I have tried twice to visit Lucca by booking shore excursions from the ship only to have them cancelled at the last moment because there are not enough persons interested. We will be in Livorno again
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I have tried twice to visit Lucca by booking shore excursions from the ship only to have them cancelled at the last moment because there are not enough persons interested. We will be in Livorno again in May. Is there a reliable company that we can book to visit this much wanted city? Any help? Thanks
Try searching ... I used Google ... "tour companies liverno"
First one indicated 610 euro for 1-3 people ... Very high price. Most ship passengers will opt for either Florence or Pisa that is why most will not pick Lucca tour, hence cancelled tours. Suggest that you post your interest on the Cruise Critic site see example below:
Try www.driverinrome.com, very good and reliable. It will be expensive unless you can find a few other people to share a minivan, then it becomes a bargain compared to the cruise ship prices. Besides the cost, booking your own tour gives you total control of the timing. With a good English speaking driver, it is like having a relative show you around his hometown, much more memorable and enjoyable. Lucca is a beautiful walled city that transports you back centuries as you walk through its narrow streets. As for Pisa, it has a tower and yes it leans and looks just like the pictures you have seen. And it has a lot of vendors selling miniature ones. IMO, skip Pisa and go to Lucca.
We visited Lucca on a Sunday in late November 2009 while on an Azamara cruise. We had previously seen Pisa, and spent a week in Florence, so we wanted to see Lucca, and knew it was a more reasonable day trip from the cruise port than racing in and out of Florence.
It was so easy to visit Lucca on our own. We walked from the pier about 5 minutes out to the bus stop (buy a bus ticket from the newstand you pass on your way to the bus stop). Bus dropped us right at the Livorno Centrale train station - locals will let you know when to get off. Easy to buy tickets at the train station. You can search the train schedule online http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html The Livorno station is Livorno Centrale.
The train station in Lucca is right across from the city walls.
You can find a lot of information on Lucca with maps in both guidebooks and online, and easily explore on your own. Lucca is charming, and exploring on your own will allow you time to discover the charms of this small city. We walked the walls with the Sunday morning locals and few tourists. We stopped for cappuccino, wandered through the narrow streets, stopped for treats from some of the street vendors set up in the squares, sampled garlic bread at a street festival, visited the cathedrals, the amphitheater and climbed the tower for sweeping views.
Ask yourself if it makes sense to book a limo service in Rome to drive to Livorno, pick you up OUTSIDE the cruise port, deliver you to Lucca, Pisa or Florence, return you to the ship and then continue on the driver's way back to Rome all on your nickel? We Googled "Taxi in Livorno" and found terrific service at half the cost with drivers who had port entry permits and met us at the gangplank. Sometimes you have to use outside the box thinking.
My husband and I, our daughter and 2 grandsons 10 and 13 visited Lucca and Pisa in early December. We took the bus to the bus terminal, changed and took the bus to the train station. The round trip was less than 10 euros each and we were able to get off at Pisa on the way back. We walked over to the tower and then caught the next train back to Livorno. It was very easy and very inexpensive! We saw some of the countryside and a lot of Lucca. The train takes approximately 45 minutes from Livorno to Lucca. This was our second trip to Lucca, the previous one in October, 2009. It sounds strange I know, but it's more interesting when there are more people on the streets. The weather was wonderful on both trips.
Have you been to all the other cities in proximity to Lucca? We've seen lots of Italy, and Lucca was not our favorite. Of course there's Florence and Siena.
Pick up Rick Steves book MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE PORTS. He covers them all and they are geared to independent traveling. If you belong to Costco, check there.
