Last updated on June 27th, 2023 at 02:49 pm

The Leaning Tower of Pisa’ is a symbol of Italy and, therefore, a major tourist attraction for anyone visiting Tuscany. But did you know how easy it is to go from Florence to Pisa by train?  

In this post, we will cover everything you need to know to travel to Pisa from Florence on a day trip that too on a budget by traveling via trains. It is worth knowing that besides the popular Leaning Tower of Pisa, aka Bell Tower, there is also a beautiful Cathedral and Baptistery in Pisa that many don’t know about. A little flaw in the ordinary bell tower changed the game for Pisa. Now this world-famous tower brings hordes of tourists to Italy. Sometimes accepting your flaws can make you shine more than you think!

FUN FACT: Leaning Tower of Pisa is nothing but the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Pisa.

Related: Read about the top things to do in Florence in 3 days

How to travel from Florence to Pisa on a day trip

You could rent a car or invest in a tour of Pisa from Florence, the tours can cost anywhere from $50-$60 or even more. But we want to tell you that there is a 3^rd way of doing it and doing it on a budget.

1. Take the train from Florence to Pisa 

It takes about one hour by train from Florence Santa Maria Novella station (enter Firenze in Trenitalia official railway website) to Pisa Centrale. Tickets are easily available online or at the ticket counter at the station. If you are headed to Cinque Terre from Florence (as we were), you will have to change trains in Pisa. One-way train tickets to and from Florence to Pisa will cost you €8.40

2. Then take Bus From Pisa Centrale to the Leaning Tower 

You will find the bus stops outside Pisa train stations, make sure you cross the road and go to the stop on the opposite side of the station. You need to take Bus LAM Rossa (RED Line Bus). Keep some Euro change handy to buy the ticket inside the bus from the driver. It will cost under €2 one way for the bus ride. Alternatively, you can buy bus tickets in any newspaper stand inside the station. You need to get down at the bus stop called Torre 2. You will not see the Leaning Tower from Torre 2 bus stop so do not be looking for that as a landmark. TIP: Do not take the bus on the same side of Pisa station, that bus is headed in the opposite direction of leaning tower (i.e. Pisa airport). 

Luggage Storage in Pisa Centrale Train Station

As we mentioned that we were taking a halt in Pisa to change trains to Cinque, we didn’t want to carry our entire luggage to the Leaning Tower. Luckily most all train stations in Italy have a luggage room. Pisa’s luggage room can hold your luggage for 24 hrs.

Related: Basic travel tips you must know before going to Italy

Things to see in Pisa

Piazza del Duomo in Pisa is the main attraction (yes, not just the leaning tower!), which literary means cathedral square; it is also referred to as Piazza dei Miracoli or square of miracles. The piazza consists of 4 monuments, the Baptistery of Pisa, the Cathedral, the Bell Tower or Campanile and the Cemetery. To keep your expectations real – the architecture of the tower is exceptional, but it is not as tall in reality as it looks in photos. 

You are obviously going take cliche optic illusion photos with the tower, we won’t judge you.. we did too! And why not? TIP: Take your creative photos when you are somewhat away from the tower, the closer you get to the tower it appears to be less tilted. But once you are done having fun with all the silly photos, make sure to visit the monuments! Don’t be one of those who return back after taking selfies with the poor tower.

Go on top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Yes, you can go on top of the tower! and trust us, your trip won’t be complete unless you do it. FUN FACT: You will notice dents on the spiral staircase from footmarks, it shifts from left to right as you are tilted while going up. Remember when we visited in the off-peak winter season (January) there wasn’t a lot of people. But if you go in peak seasons like summer then you are bound to find a big line for entry to the top of the tower. For that reason, we highly recommended you to buy your tickets online to skip the lines. 

TICKETS: You can purchase the tickets from their official website or in person from the ticket office. The tickets are sold in the ticket office behind the cathedral and it costs €18 to go on top of the tower. Make sure to check the opening and closing times on their website as it varies for different monuments and different season. You can find the official timings for Pisa monuments here.

Go inside the Cathedral and Baptistery 

You will be amazed by how brilliant it is. What’s more, it’s FREE to visit the Cathedral. You just need to collect a time slot ticket from the ticket office. I felt really bad after seeing Pisa cathedral for not knowing about it until we got there. Feels like redemption for passing along this information to you guys 😀

Fun Facts About the Leaning Tower of Pisa

1. The construction of the tower began in 1173 and the topmost bell chamber was completed in 1372. Yes, it took almost 200 years due to various reasons including, wars, battles, engineering negligence, etc.
2. Made out of white marble, the tower was perfectly straight for the first five years as it only had two floors then. It was only when the third floor was added that the tower began to start shifting. The reason for this tilt was identified as an engineering miscalculation on the foundation.
3. This is not the only leaning tower in Pisa! Are you as surprised as I was? Here’s why – The city of Pisa is known for its loose underground subsoil. So naturally, any tall tower built in Pisa would tend to lean a little due to sinking foundation in the soil. 
4. It almost escaped complete demolition by the American army during WWII. 
5. Mussolini, the Prime Miniter/dictator of Italy, saw the tower as an embarrassment to the nation. His unsuccessful attempt to rectify the tilt of the tower in 1934 cost it to lean another few inches.

Related: Learn basic Italian words and phrases before going to Italy for the first time

Return Journey from Pisa to Florence by train

You will get the bus to return back to Pisa Central on the opposite side of the road from where it dropped you. Don’t be afraid to ask people around for the bus stop if you think you are lost. Take the train back to Florence or continue to your next destination. The train frequency to and from Pisa is excellent, but we’d still recommend keeping a train timetable handy.

You need approximately 5-6 hours to completely see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and other monuments, including travel time from Florence. 

We hope this post was helpful. Do share along if you liked this post.

Happy Traveling!