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Leaning Tower of Pisa (Time?)

Posted by (Hazelton, USA) on

Hello,
I know this topic has probably already been covered. But I can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for.

I thought I would hop off the train in Pisa and visit the Leaning Tower and climb it while I'm there. The tower is not always open and I just think it would be cool.

However, how long do I schedule to stay? I need to book a reservation for the Tower soon. And you have to check in at least 30min before the tour. So logistical I'm trying to figure out how long it will take to check the bags at the train station, walk to the Tower (I can take a bus, but I thought walking would give me a better idea of the town), find the check in desk, check in my messenger bag, and then get to where the tour starts.

I have searched trip adviser and this helpline, but I've found so many different answers. I also get different times for how long the walk takes. Of course it'll take different people different times, but I was looking for a general idea. I got anywhere from 20min to 1 hour. So it's a little hard to decide what time to book the reservation. My train will get into Pisa central at 9:00am

One more question sorry. I was looking at the website for the Tower and if you book an early time you get 30min where as if you book a later time in the day you only get 20min to view the tower? Anyone know why?
http://boxoffice.opapisa.it/Torre/second.jsp?y=2009&m=6&g=1

Thank you for your help.

Posted by
6898 posts

The walk in and out takes about 30-35 minutes each way. If you are climbing the tower, figure an hour. Add more time to visit the adjoining church and historical grounds. It could be a 2.5hr.-4.0hr round trip depending on what you do. You can cut the walking time by taking the bus across the street from the train station. Yes, there is a staffed luggage storage area in the south end of the Pisa train station. The reason why the times are shorter later in the day is that they get BUSY.

One thing on your plans to hop off the train and hop back on. Both R trains and ICPlus trains make the trip into Pisa. There are a few ES trains as well. All trains but the R train require seat reservations. For example, if you are coming from Florence and your ticket is booked from Florence to Vernazza, only the R train will permit hop off/hop back on privileges. You'll be safe if you buy two tickets. One from your departure station to Pisa and the second from Pisa to your destination. You'll be safer this way.

Posted by
10 posts

Larry thank you for responding.

I will be coming from Cinque Terre. So you're saying if I book a R train from La Speza to Florence I could just hop on/off at Pisa? Or would it be better to book two tickets. One from La Speza to Pisa on the ICplus and then book another ticket from Pisa to Florence on the R train?

If it only takes 35min to walk there. Would the 10:40 time be ok do you think? Or would it be safer to book the 11:00 time?

I'm still a little confused with the time. The ticket says 11:00-11:20 does that mean I only have 20min to get up the tower, take some pictures, and get back down?

Posted by
113 posts

Another reason the walking times may vary is that there are two train stations, and one is farther from the station. The in--town station is the 2nd one you come to from Florence. I'd allow a good hour before your reservation time.

Posted by
6898 posts

Rebecca is correct that there is another station that is closer than Pisa Centrale. However, if you have your luggage with you, there is a great staffed luggage storage area at the south end of the main Pisa train station.

As for your tickets, you can leave as early as 6:08 for Pisa. All runs will have a train change so you will receive one ticket for each train you are on. CLICK HERE to see the early morning runs. Press next to see later trains. In selecting a run, look for one that requires a train change in Pisa. If the second train is an R train, you're set. It doesn't matter that your first train is the Eurostar or an ICPlus train. Your second ticket is most likely a R train. The R train ticket is an open ticket that is good for 60 days. It will say Pisa to Firenze and it will show a 60 day date window and the class (1st or 2nd). That's it. No other time, train number or seat reservation. Seat reservations are not permitted on the R train. You can catch any R train you want for this last part of your journey within the next 60 days. As you can see, they are about every hour or so.

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