Pisa/Florence on our own help?

[irishayes]

Hi!

 

We are not finding the excursions we are looking for when we dock in Livorno, so we are thinking of doing Pisa/Florence partially on our own and I need to know whether this would be doable:

 

Want to see the Tower of Pisa, then on to Florence to see The David. After that, would like to tour a Tuscan winery and have lunch there, followed by a bit of shopping before back to the ship.

 

I know I can use the "Pisa/Florence on your own" excursion, but how would we arrange a winery tour from Florence?

[cberge]

Hi!

 

We are not finding the excursions we are looking for when we dock in Livorno, so we are thinking of doing Pisa/Florence partially on our own and I need to know whether this would be doable:

 

Want to see the Tower of Pisa, then on to Florence to see The David. After that, would like to tour a Tuscan winery and have lunch there, followed by a bit of shopping before back to the ship.

 

I know I can use the "Pisa/Florence on your own" excursion, but how would we arrange a winery tour from Florence?

Just a question...how long are you going to have in port to do all this? It sounds like you want to dash into Pisa,the on the Florence and only see David then off to Tuscany(where?) eat luunc and do a wine tour.Lots of time invloved here.Have you been to Florence before? I am sure someone will have a suggestion,but need to give a time for all this,and you didn't say how long?

[euro cruiser]

I was with you up to the "lunch and a tour of a Tuscan winery". There's no way you're going to get to Pisa, then on to Florence, visit the Accademia ("David") and make your way to Tuscany all before lunch.

 

Maybe with a car and driver, maybe, but certainly not with public transit.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, the time issue is critical.

 

I would get in touch with Jany at Rome in Limo, and she will make it happen, if it can be done.

Edited October 6, 2013 by CruiserBruce

[kuldalai]

I would spend your day in Firenze to see the MUST SEES (far more than just David) viz: Uffizzi gallery (2hrs), Academia (David 1 hr min), Duomo, Berninis magnificent brass doors on the Baptistry, Ponte Vecchio (over Arno river).

 

You need to pre book all your admissions on line or you will spend hours standing in queues.

 

Alternatively just do Pisa . But be sure to pre book on line via Tower website or you will not get in . Do not just turn up as usually booked out days in advance .

 

Forget the vineyard thing you can do that anywhere in the world.

Edited October 7, 2013 by kuldalai

[John Bull]

Florence (incl David) & Pisa & Winery?

You really need to perm two from three.

 

If you're going to rely on the train, that'll be Florence & Pisa, easy enough in a day.

 

But all three? I really don't see you'll have the time.

 

Just MHO

 

JB :)

[steva]

Here's a link to a review where they went to Florence and then a winery and then a last stop at Pisa: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1867342. Start at post #15

[Hlitner]

We think you are getting good advice in that its unreasonable to do Pisa, Florence and a winery in a single port day. Is it possible? Yes...but you would need to hire a private car/driver (or a rental car) and rush from place to place without much time to breathe. So, cross off the winery. If you want to do Pisa and Florence DIY it can be done using trains and taxis. However, we have never liked the combination because it leaves too little time in Florence. And keep in mind that the Academia (David) is located a bit afar from the main tourist area (and train station) and there are often long queues to get in to see David. You can buy tickets online, but dealing with all the timing issues is not very easy for a visitor unfamiliar with traveling in Italy and/or Florence. We generally recommend that a first-time visitor to Livorno simply spend their entire day in Florence. Personally, we have spent many days (and nights) in Florence and still have not had enough time in this fantastic city. In fact, just about every time we do a lengthy driving trip in Italy we try to leave a few days for Florence.

 

Hank

[cruisemuse13]

What is the best site to use to purchase advance tickets online for the Uffizi in Florence? thank you for any suggestions.

[euro cruiser]

This is the official web site for the city museums of Florence, which include the Uffizi and the Accademia: http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/en/orari/

[disneykins]

We were going to do Pisa and Florence on our own but now we're thinking maybe just Florence. Want to do Academmia, Uffizi, Duomo, Baptistery and Ponte Vecchio and Pisa.

 

We don't know which one to skip Uffizi or Pisa? Any suggestions?

 

I'm guessing simplicity would say eliminate Pisa.

 

We arrive Livorno at 7am and depart at 6pm.

 

Thanks,

Tony

[euro cruiser]

We were going to do Pisa and Florence on our own but now we're thinking maybe just Florence. Want to do Academmia, Uffizi, Duomo, Baptistery and Ponte Vecchio and Pisa.

 

We don't know which one to skip Uffizi or Pisa? Any suggestions?

 

I'm guessing simplicity would say eliminate Pisa.

 

We arrive Livorno at 7am and depart at 6pm.

I think you are overreaching. If the Uffizi is important to you, I think you should plan on seeing/doing only one or two other things in addition to the museum as it's huge. Even if you set a limit for yourself of, say, no more than two hours in the museum, that won't leave a tremendous amount of time for other things. So what's your order of priority, and are you willing to give up most of the other spots in favor of the Uffizi?

