Livorno vs Laspezia

On our upcoming cruise we are scheduled to arrive in Laspezia. I can find lots of info on getting to Florence from Livorno, but none from Laspezia. Please help me out!

On our upcoming cruise we are scheduled to arrive in Laspezia. I can find lots of info on getting to Florence from Livorno, but none from Laspezia. Please help me out!

There is a good reason so lets talk about geography. It is approximately 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Livorno to Florence and it takes no more then 1 1/2 hours by road or train. But La Spezia is about 280 kilometers (174 miles) to Florence and takes about 3 hours each way (more then 6 hours round trip) by road. The train situation is a little better since it only takes from 2 - 2 1/2 hours each way. But the trains are somewhat limited meaning that if you could catch the 9:19am train you would not get to Florence until around 11:30. One could then take the 1:53pm train and get back to La Spezia at 4:03...and of course this assumes the trains are running on time. But that would get you only about 2 hours in Florence (since you would need to get to and from the train station).

My advice, having traveled a lot in Italy, is that if you want to do such a day trip it is best done on a cruise line excursion (if they offer one). Personally, we would never suggest anyone do this excursion but rather would recommend visiting the villages of Cinque Terre which are located relatively close to La Spezia. To be very blunt, La Spezia is not the appropriate port for a day visit to Florence.

Hank

You need days and days (I have heard some say months and years!) to see and experience Florence. So a long commute for just a few hours makes little sense.

On the other hand you can have a lovely day at Cinque Terre.

Do I have enough time to do both Pisa and Cinque terre?. I plan to purchase leaning tower ticket ahead on line and visit in early morning, then I go to cinque terre afterward. I heard the Cinque terre is not far from Laspeiza which liberty dock. It is a pretty village .

Do I have enough time to do both Pisa and Cinque terre?. I plan to purchase leaning tower ticket ahead on line and visit in early morning, then I go to cinque terre afterward. I heard the Cinque terre is not far from Laspeiza which liberty dock. It is a pretty village .

Pisa is a tourist trap. Spend your time in Cinque Terre. You will not regret it.

And, beware of train strikes. I once took the train to Florence from Livorno. No problem. I walked around and had lunch and saw an internet cafe across the road. Went in there and saw a few fellow passengers, who asked how I got to Florence. When I said by train, they said there was supposed to be a train strike that afternoon, announced in advance on the trenitalia.com website. Sure enough, there it was. So I quickly found a taxi and rushed back to the station and the train left for Livorno within a few minutes. I had enough time for a couple more hours in Florence, so the moral of the story is, check the train strike info for trenitalia. BTW, the passengers I met in the cafe said if I'm stuck and not able to get on a train, to meet them in front of the Duomo in an hour and they'd squeeze me into their taxi that they had for the day.

Forget Firenze if your ship docks in La Spezia too far . Firenze is really only an option if your vessel docks at Livorno .

Your options from La Spezia realistically are Pisa by train, or the Cinque Terre also by train .

Pisa is a one trick pony (the leaning tower), whereas the Cinque Terre is 5 coastal villages . From La Spezia in this order Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, & Monterosso. By train 10 minutes to Riomaggiore and 25 minutes to Monterosso . In a day you should concentrate your efforts on Vernazza, Manarola & Riomaggiore.

NB: The coastal path that links all five villages, the only section currently open is between Monterosso & Vernazza ( 1 1/2 - hours walk.)

Up to early November ferries leave Portovenere at 1000am and 1100am for Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso . (1 hour to Monterosso ) .

To get to Portovenere from La Spezia take Bus P from Bus Stop P in Via Garabaldi near intersection of Corso Cavour . (Trip time 30 minutes.) Bus departures from La Spezia at 25 & 55 minutes past the hour .

In Monterosso ferries arrive in the old town and the train station is located in new Monterosso. The two halves are linked by a shared use pedestrian / road tunnel.

No you cannot combine Pisa with the Cinque Terre. Pisa is not worth the time on a short port day (in my opinion.)

Good to know about Pista and will read more in tripadvisor. I print the ferry schedule and give me option what to do in Laspezia. Thanks

When I read the cinque terre site, it offers both CT card and Train pass, the price is reasonable, some member recommend to do the ferry ride to vileage and take the train back. Does it mean I have to buy all 3. I know ferry cannot reach all village and has to use train. but if I have to do it, no sweat.

You either buy plain train tickets for each train trip (at stations from vending machines, don't forget to validate tickets in machines on platforms BEFORE travelling.) or a CT Pass. Ferry is separate ticket bought at quayside or on boat .

CT Pass available for 1 or 2 days and gives you access to walk the paths of the CT, shuttle bus from Corniglia station up to Corniglia village and v.v. and unlimited rail travel between La Spezia and Monterosso.

CT Passes and rail timetables are available from CT Tourist Offices within the stations at La Spezia, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza and Monterosso . Validate pass before boarding a train .

CT Pass is not expensive for 1 day and gives unlimited train travel and is the best way to go. If you add in the ferry still heaps cheaper than a ships shore excursion, and a lot more flexible .

that sounds great, I like more flexibility and do my own thing. Pisa seems not a good choice and I will concentrate to this 5 village. Thanks

Many thanks to everyone for all this very helpful info!

which way is better to go to Cinque, should we do the train first and return with boat or vice versa. Is its very hot to walk the trail since we will arrive in 3 weeks.

Hi,

we also call at La Spezia in Sep 2014. Maybe we could also make an excursion to Cinque terre.

How do we get there on our own? We do not want to book any excursion...

Plan your walk carefully as several of the coastal paths are still closed.

Check what's open on the official park web site here: http://www.parco****onale5terre.it/sentieri_parco.asp?id_lingue=1

Do I have to take the ferry from Portovenere? I am confused because I see the ferry schedule and the earliest time from La spezia is 9:15. I know we can take a taxi to train station, but how far the ferry from our cruise docking?