Please advise!
Yes, we are on a cruise. It is mid-october 2026, and we will be at the port from 7 AM until 11 PM just looking for something else to do.
We had settled on the train to pizza just for photo ops and then to a winery, but I would sure love to see cincotera
Sorry autocorrect
hey hey ellymayrowe19
what do you want advise on? what day, are you on a cruise, how many people, likes/dislikes.
you need to add more info so we can advise you better.
aloha
Time of year? Method of transport? Yes, it could be physically possible, with a travel time of about 2 hours from ship to Monterosso by train. How much you would be able to see of the 5 villages depends on how crowd packed they are and if you can cram yourself into the train running between each. Keep in mind that time in port does not equal time available for sightseeing. The times listed are for port arrival and departure. It can take anywhere up to an hour, but often only 30 minutes before the gangway opens. And pax are told to be back on board at least 30 minutes (sometimes an hour) before sailaway. And keep in mind sunset time, as well.
Cinque Terre and Pisa I don't think is a sane choice for single day from anywhere. CT is five separate towns so day trip even to there is being faced with tough choices about what to see and what to skip without throwing in another city with another set of travel logistics.
Time of year? The tourist coast essentially has two seasons - mobbed and closed - so timing really matters.
Pisa is easy from Livorno assuming there is organized transportation from the cruise port to the train station. The train to Pisa is ~20minutes. If you want to see Pisa you probably need to do this first since it will closed in the evening so a train to Pisa and then after you've done the Field of Miracles viewing back to the train station and onto CT probably noonish? That timing is very short arriving in La Spezia at 1:00 possibly with no lunch.
The train to La Spezia - the jumping off point for CT - is about an hour and a half direct from Livorno. So you're probably spending a minimum of 3.5 hours (probably more) on transportation alone and the remainder of the time is available for sightseeing minus some buffer time to make sure you get back to the ship. In season if you plan to take the ferry from the towns back to La Spezia make sure you allow time since I've seen pictures of masses of people waiting to try and take the ferry back.
I think you'll be happier if you target one place - especially since CT is really 5 places - rather than try and do too much.
Hope that helps,
=Tod
I have updated a little info above. But thank you all for your responses. Obviously I would only pick maybe 2 towns maximum in cincotera.
Then, head back down to pisa, and back to the port
I am not a fan of the Cinque Terre, so my advice is to spend more time in Pisa than you seem to be planning. There is more to see than the Leaning Tower. The cathedral and baptistery are very beautiful. If you google nearby towns, I’m pretty sure you can find one or two to fill the remainder of your time.
hey hey ellymayrowe19
since we know about some things you are planning.where do you cruise to next from livorna? what ship are you on? how many people is in your group?
cruisemapper.com
info about cruises, what ships are in port same time as you, look at dates for info. sometimes there is one ship sometimes 3-5 ships which adds to the thousands wanting to do same as you. many will want to train to pisa, train to florence which takes hours from your day and how crowded trains can be. plus making sure you get back to ship before departing. even though it says 7am you may not get off ship till 9am or later, taking ship excursion people first. are you docked or tendered in livorno? makes a difference getting right of ship to shore or waiting in sometimes long lines to get to shore. explore some smaller cities that will not be so crowded and enjoy what is offered.. don't forget your gelato. where ever we stopped to sample stuff, we took pictures of shops/names to remember what was best for us. we laughed so much saying we were on a mission, tasting best flavor gelato, eclairs, french onion soup, salami/deli meats, pastries, bread, nicest people in our photo shoots.
if you plan on the tower of pisa, order tickets online (opapisa.it) keep an eye on when tickets are for sale and times open/close. get to tower at opening time, do your thing, walk to the town around the river, have lunch. take a train to lucca. few things to think about in lucca:
fattoriaaldotto.it
a winery outside lucca, take a bus or taxi from station for wine/olive oil tasting with other samples along with tour of vineyard. one thing was save money from our paycheck every week $50 into a "go go account" for spending money already there for our trip
cucina-italiana.com
half day cooking classes with chef paolo, check times and classes offered.
we use to stop in local market just looking or getting things for ship. stop at nearby cafe/bar near ship for appetizers and flight of red/white wines and people watch before getting back on ship. with lots of laughs.
gpsmycity.com put in city, download and see what they have offer to look and roam around.
just some things to think about your cruise and things to do, have fun & enjoy
aloha
just a few t
Thank you!