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There’s a lot extra to Pisa than the Leaning Tower. There are such a lot of cool issues to do in Pisa — this can be a huge, bustling metropolis with a thoughts and perspective of its personal!
So many vacationers swoop in on a day journey from Florence to take images with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And sure, I’ve been certainly one of them. However on my most up-to-date journey to Pisa, I made a decision to discover town in additional depth.
Like all different Italian cities, Pisa has elegant piazzas and buzzing native streets to discover. Unbelievable church buildings showcase Pisan Romanesque structure and the 2 Lungarni areas alongside the riverfront are charming at sundown.
Town of Pisa is extraordinarily walkable — I did all of my Pisa exploration on foot — and my expertise was all the higher as almost all neighborhoods are for locals slightly than vacationers. Plus, food and drinks costs are shockingly low, particularly in comparison with expensive Florence, when you tread past the neighborhood of the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli.
In the event you’re heading to Florence from inside Europe, chances are you’ll get monetary savings by flying into Pisa’s worldwide airport. That is what I did from my dwelling in Prague. You possibly can fly into Galileo Galilei, retailer your baggage on the prepare station, discover Pisa for just a few hours, and hop on one of many very frequent trains to Florence.
It’s straightforward — one would possibly say Pisa-ey (oh God, I’m so sorry) — to go to this underrated Italian metropolis.
This publish was revealed in November 2024 and was co-written by Adventurous Kate and Hannah Cooper.
Issues to do in Pisa
See the Leaning Tower of Pisa (after all)
Come on, you’re in Pisa, are you actually NOT going to get a photograph of your self holding up the Leaning Tower?! This isn’t a spot to fret about wanting cool. Give it your cheesiest pose!
Positioned within the Sq. of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli), the Torre di Pisa is the campanile of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It reaches a bit of over 56 meters on the “excessive aspect” and just below that on the “low aspect.”
Enjoyable reality: the lean wasn’t intentional. It was attributable to unstable foundations and efforts had been made to straighten it out. Regardless of its crooked look, the bell tower is completely secure in the present day and people 251 steps are protected to climb.
(And sure, they might straighten it out in the event that they wished to, however why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?)
Admission to the tower, cathedral, and short-term exhibition prices €20 ($22). It’s €27 ($29) for entry all areas within the Subject of Miracles. It’s value the additional value to go to the baptistery and the museums if in case you have the time. Tickets can be found on the Opera della Primaziale Pisana web site.
Except you’re prepared to attend in a protracted line, I like to recommend you guide a guided tour with skip-the-line tickets from spring by fall and on weekends year-round.
This Leaning Tower of Pisa Guided Tour means that you can skip the road and has full commentary. You’ll get to benefit from the views whereas studying all of the titillating particulars and kooky anecdotes behind Tuscany’s completely distinctive UNESCO World Heritage Website!
Discover the remainder of the Piazza dei Miracoli
Previously the Piazza del Duomo, the Piazza dei Miracoli is the setting of different cool landmarks apart from the cathedral and bell tower.
Though the tower is the principle attraction right here, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the principle construction on the piazza. The white marble-clad cathedral was constructed within the Latin cross design and was later topped with an elliptical dome impressed by Moorish structure.
Standing on the rear, the Battistero di San Giovanni completes the expertise. Second enjoyable reality: this domed baptistery additionally leans ever so barely!
Development started in response to Romanesque rules, and Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni Pisano accomplished the higher ranges within the Gothic fashion. They sculpted the pulpit whereas Guido Bigarelli da Como takes credit score for the baptismal font.
The Camposanto marks the northern boundary of the Piazza dei Miracoli. This monumental cemetery dates from the thirteenth century and its identify derives from the Italian for holy land.
You’ll get the very best views of the entire compound from the Mura di Pisa, the outdated metropolis partitions. It’s an awesome place for images and effectively value a climb up there if in case you have the time.
You possibly can simply wander the piazza by yourself, or join the Pisa Baptistery, Cathedral, and Leaning Tower guided tour to be taught straight from a information.
