Florence or Cinque Terra Excursion?

My wife and I will be sailing from Venice on the Marina for 10 day cruise on October 4, 2015. After spending 3 days in Venice the cruise stops in Dubrovnik, Kotor, Taormina, Sorrento/Capri, Rome, Florence and ends in Monte Carlo. I know we will be seeing a lot of old structures on this trip and I am thinking that by the time we get to Florence it may be time to see some another type of scenery. This is why I am taking of going to Cinque Terra instead of going into Florence. We are in Florence on a Monday and have read that museums are sometimes closed on Monday. Photography is also a hobby of mine and I love taking pictures of landscapes and wildlife. Landscape photos of Cinque Terra on line look spectacular. Just wondering what others think of my logic regarding skipping going on a tour into Florence or not?

Wow! What a decision to make--both are wonderful. If you have never been to Florence, it is a city not to be missed. I have been to Florence twice, but since you are going in October your experience will probably be different than mine. Crowds are at their peak in June which is when I went and lines to get into the museums are incredibly long. However, just looking at the beautiful buildings is inspiring and you will get some wonderful photos. Cinque terre is also beautiful--small towns, narrow streets, so lovely and are wonderful to see by water. We took a day trip along the coast from the cruise ship and stopped at 3 out of 5 of the towns. You can also get a train that stops at all five. This really may not provide an answer, but no matter which one you decide to visit, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy the trip, it will be wonderful.

Phillygirl2, thank you for your reply. Currently I am looking at shore excursions for both tours through Oceania. The. Cinque Terra tour also stops at 3 or 4 towns. Weather in early to mid October should be perfect unless it rains.

We visited both places on the same cruise as we had stops in both Livorno and La Spezia. Florence is indeed beautiful but IMHO Cinque Terra is unique. We did it on our own, using a mixture of ferry boat, walking (along the lovers' walk) and train.

Oh my! Two such completely different experiences. And both truly exquisite and not-to-be-missed -- but you can only do one! So you will simply have to decide which type of experience is more important to you.

Florence is an amazing city filled with world-class art, world-famous museums and galleries, spectacular Gothic and renaissance architecture...if you love history, art, architecture, and culture, it's simply filled with that. It also has top of the line shopping, top-rated restaurants, colorful markets, drop-dead-gorgeous churches, Michaelangelo's David, the Ponte Vecchio (the only only Florentine bridge to not be destroyed in World War Two) and it is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Cinque Terre, on the other hand, is a magical collection of 5 ancient, unbelievably picturesque, authentic, still-working small fishing villages perched along some of the most stunning coastline in the world, with a 1000-year-old goat-path hiking trail connecting them offering truly breathtaking views. I've been there 7 times, and it remains one of my favorite places on earth. In fact, in my last will and testament it specifies that when I die, my ashes are to be scattered off the cliffs of the Via del'Amore, which is the paved path between the southernmost two villages. That's how much I love that place. It is a hiker's delight -- I've hiked the entire trail five times now, two different times when on cruises, and that is a GREAT way to burn off some of those cruise calories, while enjoying awe-inspiring cliffside views. But even if you don't want to hike, there is a milk-run train with frequent stops at all five villages so you can just train it to each of them, wander among the narrow passageways, shop at the many boutiques hidden down dark alleyways, eat at a family-run trattoria, or enjoy a gelato on a magnificent cliff overlooking the sparkling blue sea.

If I were on your cruise, I personally would pick the Cinque Terre, only because as you mention, you may already be art- and cathedraled-out at that point. And cities come with...well, what cities come with: crowds, traffic, noise, lines. But I should disclose that in general I'm not much of a city person anyway. While I recognize the importance of Florence as the regional capital of Tuscany, if I had to choose I would go with the quaint fishing villages.

I hope I've given you a little flavor for how different the two experiences are, so you can decide what sounds more attractive to YOU. :)

We did a private tour: half day in Florence, half in Tuscany.

I wanted to see David, friends wanted time at the leather market, we had time at Ponte Vecchio, and we saw the big cathedral with baptistry. Yes, it was a whirlwind, but I am not a museum person(except for wanting to see David, which I could have sat and admired all day).

