Pisa day trip?

Not in my opinion.

I headed to the leaning tower to kill some time before my flight home (we flew via Pisa airport to visit Florence) and it was a complete overhyped tour de force of commercialism and rammed full of tourists all taking the ubiquitous "look at me I'm holding up the tower" photo. I found nothing worthwhile in the surrounding area either.

Of course there are those who love it so, as with all things, it's entirely subjective.

I had very low expectations of Pisa but did enjoy a day trip from Florence. Would not go again but it was more fun than I thought. if you are looking to fill time then yes go but if it is between Pisa and another site I would say probably not.

A few months ago I spent 3 nights in Lucca and the 3 best things I saw those days were the Pisa cathedral, tower and baptistery. The inside of the cathedral is spectacular and the whole complex is jaw-dropping beautiful. The cemetery is worth visiting too although I didn’t go this time. I went a few years ago.

So yes, a Pisa day trip is worth it.

For me, 3 nights in Lucca was one too many.

We weren't planning to go to Pisa, because so many people pooh-pooh it as overrated. However, we had seen what we most wanted to see in Florence and were tired of the crowds and the vibe there, and so we decided to take a day trip to Pisa (in addition to our planned day trip to Sienna on another day).

We're so glad we did that. We thought the tower and baptistry were gorgeous and would have been worth seeing even if the tower didn't lean. We also enjoyed the botanical gardens (not far from the tower), and the charming views along the river.

YMMV, but if you have the time, why not find out for yourself?

Thank you all for your input. Very helpful. I think we'll play it by ear and see how much time we have available.