Wander the College of Pisa Campus
Historians imagine that the College of Pisa dates again to the twelfth century, however it could be a century or two older, making it certainly one of Europe’s earliest universities. Exploring the historic buildings of town heart campus is among the finest free issues to do in Pisa.
And never solely that — these buildings are only a brief stroll from the Leaning Tower!
The Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knight’s Sq.) is the beating coronary heart of the college. It’s free from cafes and shops – and surprisingly, folks! – however richly appointed with palaces and statues.
Then remember to try the Palazzo della Carovana (Palace of the Elders) to see probably the most elaborate sgraffito facade in the entire of Italy. Sadly, the interiors are off-limits.
And if in case you have time — the Orto Botanico is a real spotlight! This is among the oldest botanical gardens on the earth and incorporates medicinal vegetation. Admission prices €4 (round $4.30) and consists of the backyard exhibition, herbarium, and museum.
Stroll alongside the Borgo Stretto
Borgo Stretto is among the most outstanding streets in Pisa, connects Through San Francesco with the riverside Piazza Garibaldi. It’s a slender road lined with ornate buildings containing elegant boutiques and jewellery shops, and the very best place for images of road life in Pisa.
There are porticoes alongside the road that remind me a lot of Bologna and different cities in close by Emilia-Romagna!
Galileo Galilei was born proper right here on this road and also you’ll clock a bronze statue commemorating his work.
There’s additionally a beautiful church of word, the Chiesa di San Michele in Borgo, constructed within the tenth century over a Roman temple.
Go to the Santa Maria della Spina
The Church of Santa Maria della Spina is among the most stunning buildings on Pisa’s Lungarno, the highway alongside the Arno River (sure, identical to the highway alongside the Arno River in Florence!). It’s located on the south financial institution of the River Arno and exemplifies the Pisan Gothic fashion.
It’s not used as a church. As a substitute, the house is used for particular occasions and short-term exhibitions. On the time of my go to, there was an attention-grabbing artwork exhibit that includes intense, emotional work.
It’s value visiting this tiny church purely to see the decorative exterior (I obtained this picture above from the bridge subsequent to it), and you’ll at all times drop in to see if there’s an artwork exhibition.
Seize a deal with on the Gelateria de’ Coltelli
You possibly can’t go to an Italian metropolis and never pattern the native gelato! Each time I’m going to a brand new Italian metropolis, I wish to look on Google Maps for the best possible gelato on the town, the artisanal and award-winning stuff.
And the place to go in Pisa is Gelateria de’ Coltelli — on the Pisa Lungarno close to Borgo Stretto.
Gelati are offered in cups, cones, and sandwich type, wedged between two crumbly biscotti cookies. The ice cream is as thick and creamy as you’d anticipate from a correct Tuscan gelateria (the Florentines like to say they invented it!).
Flavors embody the usuals — hazelnut, salted caramel, and lemon — in addition to experimental choices equivalent to salted macadamia nuts, licorice, and dragonfruit. The menu modifications periodically and caters to vegans and gluten-free gelato lovers.
See Keith Haring’s “Tuttomondo” mural
The American pop artwork and graffiti artist Keith Haring traveled to Italy within the Eighties and painted his “Tuttomondo” mural on the partitions of the Sant’Antonio Abate Church.
It took Haring one week to create these 30 interlinked figures, representing concord and peace amongst mankind and nature. It was painted in 1989, and Haring handed away the next yr following his AIDS analysis.
The mural is a super-quick stroll from the prepare station, so this is among the finest issues to do in Pisa after you arrive or on the best way out.
Go on a meals tour
Get your enamel into the Pisa culinary scene with a meals tour! This Do Eat Higher Expertise in Pisa is a superb selection and can present you the very best of Tuscan meals — with a distinctly Pisan twist.
If you wish to eat just like the locals do, this can be a nice tour for that — all the locations are standard spots for Pisa’s, and sustainability is among the enterprise’s high priorities.
Typical dishes would possibly embody crostini toscani, porchetta sandwiches, and lampredotto (stew made with cow’s abdomen — no, you don’t HAVE to eat it, however Tuscans like it a lot, it’s value a attempt!!).
