Florence and Pisa in a day

[Rhisibabe]

Has anyone done a DIY trip from Livorno taking in Florence and Pisa? If so, did you do Pisa first or last and do you just buy a return ticket from Livorno to Florence and get off at Pisa?:confused:

[Hlitner]

We have done it (and a lot more) by simply renting a car and driving ourselves. The cost of a one-day rental car was about $100 and with 4 this would make the cost $25 per person. In Pisa, we have always been able to find free on the street parking within a few blocks of the Tower. Parking in Florence is somewhat more difficult and the best plan is to usually head directly for a parking garage. When we drive (on a port day from Livorno) we normally head to our furthest point in the morning and than stop at Pisa on the way back to the ship. From Pisa to the port is a quick 20 min drive and there is little traffic on that route (once you are out of Pisa).

 

Hank

[lisiamc]

We drove through Pisa in a hire car with our own SatNav (GPS) with the European maps loaded.

 

The Garmin lady (dubbed Talking Tessie by us) had a serious wobble in Pisa. The maps were supposed to be up to date, but there had obviously been some changes and some new construction on the roads. I don't know where she was trying to take us, but we knew we didn't want to go there! My poor husband had the road signs advising him to turn right, Tessie saying turn left, and me with a map on my knee shouting "Don't listen to her, she's crazy! Go straight on!" :p

 

Tessie also tried to take us down a lot of goat tracks out in the country. Sometimes we couldn't even see where the "road" was supposed to be! She spent a lot of time tutting at us and saying "Recalculating" in a very fed-up tone.

 

We lived to tell the tale, and we did manage to get where we wanted to go, but sometimes it was way too exciting!

 

Lisa

[wildcruisers]

We did the same as Hlitner, rented a car from Hertz who brought it to the ship and visited Pisa in the morning. As mentioned, it's easy to park very nearby, particularly in the morning. We then went on to Florence with aid of SatNav and parked in an underground shoppers car park which was easy, leaving loads of time to look around Florence which was beautiful.

[Rhisibabe]

Thanks for your answers. I'll look into hiring a car.

[maidut]

I am so glad that this is doable. This is our plan too. Hire a car at the port, head to Pisa and then spend the rest of the day in Florence. A few questions:

 

1. In Pisa, do you recommend climbing the Tower and/or the Duomo?

 

2. how much time should you save for getting back to Livorno from Florence if the boat leaves at 7PM?

[chipmaster]

I am so glad that this is doable. This is our plan too. Hire a car at the port, head to Pisa and then spend the rest of the day in Florence. A few questions:

 

1. In Pisa, do you recommend climbing the Tower and/or the Duomo?

 

2. how much time should you save for getting back to Livorno from Florence if the boat leaves at 7PM?

 

My 2cents:

 

Get off the boat as early as you can, with luck/traffic you can get to Pisa and do the 9am climb. They do it in 30' windows so you'll be down by 9:30. You could easily spend another hour exploring, but you'll have to choose do you spend time there or more in Florence ( there is so much there !)

 

You could climb Dumo, I don't know if they sell pre reserved tickets there. For Pisa you can lock in a time I believe. When we were there the lines were long and decide to use it to stroll and see other stuff in Florence

 

Get tickets ahead of time for Academia, you only need about 30' to see david, more if you are a museum person. Shoot to do that say 11:30.

 

What to leave to come back is a good question. If you are on private car I'd want a buffer of one hour minimum. Plan to be back at the ship at 6pm thus leave Florence no later then say 4:30 or something. Traffic is always a guess, we had lots of traffic going from Pisa to Florence that cost us an extra 30-45" YMMV. I would suggest you hire not a car but a private tour guide. If you get a freelance driver with no reputation to worry about he may be less concerned with getting you back on the boat. WE used RIL and they were very concious of time, schedule and getting us back.

 

After visiting, I think I could have driven, but between foreign country, no familarity with roads, traffic, language, and parkgin, I'd say unless you are really a travel veteran I'd count on public transportation with its fixed schedule and less convenient stops or go with a private tour. I can't think of a worst situation then lost in a foreign country driving myself and late to catch the boat and still need to return a car :eek: Here is where going cheap or spending a lot IMHO are the two smart ways.

