The cruise ship docks in Livorno and some of the most popular excursions are to Pisa and Florence. We ended-up picking an excursion that included going to Pisa and then Florence as we wanted to do as much as possible. This turned out to be a mistake, as it was too much to see in a single day.
Alternatively, you can spend the day in Livorno where the ship docks. There is a shuttle to take you into town. But another idea is to take an excursion to the Ligurian Coast. This is what we did during out most recent Mediterranean cruise, and we highly recommend it. It’s very picturesque and the rubber boat around the Bay of La Spezia was fun.
Pisa
Our tour only gave us 30 minutes at the Campo dei Miracoli to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the cathedral and the baptistery. This was obviously not enough time to appreciate what we saw.
In fact, a couple of guests on our semi-private cruise ship excursion were left behind. The tour guide was concerned about getting to Florence and having enough time to see all the sites included in the itinerary. We felt bad for the two women, but they were fortunate enough to hook up with another tour and make it back to the ship.
Tip: If you want to climb the tower, book your ticket in advance because access is very limited.
Florence
The drive through Tuscany was very picturesque. On the way to Florence we watched the endless yellow fields of sunflowers pass by. Then we got our first glimpse of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo. Spectacular!
A few hours in Florence are simply not enough. The cruise port is very far from the city and you will spend a good part of you time in the bus. It was also very frustrating and disappointing to be rushed through the prestigious Uffizi Gallery (where we didn’t even have time to buy a souvenir book!). Ditto for Ponte Vecchio as well as the Duomo and Baptistry.
Florence deserved more than a few hours to really appreciate it. A few years later, we did return to see more of what this beautiful city has to offer, and we would revisit again. With a ship shore excursion, you will be left wanting and it just might convince you to go back.
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