[disneykins]

I think you are overreaching. If the Uffizi is important to you, I think you should plan on seeing/doing only one or two other things in addition to the museum as it's huge. Even if you set a limit for yourself of, say, no more than two hours in the museum, that won't leave a tremendous amount of time for other things. So what's your order of priority, and are you willing to give up most of the other spots in favor of the Uffizi?

 

Thanks for your input. I think we'll find our own way to Florence, see David and enjoy the walk to the Uffizi and spend the rest of our time there. Maybe a quick stop at the Ponte Vecchio on the way back to the train station.

 

Thanks again,

Tony

[euro cruiser]

I think we'll find our own way to Florence, see David and enjoy the walk to the Uffizi and spend the rest of our time there. Maybe a quick stop at the Ponte Vecchio on the way back to the train station.

Sounds like a plan. If you find you have extra time everything is pretty close in Florence, so you can play it by ear. For example, as you walk from the Accademia (David) to the Uffizi you'll pass the Duomo and the Baptistry. You may not have the time to go in, but you can check out the Baptistry doors.

 

Are you planning to take the train? If so, it's likely that you can make the 8:12 from Livorno Centrale that arrives in Florence at 9:32. I suggest taking a taxi from the ship directly to the train station in Livorno, rather than the shuttle bus to the public bus, in order to get there faster and with the least amount of hassle. It's an expensive cab ride (25 Euro one way) but you can share the taxi with other passengers.

 

Do make reservations for both the Accademia and the Uffizi. The Accademia is only three-quarters of a mile from Santa Maria Novella train station, so if you are able to walk at a reasonable rate you can get there with 15 minutes of arrival. Reservations for the museum at 10 AM would give you some wiggle room.

 

In order to get back for a 6 PM departure (5:30 all aboard), you'd want a train that gets you back to Livorno Centrale no later than 5 PM. I always advise people to take the next to the last train that would get you there on time, to allow for problems. In this case, the last possible train gets in at 4:48 (departs Florence at 3:48). The train just before this departs Florence at 3 PM and arrives at Livorno at 4:23 (requires a change of trains at Pisa).

 

So that gives you about five and a half hours in Florence. A half hour to get to the Accademia and an hour there, plus a half hour to walk to the Uffizi and you'll get there at about 11:30. You'd need to be headed back to the train station no later than 2:30 to catch the 3 PM train, so that leaves you with three hours at the Uffizi (or a little less if you want to check out the Ponte Vecchio on the way back).

[Condocat]

I agree with others to visit Florence and Pisa.

 

I just returned from Lucca and Pisa last week. Hired a great private driver in advance through www.Tourshuttle.com They can drive you direct to Florence, stay while you visit then stop in Pisa on the way back. You can probably go on roll call and entice a 2-4 others to join you to help defray costs. We had a great english speaking driver and a new Mercedes van.

 

Happy planning!

[WildWind]

I agree with others to visit Florence and Pisa.

 

I just returned from Lucca and Pisa last week. Hired a great private driver in advance through www.Tourshuttle.com They can drive you direct to Florence, stay while you visit then stop in Pisa on the way back. You can probably go on roll call and entice a 2-4 others to join you to help defray costs. We had a great english speaking driver and a new Mercedes van.

 

Happy planning!

 

 

Same thing here. We did both Florence and Piza in 9 hours with http://www.livornotoflorence.com/services/

it is a bit cheaper than tours shuttle. 320 Euro shared by 8 persons. Great service and no time lost. I would not bother with train and taxis to the train station in Livorno.

 

As per Ufizzi, I would call and reserve. (+39 055-294883) In this case you do not need to prepay. In case if you change your mind, no money lost!!

there is not refund with online reservation!

[goodbirk]

We just returned from a Western Med cruise with RCI. We did a transfer to Florence, which allowed us 6 hours in the city. We saw everything we wanted, but only because of pre=arranged reservations for David. (You may still have to wait up to 1/2 hour in line.) After a lot of research, we decided against Pisa...too much in Florence is a must-see!! I would highly recommend All Around Italy for a private tour company. They are AMAZING! It seems like the winery tour would be the hardest to accomplish with Florence.

[Colorado Kat]

We did Florence this summer. We were tired, having just had 5 ports in 5 days. Just wandered and had a lovely time.

 

The leather markets are quite extensive, and we had fun shopping and bargaining.

 

Loved the Ponte Vecchio.

[unclerich]

We just returned from Celeb Equinox med cruise in October. Although we have been to the area several times, we chose to book our tour through Papillon Service. At our Livorno stop, we had time for Pisa, Florence, including Accademia, and a stop at a vineyard on the return, with wine, cheese tasting. We've used Papillon previously and toured with them in Rome this trip as well. Recommend without reservation for efficient use of your time in port.

 

Richard

[MiaS13]

How long is the drive from the port of Livorno to Florence?

 

 

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[CruiseIreland]

How long is the drive from the port of Livorno to Florence?

 

 

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It was approx. 1hr20mins to Florence, it was considerably shorter back to Livorno, about 1 hr. Traffic made the difference. We were on a private minibus. Ken