Getting to Lucca, Italy for a day trip from our ship in Livorno?
 

We are going to be on a cruise in October. One of the ports is Livorno. We would very much like take a day trip to Lucca on our own rather than with an organized tour. Does anyone know how long a round trip would take from our ship and back? Would it be best to hire a driver? Take a train? Thank you.

The train takes about an hour, changing in Pisa. Fares from 5.30 euros each way, depending on type of train. There are not all that many trains, but if you look on "www.trenitalia.it" for any day next week it will give you an idea.
I wouldn't go to the expense of a private driver for such an easy journey.

The train station in Livorno is distant from the docks of Livorno, so you will need a taxi to the station.

There are message forums for cruise ship passengers on Cruise Critic.com and maybe other websites as well. Few people here take cruises, but on those message forums you can find people who have docked at Livorno many times and know how to get to the train station and to Lucca and back. You might also find people who have booked your cruise and would be interested in sharing the cost of a private driver.

What day of the week? If Sunday or Monday, I think you'll find Lucca pretty quiet until the afternoon, although there is an antiques market in Lucca on the 3rd Saturday-Sunday of the month. Otherwise, market day is Wednesday.

We have done just what you are planning - there are a few logistical hoops but it can be done. Best to take a taxi from the port to the train station and of course be mindful of the time / train schedule. We loved our day in Lucca - we rented bikes and rode the walls - lots of fun!

>>> Few people here take cruises,<<<

Actually, there are a lot of people that take cruises and there is a cruise forum. This question gets asked quite often on the Europe board and the cruise board.

http://www.fodors.com/community/cruises/

If it's early (during commuter times) there will be 3-4 trains per hour to Pisa. Later in the morning, service cuts back a bit (about 2 per hour to Pisa).

We have been to Livorno on a cruise. You basically have 4 choices: Florence, The Cinque Terra, Lucca or Pisa. We had been to all 4 places previously. Florence is a 2 hr. bus ride away. We were not going to spend 4 hrs. on a bus to spend 4 hrs. in a place we had been to twice before, no matter how great a city it is. Nor did we feel we had time to do the CT justice. We wanted to go back to Lucca, but were confronted with the logistical hoops described above. We found that Pisa was by far the easiest place to get to. There are busses to Pisa that leave the Tourist Information Center on a regular basis. We just said the heck with it and took the short bus ride to Pisa. This may not be the answer to your question, but that is what we did. If you can get to Lucca and back to the ship on time, good for you. We have been there before and also enjoyed riding the bikes around the ramparts.