Florence and Pisa Shore Excursion From Livorno: Which Coach Day Gives You More Time?

The two days side by side

Neither day includes lunch. Both leave you free in each city, so the choice is how much help you want and whether you plan to go inside a museum or up the tower.

The Leaning Tower ticket is for a set time chosen at purchase, and a late visitor is refused entry without refund, per Opera della Primaziale Pisana. Only the Shore Excursion: Florence & Pisa, Accademia & Tower sells a tower slot as part of the booking.

Hour by hour

The Shore Excursion: Florence & Pisa, Accademia & Tower lays out its legs: a 90-minute coach ride to Florence, three and a half hours of free time, an hour and a quarter to Pisa, an hour and a quarter at Piazza dei Miracoli, and about 30 minutes back to Livorno.

Add the port shuttle at both ends. Plan for one main visit in Florence and either the tower or the Cathedral in Pisa, not both inside.

Why one day covers both

The port operator names Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena as within easy reach of the port, per Porto di Livorno 2000 cruises. Pisa lies on the way, 20 km from Livorno Centrale by rail, and Florence sits 101 km away on the same line, per Trenitalia.

That geometry is why the coach days stop in Pisa on the way back. The drive home from Pisa is short, so the coach can leave Pisa later and still meet the ship.

If you only want Florence, a Florence-only day gives you more time there. Compare both on livorno florence tours.

Leaving the ship

The port operator runs a shuttle bus from the ship to downtown for the whole stay of the ship in port, per Porto di Livorno 2000. Info points are set up alongside each ship before arrival, with land assistants who speak English, Spanish, French and German, per Porto di Livorno 2000 hospitality.

Cruise line excursions leave from a coach area behind the Alto Fondale terminal, per Porto di Livorno 2000 Alto Fondale. The two days on this page are sold independently, so they meet in town instead.

Finding your coach

Staff for the Full day shore excursion to Florence and Pisa with tasting wait at the shuttle arrival point in Livorno town in light blue Shore Emotion T-shirts. Staff for the Shore Excursion: Florence & Pisa, Accademia & Tower wear green T-shirts at the Shore Experience office on Via Claudio Cogorano. If your ship arrives later than 9 am, contact the operator of the tasting day before you book.

By coach or by train

On both coach days Pisa is the second stop, with free time at Piazza dei Miracoli. The Full day shore excursion to Florence and Pisa with tasting enters the square through the Santa Maria gate.

By train, Pisa Centrale is 20 km from Livorno Centrale. A train leaving Livorno at 07.30 reaches Pisa at 07.45, and one leaving at 08.12 reaches Pisa at 08.29, per Trenitalia. Validate a paper regional ticket in the station machine before the train leaves, per Trenitalia passenger charter.

Florence tickets

A regular Accademia ticket costs $22.16 (€20) plus a reservation fee, per Galleria dell'Accademia. The museum advises booking because the wait without a reservation can be long, and it is closed every Monday. The Shore Excursion: Florence & Pisa, Accademia & Tower sells this entry as an option.

The Uffizi is closed on Mondays too, per Uffizi.

Pisa tickets

A tower visit takes about 30 minutes and climbs 251 steps, per Opera della Primaziale Pisana tickets. Tickets go on sale up to 90 days ahead, and you can change the time, not the date, or cancel up to 2 hours before the slot. Any ticket gives a free pass to the Cathedral.

Children who will not have turned 8 by the end of the year cannot climb the tower, and under 18s need an adult, per Opera della Primaziale Pisana. Reduced tickets are not sold for the tower.

Good fit and poor fit

Good fit: first-time visitors who want the Duomo and the Leaning Tower in one call, and people who like a fixed timetable. The Full day shore excursion to Florence and Pisa with tasting suits travellers who want a leader for the walk to Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio.

Poor fit: travellers with spinal injuries or poor heart health, whom the tasting day does not recommend, and anyone set on two museums in Florence. Coaches park in set areas outside both centres, so expect to walk.

Cover shoulders and knees for the Florence Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Crypt, per Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. The historic centre of Florence joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, and Piazza dei Miracoli in 1987, per Visit Tuscany.