One of the best parts of a Mediterranean cruise, are all of the amazing stops you get to make! Our next stop on our cruise took us to the port of Livorno, which allows you to have access to visit Pisa and Florence in the same day. Fair warning: When a cruise line tells you that you are visiting Florence/Pisa, make sure to see where the ship is actually docked. Both of these cities are landlocked, meaning the closest port is about 45 minutes away. The only way to get into either of these cities is to book an excursion with your cruise line, book a private tour with an outside company, or book a cab once you walk outside of the port. I used a wonderful company called Joe Bananas Tours who went ABOVE AND BEYOND for us and was totally worth the money spent. I actually compared the price of doing a tour with a private outside company with the exact timeline/plans as the cruise line’s excursion, and this was by far the better option and actually cheaper.

Our morning began bright and early at 8 AM once we docked in Livorno. Our driver from Joe Bananas actually met us right outside the ship. Private tour guides and cruise line transportation services are the only allowed vendors inside the port to pick you up right near the ship. If you plan to take a taxi, plan to walk a bit to pick one up. Our driver had a sign with our name and once we met with him, we got into our air-conditioned Mercedes van fully stocked with air and bottled water. Let me tell you- an air-conditioned vehicle is MUST especially in the summer months.

We began the 45-minute drive to Pisa. I really loved getting to go here first because it meant the crowds were still low and it wasn’t overly populated with tourists to get that touristy photo everyone wants hehe We walked the grounds of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I would have loved to go up in the Cathedral to see the Baptistery which gives beautiful views of the cathedral, but time didn’t allow for it.

Lunch Recs for Pisa: Caffeteria Dantesca, La Toscana, OR Osteria (We ate in Florence, but others like to make this their lunch stop)

After Pisa, we zoomed off to Florence, which was another good 45ish minutes away. The best part of having our own private guide with just my family was that we got to tell him everything that we wanted to see and do and then he accommodated everything for us to see and do! Hands down the MOST important thing if is you want to see the David statue at Galleria dell’Accademia, is buy your tickets in advance!! We got to bypass all of the general admission lines because we had booked our tickets through our tour company to make it so easy to see and do it all.

   

For lunch, we asked our guide for an authentic Italian restaurant and he did not disappoint! We had pizza on the agenda, and he delivered. He walked us to this authentic restaurant and it was amazing. If you are ever in Florence, you MUST go to La Busola for pizza. It was SO GOOD.

After lunch, we had some free time, so we got to walk around and explore Florence on our own. We ventured to Scuola del Cuoico which is an old leather shop where everything is hand made. I got an adorable leather bracelet. From there, we headed back to where we had planned to meet our driver. We went to Florence’s oldest café (Caffe Gilli) for authentic espressos. I just LOVED Florence and could easily go back to spend more time there.

A Full List of Florence Recs For 1 Day:

See David at the Galleria dell’Accademia

The Duomo or Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Piazza della Repubblica

Coffee at Caffe Gilli, Florence’s oldest cafe

Gelato/Coffee on Via Dei Neri

Ponte Santa Trinita bridge views

Drinks on the Rooftop Aperitivo

Lunch: Pinos Sandwiches OR GustaPizza

Gelatto: Gelateria dei Neri

Scuola del Cuoio- Leather shop

 

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly