La Spezia Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

My partner and I wanted to see Florence while our cruise was in La Spezia, and adding Pisa to the same day sounded like a great opportunity. The day turned out to be a really memorable part of our trip.Florence was beautiful from the moment we started walking through the historic center. The Cathedral was incredible, and we especially enjoyed the atmosphere around Piazza della Signoria. Walking over Ponte Vecchio together was one of those simple moments that ended up being one of our favorite memories. There was plenty of history around us, but we also had time to enjoy the streets, shops, cafés, and general atmosphere.Pisa gave us a completely different feeling. Seeing the Leaning Tower up close was something we had both wanted to do for years, and it was great to finally have the chance. Naturally, we took far too many photos!What made the experience comfortable was not having to worry about transportation between the different locations. Since we were traveling by cruise ship, getting back on time was always in the back of our minds, so having the schedule handled carefully gave us peace of mind.It was definitely a full day, but for us it was exactly the kind of day we wanted while visiting Italy.

Had a beautiful tour of the islands and a stunning walk around Porto Venere. Our guide, Leo was amazing! Lots of opportunities to take photos and ask questions or just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Our tour started this morning with a text from our driver, Gabriele, letting us know he’d had a flat tyre. He even sent us a photo as proof and explained that he needed to pop to the garage to get it repaired/replaced, so he would be running a little late. He kept us fully informed throughout and, true to his word, arrived no more than 15 minutes after our scheduled time. Life happens — yes, even when you’re on holiday! 😂 But it’s how you deal with it that makes the difference, and Gabriele handled it perfectly. The tour itself was fantastic. Gabriele was really informative, clearly knew the area inside out (including all the little back roads!), and the vehicle was exactly as described. We had a brilliant time and would highly recommend this tour and Gabriele. 👍🏻

A group of friends can spend way too much time trying to figure out transportation and where to go, so having the day organized made things much simpler for us. Pisa was our first big stop, and seeing the Leaning Tower up close was one of those moments where everyone immediately started taking photos. We had free time around the square, which gave us the chance to explore at our own pace rather than just stopping for a quick picture.Florence was probably the highlight for me. Walking through the old streets with a guide made the city feel much more interesting because we learned about places we would have simply walked past otherwise. We also appreciated having the minivan take us closer to the different areas, especially after spending so much time walking around. There was a nice mix of guided sightseeing and time to just enjoy the surroundings with our friends. By the end of the day we were tired, but it was the good kind of tired after seeing and doing a lot.

Top-notch excursion 👌 The guide was great Magnificent views of the islands 🤩 Stop in Portovenere perfect I highly recommend it

Traveling with family can sometimes make sightseeing a little complicated, especially when everyone has different energy levels and you are trying to make the most of a cruise stop. This day turned out to be much easier than expected. We started with Pisa and had enough free time to walk around the Leaning Tower and take the usual family photos without feeling rushed. The area around the tower was really nice to explore, and the kids especially enjoyed seeing it in person after having seen pictures of it for years.After Pisa, we continued toward Florence. Having direct minivan access between the different areas was very helpful because there is already quite a lot of walking involved once you are in the city. Our guide walked with us through the historic streets and pointed out interesting details that we probably would have missed on our own. The whole day had a good balance of sightseeing and free time. For a family traveling from a cruise ship, it was a really enjoyable way to see two famous Italian destinations in one day.

This was an incredible day spent on the water. Our host Camilla was very knowledgeable and fun. Our boat captain was incredibly experienced and gracious to our family. I HIGHLY recommend this tour. We were able to customize our experience and spend more time swimming and exploring. The boat was very clean and comfortable.

This was a fantastic tour with Shariff! He was very knowledgable, easy to understand and gave us a great tour, despite the heat! Our only complaint was that we felt we didn't really have enough free time in either Florence or Pisa to walk around and explore more. Could have perhaps been another hour or 2.

I'm so happy we reserved this walking tour in small groups rather than attempting to explore the sites independently. Our guide treated us more like a friend than someone reading from a script, and the service was excellent from beginning to end. The meeting point location is the only thing that could be improved; at first, it was difficult to find because it was somewhat hidden close to piazza della signoria. Rest everything was perfectly fine.

A few friends and I compared several ways of getting to Florence from La Spezia, and we decided that having transportation arranged made more sense for our cruise schedule.The morning pickup went smoothly, and the vehicle was comfortable for the longer stretches between locations. We liked that the day wasn't just one long guided walk. Having free time in Florence gave us the chance to wander, shop a little, grab lunch, and meet back up without feeling like we had to stay together every second.Pisa was a fun second stop. We didn't need hours there, so the amount of free time felt appropriate for what we wanted to see.The biggest benefit for our group was knowing that the return trip was planned around the ship's departure. We could actually enjoy the day instead of constantly checking our watches. Overall, a very enjoyable day with a good mix of structure and independence.

This was our first visit to Florence, so naturally we wanted to see as much as possible. We knew that trying to cover Florence and Pisa from a cruise port would mean making some compromises, but the day was planned in a way that worked for us.Florence was definitely where we spent most of our energy. We enjoyed walking around, looking at the architecture, taking photos, and stopping for lunch. The free time was one of our favorite parts because we could explore without feeling like we were being hurried from one landmark to another.The stop in Pisa was shorter but still enjoyable. Seeing the Leaning Tower in person was one of those simple travel moments that made the trip worthwhile.Transportation was comfortable, and getting picked up and dropped off near the cruise terminal made the whole day easier. We also appreciated the cancellation policy when making our plans in advance.

Good customer service and lovely music while you are waiting. The waiting was very short.

My best boat trip, a top-notch guide who is kind, funny, and attentive. Music, Coke, beer, lemonade, and water available. For the whole day. We see the 5 villages, one of which we can visit. Swimming break in the clear and clean water, built-in shower, masks and snorkels and pool noodles provided. Canvas overhead for the sun. We are sitting on cushions. I highly recommend.Maxime chassin 😉

Again, this is the second booking for our group of 20 people. We had 9 kids in our group and Lorenzo was amazing in accommodating our needs.

We had a great time with our guide Lorenzo. We had two bookings of 10 people, so a total of 20 people in our group. Lorenzo was experienced, knowledgeable and super friendly.

A very pleasant relaxing sunset cruise. Both Luca and Tatiana were friendly and very accommodating. Informative cruise.