Taking the Train from Florence to Pisa: A Full Day Trip Guide
Plan the perfect Florence day trip to Pisa by train with this guide covering schedules, ticket prices, the Leaning Tower, and how to structure your time.
Why Pisa works as a day trip from Florence
The numbers make Pisa one of the most logistically easy day trips from Florence. The train journey takes between 55 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the service. Trains run roughly every 30 minutes during the day. Tickets cost around 8 to 9 euros each way on the standard regional service with no advance booking required. You can decide to go on the morning you feel like it.
Pisa is also frequently underestimated. Visitors arrive, spend 90 minutes at the Campo dei Miracoli, take the standard photographs, and leave before they have seen the Baptistery interior, the Camposanto frescoes, or anything of the city itself beyond the famous square. This guide aims to fix that by giving you a full picture of what Pisa holds and how to organise your time.
Train details from Florence to Pisa
Route: Florence Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale. Direct services run throughout the day with no change required.
Journey time: Regional trains (Regionale Veloce) take approximately 1 hour 10 minutes and run frequently without booking. Intercity trains complete the journey in 55 to 60 minutes but require a reservation and cost more. For a day trip, the regional service is the practical choice.
Frequency: Roughly every 30 minutes on weekdays. Weekend frequency is slightly reduced but still regular enough that missing one train does not ruin a morning.
Timetable range: First morning departures from Florence are around 05:30. The last evening train back from Pisa departs around 22:00 or later, giving a generous window for the day.
Ticket prices (2026): A standard second-class regional ticket costs approximately 8 to 9 euros one way. No advance booking is necessary. Tickets can be purchased at the station machines, through the Trenitalia website or app, or at the ticket windows.
Important: All train tickets in Italy must be validated before boarding. Insert the paper ticket into the green or yellow stamping machines on the platform or in the station concourse. If you purchased your ticket digitally through the Trenitalia app, the QR code counts as validated. Fines for unvalidated tickets start at 50 euros.
Getting from Pisa station to Piazza dei Miracoli
Pisa Centrale station is approximately 2 km from the Piazza dei Miracoli, which is further than first-time visitors typically expect. Three options exist.
Walking takes roughly 25 minutes on a flat, straightforward route through the city centre heading north. It gives you a chance to see some of Pisa beyond the tourist square and is the recommended option on a mild day.
The LAM Rossa bus (red line) stops immediately outside the station and reaches the Piazza dei Miracoli in approximately 10 minutes. Single tickets cost around 1.50 euros and can be purchased from machines at the stop or from tabacchi shops.
Taxis wait outside the station exit. A fare to the Piazza dei Miracoli costs approximately 7 to 8 euros and takes around 10 minutes.
What to see at Piazza dei Miracoli
The Piazza dei Miracoli, also called Campo dei Miracoli, contains four major monuments arranged across a wide green lawn. The visual impact of the white marble structures against the grass is genuine, and the scale is larger than most photographs suggest.
The Leaning Tower: Entry costs 18 euros and requires a timed entry slot booked in advance. Slots are available every 35 minutes and are capped at 45 people per group. The climb involves 294 steps on a staircase that tilts noticeably with the lean of the building. The view from the top across the city and the Arno plain is excellent. Book ahead at the official website, opapisa.it, as popular dates sell out.
The Duomo of Pisa: Entry costs 5 euros, or is included in a combined ticket. The interior holds a 13th-century pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano, a bronze Cimabue crucifix, and the lamp whose regular swing supposedly inspired Galileo’s thinking on pendulum motion. Opening hours run approximately 10:00 to 19:00, with reduced hours in winter.
The Baptistery: Entry 5 euros or combined ticket. One of the largest baptisteries in Italy. The interior acoustic is remarkable: the circular chamber creates a resonant echo when sound is produced inside. Staff sometimes give brief demonstrations. Open 9:00 to 19:00.
Camposanto Monumentale: Entry 5 euros or combined ticket. A walled monumental cemetery dating to the medieval period, with 14th-century frescoes covering the interior walls. The most celebrated, the Triumph of Death, survived the Second World War only in fragments but what remains is extraordinary. This is the least visited of the four monuments and often nearly empty.
Combined tickets: Multiple combinations are available from the Opera della Primaziale Pisana. A combined ticket covering all major monuments except the Leaning Tower costs around 15 euros. The Tower uses a separate timed-entry system and cannot be included in standard combination packages.
Making the most of Piazza dei Miracoli
The square is at its busiest between 11:00 and 15:00. Arriving before 10:00 or after 15:30 produces a noticeably less crowded experience.
The grass lawn in front of the cathedral is open to visitors. Sitting on it while waiting for a timed Tower entry is the standard approach and perfectly practical. A folded jacket makes a reasonable seat.
The best photographic angle for the Tower is from the east end of the square near the Camposanto, which gives a full perspective including the cathedral dome. The famous “holding the tower” perspective requires positioning yourself about 50 metres southeast of the tower at a specific angle. You will find dozens of other visitors doing the same thing; this is not a reason to skip it.
Food and drink vendors around the piazza charge tourist prices. For better value, walk 10 to 15 minutes south along Via Santa Maria into the city centre, where trattorias and cafes serve at local prices.
Organising the whole day
A practical schedule for the trip.
08:30 Depart Florence Santa Maria Novella. Arrive Pisa Centrale at approximately 09:45. Walk or take the bus to Piazza dei Miracoli.
10:15 Begin at the Baptistery and Camposanto Monumentale while the main crowds are still forming. These two tend to empty out once the Tower opens fully.
11:00 Pre-booked Leaning Tower slot.
12:00 Visit the Duomo interior.
13:00 Lunch in the city centre, approximately 10 minutes south of the piazza via Via Santa Maria, or at Piazza delle Vettovaglie, a lively local market square.
14:30 Walk the Arno embankment. The Lungarno Mediceo and Lungarno Gambacorti sections have old palaces and river views that are worth an hour of unhurried walking.
15:30 Return to Pisa Centrale by bus or on foot.
16:30 or later Train back to Florence. This leaves time for a relaxed dinner in Florence in the evening.
Where to Stay in Florence
Florence is the obvious base for a Pisa day trip, and the train connection makes it entirely straightforward. The Key is at Via Cittadella 22, 5 minutes on foot from Santa Maria Novella station. The morning train is a short walk from the front door, with no need for a taxi or bus to the station.
Full details at The Key.
