to Pisa

[fruitygirl]

Is there anyone who can recommend an alternate and inexpensive form of transport for a short trip from Livorno to Pisa?

 

We don't want to do the shore excursion as all we want to see is the leaning tower.

 

We have been to Florence several times and therefore are not interested in any tours there.

 

Are there any local bus services that leave from Livorno's port and go to Pisa?

 

I would appreciate any advice on this matter. We shall be travelling on the Ruby Princess June 21, 2009. There are three of us: 2 adults and an 11 year old.

 

Cheers.:confused: :confused:

[caribill]

Princess has tours that go only to Pisa, so you might want to join one of those.

 

We took one Princess tour that included a climb to the top of the tower, a great experience.

[The Big Booper]

We stopped at Livorno last year and also wanted to go to Pisa only. If you don't want to do a tour it is possible to get there yourself, but it involves local busses and the Italian National Railway.

 

We took a free port shuttle bus to the center of the city of Livorno, then were directed to a news store selling tickets. We bought tickets for a city bus to the rail station and then for the train trip from Livorno to Pisa. This is the same train that then goes from Pisa to Florence which we didn't do, just like your self. We then exited the train station, walked a block or two and caught the city bus to the tower complex. There are many restored buildings in this complex, not just the leaning tower.

 

After spending 90 minutes at the complex we re-traced our steps and returned to the pier.

 

You have to pay attention on the way out and notice landmarks for the trip back to the pier. We don't speak Italian and most of the local people didn't speak much in the way of English but by using sign language and simple words we were able to navigate this trip.

 

If you can think on your feet and improvise then this is a fun trip and you get a sense of accomplishment. If not, take the ship's tour.

 

We were on RCI and not Princess but I would guess there are tours available.

 

I have been super busy since returning home and am almost ready to post to our webshots account on this trip.

[GloriaF]

Look at the ports of call board for more info http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=7&f=234

[Dortmunder]

I think the easiest way is to take a taxi to the train station. Take the train to Pisa. Once there it is an easy walk to see the Leaning Tower.

Taxis will be waiting right at the pier and should cost about 10-15$. Waiting for the free shuttle is always long. The shuttle is not going to the train station either.

[The Big Booper]

I think the easiest way is to take a taxi to the train station. Take the train to Pisa. Once there it is an easy walk to see the Leaning Tower. I must disagree on this point. This is a 10 minute bus ride and the bus is going 20-30 mph most of the time. And how is a first-timer going to know where to walk? The bus made loads of turns and went over a river/canal.

Taxis will be waiting right at the pier and should cost about 10-15$. Waiting for the free shuttle is always long. The shuttle is not going to the train station either.

 

You could also take a cab from the train to the Tower complex, but I didn't see any people grabbing cabs at the train station. And no cabs hang out at the tower complex for the ride back to the train station.

 

From yahoo maps -

 

http://maps.yahoo.com/print.php?q1=stazione+Pisa+Italy&q2=leaning+tower+of+pisa+italy&mlt=43.716845&mln=10.39339&mag=3&rkey=xlmW.OR32XVQpegMrJVgFrp9fVz8YJzgnUB2VCS1uhzzIRvAMqrVMqZqoSLb6sNa0PVSkLToEKd6NgS_mVuCWXlzEpRE336StQCZuQ0p6C26cVXRLDV8EVHNPIyz0w--

[phillipahain]

The trains in Italy are fantastic

 

They are incredibly cheap and run on time

 

You simply walk up to the square in Livorno and buy bus tickets in a Tobaconist shop .........get the No 1 or 2 bus to the train station and buy a train ticket to Pisa

 

You can also go to Florence for a mere 7 Euros

[katisdale]

The trains are cheap and clean but they have strange scheduled and unscheduled strikes - some as short as an hour and some for a day.

[The Big Booper]

The trains are cheap and clean but they have strange scheduled and unscheduled strikes - some as short as an hour and some for a day.

 

Yes to that. If you go out on your own, always aim to catch the third latest train back to the pier. This way, when it doesn't show up, you still have two more to go and hopefully at least one will come close to schedule. Especially Rome to Civitavecchia and the famous Track 28 :eek:

[fruitygirl]

Thanks for all your suggestions. You've shed some light on what could have been daunting experience.

 

Here's counting down the days.

 

Cheers all and have a great day.

 

Rosa & Graham ;) ;)