Then our guide took us to Tuscany. We had time to see a couple of small towns, San Gimignano(?sp) being one of them. SG was lovely; we returned there on a subsequent cruise.

We have been back to Florence twice on cruises, and both times we have headed to Tuscany with the same guide.

I know Tuscany is not CT, but if you wanted a taste of Florence, and some scenery, it worked well!

We did a private tour: half day in Florence, half in Tuscany.

I wanted to see David, friends wanted time at the leather market, we had time at Ponte Vecchio, and we saw the big cathedral with baptistry. Yes, it was a whirlwind, but I am not a museum person(except for wanting to see David, which I could have sat and admired all day).

Then our guide took us to Tuscany. We had time to see a couple of small towns, San Gimignano(?sp) being one of them. SG was lovely; we returned there on a subsequent cruise.

We have been back to Florence twice on cruises, and both times we have headed to Tuscany with the same guide.

I know Tuscany is not CT, but if you wanted a taste of Florence, and some scenery, it worked well!

This is an excellent suggestion! Tuscan hill towns are also a not-to-be-missed. San Gimignano is one of my favorites, as is Volterra. While I'm partial to the Cinque Terre, the Tuscan hill towns are really worth seeing -- although they can be a little more "touristy", so to speak. And if you can get to Montalcino, that's another favorite -- home of my favorite red wine on the planet, Brunello di Montalcino.

Clearly you are going to HAVE to return to Italy! :D

Florence is not a day trip. You could spend days there as we have done on a land based holiday . We did the Cinque Terre excursion on our September cruise as we had already spent time in Florence. We enjoyed Cinque Terre very much and learned that we would not want to spend several days there. The area is lovely but very different from the attractions of Florence. I am pleased to have visited Cinque Terre but I doubt we will return. Florence on the other hand....

We were booked on your cruise in October, but changed for several reasons. We were going to go to Cinque Terre as it is so unique and we are sorry we will have to miss it. You will find many opportunities to see Florence (we have 4 times) but you will not find that many to see Cinque Terre. I believe it is truly a unique place, and wouldn't miss it.

Florence is not a day trip. You could spend days there as we have done on a land based holiday . We did the Cinque Terre excursion on our September cruise as we had already spent time in Florence. We enjoyed Cinque Terre very much and learned that we would not want to spend several days there. The area is lovely but very different from the attractions of Florence. I am pleased to have visited Cinque Terre but I doubt we will return. Florence on the other hand....

I totally agree with this post. Florence isn't and cannot be a day trip and if I had first gone there just for a day I think I would have hated it and myself. On the other hand the Cinque Terre can be "done" in a day and the combination of the sea, the rough coastline and the little villages is amazing and wonderful to photograph. I hope though that the tour will be done by boat and not by land...

My experience in October in vicinity of Florence was how cold it was at first .Do take a warm jacket with you ..it did get progressivrly warmer as the day went on .

I caught both a cold and bronchitis .our guide had a ski jaxket on ...yes that cold ....so be prepared bring a back pack to carry all if it gets warm

I suspect this coast is like Amalfi ...beautiful vistas and plunging coatlines

Enjoy

Cinque Terre by water would be my choice for a day trip. Florence needs more time. SG as someone suggested is lovely and what about Lucca? Easy to get to from Livorno.

Cinque Terre by water would be my choice for a day trip. Florence needs more time. SG as someone suggested is lovely and what about Lucca? Easy to get to from Livorno.

+1

If you do decide for Cinque Terre, make sure it includes a boat trip as well as pictures from the water are spectacular.

Unfortunately, in inclement weather the boats do not run.

Livorno on November 6th next year. I imagine it will be pretty cool then..sounds like a boat is the way to go...wondering about the seas that time of year? Can we book something like that on our own? LuAnn

Livorno on November 6th next year. I imagine it will be pretty cool then..sounds like a boat is the way to go...wondering about the seas that time of year? Can we book something like that on our own? LuAnn

LuAnn,

Best check the schedules. They may not be running any longer or if they are the schedule would be abbreviated.

It's been several years since we visited Cinque Terre from Livorno. We did the trip by rail, changing trains at Pisa we just had time enough to catch a taxi to the Leaning Tower, make a very quick tour and move on to La Spezia, where we changed trains for Cinque Terre. We walked the Via dell'Amore most of the way and rode the train back from there. It was a wonderful day, but very long. I don't think we would have done it if we weren't in port the next day too (Italian trains are not the most reliable in Europe).

If you're considering visiting Cinque Terre by land, be sure to go online and check train times/connections to give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship in plenty of time.

If you do decide on Florence, be sure to check online for museums' hours/days of operation and get tickets in online to avoid the lines. We were there in early November on Nautica, and we were the last cruise ship through the area that year. We found it lovely - weather was good, people were very accommodating (wanting to get that last little bit of tourist money before winter) and the crowds were gone. I would never visit Florence during the summer, high season - too crowded and too hot.

I don't envy your choice. Both Cinque Terre and Florence are magnificent, albeit very different. Either way, you will have a memorable day. You will likely find, like we have, that Tuscany is an area you need to visit several times to savor all its delights - and they are MANY!

It's been several years since we visited Cinque Terre from Livorno. We did the trip by rail, changing trains at Pisa we just had time enough to catch a taxi to the Leaning Tower, make a very quick tour and move on to La Spezia, where we changed trains for Cinque Terre. We walked the Via dell'Amore most of the way and rode the train back from there. It was a wonderful day, but very long. I don't think we would have done it if we weren't in port the next day too (Italian trains are not the most reliable in Europe).

 

If you're considering visiting Cinque Terre by land, be sure to go online and check train times/connections to give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

If you do decide on Florence, be sure to check online for museums' hours/days of operation and get tickets in online to avoid the lines. We were there in early November on Nautica, and we were the last cruise ship through the area that year. We found it lovely - weather was good, people were very accommodating (wanting to get that last little bit of tourist money before winter) and the crowds were gone. I would never visit Florence during the summer, high season - too crowded and too hot.

 

I don't envy your choice. Both Cinque Terre and Florence are magnificent, albeit very different. Either way, you will have a memorable day. You will likely find, like we have, that Tuscany is an area you need to visit several times to savor all its delights - and they are MANY!

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. Do you think an arrival at 7 AM with departure at 7 PM would give us enough time to get from the port via train to Cinque Terre and back? Would it be best to try and do a ship excursion if offered because of the timing? This is on X by the way...not O. LuAnn

We were on Marina last October in the Med and used Joe Babanas limo for a private tour to Cinque Terre, loved it. Google them,they had nice reviews on TA. We had a group of six or eight and the price was very reasonable. We traveled by van to the first town, then we boarded the train to see four of the towns. The fifth town was Inaccessible due to flash flooding.

We were picked up at the port 8:30 ish and we were back on the ship by five with a quick stop in Pisa for someone who had not seen the leaning tower.

We've done all three excursions discussed here, all with private vendors. We generally avoid ship tours.

Florence is wonderful to see but is often crowded. The hill towns of San Gim and Volterra are quite charming. Flip a coin on which one to take as each destination is worthy of a visit.

When we were in Livorno three years ago we did Pisa and Lucca which was a delightful day. Several years prior to that we'd done a self-drive trip through Tuscany which started out with 4 days in Florence; we then went to Pienza where we stayed 3 days and visited places like San Gem and Siena. From there we went to Portovenere for a few days. While there we spent one day taking the boat to Cinque Terre.

So I was puzzled at the idea of trying to do either Florence or Cinque Terre from Livorno. I recalled that the ship had a bus that took people to Florence (where they toured on their own) but it seemed that the transport was an hour or more. And since we went to Portovenere from a different location, I wasn't sure just how long a trip it would be to get to Cinque Terre from there.

From the descriptions I've seen about people who've done that by train, I would still advocate staying closer to Livorno. There are plenty of lovely towns that are easier to get to.

And for people who DO opt for Florence, I agree with those who have suggested buying tickets for the museums on line because you don't have to wait in those long lines to get in. Florence is a total delight (even if you don't care for museums!) but one day is just not enough to do it justice, especially if you have at least two hours in transit time between coming and going.

