Overnight or day trip to Pisa

IMHO Pisa is a stop on the train to Lucca. That said, you don't tell us when your trip will be and probably more important, how old your daughters are. Throw into that your interests and you might get lots of ideas from this very eager group!
Where else will you be? From Florence, for instance, it is easy to day trip to Lucca (with a stop in Pisa if you want), or a day trip to Siena (but I like a minimum of 2 days there).

Give us some more information please! You'll be surprised, and happy, with the amount of responses you'll receive!

Thank you for your reply, you are so nice!
Okay, I hope my itinerary doesn't sound too crazy...
We are flying in and out of Rome. After visiting Venice, Verona and Bellagio we are planning on spending a few (3 or 4) nights in Florence then working our way by car towards Montepulciano where we will be staying for 5 nights. We can do some relaxing and day tripping from there.
So on the way my ideas are 2 nights each in Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena.
My daughters are 16 and 20 and we like cafes, people watching and art.
How does that sound?

We only visited Pisa for a few hours and of course it was a bit crazy. I imagine if you were there in the evening or morning you could go to the leaning tower and have it almost to yourself, if that is of interest to you. I love early morning wandering around Venice and Rome.

But if you don’t really care about how crowded it is, a long day trip may suffice. If I had 5 weeks, I’d think about spending one night just to enjoy it without the crowds.

klraison, Pisa is a day trip or a 1/2 day trip from Florence depending on how much of the city you want to see. I would not spend a couple of nights there.

You don't mention if you're spending any time in Rome?

Everything there is to see in Pisa is located on one piazza familiarly called Piazza dei Miracoli (the real name is Piazza Del Duomo). On that Piazza you will find the Duomo, the Baptistery, the famous leaning Bell Tower, and if you want the Museum and the monumental cemetery (Campo Santo). If you only care for the silly photo of you holding the tower, all you need is 10 min. If you want to see everything else in the Piazza, you can spend 2 to 3 hours. I generally recommend to visit Pisa in conjunction with nearby Lucca, which has a little more to offer, but still can be visited in half day. Therefore you could easily have a full day trip from Florence by train with a couple of hours devoted to Pisa and the rest of the day to Lucca. I would do Lucca first, as it requires more time. Make sure you start early so you have plenty of time. There are about 50-60 trains a day in each direction going to Pisa or to Lucca (at least 4 per hour) and the trip is around one hour. Pisa and Lucca are 25 minutes apart. The last train back from Pisa to Florence is at 10:30pm, but there are buses from the nearby Pisa airport till midnight.

Yes Kathy, we are spending 3 nights in Rome when we arrive and 3 nights before we leave. We will also spend 3 nights in Florence part way through the trip then 4 nights over Christmas. I feel like that is enough time to enjoy seeing the sights in those cities. That's why maybe I thought we should do a day trip to Pisa from Florence then spend 3 nights in San Gimignano and 3 nights in Siena instead of 2 in both those places and 2 in Pisa.

if you do a day trip only, you'll hate Pisa except for the tower.

If you spend at least a night, you still may not love the town - but you'll appreciate it a bit more. There is more to Pisa than just the Field of Miracles (where the tower is) - that area is an obnoxious tourist trap, with tourists out in the field posing for pictures of themselves holding the tower up and cheap souvenirs for sale everywhere.

But Pisa is more interesting down by the Arno river. It's more gritty than Florence along the Arno for sure, but there are some interesting churches and buildings there. It's worth walking up and down the river a bit on each side. Plus, if you walk between the train station and the FIeld of Miracles, you'll walk through the University of Pisa, an old university with some interesting buildings and some student life.

Pisa certainly isn't the most charming part of Italy, though. Nearby Lucca is much more appealing in many respects.

Was in Pisa last week for a night at the start and end of a a 5 day trip, adored it, want to go back, and it wasnt the tower. It was the feel of the place, beautiful buildings, gorgeous food and such friendly lovely people. Went to Florence when i was a teenager 30 years ago and am keeping that as an unsullied memory and not going back. But Pisa, its beautiful and real. I think it helps being a University city.
Stay the night

If you want to spend a few nights in a town closer to Pisa than Florence, I suggest Lucca. It's much more charming than Pisa amd I think you and your daughters would enjoy it. Train from Lucca to Pisa S. Rossore station near the Field of Miracles takes 20-25 minutes, and I believe there may be a bus between Lucca and Pisa that stops right by the Field of Miracles (perhaps someone can confirm).

Thank you all so much for your suggestions, I really appreciate it. I have some options to think about now. We are really looking forward to our trip!

Lucca is, as others have noted, much more charming than Pisa. I'd stay in there and daytrip to Pisa. Lucca has beautiful churches, a wall on which you can walk, run or bike, and very good restaurants. In my opinion you and your daughters would find it much more appealing than Pisa. But I would go see Pisa despite the crowds because the cathedral is beautiful, and I do think seeing the iconic leaning tower in person is worth the time. Buon viaggio!

Pisa is 1/2 day trip and not worth spending the night in. Lovely grounds around the tower and Duomo but not worth the visit if you a short on time in Tuscany. Take the early train from Florence and maybe spend the latter half of the day in Lucca.

Sounds like a good plan Debbie. Thank you.