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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Pisa
Give Pisa one night, or a half-day between trains: the tower square takes 2–3 hours, the rest of the city another half-day.
Pisa is a small university city of about 90,000 people, with 60,000 students, and the Campo dei Miracoli sits in its northwest corner. Most travellers see the tower in a few hours and leave; one night lets you walk the riverfront and Borgo Stretto after the day-trippers go. Trains from Florence take about an hour, so it works as a stop rather than a base.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), and the busiest midday hours year-round
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €85–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- All emergencies 112 · Police 113 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee at the bar | €1.20–1.80 |
| Slice of pizza or a panino | €3–6 |
| Pasta or pizza in a trattoria | €9–16 |
| Aperitivo with a drink | €6–10 |
| LAM bus single ticket | €1.50 (€2.50 from the driver) |
| Tower climb | €18 |
| Baptistery or Camposanto single ticket | €5 |
| City walls walk | €3 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PSA · Pisa Galileo Galilei
- 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Pisa Centrale; Pisamover tram to the station, 5 min, €6.501.2 mi (2 km) south of Pisa Centrale; Pisamover tram to the station, 5 min, €6.50
Typical fares
- Pisamover, airport to Pisa Centrale
- €6.50, 5 min, every 5–8 min from 06:00 to 00:00€6.50, 5 min, every 5–8 min from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM
- Taxi airport to centre
- €10–20; cheaper than the Pisamover for 3+ people
- Train Pisa Centrale to Florence
- regional, about 1 h
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk in the centre: Pisa Centrale to the tower is about 2 km (1.2 mi), 25–30 min. LAM Rossa bus links station, riverfront and Piazza dei Miracoli; single €1.50, ten-ride pack €14, €2.50 from the driver, validate on board and it is valid 70 min. Do not drive into the centre: ZTL camera zones.Walk in the centre: Pisa Centrale to the tower is about 1.2 mi (2 km), 25–30 min. LAM Rossa bus links station, riverfront and Piazza dei Miracoli; single €1.50, ten-ride pack €14, €2.50 from the driver, validate on board and it is valid 70 min. Do not drive into the centre: ZTL camera zones.
See and do
Known for
- Leaning Tower (Torre Pendente)
- Piazza dei Miracoli, a UNESCO site
- Pisa Cathedral and Baptistery
- University of Pisa
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lucca | Regional train from Pisa Centrale or Pisa San Rossore, 25–30 min | About 45 min |
| Florence | Regional train from Pisa Centrale, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Volterra | Train to Pontedera then bus, or car | 1.5–2 h |
| San Miniato | Train towards Florence, then a steep walk up | About 1 h |
| Casciana Terme | Car or bus via Pontedera | 1–1.5 h |
| Lari | Car, or bus via Pontedera | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Around Pisa Centrale
- Best for one night with bags and early trains; 20–30 min walk to the tower.
- Campo dei Miracoli / San Rossore
- Closest to the tower and Pisa San Rossore station; quiet at night.
- Lungarni and Borgo Stretto
- Riverside centre, restaurants and student bars; 20–25 min walk to the tower.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Buongiornobwon-JOR-no |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAT-tsyeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-to KOS-ta |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-to per fa-VO-re |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta?POS-so pa-GA-re kon la KAR-ta |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov'è il bagno?do-VEH eel BAN-yo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- ZTL camera zones cover much of the old centre; fines arrive by post weeks later.
- Tower tickets are timed and non-exchangeable; book on the official site or accept a 45 min–2 h wait.
- Children under 8 cannot climb the tower; under-18s need an adult.
- Pickpockets work the tower square and station in summer; keep bags zipped in front.
Pisa is a safe, small city; the real risks are summer heat, ZTL fines and pickpockets around the tower square and station.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pisa yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Leaning Tower (Torre Pendente)
- Piazza dei Miracoli, a UNESCO site
- Pisa Cathedral and Baptistery
- University of Pisa
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Pisa Tourism (official): www.turismo.pisa.it/
- Opera della Primaziale Pisana — Piazza dei Miracoli tickets: www.opapisa.it/en/
- Comune di Pisa: www.comune.pisa.it/
- Wikivoyage: Pisa, revision 5310521 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5310521
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pisa
A questo indirizzo, per favore
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No US or UK embassy in Pisa; embassies are in Rome, with consulates in Florence and Milan. Check your own country's list.
112 works from any phone, including locked screens.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pisa). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.