Florence

Florence is land-locked and quite a distance from the next port. Which port exactly are you arriving at?

I will arrive at Livorno and hope to catch a train to Florence and spend a day there and perhaps either Siena or Pisa (with your recommendation) and get backt o the ship by 6PM

Too far and not enough time.

Not enough time for Pisa either?

Hi Sharon,

Florence and Pisa and Siena are all doable in one day -- IF you have time-travel powers! But even without superhuman skills, you can certainly see a bit of Tuscany in eight hours.

Assuming you're willing to taxi to and from the ports/train station...

You could definitely do Pisa. It's a 20-minute train ride from the Livorno station to the Pisa station (www.bahn.de is helpful for train schedules), with frequent connections throughout the day. You could easily see the Leaning Tower and explore the city, although there's not a lot happening in Pisa.

It doesn't sound like you have a particular passion for Florence, but if there's something you're just dying to see, I personally think you could blitz in, go to one museum, and get back to the port within your 8-hour window. The train ride is 1.5 hours each way from Livorno to Florence.

What to see? Well, the Uffizi is the greatest collection of Renaissance paintings in Italy. The Accademia has Michelangelo's David. Those are the two biggie sights, and both museums take reservations, so you wouldn't waste precious time standing in line. It's a lot of hassle just to go to one museum, but if you've always dreamed of standing in front of one of these works of art, it's doable. Do a quick walking tour of the city center if you have an extra hour.

To truly maximize your time, a private driver or a packaged tour would probably get you to and from Florence more efficiently than public transportation, but at a cost. :)

Enjoy Italy!

Sharon,
Take a tour or transportation offered by the cruise ship. It is an hour and a half each way by bus. They take you to the city and drop you off and then pick you up. You can do whatever you like and meet the bus and go back to the ship. The advantage of doing it through the ship, is if you are late the ship will not leave without you. You get lost or are late, you are your own to catch the ship at the next port!

Happy Travels!

I would say there is plenty of time to see Piza.

Even though the cruises call Livorno Florence. I think it's 1 1/2 to 2 hours by train (once you reach the train and it starts moving). I believe the train station is really close to the pier, so that helps a little.

Assume you have four hours in Florence (after allowing for transportation time), you can walk the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza area, see inside the Duomo, see the Baptistry doors and climb the dome. You might also have time to see either a Medici palace, sculpture museum OR Academia but that's the limit(pushing it at that).

You don't have nearly enough time to get through the Uffizi, see Piazza Micaelangelo, or visit any church, museum or garden that isn't in the town center.

I wouldn't call four hours in Florence worthless but it seems a pity to spend half your limited time on transportation.