The strolling tour lasts for 3 hours and consists of roughly 5 stops. It’s capped at 12 individuals and consists of meals and wine tastings. Plus, when you spend longer than at some point in Pisa, you’ll have intel on the place to go for dinner.
Cease by Parco Don Bosco
In the event you’re craving a little bit of greenery and an area environment, head to Parco Don Bosco. Recognized interchangeably as Parco Alfredo Solarino, you’ll find this mellow spot east of the historic heart.
The playground and open-air fitness center make it a preferred hangout for native households. Look out for the aqueduct crossing by town park. It was constructed within the sixteenth century on the bequest of Ferdinando de Medici and modeled on a Roman aqueduct.
Stretching round 4 miles from the Valle delle Fonti nature protect, the Acquedotto Mediceo finishes on the Piazza delle Gondole. Preserve an eye fixed out for a basin of water there.
Individuals watch at Piazza dei Cavalieri
You’ll have handed by Knight’s Sq., only a stone’s throw from the Leaning Tower, whereas exploring the college campus. This monumental plaza deserves nearer inspection and is a enjoyable spot for people-watching.
In the event you’d wish to dive deeper into Pisa, this off-the-beaten-path strolling tour of Pisa passes the Piazza dei Cavalieri. This two-hour tour takes you down secret alleyways and factors out sights you would possibly miss.
You’ll hear tales concerning the college, and historic anecdotes, and scratch beneath the floor. After a tour filled with hidden gems, you’ll end on the reverse of a hidden gem, the Leaning Tower.
Discover the Palazzo Blu
The Palazzo Blu stands a few minutes east of Santa Maria della Spina. It’s named for its sapphire-colored medieval facade, standing out wildly towards the yellows and reds of town, and is finest appreciated up shut and from throughout the river for a special perspective.
The palace is now an artwork gallery with a everlasting assortment and short-term exhibitions specified by the aristocratic rooms. It’s a enjoyable place to hint the event of Italian artwork by to the trendy day.
It’s open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 AM-7:00 PM and till 8:00 PM on weekends. Admission prices €5 ($5.30).
Try the museums
In the event you spend longer than a day in Pisa, these museums are value visiting.
Head to the Sinopie Museum (Museo delle Sinopie) to view draft etchings, blueprints, and recovered frescoes all regarding the Camposanto.
The Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo is a short lived exhibition of work, reliefs, sculptures, and holy trinkets amassed from the cathedral and baptistery.
Admission to those two museums is included while you purchase the €27 “completa and torre” bundle on the Pisa Cathedral ticket workplace.
Elsewhere, the Museum of Human Anatomy (Museo di Anatomia) is a part of the college. Exhibitions of mummies, plaster casts, and skeletons skim the macabre and medicinal historical past. It’s open Monday to Friday and reservations are advisable. Admission is €2.50 (simply over $2.50).
Contained in an historic Benedictine monastery, the Nationwide Museum of San Matteo is a bit of additional afield. It incorporates work and sculptures from the late Center Ages, the Romanesque interval, and the sixteenth century. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday and prices €5 ($5.30).
The Nationwide Museum of the Royal Palace displays regal tapestries, oil work, and regal armor in a lavish setting. This one is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings and Friday afternoons. Admission is €5 ($5.30).
Meander the banks of the Arno River
The Arno River flows from the Tuscan Apennines by Florence and different Tuscan cities earlier than assembly the ocean on the Port of Pisa. It’s a tall order to walk your entire 150-mile size, however you’ll be able to squeeze in a mile or two!
There are two strolling paths on both financial institution of the Arno referred to as the Lungarni. These grant photogenic views of the colourful historic buildings on all sides and from the Ponte di Mezzo.
Proceed east and you’ll comply with the Mediceo Lungarno all the best way to the previous palace of the Medici household in Pisa. Simply over the bridge, the Giardino Scotto incorporates the remnants of Pisa’s metropolis partitions and a Medici fortress.
That is simply one of many high issues to do in Pisa at sundown. Assuming you could have a day that wasn’t as cloudy as mine!
Discover Pisa by bike
In the event you keep greater than a day in Pisa, you’ll be able to lease a motorcycle and cycle to the Ligurian Sea. Sure, it’s that shut!
