Is a day trip to Pisa and Florence from Rome a good idea?

Are you talking 2 separate day trips? All in one day would just be a day spent riding trains.

A round trip to Firenze takes up about 4 1/2 - 5 hours. To Pisa add another 3 hours. If you leave early and return late, it might afford you the opportunity to see 1 or 2 things in a city that needs at least 4 days to explore and enjoy.

If you want to take more meaningful day trips from Rome, consider visiting Orvieto, Tivoli or Ostia Antica.

Is a day trip to Pisa and Florence from Rome a good idea?

Short answer? No. You'd spend way too much time on trains for way too little sightseeing. You could try and do just a day trip to Florence but, IMHO, it deserves at least a couple of days, if not more, to fully appreciate.

Ok thanks! Yes, just a day trip. The kids wanted to see the leaning tower of Pisa. Lol

High-speed trains between Rome and Florence take 1.5 hours each way so, while Florence deserves more time, it is doable as a day trip from Rome. I agree with others that trying to visit Pisa on the same day would result in your short-changing both cities. If you were to add a few days in Florence to your itinerary, then Pisa is an easy day trip from Florence.

Tell your kids when they are paying for the trip, they can go to Pisa. It is a long day for a snooze fest, IMO. Enjoy Rome and environs instead.

You go, Laurel! My husband and I did a day trip to Pisa from Florence on our first trip together -- after spending several hours on the train to get there DH looked at the tower, took a few pictures and announced he was ready to go. We had a very intense discussion about prioritizing after that. Time spent IN a destination has to equal or exceed time spent TRAVELLING there and back!

Thank you! Pisa is out! Lol