Inexpensive non-train way to get to Florence from Livorno?

[MisterBill99]

We're on Celebrity Summit next month and a bunch of us want to go to Florence for museums and shopping. We don't need a tour guide. I really don't want to take the train (I know it is doable, just not sure I am up to it) but also don't want to spend the money that someplace like Romeinlimo is asking for a limo. We could do the Celebrity "Florence on your own" excursion for $89pp but that seems expensive for just a bus ride. Is there some other option that will get us there quickly but cheaper than that (maybe even a 3rd party bus that leaves from the pier)? I know a limo would be nice but not for 600 euros for 8 people.

[nparmelee]

There are touts at the port trying to sell "tours" for the day. They are mostly a driver taking you around. An 8 person van wanted 400 euros or so for the day. There are other services that advertise themselves more as a taxi service than as a guide service.

[GSPLover]

We're on Celebrity Summit next month and a bunch of us want to go to Florence for museums and shopping. We don't need a tour guide. I really don't want to take the train (I know it is doable, just not sure I am up to it) but also don't want to spend the money that someplace like Romeinlimo is asking for a limo. We could do the Celebrity "Florence on your own" excursion for $89pp but that seems expensive for just a bus ride. Is there some other option that will get us there quickly but cheaper than that (maybe even a 3rd party bus that leaves from the pier)? I know a limo would be nice but not for 600 euros for 8 people.

 

There are local buses but it will take you 2½-3 times as long as the train. They stop at almost every nook and cranny along the way. Train is your best otion. Tens of thousands of Italians (of all ages) use them everyday.

[MisterBill99]

No, I don't want the local bus either. I want what Celebrity sells for $89 but for a cheaper price, or better yet, a taxi or limo.

[cruisemom42]

No, I don't want the local bus either. I want what Celebrity sells for $89 but for a cheaper price, or better yet, a taxi or limo.

 

A taxi or limo is not going to be cheap. If you can get a van for 400 euro (question being "IF"), that's 50 euro per person; a bit cheaper than the Celebrity bus, but not much.

 

Livorno is a distance from Florence and gas is expensive in Italy. I don't think you're going to find anything cheaper (other than the train...)

[Hlitner]

You are looking for something that does not exist. If you hire taxis or vans it will cost you more than 400 Euros. You could rent two small cars and drive yourselves and this would cost you about $200 ($100 per car). But you need two drivers who know how to drive a stick. Your best bet is to grab two taxis (unless you can find a van/taxi) to the train station which will cost you about 20-25 Euros per taxi and than take the train. Otherwise, dig into your pockets and spend the big bucks.

 

Hank

[aamechs2]

We just got back and there were 6 of us in our group wanting to go to the train station. The guy doling out taxi's got us one and the driver offered us Florence and Pisa for E50 each on the way to the station. It was the best money we spent. Our driver spoke good english and we had fun chatting with him. We had 4 - 41/2 hrs in Florence and 1 hr 15 min in Pisa. His name was Giuseppe. You can ask for him at the taxi stand. But I think getting a cab for E50 is pretty easy right there at the pier. We all agreed he was better than our more expensive "guide/driver" in Marseille.

[iancal]

There are some routes where bus is better than train, eg would be Florence-Sienna on a direct bus. Livorno-Florence is NOT one of these. Train is much better, much faster, and much less prone to delays en route.

[grandbanksguy]

We're on Celebrity Summit next month and a bunch of us want to go to Florence for museums and shopping. We don't need a tour guide. I really don't want to take the train (I know it is doable, just not sure I am up to it) but also don't want to spend the money that someplace like Romeinlimo is asking for a limo. We could do the Celebrity "Florence on your own" excursion for $89pp but that seems expensive for just a bus ride. Is there some other option that will get us there quickly but cheaper than that (maybe even a 3rd party bus that leaves from the pier)? I know a limo would be nice but not for 600 euros for 8 people.

 

Next time try Princess. We are doing their "Florence on your oun" bus from Livorno - Florence and return. Only $59. :rolleyes:

[HeinBloed]

Car rental companies like Europcar deliver the cars directly to the ship.

 

We ordered a car and will have our GPS with us.

 

So we will drive ourselves.

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[DeanoNorthPerth]

We just got back and there were 6 of us in our group wanting to go to the train station. The guy doling out taxi's got us one and the driver offered us Florence and Pisa for E50 each on the way to the station. It was the best money we spent. Our driver spoke good english and we had fun chatting with him. We had 4 - 41/2 hrs in Florence and 1 hr 15 min in Pisa. His name was Giuseppe. You can ask for him at the taxi stand. But I think getting a cab for E50 is pretty easy right there at the pier. We all agreed he was better than our more expensive "guide/driver" in Marseille.

 

I just had this vision of walking up to the taxi stand, asking "Which one of you is Giuseppe?" and watching about 20 hands go up.

[kwk1955]

I just had this vision of walking up to the taxi stand, asking "Which one of you is Giuseppe?" and watching about 20 hands go up.

