Florence and Pisa Shore Excursion from Livorno with Leaning Tower

Livorno and the road to Florence

Livorno is the main port of Tuscany and the gateway for cruise passengers heading to Florence and Pisa, both about an hour or more inland. A lively city of canals and fortresses built in the late Renaissance as a free port, it has its own charm, but most visitors use their day ashore for the great art cities. The challenge of a Livorno shore excursion is time: trains require a shuttle, changes and careful planning to be back on board.

This excursion starts at the shore excursion meeting point, a short shuttle ride from the cruise terminal, where staff in green T-shirts welcome you. The coach reaches Florence in about an hour and a half through the Tuscan countryside of olive groves, cypresses and hill villages. On the way the tour leader shares maps and advice so you can plan your free time, and the Wi-Fi lets you download the city app.

Florence Cathedral, the Baptistery and the bell tower

Florence is the cradle of the Renaissance, and its religious heart is the Piazza del Duomo. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, faced in white, green and pink marble, is crowned by a red-brick dome completed in 1436 that remains the largest masonry dome ever built. Beside it the slender bell tower rises in the same coloured marble, and in front stands the octagonal Baptistery with its gilded bronze doors, the most celebrated of which are known as the Gates of Paradise.

Your stroll with the tour leader starts around this square, the best place to understand the city's golden age. Entry to the cathedral itself is free but queues can be long, while the dome climb and the bell tower need separate timed tickets. With three and a half hours in Florence, most travellers admire the exteriors, then continue toward the river through streets lined with leather and paper shops.

Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio

Piazza della Signoria has been the political centre of Florence since the Middle Ages. It is dominated by the Palazzo Vecchio, the fortress-like town hall with its tall tower, and the Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air gallery of Renaissance and ancient statues. A copy of David stands in front of the palace, and the courtyard of the Uffizi Gallery opens just beside it, leading down to the Arno river.

A few minutes away, the Ponte Vecchio crosses the Arno with its row of jewellers' shops hanging over the water, as it has done since 1345. It was the only bridge in Florence spared in the Second World War. This is the perfect place for photos and for the free time that follows the tour leader's stroll: shopping, lunch or a gelato on the riverbank. Remember to return to the coach on time.

The Accademia Gallery and the original David

The Accademia Gallery holds the most famous statue in the world, the original marble David, carved between 1501 and 1504 from a single block of marble and standing over five metres tall. Moved indoors in 1873 to protect it, it stands at the end of a long hall lined with unfinished figures that seem to struggle out of the stone. The museum also holds Florentine paintings and a collection of historic musical instruments.

The default option of this excursion does not include the Accademia, but you can choose an option with Accademia Gallery tickets on the booking panel, with or without the Leaning Tower climb. Is the Accademia worth visiting on a cruise day? If David is on your list, yes: the pre-booked entry saves the long queue, and the visit takes about 45 minutes within your time in Florence.

Pisa, the Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower

Pisa was a powerful maritime republic, and its wealth built the Piazza dei Miracoli, the Field of Miracles: a lawn of brilliant green with the white marble cathedral, the round Baptistery, the monumental cemetery of the Camposanto and the bell tower that made the city famous. Construction of the Leaning Tower began in 1173, and it started to tilt only a few years later as the soft ground settled. Engineers straightened it slightly between 1990 and 2001 to keep it safe.

With about 75 minutes in Pisa, the default option includes a ticket to climb the Leaning Tower at a set time slot. The spiral staircase winds up inside the walls to the bell chamber, where the view stretches over the square and the red roofs of the city. Bags must be left in the lockers, and children under eight cannot enter the tower. Then the coach returns to Livorno in about 30 minutes.