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A Day Trip to Pisa from Florence; How To Do It!

I was on an epic overland trip from Thailand to Ireland. No flights. During which, I tried to visit every country in Europe! I found myself in Florence, Italy but I couldn’t visit Italy without checking out the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Like I mentioned in my post about things to see in Florence, Pisa is easily accessible as a day trip from your base there, which is certainly the best plan. I had planned to sleep in Pisa but after arriving there you see that there’s not much else aside from its very famous wonky tower.

Where is Pisa from Florence?

Pisa isn’t far at all from Florence. It’s about 90km (60 miles or so) to the East of Florence. You can see below on a google map. So if you want to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then a day trip from Florence to Pisa is the best option for sure.  There’s not much point to actually stay and sleep in Pisa when it’s so near to Florence. And Florence is oh, so beautiful!

Options to get to Pisa from Florence:

You have a few options to get from Pisa to Florence. Here are your options:

• Train: The fastest public transport

• Bus: The cheapest way 

• Taxi: The fastest and most expensive 

• Tour: The easiest (normally about $45 return tour from Florence, to Pisa and back to Florence)

Should You Book A Tour to Pisa from Florence?

Good question. I certainly didn’t, but now I’m older I probably would. If you are worried about every penny in your wallet, and you don’t care about the history of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then traveling to Pisa from Florence independently is the best choice. But if you’re on a short holiday, want to make the most of your time, and you want to learn about the Leaning Tower with a guide, then for sure booking a tour to Pisa from Florence is the best option.

TOP-TIP: The cheapest way to book a day-trip from Florence to Pisa is for $43 with these guys. From your hotel, to the leaning tower (with a guided tour!), and back to your hotel!

The Best Way to Travel Independently from Florence to Pisa

First of all, booking a tour to Pisa from Florence is only $43 (35 euro), including a guide. So that is often the best choice and only takes half a day. 

Second of all, the worst way. Taxi. It costs about €180 ONE-WAY ($220USD). But it is super fast, as fast as 1 hour, so if money is no object. Knock yourself out. For most people, I’d say avoid this option.

That leaves you with the bus or train. The train costs about €9 one-way. The bus costs €7 one-way. With this in mind, I’d say the train is definitely the better option. It’s less likely to be cancelled, you don’t have to deal with traffic and delays, and the train station in Florence is easier to get to. So yeah, take the train to Pisa from Florence if you’re travelling independently. They both take about 80 minutes. 

Very easily my friends. From Florence train station, buy a one-way ticket to Pisa (about 7 euro ($9), and takes around 80 minutes). Stamp your ticket and jump on board.

• YOU CAN BOOK THE TRAIN TICKETS FROM PISA TO FLORENCE, OR FLORENCE TO PISA, DIRECTLY ONLINE, AND IN ADVANCE HERE. 
• YOU CAN BOOK THE BUS TO FLORENCE FROM PISA HERE (BUT DON’T DO IT, TAKE THE TRAIN)

Getting to the Leaning Tower of Pisa

From Pisa train station you can walk to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It takes about 20 minutes and it’s a straight shot right out the main entrance of Pisa train station.

All the guide books will point you towards Campi Dei Miracoli as a secondary sight to see, in addition to the tower. It’s a nice Italian square, but nothing that you haven’t seen one hundred times around Italy. Great ice cream vendors though. Anyways, on to the main event. The Leaning Tower Of Pisa. As you walk from the station, eventually when you’re almost upon it you take a left and there it is, sitting askew surrounded by a thousand tourists pretending to hold it up or push it down.

To get access to the tower’s grounds is entirely free, all your cheesy pics are free. If you want to access inside the tower it’s around 17 euro ($21), groups are restricted to 40 people at a time and there’ll most definitely be a queue, probably more than an hour, certainly if you’re there in the summer. Personally, I gave the inside a miss – the whole point of me being here was to see the tower leaning, something I’ve wanted to see since I was a kid. If you’re in the tower (combined with the ticket fee and time wasted waiting) you don’t see anything!

The Cathedral next door to the tower is nice too, and well worth the 2 euro entry if you’re fresh into Europe. If you’ve been around the European backpacking trail, it’s just another ‘church’. It’s amazing from the outside though.

However, your eyes will be constantly drawn back to the tower which continues to sit over 4m from the perpendicular, pretty amazing actually. And Italy has gifted me another item from my bucket list. Off to Lucca next (which you can combine in one day trip from Pisa, read the post on Lucca for details), happy travels!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON GETTING TO FLORENCE TO PISA

It all comes down to budget, to be honest. When I was travelling from Pisa to Florence, I was a broke backpacker. Now, in my 30s, I have a different approach to travel. Now I value time more than money, and if I can ‘buy’ some time by spending a little more, it’s a good option. With that in mind, I’d say this. If you’re broke, hop on the train. It’s fun and easy. If you’re on a tight schedule, book a tour, and enjoy getting picked up, and dropped off. Without having to think at all! Either way, getting to Pisa from Florence is pretty easy, so enjoy!