Veplu

Hello,

Could anyone please share your knowledge on the best option to get from Livorno (Cruise Terminal) to Pisa and Lucca. We're family of 10 (1 children) cruising with Carnival Vista this September. I'm hesitant to book the shore excursion with the Cruise or any tour agents.

I have done some research and some people mentioned that the options to go to Pisa/Lucca on your own is either by Shuttle/Bus no.1/Train or Taxi/Train. My question is

1) I read some comments from several years ago that people experienced challenges to get a cab to the train station. Is it still true?
2) Does anyone know a reliable car transfer that can drop us from Livorno Port to Pisa at our designated time? Most of the companies that I came across offer both transfer and tour, which is not what we need. We just need the car to transfer us from Livorno to Pisa. We can take a train from Pisa to Lucca on our own.
3) Does anyone has an experience in renting a car and driving to Pisa/Lucca. I read that driving in Pisa is complicated as some roads are prohibited for non-residents and if get caught by camera, your credit card will be billed for a fine (hundreds of Euro).

I really appreciate any helps/comments. Thank you.

Sassafrass

We did it from the port. It all took a little longer than we expected and there were only two of us. With ten people, you would likely need 2 or three taxis. If you rent, you would need a large van for ten people, plus getting to the rental place, then turning it in, etc. would be time consuming and a pain.

IMHO, hiring a driver with a van or shuttle that would seat all of you would be your best bet. Have him take you to Pisa and wait an hour while you see things. Have him take you on to Lucca with a set pick up time later, directly to ship.

We almost always do everything on our own using trains, etc., but this is one time when I think, easiest is best.

trvlgirlmq

Check out www.tuscanybytaxi.com . They will take you to both locations and cost less than some of the other tour operators.

jan47ete

You cannot walk off the port. Your only option is cab or ship's bus to take you to the train station. Second problem we encountered was we needed to catch an early train and the ship's buses did not leave until like 20 minutes after we needed to be on the train, so we had to take a cab.

Trains are easy, it was just getting to the station.

Henda

We took the shuttle from the harbour to Livorno, from Livorno the bus to the station.

london_chap

Hi,

I did this last year. Because it's a busy commercial port & they don't want passengers walking around, there is a free shuttle bus into Livorno town centre. From there, you catch a bus to the train station. The trains are really cheap. Last year we went to Pisa & Lucca one day, and Florence on another day. It was fun!

I loved all three places.

Good luck!

Jon

DMBTraveler

Just got off the Vista..

I have not posted about Livorno yet but will do so shortly. Renting a car there and driving around is easy.. You might be able to arrange a mini-van rental for 10.

We used Eurocar.. but Hertz and Avis are also available at the port.

Although the price was higher than we would normally pay for a day rental the other options were more expensive and for us not be as flexible as driving on our own. A cruise excursion for 10 would definitely require a second mortgage

Eurocar provided us a GPS with all the popular spots already stored plus the GPS had a "Speed Camera" warning system.

We did Florence and Pisa on our own no problem.

Here is what I have posted in my TR so far... more to come.

http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...4052016-ad.cfm