FROM THE SHIP to LIVORNO:  Cruise ships dock at Marina diCarrara at the Port of Livorno which is a massive industrial port. Walking through the Livorno industrial port, where the big cruise ships dock, is forbidden and walking is not an option.   Distance to the city center: 2 miles (3.2 km).

     Many of the cruise lines have shuttle buses at a cost of 5 Euros/adult that go from the ship to the Piazza Grande, a square situated in the center of Livorno, where you may then get transportation to travel to Pisa, Lucca and Florence via bus, train or taxi.  Check to be sure if your cruise line offers this service for a charge or free. (Most cruise lines will have a charge for this service). If this is your choice to get to Piazza Grande, I recommended that you purchase your tickets at the excursion desk onboard ship ahead of time, so you won't use up valuable time with unavoidable reshuffling of cruise charge cards, papers and signatures.

As you walk off the ship, you will most likely see:
•  a few tables set up by car rental companies
•  a few taxis ready to take you to longer destinations (all day or half-day tours to Florence, Pisa, around Tuscany)
•  ship organized transportation to Piazza Grande, the main square of Livorno
•  ship organized shore excursion buses
•  and possibly a few taxis willing to take you somewhere locally (Livorno train station, if you decide to go to Florence/Pisa by train).  However, if your direct destination is Florence be aware that many times the Port shuttle bus will not leave before 8 a.m. until it is filled. So, if you’re one of the first people off as soon as your ship docks at 7 a.m. and the bus is not filled and ready to go in order for you to catch the 8:12 a.m. train to Florence… take a taxi straight to the Livorno Centrale train station instead.  Also--if using the shuttle bus, before you leave the Port Bus at Livorno be sure to ask the staff what time the last bus is back to the ship that night so you will know which train to catch on your return!  Better yet,  join up with some fellow cruise travelers and catch a taxi over to the station for around a cost of 4.50 each (in a full taxi), or around 7 euro single. With the time constraints, it is imperative that you don’t catch any train to Florence later than 8:12 a.m.  A later train arriving in Florence about 10:30 a.m. won't allow you much time to see or do anything.  There are trains to Florence that leave at 7:30, 7:43 and 8:12.  Catch one of those and you will probably be in Florence before 9:30. 

RENTAL CARS:  sifracar.com  is the local Hertz franchise and will deliver (and pick up) at the pier.
You return the car directly to the dock when finished. At about 90 euros for the smallest car, it is not cheap but certainly convenient. Price includes: unlimited mileage, tax, basic insurance and delivery/collection to/from the port. For an additional fee of about 10 Euros they will include a GPS unit pre programmed with routing to all the local towns, including parking info.
     Be aware that you need to be very careful driving in Italy because the days of speeding on the autostrade is quickly coming to a painful end since Italy started installing speed cameras on many more roads (fines can be over 100 Euros). Also, if you drive to either Pisa or Florence there are restricted driving zones called "ZTL"s. Non-residents are generally not allowed to drive in these areas which are supposed to be marked with ZTL signs (you do not always see these signs). If you accidently drive into a ZTL a camera will record your license plate and you will have a cruel surprise added to a future credit card statement. The ZTL in Pisa happens to cover a lot of the streets near the Leaning Tower so you might want to look up the ZTL maps online... or, ask your rental car company (when you get the car) if they have the zones marked on a map.

WHEELCHAIR  ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION from Livorno Tourist Office.

     Usually people arriving by cruise have shuttle buses from the boat to Livorno city center. It may happen that buses are not arranged for disables but, in that case, a reserved van is always assured.

Francesco Cecchetti, Ufficio Informazioni Turistiche, Via Pieroni, 18, 57100 Livorno  0586 894236

     More information on where to go and what to do if you are mobility, sight or hearing impaired - a wheelchair or cane user - and living in or visiting Tuscany. Information on the Italian organizations and facilities.  HERE 

FROM LIVORNO (Piazza Grande) TO PISA:  

TAXI: Taking a taxi straight to the Piazza dei Miracoli, or the Pisa Tower, is the quickest way of getting there and highly recommended if you are catching the next train to Florence.  You will find the taxi stand right in front of the train station in Livorno.  The ride will cost you approximately €8-10 and last about 5 minutes.  Taxis to go back to the train station will be right in front of the entrance to the Piazza dei Miracoli.

