Beaches near Livorno

There are two beaches near Pisa, Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi. By car their 30 minutes and 45 minutes respectively.

Are you picking up a car on arrival?
I've read Quercianella and Castiglioncello are pretty nice. I know they get very nice as you get closer to Punta Ala.
San Vicenzo is a popular family beach vacation area.
Populonia has a very interesting archaeological site as well as a great beach at Baratti.
I'm not sure if I would do the ferry and all that for just two days, but Elba is certainly a good option.

Hello kzichelle, with two nights just arriving off the plane I think Isola d'Elba is probably ambitious and would involve a lot of logistics to get there and back just to them move onto Siena.

The beach areas south of the Arno (which flows from Pisa to the coast) and Livorno are essentially a long strip of beach lifestyle coastline and I'm sure some people with more experience will chime in about them. But would also recommend looking into the southern shore of the bay of La Spezia. It features beaches, rocky coastline and larger and smaller towns to choose from. Some place like San Terenzo has beaches and is adjacent to Lerici if you want something bigger or Tellaro if you want a Cinque Terre like town without any tourists.

It would be about an hour by train (Pisa to La Spezia) and then a bus or taxi ride to the town itself. This seems like a more manageable travel plan than Pisa to Piombino to a boat to Isola d'Elba or whatever that transport plan is. Especially then having to reverse it and then onto Siena a couple of days later.

My $.02, two extra days seems like a great problem to have, enjoy,
=Tod

Thank you all so far the new suggestions and the logistics to go with them. The logistics of getting to Elba sound like too much for the time we have. I will look into all these others. I had not considered San Terenzo or Tellaro, but will research them as well.

I know the Tuscan coast very well.

Are you planning to have a car or traveling only by train?

Your answer to my question will determine my answer to your question.

We will travel mostly by train and will not have a car.

Yep, that changes things.
I like the suggestion of Lerici-Tellaro in this case. You can take train to Sarzana and taxi or bus from there. Gorgeous rocky beaches, coastal hiking trails, ferries.

Then I’ll make suggestions that are easy on train travelers.
Since you plan to fly to Pisa and you only have two nights available, and then going to Siena (which requires a train to Empoli on the Pisa-Florence railway) I’m not sure I would venture too far away from the Livorno or Versilia area. Both areas are just minutes from the Pisa Central station (connected to the Pisa airport by people mover, aka PisaMover).

Just minutes south of Livorno I would recommend Castiglioncello. The station is just steps from the coast. The coast here is a mix of small sand beaches and also rocky cliffs (which are better for snorkeling).
Further south is Rosignano and its white beaches. However be aware that the Caribbean looking white beaches are not really natural, they are the product of chemical waste by the nearby Solvay chemical giant plant.
If you want to go north of Pisa, the first option that is close to the train is the popular beach resort town of Viareggio. The coast here is not rocky, but it’s mostly sandy beaches. Teenage kids would probably like the vibrant evening scene along the Giosue Carducci promenade (aka La Passeggiata di Viareggio).

If you want to go to Liguria toward La Spezia, you can go to the Cinque Terre, but it’s a bit more distant (over an hour from Pisa). Lerici is before La Spezia, but not on the train line therefore you’ll need a bus. Porto Venere is also nice but also necessitates a bus from La Spezia.

Roberto da Firenze

Thanks that is so much great detail. I truly appreciate your help!