MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Anyone on here have any tips on a nice coastal town in Tuscany? flying in to Pisa and looking to stay somewhere on the coast (1hour max from Pisa airport). Looking for nice pubs/bars/restaurants and some culture things to do in the day (as well as some beach/pool time.
Will Livorno tick the boxes?
Cheers
Livornos a bust port, nice old town but a bit industrial around the docks and further up the river..
Can you get to Castiglioncello, bit further down the coast but oh so lovely.. and quiet.. (if that’s what you’re after)
That’s supposed to read BUSY, not bust.
(the edit buttons not working)
[classic stw] inland's where it's at - beautiful countryside, gorgeous towns 'n'shit and lots of little rivers where you go skinnydipping with the local teenagers
#notmyfaultyourhonourwewerethwerefirst
[/cstw]
that's supposed to read BUSTY, not bust
oh, wait, maybe I deleted that part
Since it’s my wife who’s going with her friends a BUSTY Port may be not what they want.. sounds good to me though.. I’ll check the other place out. cheers
I live in Lucca, 30 mins inland and can confirm that life is better a bit away from the sea. What time of the year are you looking at? Till around April, the coastal towns are pretty quiet as there are few tourists and so bars, restaurants etc are not all open.
saving this thread as we're coming to lucca in august, got a villa nearby so interested in advice on the area.
may even bump into you palmares 🙂
Cheers Palmares. They are flying into Pisa early July and definitely want some beach time. I think Castiglioncello looks about right...unless you say otherwise!
Years back we stayed for a week in Tirrenia.
Was not too bad at all. Easy bus ride into Pisa and the things there are to do there plus the railway station allowed easy access to Florence and the like.
We also hired a car for a few days and saw bits of Tuscany, etc.
It ticked many boxes.
Hotel Bristol in one of their out of the main hotel apartments. Recollect they had a nice pool and gardens and were < 10 mins walk from the beach.
In classic STW style of suggesting something entirely different from what the OP wanted - Cinque Terra is not far away, though in summer I gather it is completely jammed with tourists.
I lived / worked out there for 3 months back in the 90s. My knowledge is probably a tad out of date.
If you've got a car I'd suggest not Livorno. As others above have said it's a busy port and industrial, but also a stop for cruise ships (passengers visiting Pisa) so geared up for tourists in some places.
I think you'll struggle to mix coastal with culture that way. Be prepared to travel inland for the culture. Pisa, Lucca, Florence and Sienna are the obvious Ligurian / Tuscan tourist traps.
As for beachtime, Lerici and Portovenere are lovely seaside towns. Cinque Terre is a little remote but worth a visit. A cracking coastal walk but accessible from the train also. A big long beach pretty much from Carrara to Viareggio. Personally I'd steer clear from Livorno but ymmv...
I used to live in Tirrenia. It’s a pleasant enough place, with good beaches, but it was the mid80s so it’s probably changed a bit. As others have said, Livorno isn’t that nice, but the towns inland are great, Lucca was a particular favourite.