Is Livorno Worth Visiting on a Cruise, or Should You Go to Florence?

The verdict by traveller

The port operator names Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena as within easy reach, and the Venezia district as the nearby area for shops and restaurants. That is the real choice on a cruise day.

Who should skip it

Skip Livorno if this is your only day in Tuscany and you have never seen Florence. The Duomo's facade was rebuilt after the Second World War bombings, and the city reads as a working port rather than an art town. Travellers who came for Renaissance art should head inland.

A port built by the Medici

In the second half of the 16th century the Medici decided that the fishing village around the Mastio di Matilde di Canossa should become one of the main ports of Europe. They made Livorno a city in 1606. The Fortezza Vecchia, which holds the Mastio, still guards the harbour.

It is joined by waterways to the Fortezza Nuova, so the two forts frame the old town. Among the city's museums is the Jewish Museum Yeshiva Marini, next to the Giovanni Fattori Civic Museum in Villa Mimbelli.

Canals and the sea

The Venezia district has bridges and navigable canals, and you can follow them by boat to the Renaissance centre. The very first bathing establishments in Europe were built in Livorno in the nineteenth century, which is why the seafront feels like a resort south of the centre. Bus line 1 runs out along that coast to Ardenza Mare and Miramare, and the Terrazza Mascagni, with its black and white checkered floor, is where the walk along the sea begins.

Food

Cacciucco is the city's fish stew. Livorno hosts a Cacciucco Pride festival where visitors taste it in many versions. The Mercato delle Vettovaglie is the place to see what the city eats.

The sights that fit a port call

Start near the port and work south toward the sea. The five stops below fit a short call without any transfer.

Market and fortress

The Fortezza Vecchia took the look of a real fortification around 1500 under the Medici, and today hosts events. The Venezia district is right next to it. The market was designed by Angiolo Badaloni on the model of Les Halles in Paris and sits on the Fosso Reale canal.

Up to Montenero

The Montenero funicular climbs to the hill sanctuary above the city. It needs an urban bus ticket for the ride out plus a funicular ticket of $2.22 (€2).

What you get against what it takes

Each option weighed by distance from Livorno, time away from the ship and the price per person or per group.

The edge case: a short call

When the ship is in port for only part of the day, Florence turns into mostly coach time. Pisa is the realistic trip out, about 15 to 17 minutes by regional train. Otherwise, stay in Livorno and spend the time on foot.

Getting around

Prices are the official Autolinee Toscane urban fares, which cover every bus ride and the funicular link in the city.

Against a tour

The Full day shore excursion to Florence and Pisa with tasting costs $48.54 per person for 8 hours and is rated 4.8 from 2,058 reviews. A day in Livorno costs you a few euros, and gives back the time a coach would spend on the road.

From the ship

The port operator provides a shuttle bus from the ship to downtown for the whole stay of the ship. Info points stand alongside each ship before arrival, with land assistants who speak English, Spanish, French and German. Welcome desks hand out maps and explain how to reach downtown and the railway station.

Bus line 1

Autolinee Toscane urban line 1 runs from Livorno Stazione via Carducci and Grande to Italia, Ardenza Mare and Miramare. The stop Grande 7 Porto Mediceo is on its route. That makes it the line for the station, the centre and the seafront south of the Terrazza Mascagni.

A single costs $2.22 (€2), or $3.32 (€3) from the driver.

The towns compared

UNESCO listing shows where the heritage is, and the port day decides what you can reach.

The calm option

Lucca's walls are freely accessible and fully walkable, a loop that suits a slower day. The Bus Transfer to Pisa and Lucca from Cruise Port covers both towns for $38 per person.

Plans by time ashore

Each plan starts from the shuttle stop downtown and ends back at the same stop for the ride to the ship.

Small things that help

Buy bus tickets before boarding to avoid the on-board price. Pick up a map at the terminal welcome desk. A canal boat in the Venezia district is the quickest way to see the Medici city from the water.