Florence to Pisa and back in one day

This is funny. We plan the same for the end of May. Trains go all day so we are not planning when we go back. Simply when we feel like it.

Take as much time as you want. Most of the trains between Florence and Pisa are Regionale trains that doesn't require reservations so you buy your ticket just prior to boarding - never sell out. And it is NOT advisable to buy Regionale train tickets on line as those tickets come with more restrictions. Just buy both the ticket to and from in the station in Florence, validate (time stamp) the ticket to Pisa and get on the next Regionale train headed in the right direction. Same for the return. That way you don't have to worry about now much time to spend between trains.

we did this on our jet lagged sunday afternoon. i'd say what you are describing is 3 or 4 hours. know that to go up in the tower, you must have a timed reservation. You get this on line a month before yr planned day (cuz they really curtail number of people in tower)

the free videos in the lobby of the visitors center are worth watching (attempts thru the centuries to strainghten) i did not pay to go into the gallery, so have no opinion about that.

the 3 mistakes we made: we were a group of 4, and the field of miracles was just crowded enuf we got separated when 2 stopped for photos & 2 kept walking.

On a sunday afternoon NOTHING was open in pisa but field of miracles and train station. no other options for a snack or restroom.

Our biggest mistake was we got off at the "wrong" train station, like a two mile hike to field of miracles. so check that out carefully.

Because i dont do heights, i toured the bapistery, beautiful and not crowded. you can also tour the church for a small fee

Time your arrival in Pisa to be as late as possible in the day, it’s about a 30-minute leisurely walk from the train station to the tower, approx. 2Kms.

Use these links to check opening times. Official web site
, or this one

During the day the square is filled to capacity with tourists but the later it gets in the afternoon the less number of tourists there are. Most tour companies do a quick stop in Pisa during the day as they travel between other major cities (eg Rome to Florence). Day trips from Rome or Florence tend to have finished by late afternoon.

The later it gets the more beautiful this area it becomes, stay till the sun goes down and the lights come on in the square. Then walk back through the city to the station to catch your train back to Florence – great memories.

Doing it this way means you can have an extra half day in Florence before leaving for Pisa – the train trip is just over an hour. The last train from Pisa back to Florence leaves at 10:30pm.

Thanks. Rick and opapisa.it say that tickets to the Leaning tower of Pisa can only be bought between 20 to 1 days in advance; the website seems to allow you to buy tickets up to 27 days in advance. I didn't see other tickets listed for sale.

I made another reservation at 9:00 the day after I plan to go to Pisa, so I wouldn't want to stay awake too late after seeing Pisa.

There are two train stations in Pisa. Centrale is the main one, but the other one (S. Rossore) is closer to the Tower. From the campus, it's easy to find the bus to Centrale (just cross the street and join the line), which may be better for seeing other parts of the city. The 9.53 continues to San Rossore. For the 8.53, you'd change trains with a 10 minute layover. Per Google maps, it's 1.8 km from Centrale, 1.0 km from San Rossore.

It's easy to pop into the Florence train station to buy the regionale tickets any time while you're there - just so you don't get stuck in a line (either for an agent or a machine) and miss the train you want. The train station is across the street from the main TI (a good resource) and right in the historic center.

Take a little time to visit the cemetery (campo santo) in the Campo complex, as well as the Duomo, tower and Baptistry. You could spend most of a day in Pisa, either starting at San Rossore station or at Pisa Centrale, and leave time for strolling through town between the two stations. Pisa was one of the four main sea-trading cities of Italy in the Middle Ages (the others are Venezia, Genova, and Amalfi).