Best options from Civitavecchia to Florence

Upon disembarkation in Civitavecchia, what are the best and/or least time consuming alternatives to travel from the cruise port directly to Florence?

I would rather not lose half a day going all the way back to Rome / Termini then board another train to Florence. Are there other alternatives, hire a car, rent a car, etc. We only have 2 days in Florence and I didn't want to waste the bulk of the first day travelling. If there is a more direct alternative, we would rather do that.

Any help or insights would be appreciated.

Obviously there is the choice to rent a car, or hire a car.

As the Termini-Florence train is only about 100 minutes, and the Port-Rome train is a little over an hour, you could easily be there by lunch. So you aren't really "wasting" more than an hour or two tops.

Upon disembarkation in Civitavecchia, what are the best and/or least time consuming alternatives to travel from the cruise port directly to Florence?

 

I would rather not lose half a day going all the way back to Rome / Termini then board another train to Florence. Are there other alternatives, hire a car, rent a car, etc. We only have 2 days in Florence and I didn't want to waste the bulk of the first day travelling. If there is a more direct alternative, we would rather do that.

 

Any help or insights would be appreciated.

Civi-Rome-Florence by train will almost certainly be the fastest way of doing this. Time is probably comparable by car, but then you will have to find a place to park, or waste time returning the car. Regionale to Termini, then transfer to a Frecciarossa train to Florence. It's a lovely train ride.

While the drive between Civi and Florence is scenic, it will take you 3 hours if you only drive and don't stop. Then, you have to find a gas station to top off the tank, find the rental car drop off in Florence (trust me, from experience, it's not easy), then, depending on the drop off point, take a taxi into the center of Florence.

Take that into consideration when choosing between a rental and the train.

While the drive between Civi and Florence is scenic, it will take you 3 hours if you only drive and don't stop. Then, you have to find a gas station to top off the tank, find the rental car drop off in Florence (trust me, from experience, it's not easy), then, depending on the drop off point, take a taxi into the center of Florence.

 

Take that into consideration when choosing between a rental and the train.

It's not that easy :). First, you have to get your car in Civitavecchia. Assuming you can get to your car agency without a problem (Hertz is the best bet) you might have to wait 30 min (or more) in the typical rental car line (queue for you Brits). And once you get to Florence you must find your drop location without penetrating the expansive ZTL (limited driving zone) that takes up much of Florence.

As much as we love to rent cars in Europe, this type of basic point A to point B journey is best done on the train.

Hank

It's not that easy :). First, you have to get your car in Civitavecchia. Assuming you can get to your car agency without a problem (Hertz is the best bet) you might have to wait 30 min (or more) in the typical rental car line (queue for you Brits). And once you get to Florence you must find your drop location without penetrating the expansive ZTL (limited driving zone) that takes up much of Florence.

 

As much as we love to rent cars in Europe, this type of basic point A to point B journey is best done on the train.

 

Hank

For once, we are in agreement about taking the train. :p

It's not that easy :). First, you have to get your car in Civitavecchia. Assuming you can get to your car agency without a problem (Hertz is the best bet) you might have to wait 30 min (or more) in the typical rental car line (queue for you Brits). And once you get to Florence you must find your drop location without penetrating the expansive ZTL (limited driving zone) that takes up much of Florence.

 

As much as we love to rent cars in Europe, this type of basic point A to point B journey is best done on the train.

 

Hank

Hank, have you been to the Europcar office in Civitavecchia? I doubt we'll find a cab to take us there on disembarkation day--I wondered about the idea of having the port shuttle leave us at the entrance, I stay with the luggage, and DH walks (900 meters it says) down to get the car and comes back to get me. Or is there a better idea?

As I write this, I am on the train from Florence back to Roma Termini. On the Frecciarossa, it's a 70 minute trip. I don't know a better, more hassle free way to do this trip.

Hank, have you been to the Europcar office in Civitavecchia? I doubt we'll find a cab to take us there on disembarkation day--I wondered about the idea of having the port shuttle leave us at the entrance, I stay with the luggage, and DH walks (900 meters it says) down to get the car and comes back to get me. Or is there a better idea?

We have used that plan on two occasions because it is not practical to drag luggage all the way from the main port entrance to then rental car offices. Of course the better idea is to get a taxi from the pier to the rental car office and you certainly can give that a try...with the backup plan to use the free shuttle bus to the port entrance.

The taxi problem in Civitavecchia is a long standing issue with cruisers (the situation is even worse in Livorno). Sometimes you will find a friendly taxi who will be willing to do that short haul, but they might want about 20 Euros (a real rip off). The time that we got a free ride from the port entrance (I mentioned this in a prior post) was truly our lucky day.

I also mentioned, what I like to call, the secret port exit. For the sake of anyone interested I will try to describe this exit. It is along the side of the Port about 1/3 of a mile from the main entrance. From the internal port road there are some steps that you up to the port walls and there is actually a doorway cut through the wall. When we once used this exit (suggested by the Port shuttle bus driver) it was a bit of a hassle since we had to lug our luggage up those steps. But your rental car office is much closer to this exit. Not sure if the bus drivers will routinely take folks to that exit since it is totally off their normal route.

Hank

We have used that plan on two occasions because it is not practical to drag luggage all the way from the main port entrance to then rental car offices. Of course the better idea is to get a taxi from the pier to the rental car office and you certainly can give that a try...with the backup plan to use the free shuttle bus to the port entrance.

 

The taxi problem in Civitavecchia is a long standing issue with cruisers (the situation is even worse in Livorno). Sometimes you will find a friendly taxi who will be willing to do that short haul, but they might want about 20 Euros (a real rip off). The time that we got a free ride from the port entrance (I mentioned this in a prior post) was truly our lucky day.

 

I also mentioned, what I like to call, the secret port exit. For the sake of anyone interested I will try to describe this exit. It is along the side of the Port about 1/3 of a mile from the main entrance. From the internal port road there are some steps that you up to the port walls and there is actually a doorway cut through the wall. When we once used this exit (suggested by the Port shuttle bus driver) it was a bit of a hassle since we had to lug our luggage up those steps. But your rental car office is much closer to this exit. Not sure if the bus drivers will routinely take folks to that exit since it is totally off their normal route.

 

Hank

Great info, Hank--thanks. I saw your other post but it was too late to delete my comments on this thread! I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything--other than the secret door!

Thank you for the great responses. Obviously, renting is not the best option, but what about hiring a car and driver to take us direct. I am weighing all options so if anyone has experience with the car / driver option with any recommended services, that would be awesome.

THANKS!!

Just look down the board. I am sure, for example, Rome in Limo, an excellent and highly recommended company will do it for you. May cost quite a few $$$.

Thank you for the great responses. Obviously, renting is not the best option, but what about hiring a car and driver to take us direct. I am weighing all options so if anyone has experience with the car / driver option with any recommended services, that would be awesome.

 

THANKS!!

Well, you'll gain a certain degree of convenience, that is all. In terms of actual travel time, you'll gain very little, if any.

The reality is, you're travelling nearly 200 miles; it takes time, however you cut it. Barring a private helicopter, the journey will take a similar amount of time either by private car or by train. I would not pay double for minimal gain to take the car. The train is comfortable, efficient and passes some pretty countryside. Relax - it's Italy!

You can take the train direct from Civitavecchia up the coastal line to PISA. A change of trains is required in Pisa and then onto Firenze S.M.N.

Typical Weekday times : Civitavecchia Dep 1047am Pisa Centrale Arr 1.00PM Change Trains Pisa Centrale Dep 1.32PM Firenze S.M.N. Arr 2.32PM

You can take the train direct from Civitavecchia up the coastal line to PISA. A change of trains is required in Pisa and then onto Firenze S.M.N.

 

Typical Weekday times : Civitavecchia Dep 1047am Pisa Centrale Arr 1.00PM Change Trains Pisa Centrale Dep 1.32PM Firenze S.M.N. Arr 2.32PM

Totally possible, however would be slower than the Rome option.

