Italy · SHORE EXCURSIONS
The 15 best shore excursions tours you can book right now, with what each costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is there for a reason; start at the top.
Review of the La Spezia to Pisa shore excursion, with transport tips, free time, tower access, timing, value, and ship-return advice.
“Very easy process making getting too and from Pisa enjoyable. It’s roughly an hour from La Spezia port giving you around 3 hours in Pisa which is more than enough time.”
See Florence and Pisa from Livorno for $52 with coach transport, free time, local tasting, and a guaranteed return to your cruise ship.
“Paola and Beatrice were great! The day was full of rain, but they made it an unforgettable day in Florence and Pisa! Highly recommend!”
Review of a $70 Cinque Terre shore excursion from La Spezia by train, with four villages, a tour leader, beach time, and practical tips.
“Katerina was a great guide. Very friendly and helpful.”
See Florence and Pisa from Livorno by comfortable coach, with guided walks, free time, Tuscan scenery, and optional local food tasting.
“A great trip. Well organised and led by Ariana. Kept to timings all day and delivered us back to ship. Ariana was very friendly and knowledgable. Manage to see major sites in Florence - very briefly. Not enough time in Piza but this due to time constraints and a ships deadline this was not possible.”
Review of Livorno’s $35 Pisa shore excursion, with coach transport, Miracle Square free time, optional Leaning Tower climb, and cruise-safe return.
“The tour was perfect for a family. Alice was organised and we were well looked after. We included the climb the Tower entry which was the highlight of the trip.”
Review of Livorno’s Florence and Pisa shore trip, with coach transport, optional Accademia and Tower tickets, timing, value, and practical tips.
“Alessandro was great-- just a fast walker.. he kept the bus entertained, gave us test time and explained the next agenda so we know what to expect. It was still a fun outing -- Lucca the driver was always. Ever ready!”
Sail from Milazzo to Panarea and Stromboli for white villages, volcanic islets, sunset views, and glowing eruptions at sea.
“Trip was very enjoyable. It was great to see the islands and especially Stromboli. We would recommend this activity.”
Review of a private Naples shore excursion to Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, with a driver, coastal views, and port return.
“Wonderful way of seeing Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi in one day. We were picked up just outside the port in an air conditioned minibus and a driver with minimal English (would highly recommend getting the tour with the English speaking guide). The driver was absolutely excellent - those narrow windy roads were very difficult to manoeuvre but he had no issues! We spent around 50 minutes in Sorrento and Positano but then we were stuck in traffic because of an accident which resulted in us only having about 25 minutes to wander around Amalfi. Only downfall was that we stopped at a restaurant along the way and it was incredibly…”
Review of the Livorno shore excursion to Florence and Pisa, with transport tips, sightseeing details, costs, walking demands, and honest advice.
“This was a great tour and Stephanie was amazing!!! She was very knowledgeable and super funny! She made our entire trip a blast. Helpful tip to whoever books this tour next: The directions to get to the bus from the pier are little unclear. They should have a shuttle for you at the beginning and you will not need a city shuttle or taxi (we got a taxi because we were confused and rushing). The driver will have a sign whatever the “code word” is for the tour and take you to the main bus where Stephanie will be waiting.”
Review of the Livorno to Florence shore excursion, with transport details, free time, optional Accademia visit, costs, and cruise return tips.
“Excellent guide! Was a bit chaotic at the beginning but this was due to rude passengers pushing in. We ended up leaving 15 mins late so experience to get on the bus was stressful! After that all good! As the drop off was a little hidden we appreciated the walk with the guide to the train station as it helped us find it again on our return.”
Review of Naples to Pompeii shore excursion: included tickets, port pickup, guide quality, group size, timing, value, and practical tips.
“Great walking tour of Pompeii with a fabulous guide. A bit hot and lots of steps but worth the effort.”
Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius from Naples in one day, with port pickup, guided ruins, pizza lunch, crater views, and practical shore-excursion tips.
“Group was too large - we would be in a single line and at the end the headphones would disconnect from the tour guide Maria. We missed many key points because we were too far back. The meeting point was not clear and the bus was late. They did make accommodations to take our lunch to go or we would have missed Vesuvius entirely. We had 40 minutes at Vesuvius which was not enough time to get to the top.”
Review of the La Spezia to Florence and Pisa shore excursion, with timing, transport, costs, sights, walking demands, and practical booking advice.
“Very good tour guide. Takes almost 2 hrs to florence and hour and half to pisa. Was a 9.5 hr day but enjoyed it”
See Rome’s top sights from Civitavecchia in a private nine-hour tour with port pickup, flexible stops, and optional guides.
“Costinel was amazing. The pick up from the port, private tour, and drop off at our hotel was above expectations. We really appreciated the flexibility of the itinerary, the history of the city, and the exclusive experience.”
Review of the 7-hour Taormina and Castelmola shore tour from Messina, with Greek Theater entry, port transfers, guides, views, and practical tips.
“The company was very good in communicating with me, days before the tour regarding my pick up location since I was not near the first pick up location. I was in contact with Ricardo via txt and also Mariarita so was my tour guide. She was extremely knowledgeable, professional and fun. She gave very good recommendations for restaurants and other thing so to see and do in Taormina. A wonderful experience!”
Pick the kind of day first, then pick the tour.