This firm rents bikes and gives entry to a GPS-based app that guides you to the Marina di Pisa by way of a community of biking lanes referred to as the Trammino. These straightforward bike paths take you thru farmland and open fields with minimal hills.
You possibly can lease both a daily highway bike or an e-bike and tackle the “Street to the Sea.” Helmets are offered and also you’ll wish to dedicate a complete day to this exercise.
Take a day journey to Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is among the most visually putting locations I’ve ever visited in Italy — and it’s really fairly straightforward to go to from Pisa! Whereas a number of folks like to go to for just a few nights, you’ll be able to completely make a day journey work right here when you begin early.
These 5 villages are linked by a prepare and climbing trails. As a day journey, it is sensible to affix a tour. Native guides and drivers are finest positioned to steer you to probably the most astonishing viewpoints.
This Cinque Terre small group tour from Pisa features a minivan switch to the city of La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre. From there, you’ll take within the cliffside hamlets from both the boat (seasonal) or prepare (all yr).
The tour sometimes calls at three or 4 cities decided by the climate and different circumstances.
Need to do it by yourself? You possibly can. Take the prepare to La Spezia (one hour), then get the Cinque Terre move and you’ll take the prepare between the cities of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
Learn Extra: Information to the 5 Cities of Cinque Terre
Go wine tasting in Tuscany
Each area in Italy produces its personal distinctive wines and by no means you’re distant out of your subsequent cellar door! Within the case of Pisa, you’re very shut the Chianti area.
Chianti wines are deep and wealthy, constructed from wealthy Sangiovese grapes, the proper companion for an enormous bistecca fiorentina. The idyllic hills fill the house between Pisa, Florence, Lucca, and San Gimignano.
I strongly suggest selecting a tour for wine tasting within the Chianti Hills — it’s near-impossible to do by public transport, and also you received’t want to fret about intoxicated driving. This half-day Chianti wine tour means there’s no want to carry again as you’ll be within the protected fingers of an area designated driver.
It features a winery and cellar tour and tasting of wine and Tuscan olive oil with regional cheeses.
How A lot Time to Spend in Pisa, Italy
A variety of vacationers spend an hour or two in Pisa and transfer on. However there actually is much more to Pisa than simply the Piazza dei Miracoli, and when you’re decided to sightsee comprehensively, you’ll be able to simply pad out a complete day with issues to do in Pisa past the tower.
Pisa is a well-liked day journey from Florence — it’s so shut by. In the event you determine to do a day journey to Pisa from Florence, my tip is to divide your time between Pisa and the medieval metropolis of Lucca. Lucca is situated on a prepare line between Pisa and Florence (although a special line from the direct Florence-Pisa line), and I believe it’s one of many nicest cities in Tuscany.
If you wish to guide a guided tour, I like to recommend the Pisa and Lucca Day Journey from Florence. In any other case, when you solely have half a day to spare, stick to only Pisa with the Half Day Pisa Journey from Florence.
You possibly can dedicate your complete morning to exploring Pisa, after which spend the afternoon within the medieval capital of Tuscany. It’s tremendous straightforward to seize the prepare, so it’s a “pisa” cake! (Once more, I’m so sorry.)
As a result of Pisa is dwelling to an airport serving primarily finances airways in Europe, it may also be the place the place you begin or finish your journey. I did this on my most up-to-date journey — I flew from Prague to Pisa on an early flight, took the Pisa Mover to the prepare station, saved my baggage within the prepare station, spent just a few hours exploring town, then picked up my bag, purchased a ticket, and hopped on the prepare to Florence.
Pisa can also be value contemplating as a base in Tuscany. It’s way more reasonably priced than Florence, but well-connected by public transportation, and useful for exploring the Ligurian coast, Cinque Terre, and Tuscan wine areas. Pisa is certainly a greater place to remain in summer time throughout peak season.
Find out how to Get to Pisa, Italy
First off, when you’d like to go to Pisa on a guided day journey from Florence, there are two that I like to recommend. When you have a full day to spare and wish to go to a cool, underrated Tuscan metropolis as effectively, I like to recommend the Pisa and Lucca Day Journey from Florence. When you have solely half a day to spare, stick to only Pisa with the Half Day Pisa Journey from Florence.
