Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pisa
The leaning tower and a lively riverside university town.
More than its leaning tower: a lively university city on the Arno, with the gleaming white Field of Miracles, a Renaissance knights' square and riverside palaces. Has the main airport for Tuscany, so an easy first or last stop.
Places to see
Piazza dei MiracoliSight · A walled lawn holding a cathedral, a baptistery, a cemetery cloister and the leaning bell…Free
Pisa CathedralChurch · A striped marble interior with a gilded ceiling, a gold apse mosaic and Giovanni Pisano's…Free- Leaning Tower of PisaSight · The famous bell tower, leaning about four degrees; the climb is 251 worn marble steps,…≈ A$35
When to go
- Jan12° / 3°Some rainQuiet
- Feb13° / 3°Some rainQuiet
- Mar16° / 5°Some rainBusy
- Apr19° / 8°Some rainVery busy
- May23° / 12°Some rainVery busy
- Jun27° / 16°Mostly dryVery busy
- Jul30° / 18°Mostly dryVery busy
- Aug30° / 18°Mostly dryBusy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
The university quarter. Piazza dei Cavalieri, students and cheap trattorias; lively in the evenings.
The riverfront. The Arno's grand riverside streets and the tiny Gothic church of the Spina.
Around the station. Handy for trains and the airport shuttle, with budget rooms.
Flying in
Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA): PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale, about 5 min, ≈ A$10.
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Pisa; check times and fares before you fly.
Getting around
You can walk everywhere. A single ticket is ≈ A$3. Small and flat: the station to the Leaning Tower is a 25-minute walk through the centre, or a short bus ride (check).
Tourist tax
Pisa's city tax: usually about €1.50–2.50 a person a night in hostels and B&Bs, more in hotels, for up to 5 nights; under-10s don't pay. Paid at check-in (check).