     So.co.ta-Radiotaxi is Florence's major taxi company.  Their WEBSITE.

BUSES:  I do not recommend the bus option if you are on a time schedule, but for those who have no need to be at a certain place at a certain time--ATAF local Bus Schedules and timetables. HERE.

     Two bus companies run the Livorno-Pisa route - ATL (Livorno bus company) HERE and CPT (Pisa bus company) HERE .

     The ATL service takes about 45 minutes. It goes via Pisa airport. The CPT bus service Livorno-Pisa takes longer (about an hour) because it goes via the small coastal towns of Tirrenia and Marina di Pisa (popular for their beaches in the summer). Both bus services leave from just behind Livorno's cathedral (Largo Duomo), near Piazza Grande.

     If you arrive from the pier by shuttle, you can take a bus to the Train Station once you get to Livorno for one Euro. Although it is cheaper-- it is a two-step process! The Port transfer shuttle bus will drop you off in a little square just behind the Piazza Grande and behind the McDonalds. Dash across to the other side of the street and backtrack up the street the bus just came down!   When you see a little tobacco shop (Tabacchi) on your right go in and purchase bus tickets here for the train station (approx. €1 per person one-way). Actually, you can buy your train tickets here as well instead of at the train station, but the charge can be higher than buying the ticket directly at the train station.

     Buses are quite frequent, every 7-10 minutes. Once you get on the bus (#1), validate your ticket in the machine. The ride to the Livorno Centrale train station takes about 10 minutes, depending on traffic.

     Once the bus stops in front of the train station, rush inside and get in line to purchase your tickets. This is where part 3 of your travel to Florence starts: using the train!  If you are sure you will be returning the same way back, buy return tickets now. Always have euro cash ready for the transactions! Hopefully, you make your 9:25 a.m. train to Florence.  At the train station because nearly all trains are "regional" trains - you walk up, buy the ticket at the machine (if one, otherwise at the ticket window), validate the ticket (i.e., date/time stamp it) at the little yellow box machine near the tracks, then hop on. Trains run between Pisa and Florence twice an hour all day long.
  

WARNING: There have been frequent cases of pick pocketing by gypsies on these bus routes so please be extremely careful to keep wallets and purses safe.

 

TRAIN: It is quick and easy to get from Livorno to Pisa by train.  So again, I highly recommend that you arrive by taxi taken directly at the pier and proceed from there.  (Trains are often bound for Florence - Firenze - stopping in Pisa). The journey only takes 15-20 minutes, trains are frequent, and it is cheap - only €1.80 each way per person.                  TRAIN TICKETS ON-LINE: HERE    

     When you arrive in Pisa by train, it is still at least 1.5km from the station to the Leaning Tower in Piazza dei Miracoli, which is probably where you are heading. You can either walk or take the local bus.

If you choose the bus, before you leave the train station, go to the news kiosk in the station foyer and buy yourself a couple of bus tickets each for the journey there and back at a cost €1 each.
     The bus stop for buses to the Tower is directly across the road from the station, right in front of the Jolly Hotel. The bus you need is a LAM Rosso (meaning 'red') bus. The LAM buses are distinguished by colored signs instead of numbers, so look for the one that has the RED LAM sign on the front, although the buses themselves are usually orange. This bus stops very close to the tower ('Torre'). It takes about 10 minutes. On the way back you can catch the same bus from the other side of the road.

LIVORNO TRAIN STATION DIRECTLY TO FLORENCE:

TAXIS: If you are intent on spending as much time in Florence as possible and don't mind spending a couple extra Euros to save the time and frustration of public transportation, taking a taxi directly from the ship is probably the best solution. If you are one of the first people to get off the gangway at 7a.m., as soon as your cruise ship gets cleared and sets up the gangway, and want to catch the 8:11 train to Florence take a taxi.. it can save you up to 45 minutes when it comes to getting to the train station.
     TIP:  Do not waste your time your time with taxis that are looking to take you on a whole day tour.  Look for a local taxi that will be willing to take you to the Livorno train station. They normally ask for €5 - €7 per person to the train station, minimum 4-6 people, depending on the size of the vehicle.  So, if you are a couple, you will either have to pay more or arrange with another couple or two to share the taxi beforehand.

