Is Pisa Worth The Visit?

 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is very well known all over the world. Is it worth the visit, though?

Located between the scenic Cinque Terre and Florence, Pisa is definitely worth the visit if you are already in that region. Half a day is more than enough time to get to know the city, including unlimited attempts at taking the perfect shot of trying to hold the tower up (or tearing it down!).

How to get there

Pisa is easily reachable by train.  A 50 minutes train ride from La Spezia (Central) or 1h20 from Florence (Santa Maria Novella) will take you to the Pisa Central Station. You can look at the times and destinations here.

From there, a 25 minute walk to the tower and through the city will give you a well rounded notion of everything there is to see.

 

Getting around

Although taxis are available at the station (10 minute ride to the Leaning Tower) I recommend taking the easy walk because you can appreciate the architecture around the city and make a strategic coffee/gelato stop. The city is also very flat and sidewalks won’t be an issue if you are pushing a stroller or having a toddler ride a scooter.

Make sure to walk through Corso Italia/Borgo Streto, a pleasant pedestrian street that will have different stores and better options of cafés and restaurants than the ones you will find near the tower.

 

Things to do  

You can easily spend an hour at the Leaning Tower of Pisa doing different poses. If you are wanting to climb up the tower, I would buy your  tickets in advance. There is typically long lines that are formed to go in due to the fact that they only allow 40 people up at a time. Note- Children 7 and under can NOT climb up the tower.

Around the tower there is an architectural complex that includes a sumptuous Cathedral, the Baptistery where Galileo Galilei was baptized, a museum and lots of green grassy areas where you can sit and relax. After you are done with the tower and its surroundings there isn’t much else worth a visit around the city, but if you want to stretch the day out a bit more you could pay a visit to the Piazza dei Cavalieri on your way back to the train station.