 

Enjoy, this is a wonderful two cities, busy but wonderful!

[sunsetbeachgal]

If you decide on the rental car option, be aware that parking in/around Florence is difficult. You must research beforehand where you will want to park the car, and then you willl have to walk the rest of the way back and forth into the center of Florence, most of which is pedestrian. We have always found Rick Steve's guide books to be very helpful for finding parking lots.

[euro cruiser]

If you will be in Pisa during the peak tourist season and you want to climb the tower, be sure to pre-reserve your tickets so you don't get shut out.

 

For Florence, be sure that the parking area you select is outside of the ZTL lines, because they will catch up with you and the fine (large) will be charged to your credit card, months after your trip.

[euro cruiser]

This link can be used to see where the ZTL cameras are in Florence. To see the locations, expand the MOBILITA' E TRASPORTI category, then check the box next to "Varchi ZTL". The locations will appear on the map, which you can zoom in or out to see specifics.

 

The main train station, Santa Maria Novella, is outside of the zone, but it would be easy to make a wrong turn and cross the line. There is an underground parking lot at the train station which can be reached without entering the ZTL area, but caution and attention is required.

 

http://news.comune.fi.it/muoversi/servizi.php?servizi=Servizi

[GSPLover]

Has anyone done a DIY trip from Livorno taking in Florence and Pisa? If so, did you do Pisa first or last and do you just buy a return ticket from Livorno to Florence and get off at Pisa?:confused:

 

Yes, I have done it, more or less as I lived half-way between Pisa and Livorno for three years and have done the Florence trip (by car and train) many, many times.

 

My advice to you is to get a taxi from the ship to Livorno Centrale and catch the first train to Florence. When you are ready to head back, take the train to Livorno, get off in Pisa, then get back on the next train to Livorno. Florence to Livorno ticket covers it all and you do not need to (do not want to) validate it in Pisa.

[samavarcruiser]

My 2cents:

 

Get off the boat as early as you can, with luck/traffic you can get to Pisa and do the 9am climb. They do it in 30' windows so you'll be down by 9:30. You could easily spend another hour exploring, but you'll have to choose do you spend time there or more in Florence ( there is so much there !)

 

You could climb Dumo, I don't know if they sell pre reserved tickets there. For Pisa you can lock in a time I believe. When we were there the lines were long and decide to use it to stroll and see other stuff in Florence

 

Get tickets ahead of time for Academia, you only need about 30' to see david, more if you are a museum person. Shoot to do that say 11:30.

 

What to leave to come back is a good question. If you are on private car I'd want a buffer of one hour minimum. Plan to be back at the ship at 6pm thus leave Florence no later then say 4:30 or something. Traffic is always a guess, we had lots of traffic going from Pisa to Florence that cost us an extra 30-45" YMMV. I would suggest you hire not a car but a private tour guide. If you get a freelance driver with no reputation to worry about he may be less concerned with getting you back on the boat. WE used RIL and they were very concious of time, schedule and getting us back.

 

After visiting, I think I could have driven, but between foreign country, no familarity with roads, traffic, language, and parkgin, I'd say unless you are really a travel veteran I'd count on public transportation with its fixed schedule and less convenient stops or go with a private tour. I can't think of a worst situation then lost in a foreign country driving myself and late to catch the boat and still need to return a car :eek: Here is where going cheap or spending a lot IMHO are the two smart ways.

 

Enjoy, this is a wonderful two cities, busy but wonderful!

 

I agree :)

[Hlitner]

I am so glad that this is doable. This is our plan too. Hire a car at the port, head to Pisa and then spend the rest of the day in Florence. A few questions:

 

1. In Pisa, do you recommend climbing the Tower and/or the Duomo?

 

2. how much time should you save for getting back to Livorno from Florence if the boat leaves at 7PM?

 

We have learned a very important rule over more than 40 years of international travel. When going off on your own during a port day, always go to your most distant destination first and than work your way back towards the port. In other words, drive to Florence in the morning and than you can make a stop at Pisa on your way back to the ship. From Pisa to the port is less than a 30 min drive and there are no traffic issues once you leave Pisa. Driving out of Florence can involve traffic jams and its about 1:30 back to the ship.

 

Hank