Florence and Pisa

[rhyfedd121]

Hi,

Just wondering whether it would be possible to visit Florence and Pisa in a day without taking a ship excursion? I know train would be the best bet but what's the best way to organise it and how much would it cost?

 

Many Thanks!

[Hlitner]

We have discussed this topic (many times) on this forum. Yes, it is possible to do both Florence and Pisa by using the train. But, this will leave you too little time in Florence to get more then a quick glimpse of this fabulous city (once called the #1 tourist city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler). Keep in mind that it takes approximately 1:20 min each way to get from Livorno to Florence and this does not include the time to get from ship to train station (another 15 min each way). Also keep in mind that in Pisa, you will still need a taxi (or a very long walk) to get to the Field of Dreams (The Tower) each way. We can tell you how to do all this in a port day and you will be able to tell your friends that you saw Florence and Pisa in a day. It would be like saying you saw London and Manchester in a single day.

 

Hank

[GirlWriter]

We booked a private guide (Sunflower Tours), who is taking us to Pisa briefly and then we will spend the bulk of the day in Florence. It's cheaper than the ship-sponsored excursion and tailored around the sights we want to see.

 

It doesn't leave a ton of time for Florence, as Hlitner said, but if you're one of those folks (like we are) who prefers little "tastes" of new places instead of more intensive visits, that might be just fine.

[chipmaster]

Very doable, if you DIY you do lose valuable time with public transportation. Private IMHO is the way to go, a bit more expensive but so efficient time and dollar wise compared to the ship. By all means AVOID the ship tours, a bus with 40+ people will be neither fast nor efficient.

 

Search the thread here and you'll find lots of tip for DIY as well as private. We did private here, saw pisa, climbed the tower, toured several wonderful plazas, had a leisure lunch in Florence, walked pointe vecchio, went into Accademia and saw David all with time to spare for a long stop for gelato. Doable, busy and a bit skim the surface but well worth it.

 

Happy planning!

 

Hi,

Just wondering whether it would be possible to visit Florence and Pisa in a day without taking a ship excursion? I know train would be the best bet but what's the best way to organise it and how much would it cost?

 

Many Thanks!

[Bruce4fun]

Hello,

Can you post who you used as a private guide?

or email it to me?

bruce4fun@yahoo.com

thanks,

Bruce

[crewmom24]

Please post the company that you used. Thank you.

Debbie

[chipmaster]

We used RomeInLimo, RIL, they have a very large following and a thread dedicated to reviews, tips and other stuff about them. They do more than Rome. I'm surprised they fell off the front page but here is the thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986987

 

Please post the company that you used. Thank you.

Debbie