 

 

So true ! LOL ! ! ! :) :) :)

[browneyes7]

The train really is the least expensive way to get to Florence, and is fairly easy to do. Ask around on the ship to see if others are taking the train, and go together in a group, at least to the train station. It isn't difficult. Once in Florence, you can walk all over Florence and see the sights. Just allow plenty of time to get back to Livorno before the ship leaves. The train ride takes about an hour and a half. We've done it twice and had no problems.:) Have a great time!!

[chipmaster]

We're on Celebrity Summit next month and a bunch of us want to go to Florence for museums and shopping. We don't need a tour guide. I really don't want to take the train (I know it is doable, just not sure I am up to it) but also don't want to spend the money that someplace like Romeinlimo is asking for a limo. We could do the Celebrity "Florence on your own" excursion for $89pp but that seems expensive for just a bus ride. Is there some other option that will get us there quickly but cheaper than that (maybe even a 3rd party bus that leaves from the pier)? I know a limo would be nice but not for 600 euros for 8 people.

 

Nothing in Italy is "cheap" :eek:

 

If you think about it a private driver/car ( its NO limo ) for 8 people for 600 euros works out to ~ 100 USD / person, not cheap and not totally out of bounds. Mentally I think how much would it cost a group of people for a private van say for NYC driving from New Jersey for the day, probably similar.

 

If you do Private,, you do get the "limo" treatment with the vehicle dropping you literally meters/yards from attractions. Unlike the big bus which drops you off hundreds of meters away. Not a big deal but believe it or not the private driver is pretty efficient in central florence as traffic is very restricted and we found it very convenient ( a must for the older folks that traveled with us ) for drops at the various attractions.

 

If the Museum's are all you want and some shopping I agree 100/person isn't compelling, but the cruise ship offering at 89/person is highway robbery ;) Might as well spend another 20 bucks to get Pisa/Field of Dreams and a lot more for your limited time :D

 

The cheapest in any port is always DIY with public transprortation and huge savings. For that you need a sense of adventure and do walking and learn the local public transportation. For some its part of the adventure and discovery of the trip, for others like us it was nothing but an inconvenience and cuts into the so short time in port.

 

Good luck.

[johnh603]

Next time try Princess. We are doing their "Florence on your oun" bus from Livorno - Florence and return. Only $59. :rolleyes:

 

This tour is now up to $64, or at least it will be on Aug.10, when we are there on the Ruby Princess.

[grandbanksguy]

This tour is now up to $64, or at least it will be on Aug.10, when we are there on the Ruby Princess.

 

Just checked our cruise personalizer. "Florence on your own" still listed on our record at $59 for our 9/3/09 tour. :rolleyes:

[Hlitner]

This tour is now up to $64, or at least it will be on Aug.10, when we are there on the Ruby Princess.

 

Many of you know that I am an outspoken critic of cruise line excursions. But, even at $64 per person this is not a bad deal for couples. However, once you get to groups (such as a family of 4) other options make a lot of financial sense. A rental car (which will cost about $100 for the day) can transport folks for $25 per person and give you lots of options such as a quick stop in Pisa, a drive in the countryside, etc. As to the train, you need to figure that taxis to the train station usually cost abuot 20 - 25 Euros each way (for 4 persons). So, you pay about $14 per person for taxis (round trip) plus the train fare (about $24 round trip)....thus keeping the cost under $40 per person for groups of 4 or more. This means that a family of 4 can save about $100 by taking the train or around $140 by using a rental car.

 

After helping folks on CC for many years with independent travel, we still find Livorno to be one of the most frustrating ports in Europe. Its hard to imagine that Livorno and Civitavecchia are both in the same country when Civitavecchia provided excellent free port shuttle buses versus Livorno's attitude which is to make it as diffcult as possible for cruise passengers. And things in Livorno have gotten even worse in recent years after several American-based cruise lines demanded more security for their ships in port. The result has been that they berth those ships at the piers most distant from the port entrance (more than a 1 mile walk) plus they will not allow passengers to walk out of the port. We had fun on May 1, 2008, when we dropped our rental car at the terminal by the port entrance and than 4 of us walked all the way back to our ship. We were stopped around 4 times by various security checks, but the security guards had no idea how to deal with us so they let us pass and eventually we got back to the ship where we simply ducked under the silly "Police Line" tape surrounding the pier. For us, as a general rule, we will rent cars on future port visits, but than we would probably not drive to Florence since that is a city where we have spent many nights.

 

Hank

[peachquilter]

We just got back and there were 6 of us in our group wanting to go to the train station. The guy doling out taxi's got us one and the driver offered us Florence and Pisa for E50 each on the way to the station. It was the best money we spent. Our driver spoke good english and we had fun chatting with him. We had 4 - 41/2 hrs in Florence and 1 hr 15 min in Pisa. His name was Giuseppe. You can ask for him at the taxi stand. But I think getting a cab for E50 is pretty easy right there at the pier. We all agreed he was better than our more expensive "guide/driver" in Marseille.

