areinert

Greetings

I have been reading through past posts about getting from Livorno to Florence. Our cruise ship will let us off at 7 am. Our intent is to take a train from Livorno to Florence at 8:12 am arriving in Florence at 9:32 am where we will walk a short distance to a market to meet Chef Barbara for a 10 am cooking class. Our class gets done at 2 pm. We will shop in Florence for a while and take a 4 something pm train getting back to Livorno around 5 something leaving plenty of time for the 7 pm departure of the ship.

A few questions:
1. How hard is it to get from the cruise ship to the Livorno train station?
- reading online it sounded like a long walk and the cabs might not want to take us to the train station as they would prefer the customer going from Livorno to Florence in a cab
- I read about a local shuttle from the cruise ship area to the central plazza, but doesnt run at 7:30 am

2. Should I buy my tickets in advance, or just get them from the ticket machine when I get to the station/

3. Should I buy a round trip, or just get my return ticket in Florence? (we have used the trains a lot in past Europe trips).

4. Will I have much problem getting a cab to get from the Livorno train station to the cruise ship? How much time should I plan for?

Thanks!
Aarron

kybourbon

>>>Should I buy my tickets in advance, or just get them from the ticket machine when I get to the station/<<<

Get them there as online tickets from Trenitalia have more restrictions (required to pick a time, etc.) and can only be purchased 7 days in advance. This line is served by slow regional trains that don't have reserved seating or discounts. You must validate your ticket before boarding for regional trains (unless you've purchased online with the time listed). Trains departing Livorno Centrale at 7:10, 7:30, 7:45, 8:12. All reach Florence by 9:30. You can buy your return ticket at the same time. A regional train purchased at the station should be valid for use for two months.

Dukey1

When we docked in Livorno it was obvious that the ship had docked in a an area where the "usual" thing is freight-bearing vessels.

I would try to take a taxi to the train station, and do so both ways, if at all possible. That would, in my experience, be the "fastest" the "most economical" and the "best" way to do it.

The question will be, getting the taxi at dockside. I would assume some will be in the area.

asps

The round trip is simply two ordinary tickets for each direction, so if you buy both in Livorno you save time in Florence.

Tickets for regional trains may be bought at the ticket office, from ticket machines and sometimes even at newspaper or tobacco shops in the station area. Ticket should be validated before boarding by stamping them at the machines by the platforms.

There should be urban buses going from the port area to the station and vv. - obviously a taxi should be the easiest way to get to the station.

Dukey1

DO NOT wait for some "urban bus" which might never show up. The port area in Livorno is large. It isn't like Civitavecchia IMO and you can certainly ask if there is some sort of bus stop nearby but with your time frame I still recommend the taxi solution.

pctraveler

I agree with asps' recommendation; buy all your tickets in Livorno. My issue with SMN (Florence train station) is that there are always pests offering to "help" you use the automated ticket machines in return for a generous tip. They are really annoying. If you are in a hurry at the end of the day and are trying to figure out the automated ticket machine, that might not be your best option.

I have taken the train from Livorno to Florence, but don't remember any details.

asps

May I repeat myself? If a trip is within Tuscany on regional trains, the easiest thing to do at SMN is buying a biglietto a fascia chilometrica, valid for a set distance, at on of the newspaper shops like the new Hudson near the ticket office. As nobody seems to know this option, it is the quickest one. The same thing could be done at Livorno station.

jan47ete

I also recommend www.shorebee.com as it appears you are a frequent cruiser.

cruisetaker

I think taxi is the best use of money and time. If you're taking the train from livorno to florence, you can take the ship shuttle to the main square where you may hire a taxi. Personally, I use the bus if I only have hours to spend in a city.