Going on a cruise to Italy first time in that country. One of the stops is Livorno. We want to go to Lucca. Read that it is a charming and historic city. Any ideas of the best way to get there from the port of Livorno. Bus, train,? Is this worth trying or is is too much hassle? We really are not interested in the cruise excursions, too touristy with large numbers of people, etc. Thanks
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
Lucca wouldn't be my first choice. It is okay. The wall around town has been turned into a nice park. The wall isn't an old (medieval) style wall. It's probably mid 18th to 19th century, so it doesn't have the charm of older walled towns. The center of town is a nice circle that has some cafes and gift shops. Other than that the town has little to recommend it. On future trips we will skip Lucca.
San Gimignano is a great medieval city. It's touristy but was a great visit.
There are some towns on train lines, many need either a rental car or bus. Maybe someone else on this site can tell you what is available.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Agree with Brad. San Gimingano is better and not that far away. I've been there by bus but it was out of Florence so I don't know how to do it from Livorno. Pisa is closer but outside of the famous leaning tower and nearby historical grounds, there's nothing there.
Many, many cruise people at Livorno head for Florence. It's an 82-min journey by train. Or, your cruise line may have a bus lined up. Some head to the Cinque Terre. The train journey to Monterosso or Vernazza is close to 2hrs each way by train. I realize that you may have to be back to the ship by 5:00pm or 5:30pm but...
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1166 posts
We've been on two Mediterranean cruises and I know your dilemna. We choose to take the cruise excursion with the most free time-there is usually one that will get you to the best destination from the port, in this case, Florence, and pick you up 7 - 8 hours later. That way you are on your own to explore at your own pace. We have also found that there is always transportation at the port. Ask onboard-they will tell you about bus service from either a local service or service that is arranged by the cruise line. If this is your first trip to Italy, then enjoy all of their ports-just do them on your own!
Posted by
Sacramento, CA, USA
64 posts
Hi Kelly,
Here is a great website for cruising:
http://www.europeportreviews.com/Florence.htm
It has ports in Europe listed and has reviews by other cruisers about what there is to see, do, how to do it, are the excrusions worth it, etc. Just scroll down to the left hand side and look at each individual port.
Most ports can be done independently, but I would consider doing an excursion if the port of call is short (ie less than 6 hours) and there are numerous things you want to. The danger in doing it on your own with short port of calls is that you may miss your boat and they won't wait for you (versus if you're on an excursion and they are late, the ship will wait for you).
Hope that helps.