If you’re visiting Italy by cruise or travelling through Tuscany you may well come across Livorno Port which is the perfect point to explore lots of Italy from. We will show you how to get from Livorno to Florence (the train from Livorno to Florence is very easy) or Livorno to Pisa. We will also give you the details of Livorno cruise port if you are arriving by ship and the Livorno shore excursions available. This feature will also let you know all the things to do in Livorno if you don’t want to leave the Livorno port area.
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Livorno is on the north Italian coast and the second biggest of the Tuscan cities. Founded in the 11th century to help protect nearby Pisa.
It has spent the centuries since as a busy trading port.
Excursions from Livorno Port
There are some great excursions you can take from Livorno. On the ones mentioned below you will be picked up from the port and dropped back in time for any cruise.
Click on the links below to find out more and the cost.
Livorno – spending time in the city
Today it is the main stop for people visiting by cruise ship. They are often shuttled out to surrounding towns and cities and many people transit straight through the town.
Livorno – the port
The port itself is less than 10 minutes drive to the main town centre. It is serviced by numerous shuttle buses from the cruise liners as it’s not the easiest walk from the boat.
The roads around are very busy and this is definitely a port which is best travelled between with a transfer.
If you have booked on to one of your official cruise excursions these will also be situated next to the shuttle buses and directly next to the cruise liner.
If you decide to spend your time in the port, unlike many in Italy there really is nothing here. It’s not a port building to spend any time in.
See below for all of our suggestions of places further afield to visit.
The train from Livorno to Florence (and the train from Livorno to Pisa)
If you are travelling independently, as soon as you step off the ship, there are taxi touts trying to sell their services. They will try to persuade you that it is too difficult to get the train.
We were told that it takes hours to get to Florence by train (it doesn’t, it’s one hour 15 mins) and that it is much too difficult to do without them.
On our recent trip we were almost swayed by them but the 200 euro price tag for a return trip put us off.
Instead we spent 20 Euros for a taxi to the train station. It was then 43 Euros for all of us (as kids don’t pay) for the return train trip to Florence from Livorno for the day.
The train station at Livorno is beautiful. And there are regular trains to Florence and to Pisa amongst many other destinations.
Pisa is about a 15 minute train trip away and the trains are very regular.
If you are travelling independently I would suggest Pisa is a much better bet than Florence. Simply because it’s closer and easier to get back to Livorno from.
If you are travelling on to Florence then just ensure you have adequate time to get back. Florence can get very congested, even getting out by train can occasionally be problematic.
Livorno – our conclusion
Livorno would have been a lovely city to explore but the lure of Florence was too strong for us.
However, Florence really does eat up your time and this is one port stop where I would suggest getting an excursion rather than doing it yourself.
Traffic in this part of Italy is really bad, particularly around rush hour (which perfectly coincides with the time most people are trying to get back to their ships). Having done it I think it’s a location I’d book a tour for in future. Or stay around Livorno and enjoy the sights here.
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