 

We are in Livorno on the NCL Jade on 7/19/09 and they want $125 pp to drop us off in Florence-YIKES. At present we are planning on DIY with the train, but in order to get back in time, we can only spend about 4 hours in Florence.

 

So, I am curious about the private taxi cab driver. Did you pay him up front? or did you wait and pay him after he picked you up in Florence and took you back to the port?

 

Marilyn

[MisterBill99]

We are in Livorno on the NCL Jade on 7/19/09 and they want $125 pp to drop us off in Florence-YIKES.

Yikes, indeed! And I thought that $89 was expesnive (Celebrity).

 

I can't believe that Princess is so much more reasonable! Is that the case with all of their excursions?

[YoHoHo]

So, I am curious about the private taxi cab driver. Did you pay him up front? or did you wait and pay him after he picked you up in Florence and took you back to the port?

 

Marilyn

I've been wondering about this too. I assumed that you'd pay the driver on the way back and the driver takes the risk that you'll show up for the return.

[eandj]

I would pay when the trip is over. Or at most pay half when you enter the cab and have the total agreed upon cost. Private companies accept pay at the end of the day. Of course if you have held the res with a credit card, they DO have that if the passenger "took a hike"!

[Cell1919]

Many of you know that I am an outspoken critic of cruise line excursions. But, even at $64 per person this is not a bad deal for couples. However, once you get to groups (such as a family of 4) other options make a lot of financial sense. A rental car (which will cost about $100 for the day) can transport folks for $25 per person and give you lots of options such as a quick stop in Pisa, a drive in the countryside, etc. As to the train, you need to figure that taxis to the train station usually cost abuot 20 - 25 Euros each way (for 4 persons). So, you pay about $14 per person for taxis (round trip) plus the train fare (about $24 round trip)....thus keeping the cost under $40 per person for groups of 4 or more. This means that a family of 4 can save about $100 by taking the train or around $140 by using a rental car.

 

After helping folks on CC for many years with independent travel, we still find Livorno to be one of the most frustrating ports in Europe. Its hard to imagine that Livorno and Civitavecchia are both in the same country when Civitavecchia provided excellent free port shuttle buses versus Livorno's attitude which is to make it as diffcult as possible for cruise passengers. And things in Livorno have gotten even worse in recent years after several American-based cruise lines demanded more security for their ships in port. The result has been that they berth those ships at the piers most distant from the port entrance (more than a 1 mile walk) plus they will not allow passengers to walk out of the port. We had fun on May 1, 2008, when we dropped our rental car at the terminal by the port entrance and than 4 of us walked all the way back to our ship. We were stopped around 4 times by various security checks, but the security guards had no idea how to deal with us so they let us pass and eventually we got back to the ship where we simply ducked under the silly "Police Line" tape surrounding the pier. For us, as a general rule, we will rent cars on future port visits, but than we would probably not drive to Florence since that is a city where we have spent many nights.

 

Hank

 

Thank you for this information.

 

We are planning to catch the train from Livorno to Pisa. Looks easy enough once you get to the station, but how would you recommend getting there from the ship - sailing Norwegian Jade in August? From what you've said it might be quite a walk.

 

Thanks in advance :)

[Hlitner]

You cannot possibly walk from the ship to the Livorno train station. Your best method would be to simply take a taxi from the pier. Many of the taxis will refuse the short fare because they are looking for full day fares. However, there are always a few taxis that will do the local run so you simply need to ask the drivers. Expect to pay about 20 Euros for the short ride (about 2 miles) but keep in mind that you can put 4 in a taxi which makes the fare very reasonable per person. We have always been able to find other couples wanting to share. When you return to Livorno, try to be one of the first off the ship and than move quickly through the station to get to the few taxis that are usually parked just outside the front door. If all those taxis are gone you will be forced to wait until a taxi returns, and that can be a battle of nerves if you are in a hurry to get back to the ship. Bottom line is make sure you don't cut things too close on the return (we usually want to be back in Livorno about 1 1/2 hours before we must be on the ship).

 

Hank

[aamechs2]

You pay the taxi when you get back to the ship. Guisseppe said to just ask for him. There is a guy who "hands" out the taxi's so you could just ask him. Also he dropped us off just steps from the Duomo, marked a map for us and picked us up at the same spot. It was very easy to do as Florence is very easy to get around. At the beginning he took us up to Piazza Micheangelo so we could see the whole city and also one of the copies of David. (The giant 1) It would have been hard to see all that we saw in Florence and have 1 1/2 hours in Pisa without him driving us. I am so glad we did not miss Pisa also as it was stunningly beautiful! The church there was one of our favorites.

[Studman]

We are debating on taking the train or renting a car to go to Florence and Pisa

Was just wondering how far is the Hertz Car rental office is from the Princess Ship?

Some say you can't walk out of the port, if so then how would I get to the rental office?

or for that matter a taxi?

Any Imput would be helpful. Had Rome in Limo all set but another family that was going to share backed out so I can't see spending 550 e for a car and driver when I could just drive myself.

Very confussed in Livorno, Please help