TRAIN TO FLORENCE FROM LIVORNO:   A one-way ticket  from Livorno Centrale train station to Florence is approximately €6.70 per person one-way. Compare the price and get your ticket where you get the savings..
      
     If you are a couple and you are buying return tickets, you will be issued two pieces of paper. The first one will be for both of you in one direction. And the other one will be the same… for 2 people coming back. So don’t stick both tickets in the validating machine thinking each one is for one person. Check only the one that says:  Partenza (Departure): Livorno Centrale--the other--Arriva (Arrival): Firenze SMN.  If you don’t validate your tickets before getting on the train, it is as if you don’t have them at all… they are worth nothing and you will be fined if approached by a conductor.
     Now, head for the stairs down through the underground passage that will take you to the platform you need. You can check the platform number at the Departure board.  Finally, you can relax for about an hour and 20 minutes because that’s how long the ride will be!

      As trains leave only once an hour, if you miss your train you will be losing one whole valuable hour of your short day. If that happens to you, you may as well take the first train to Pisa, Italy (which is only 15 minutes ride away), then grab a quick taxi ride further to the Pisa leaning tower,  (there's not much to see except the tower) take a few photos and get back to the Pisa train station in time to catch the next train or one of the trains that depart straight from Pisa to Florence.

     As your train approaches Florence, you will NOT get off at the first stop bearing the name Firenze. You will get off at the second stop (and final stop) which is Firenze S.M.N. or Firenze Santa Maria Novella.
     If, for some reason you did not purchase return tickets back in Livorno, now is the time to do it. Do not leave it for later in the afternoon when you return to the Florence train station as the line can be very, very long and you’d risk missing your train. So, have your return tickets in your pocket purchased first thing in the morning!

   To get back to your ship in time and with no stress from Florence, it is recommended you take the 3:27 p.m. train if you’ll be using the Port transfer bus to get back to the ship. Or, at the very latest, the 4:27 p.m. train if you will be taking a taxi back to the ship from the Livorno train station. That will give you 4 ½ or 5 ½ hours in Florence which really isn’t much with so much to see and do.

PRIVATE TOUR GUIDES

This is what we chose.. a carefree way of seeing everything you want to see, as you are able to design your own excursion package!

     If you'd really like to see both Pisa and Florence in a day, and money's not an issue, I highly recommend hiring a private tour company guide. (You can make reservations on line ahead of time for your day with one of many popular local tour companies. See my list of Private Tour Guides and their links) With an experienced guide you can literally leave the driving to them.  They will know which city to visit first (Pisa or Florence) depending on traffic, ships in, weather, etc. and will plan your tour so you can maximize your sightseeing and visiting experiences. You'll also get a one-on-one history lesson from them as they chauffeur you to each destination; tips on the best places for lunch, and sometimes--even purchase entrance tickets for you.  AND-- best yet --get you back to your ship on time! 

     We were greeted at the Port of Livorno, and made our way to the small city of Pisa where we spent a portion of our morning at the Leaning Tower and the main square. Then we continued on along the scenic route in the Tuscan countryside, before arriving at the Renaissance city of Florence.  Here we explored the Church of Santa Croce, the Duomo and Baptistery, the Ponte Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, and the Piazza of Michelangelo prior to lunch.  Moving on, we stopped at the Accademia, which houses Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of David. ... and concluded the day at the Uffizi Gallery, after which we returned to the Port of Livorno.  Some tour guides will even make reservations for you at the Accademia and the Uffizi Gallery for no extra cost. You must request this service when booking the tour. Please note that the Accademia and the Uffizi museum are closed on Mondays!  All rates are quoted in the Euro and are only payable in the Euro currency, or Traveler’s Cheques, at the end of the services.  Most rates include the use of  luxury vehicles, and an English speaking driver to and from the port.  Lunch, gratuities, or entrance fees to the sites are not included.

     I  am not able to recommend anyone.  It is up to you to check out the sites I have listed on the next page,  communicate with them, and choose the you which best suits your wishes and pocketbook.