CruisinRoxy Posted February 22 #1 Share Posted February 22 Is it worth it? I mean, it's Florence, so of course folks want to go there. But 4 hours on a bus? What do you all think? Just weighing our options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleleaves Posted February 22 #2 Share Posted February 22 How long is your port day? do you have time for your planned activities to make it worthwhile? We only spent 4 hrs there during our cruise, but it was enough time to see the Duomo, the PonteVecchio, have lunch at the Market and browse the adjacent market, (personally I prefer the train over a bus, and the station is less than 10 minutes from the Duomo) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhiannon84 Posted February 23 #3 Share Posted February 23 If you're docking at La Spezia, have you looked at going to Cinque Terre or Portofino instead? Very easy to get to, and utterly beautiful. You'll be on a train for 30mins max, or small ferry/daytrip boat which is a bit longer. The train station is 20 mins walk from the port, and the boats are 5mins walk. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euro cruiser Posted February 23 #4 Share Posted February 23 (edited) As I've said on other threads, I think it's deceptive marketing for cruise lines to sell La Spezia as a port for Florence. Obviously, given Florence's location in the middle of the country, any port will be a trek. Livorno is bad enough (90 km/50+ miles) but at least there are major highways the entire route and fairly straightforward train connections. To call La Spezia (150 km/90 miles) a port for Florence is ridiculous. Fortunately, there are so many wonderful options much closer to La Spezia. No, they are not Florence, but some places are better seen on a land trip. Edited February 23 by euro cruiser 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elaine5 Posted February 23 #5 Share Posted February 23 (edited) If it's you're only option (including any future possible trips) to see Florence, I would go. It's much smaller than Rome and beautiful. [When DD17 wanted to see Paris--it was 3 hours on tour bus each way. We had only a whirlwind 4 hours to (literally) run around Paris, but she loved it.] Florence can be a very enjoyable walk-about with out even having any museums, etc. reserved for 4-6 hours. Viewing the outside of the Duomo (esp the bronze door scenes), walking by the "fake" David in the square, walking over the bridge, stopping at a cafe for a snack/drink, and meandering down the little side streets doing some leather shopping is a wonderful day. With that said, Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful areas in the world-small cliffside villages in an incredible setting. It's very close to La Spezia. Edited February 23 by elaine5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted February 23 #6 Share Posted February 23 20 hours ago, CruisinRoxy said: But 4 hours on a bus? What do you all think? Just weighing our options. Should you decide against Florence, there are a number of past threads re la Spezia which you could read for ideas. This is a good one to start with. Ignore the driving reference as it very quickly morphs into ideas and suggestions. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2911139-la-spezia-anything-to-do-within-a-short-drive/#comment-64723978 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinRoxy Posted February 23 Author #7 Share Posted February 23 Thanks everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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