Duration : 9 Hours
Starting From:Guests who have visited Florence previously, or
who are wanting a similar tour without so much driving, will find that this
private shore excursion to Lucca & Pisa from La Spezia fits the bill.
Features
of this day trip to Lucca & Pisa from La Spezia:
LUCCA
A one-hour drive from La Spezia through the heart of one of Italy's richest agricultural regions will take you to Lucca.
This city is one of Tuscany's best-kept secrets. The picturesque fortress town is steeped in history; it was here that Caesar, Pompeii and Crassus agreed to rule Rome as a triumvirate in 56 B.C. Later Lucca was the first town that accepted Christianity. During the French invasion Napoleon made Lucca a Municipality and gave it to his sister Elisa, whose name is still connected with a number of buildings and sites.
Today Lucca is an ideal destination for shutterbugs and shoppers, thanks to its elegant Renaissance architecture, unique striped churches, and abundant shops. But what will really make you “ooh” and “aah” are the massive city walls that still encircle the city in their entirety. The purpose of the walls has changed over the centuries; they now serve as a place where folks can stroll, ride bikes, and run with their dogs, no longer recalling their ancient days as a fortification against attack.
Audioguides can be rented in Lucca or we can hire a licensed private tour guide for you.
PISA
After Lucca, we’ll visit Pisa’s Campo dei
Miracoli (Field of Miracles) where you’ll be fascinated by Pisa's most famous
monuments: the Duomo (cathedral), the Baptistery, and the legendary Leaning
Tower.
Pisa was once a famous sea-trading republic,
and the Cathedral was begun in 1063 to commemorate the Pisans’ victory over the
Saracens that year. Designed as the bell tower of the Cathedral,
construction of the Leaning Tower was begun about 100 years later and took
over 200 years to build.
Of course the tower, eight stories tall and
constructed of white marble, was never meant to lean! But due to the
unstable sub-structure of the ground, the tower began to list when construction
got to the third story, and the rest is history.
Inside the tower, there is a spiral staircase of
more than 250 steps leading to the top, which is now about 4 meters off
vertical, after the massive feat of
stabilization that was
done during the 1990s. So now you can put on your runners and climb to
the top! (Don’t panic, the climb is not obligatory.)
If you decide to climb the Leaning Tower be
sure to request that we book your ticket.
If climbing a bunch of stairs inside a closed,
leaning space doesn’t sound like so much fun you might want to check out the
acoustics demonstration in the baptistery, or try to count the mysterious
devil’s nail marks on the cathedral.
1. Is this tour private?
The tour is private, just for your party, however, if you prefer to share your tour with other passengers to alleviate costs, you may find your travel companions to create your small group and divide the costs.
2. Is the driver also a guide?
Our English-speaking drivers are NOT licensed guides. In order to provide you with the best-in-class service, our English-speaking driving guides have been trained to offer our clients a nice overview with information regarding the major highlights avoiding the expensive charges of hiring a private guide. Due to strict Italian laws & regulations that protect officially licensed guides, our driving guides can comment and explain the sights only from inside the vehicle but are not allowed to do so once they are outside the vehicle. They are regularly licensed instead to chauffeur the public. We highly recommend that you never book with any touring company that does not make this clear.
3. Does the driver go with us inside the monuments?
No, only a licensed guide is authorized to accompany you during the visit of sights. Our driver will drop you off close to the sights but will stay with the vehicle for the duration of your visit.
4. Does this tour include lunch and admission fees to sites?
No tickets or lunch are included in the rate. Please contact our office for pricing and reservations.
5. Does it include a guide?
A guide is not included either. Please contact our office for pricing and reservations.
6. What is the duration of the tour?
The duration of the tour is 9 hours, including pickup and drop off at the ship.
7. Is the itinerary flexible?
Our itineraries are completely flexible, and we will be happy to operate any changes to the original itinerary (within reason). Please contact our office with all the requests you may have so that we can better organize your day.
8. Do you guarantee the return to the ship on time?
In almost 30 years of business, we have never missed the ship that is why we have organized all itineraries to guarantee your return on time.
9. Is gratuity included in the price?
Tips are never included in our quotes. We think that a tip shouldn’t be included in the rate otherwise it would be a tax!!! Once in Italy do not feel as though you have to tip everyone because someone told you to. Tip only if you really liked the service. Tips are generally: 10% not bad 15 % great 20 % best tour in my life. Please report any abuse.
There will be a full charge for bookings canceled with less than 72-hour notice for any service required. In this case, a full charge will be made on your credit card. If you miss your flight or if your airline decides to cancel the flight due to bad weather or if your flight is directed to another airport on arrival, please advise us on time (as soon as you know) or a full charge will be made.
Please give us enough time so we can accept other reservations and allocate them to our chauffeurs. If the ship does not make it to the pier for bad weather, you will not be considered responsible so NO CHARGE will be made to your credit card. A full charge will be made for no show-up.
Only pre-purchased skip the line tickets (if requested) are not refundable under the circumstance and will be charged to your card.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get new promos!
Transfer Services activated.
