Leaning Tower of Pisa

One of our ports will be Livorno (Florence/Pisa). After a full day in Rome the day prior, all we really want to do is see the Leaning tower of Pisa. Do we need to book a tour in order to do this? Or will there transportation available at the cruise terminal to get here? Any idea how close it is to the terminal?

Just trying to keep things simple (and inexpensive) this port.

thank you!

Very easy by direct train service - mebbe two trains per hour from Livorno Centrale to Pisa Centrale, journey time something like 15 minutes. I'm out of date with fares but I doubt its more than €10 return.

The walk from Pisa station to the Field of Miracles is about 20 / 25 minutes - flat, simple & easy.

Taxis available at the station, if you have mobility (or laziness :D) issues.

The one awkward problem is from ship to Livorno station.

- You're not permitted to walk in the port (unless on a small ship, which berths in a different part of the port). There are taxis on the pier, fare to the station is (was) €25 but most taxis hold up to eight people & you can probably find sharers on the pier. However some folk have said that taxis are in short supply at the pier, and drivers prefer longer jobs - like all the way to Pisa.

- The alternative is ship's (payable) shuttle to the city centre - but this isn't convenient for the rail station & you then need a short local bus ride.

I think NCL is the (only?) exception. They provided (still do???) a payable shuttle between ship & station - much much easier, and even tho more expensive than a shared taxi it's a better guarantee.

Yes, you certainly can book a tour or transfer, either ship's or independent. Sorry, no experience but others can probably help

JB :)

We found the field of miracles beautiful and relaxing. It is a park like setting. A good plan following a busy day in Rome. We took ship excursion since ours was last minute planning, and it was convenient. I don't recall the cost, but you won't spend much money when you are at the field, there is not a lot spending to do there.

Have fun...

As John Bull says NCL had a shuttle to the train station. That was convenient.

There were also private tours from the port that gave you a bus to Pisa and dropped you off for 2 hours. They ran through the day, but were less frequent after perhaps 10 am.

I think the best way is to take the train. It is certainly not expensive (can't recall price because it was unremarkable). It gives you the most flexibility if you fancy going into more of the monuments in the Field of Miracles. I enjoyed visiting the Duomo. There was more to see but if I recall there were no tickets left for the Baptistery or perhaps it was a long wait. We were happy with what we did. If you want to go up the Tower you will certainly need to have bought your timed tickets online beforehand. If you are only visiting Pisa you get a ticket for the middle of the day and allow yourself plenty of time to get to the station and walk along the street of shops towards the Tower. I have actually done some good shopping in those shops.

On the way back you can walk by the river, stop for a pizza/pasta and just enjoy more of Pisa than the tower, it is a full on active university town (one of the first universities to be established). Some nice architecture and a really nice buzz.

We did an NCL Tour with visit to Pisa and a stop at a winery. It was simple and relaxing. A great timeout in a busy schedule. Included was a wine tasting with authentic food pairing but there was so much to eat that it seemed like a full lunch!