It's not that easy :). First, you have to get your car in Civitavecchia. Assuming you can get to your car agency without a problem (Hertz is the best bet) you might have to wait 30 min (or more) in the typical rental car line (queue for you Brits). And once you get to Florence you must find your drop location without penetrating the expansive ZTL (limited driving zone) that takes up much of Florence.

 

As much as we love to rent cars in Europe, this type of basic point A to point B journey is best done on the train.

 

Hank

Missing the ZTL is fairly easy to do IF you go for the airport drop locations. It's actually finding the right turn on two roads around the airport to GET to the drop that is the hard part. I swear, I went in circles on that dam* highway for 30 minutes before finding that little hitch in the road that went to the dirt field that was the drop off at the airport for 90% of the companies (including Hertz). Another drop off is at the IKEA store. But, you have to time that one. From the airport drop, take the rental shuttle to the airport, then hop a taxi into the old central part of town. (it's a fixed rate)…

But, I'd still do the train unless you want to make a full day of it to take some side roads and discover some little Tuscan/Umbrian treasures. The train is fast, comfortable, and cheap. And, it drops you off right in the heart of Florence, no traffic worries...

Thank you for the great responses. Obviously, renting is not the best option, but what about hiring a car and driver to take us direct. I am weighing all options so if anyone has experience with the car / driver option with any recommended services, that would be awesome.

 

THANKS!!

Boiled down to simplest terms:

Driving -- whether you do it yourself or hire a driver -- is NOT going to create much time savings versus getting to Rome and then taking the high-speed train to Florence. The train travels MUCH faster than you can on the road.

Hiring a private car/driver WILL be minimally easier, as you won't have to get your luggage to the train station in Civitavecchia, nor transfer it to another train at Rome. Not a big deal if you are moderate packers; a bigger deal if you are the type that overpacks.

However, If you hire a driver, I'm guessing you'd be spending upward of 300 euro MORE than the cost of the train (assuming 2 people).

So:

Speed = no real advantage either way

Cost = train a clear winner

Convenience = car/driver wins

The question you have to answer is whether the (high) cost of a private car/driver are worth the moderately greater level of convenience, keeping in mind that time savings won't be a big factor.

We have done both.

Take the train. You have two options that I am aware of. Go east via Rome Termini or go north through Pisa.

Car is fine if you want to take your time and stop in some of the beautiful towns. But not so great if you just need to get there fast.

Thanks,

Any other insights would be appreciated

Thanks,

 

 

 

Any other insights would be appreciated

Train hands down. The station in Civitavecchia is 4 blocks from the port entrance (take the port shuttle to the entrance). Changing at Pisa will likely be less hectic than at R Termini

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Train.

You can take the train direct from Civitavecchia up the coastal line to PISA. A change of trains is required in Pisa and then onto Firenze S.M.N.

 

Typical Weekday times : Civitavecchia Dep 1047am Pisa Centrale Arr 1.00PM Change Trains Pisa Centrale Dep 1.32PM Firenze S.M.N. Arr 2.32PM

This sounds interesting!! I've been looking at a cruise that goes in & out of Rome... when we return I was planning to go to Florence and then do a day trip to Pisa... but if we could work out the baggage issue this would be completely doable. I'm definitely going to look into this further. :)

Pisa Centrale has a left luggage office, so that's easy to take care of. Info here: http://www.depositobagaglipisa.it/

Pisa is a lovely University town and most travellers give it no more than a day and focus purely on visiting the Leaning Tower .

Well worth 2 days in Pisa, but be sure to pre-book your admission tickets on line for the Leaning Tower via the LT website . (Tickets are date and time specific.) They only let like 30 people in every 15 minutes, so don't just turn up and expect to get in . Typically they are sold out many days in advance .

Accommodation wise right close to everything the magical Hotel Bologna. Book on line direct via hotel website to avoid paying middleman commissions.

You can either stay overnight which is recommended, or if you are in a rush break your journey and leave your bags the Left Luggage Office at Pisa Centrale station . That way you can still reach Firenze S.M.N the same day as leaving Civitavecchia. In Firenze we always stay at the charming Hotel La Residenza on Via Tourbourni right in the heart of all the action. Within easy walking distance of all the attractions, great restaurants nearby . Ditto re book direct via Hotel website .