Pisa has its personal worldwide airport, usually often known as the Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA). It’s well-connected to regional airports and different European cities, although there are not any direct transcontinental flights. Attempt to get a window seat — you’ll see the well-known tower because the airplane prepares to land!
The Pisa-Mover shuttle service connects the airport and Pisa Centrale Prepare Station in 5 minutes flat. (Actually, that is one thing I want all airports had!) It operates between 6:00 AM-12:00 AM and prices €6.50 ($7) every approach.
There’s a baggage storage place within the prepare station the place your luggage can be securely saved whereas spending a day in Pisa. It’s manned 8:00 AM-9:00 PM and prices €5 ($5.30) per bag. It’s set a bit deep contained in the station, however search for indicators saying Deposito Bagagli.
Pisa can also be very effectively linked utilizing Italy’s excellent rail community. Excessive-speed trains take an hour between Pisa Centrale and Florence Santa Maria Novella. Pisa can also be an hourlong journey from La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre, and simply 17 minutes from Livorno, the regional cruise ship hub.
The place To Keep in Pisa, Italy
Pisa is a comparatively small metropolis. You possibly can stroll from Pisa Centrale to the Campo dei Miracoli in lower than half-hour. There are many buses that may take you throughout town for cheaper. Trains to San Rossore, Pisa’s second station, take 12 minutes.
- Greatest Prime-Rated Luxurious Lodge in Pisa: The Palazzo Cini Luxurious Rooms is a brief stroll from the prepare station and town heart vacationer sights. Decor fuses outdated and trendy with sizzling tubs in the very best rooms and there’s a shared backyard for friends.
- Greatest Prime-Rated Mid-Vary Lodge in Pisa Close to Pisa Centrale: Lodge Bologna is an alternative choice close to the principle prepare station. It’s historically outfitted with terracotta accents and plenty of wall frescoes. There are rooms for solo vacationers.
- Greatest Prime-Rated Mid-Vary Lodge in Pisa Close to the Leaning Tower: The Rif – Boutique Lodge is the most suitable choice for the place to remain close to the principle sights and San Rossore. The palatial structure and landscaped backyard are romantic and choose rooms have spa tubs.
- Greatest Prime-Rated Finances Lodge in Pisa: Observe the Corso Italia over the Ponte di Mezzo and voilà, the Royal Victoria Lodge has a stellar location on the banks of the River Arno. Rooms are furnished with attractive antiques and riverside models have the very best views in Pisa.
- Discover offers on locations to remain in Pisa right here.
Greatest Time To Go to Pisa, Italy
Pisa is a type of locations you’ll be able to go to at any time of yr and have a superb time. My private suggestion for all of Tuscany is to go to within the fall, particularly October. The summer time crowds filter, it’s a good time for meals festivals and wine, and the Tuscany area is all types of golden hues presently of yr.
(Bear in mind Florence will nonetheless be crazy-busy then, although — Florence, Rome, and Venice don’t have a lot of an low season except you go in January.)
The excessive season in Pisa lasts from spring by to fall. As the enduring leaning tower inevitably has a hoop of vacationers clicking their cameras at any time of yr, bumping into crowds is unavoidable across the Subject of Miracles. In the event you’re a photographer seeking to get good photographs, you’ll wish to get right here early — assume dawn — although even then, you received’t be alone.
Winter is the very best time to go to Pisa for quiet. The climate is gentle throughout the day however topic to frosty nights and chilly snaps. Try January for a low-season deal — and keep in mind to wrap up heat and convey your umbrella!
Is Pisa Price It?
I believe it’s undoubtedly value stopping in Pisa when you haven’t been earlier than — and it’s additionally value testing just a few cool websites past the Leaning Tower!
Whereas I solely spent a day right here most lately, I felt like I obtained a lot out of my journey, and it was the proper begin to my Italian journey earlier than heading to Florence.
I hope you could have the very best time in Pisa!
Extra on Florence and Tuscany:
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Have you ever been to Pisa? Share your favourite issues to do!