Florence to Pisa, day trip or on our way to Rome

Day trip. If you decide to do it on the way to Rome, you have to find a place to park your bags while you see the sights, and then get on a long train ride to Rome.

Half day trip.
Or full day trip if you visit both Pisa and Lucca.

From Florence you can take train to go to Pisa on evening of 7/18, then on 7/19 tour Pisa and do day trip to Lucca. Then on 7/20 take train from Pisa to Rome. Easy Trip and you can fulfill your interests.

If you can schedule it so you can go from Florence to Pisa and then get a direct train Pisa to Rome, I would do it that way.
Otherwise many of the trains from Pisa to Rome have a change in Florence.

Check the schedule carefully to be sure you get what you want.

I see a train from Pisa to Rome departing Pisa at 207PM arrives Rome 3 hr later. ( 503PM)

Thanks everyone.

I didn't think about visiting Lucca and making it a day long trip. I like that idea. If not, I think we will take a train to Pisa then Rome.
There are direct trains to Rome from Pisa but 3h instead of 1.5h out of Florence. But I do realize we will have to store our bags in Pisa if we do this. It seems silly to go back to Florence from Pisa and then on to Rome, if we do that, the travel is about the same. The kids really want to see the tower and that's why we are making a stop there.

With kids, a trip to Lucca and riding bikes along the city wall should be a big hit, so doing a separate trip to do Pisa and Lucca on a day trip can work well.

Then you can go directly to Rome, from Florence, and not have the baggage storage to contend with.

We had a great day out of Florence when we went to Lucca and Pisa. We rode bikes on the walls in Lucca, walked around and had a nIce meal. Trains were frequent and it was easy to get from the Pisa station to the tower area. Returning to Florence was also fast and easy. Safe travels.

I wouldn’t go to Pisa then Rome. Why go the long way with extra trouble and expense to store luggage. Do it while settled in Florence. But definitely add Lucca to the day trip, and be aware that Lucca is prettier and with more things to see than Pisa, so plan more time in Lucca than Pisa.

You've all convinced me to do a day trip from Florence to Pisa and Lucca then take a direct train to Rome at the end of our time in Florence.

I was originally planning on doing a day trip from Florence and I didn't want to add another one just to go to Pisa. That is why I was considering stopping in Pisa on our way to Rome. But adding Lucca to Pisa satisfies both of these requirements and only uses 1 day out of our time in Florence.

Thank you all for the great suggestions!

You are most welcome. Enjoy your Italy trip. We are glad to serve you.

Ciao Bella

I had a car and was looking forward to seeing Pisa, but it was a very quick visit -- the tower is one of those "must have photos" but there is so much more to see and enjoy in Lucca! Such a charming walled city. It is going to be very hot during your visit, and the climb up the tower (which sits in the middle of a field with no shade) will be best done as early in the morning as you can. Your teens may laugh at this, but those little battery mister fans were much appreciated by all of my summer visitors when we took day trips. One of my visitors' favorite excursions was to Tivoli, outside of Rome. There are two great sites to visit: Villa d'Este for the grand palazzo and more for the amazing gardens with it's famous fountains. Next is Hadrian's Villa, one of the best Roman ruins .. built by Emperor Hadrian, it is more like a small town than an estate. There is a bus from Rome to Tivoli, or rent a car and enjoy the countryside!

Thank you Texas Girl for the recommendations. We are just planning a photo op at Pisa and not spending much time there. I know it will be hot but we live in Phoenix (101 F on Friday) so at least we're more accustomed to it, more than most people. We usually travel in late May but this year it was unavoidable and we had to do it in July.