Mura

Thank you all for your input and past experiences. Regarding going to Florence for museums, the Marina will be in port on a Monday. As I understand it most all museums are closed on Monday. Therefore it may be a easy decision to go. To Cinque Terra. Still doing so more research on this.

LuAnn -

I am pretty sure that the boat trips to the Cinque Terre will not run in November. If you take the local train from La Spezia to any of the Cinque Terre villages you can wander around them on foot. Maybe even walk from one to another on the cliffs. But November is going to be cold and probably wet as well...

All in all in November were I in Livorno I would go to Lucca. Close by, fascinating town and good shopping too. (Shoes, handbags, knit wear)

LuAnn -

 

I am pretty sure that the boat trips to the Cinque Terre will not run in November. If you take the local train from La Spezia to any of the Cinque Terre villages you can wander around them on foot. Maybe even walk from one to another on the cliffs. But November is going to be cold and probably wet as well...

 

All in all in November were I in Livorno I would go to Lucca. Close by, fascinating town and good shopping too. (Shoes, handbags, knit wear)

+1....Also, Cinque Terre is a bit of a distance from Livorno and you would have to have enough time to get there and back. If a ship tour was offered, I would probably do that just to be safe on timing. It is a full day trip whereas Lucca is a quick hop, skip, and a jump from Livorno and special.

We were on Marina last October in the Med and used Joe Babanas limo for a private tour to Cinque Terre, loved it. Google them,they had nice reviews on TA. We had a group of six or eight and the price was very reasonable. We traveled by van to the first town, then we boarded the train to see four of the towns. The fifth town was Inaccessible due to flash flooding.

We were picked up at the port 8:30 ish and we were back on the ship by five with a quick stop in Pisa for someone who had not seen the leaning tower.

We've done all three excursions discussed here, all with private vendors. We generally avoid ship tours.

Florence is wonderful to see but is often crowded. The hill towns of San Gim and Volterra are quite charming. Flip a coin on which one to take as each destination is worthy of a visit.

I will certainly check into using Joe Babanas!! That sounds like a great option and it could fit into our port schedule!! LuAnn

LuAnn -

 

I am pretty sure that the boat trips to the Cinque Terre will not run in November. If you take the local train from La Spezia to any of the Cinque Terre villages you can wander around them on foot. Maybe even walk from one to another on the cliffs. But November is going to be cold and probably wet as well...

 

All in all in November were I in Livorno I would go to Lucca. Close by, fascinating town and good shopping too. (Shoes, handbags, knit wear)

and portofinoitaly...We went to Lucca last time we were there via train and loved it!! Do you think the "hill towns" would be a better bet that time of year? I've read and seen so much about CT I would hate to miss it!!..but the other towns sound wonderful as well! We are lucky enough to have been to Florence several times and while I'm sure we haven't seen it all we would like to try something different this time. LuAnn

My wife and I will be sailing from Venice on the Marina for 10 day cruise on October 4, 2015. After spending 3 days in Venice the cruise stops in Dubrovnik, Kotor, Taormina, Sorrento/Capri, Rome, Florence and ends in Monte Carlo. I know we will be seeing a lot of old structures on this trip and I am thinking that by the time we get to Florence it may be time to see some another type of scenery. This is why I am taking of going to Cinque Terra instead of going into Florence. We are in Florence on a Monday and have read that museums are sometimes closed on Monday. Photography is also a hobby of mine and I love taking pictures of landscapes and wildlife. Landscape photos of Cinque Terra on line look spectacular. Just wondering what others think of my logic regarding skipping going on a tour into Florence or not?

Hi sebrefan, I am with you on the need to see cinque terre. We have visited Florence many times, and found it wonderful, but this trip we would love to do the cinque terre, as it is unique. If you would like to join us I have a tour organised for my husband and I and would like others to join. It will pick up at the Port and do a full day tour, which should give plenty of photo stop opportunities. The cost for four is 430 euro, but if we can interest a couple more, the price should come down. However for a full day this is great value.

Please email me on connollyfamily1@btinternet.com if interested. We could do either the 12th Oct. or the following week being on the B2B.