need advice: rental car & livorno

[cbb]

We're in Florence overnight 8am-8pm and would like to go to and/or St Paul. Bus, train, rental car? He is comfortable driving it but says it isn't as relaxing for him as taking ship's tours. (Type A+++ !) I figure with this much time built into the schedule we can take it easy. Rental car company favorites from those ports? As always, thanks. c

[cberge]

We're in Florence overnight 8am-8pm and would like to go to and/or St Paul. Bus, train, rental car? He is comfortable driving it but says it isn't as relaxing for him as taking ship's tours. (Type A+++ !) I figure with this much time built into the schedule we can take it easy. Rental car company favorites from those ports? As always, thanks. c

I do not understand your question....are you asking about some place near Florence,Italy or St.Paul de Vence in France??? There is a ton of info on all these boards re your questions(here and on the France board f or going to Eze)...just this one needs clarification :D

[cbb]

ahhh, that is because I was attempting a cut and paste from the France site asking the same rental car question but from a different port. Let me try again... We would like to go from Livorno (we are there overnight) to Lucca and don't know whether to try the train or to get a rental car. How easy is it to do from Livorno? Are rental car agencies close to the pier? We will have a GPS. Thanks and sorry I messed this up!

[Hlitner]

ahhh, that is because I was attempting a cut and paste from the France site asking the same rental car question but from a different port. Let me try again... We would like to go from Livorno (we are there overnight) to Lucca and don't know whether to try the train or to get a rental car. How easy is it to do from Livorno? Are rental car agencies close to the pier? We will have a GPS. Thanks and sorry I messed this up!

 

This is a topic oft discussed on this forum. Livorno has many security measures which seem to restrict the ability of rental car dealers to deliver cars to the pier. But the local Hertz franchise found at http://www.sifracar.com/home.htm?lingua=2 does seem to able to reliably get cars to pier-side for both pickup and drop. But they do charge a little more for that service...which is probably worth it when you consider that a taxi from the port to anywhere is at least 20 Euros.

 

Now that we have that out of the way I should say that it is silly to rent a car to merely go to Lucca. There are good train connections to Lucca from Livorno, although you will need to use a taxi (both ways) to get to the Livorno train station. You simply take any train to nearby Pisa where you change to the train that goes to Lucca. Its an easy walk from the Lucca train station into the old walled city. But, if you decide you want to go elsewhere (other than Lucca and perhaps Pisa) the rental car might be a good option.

 

Hank