I'll be flying into Italy the beginning of October for a walking tour of Cinque Terre. I want to arrive a few days early and then take a train to La Spezia for the tour. I have to decide which city to fly into and explore for a day or two. Which is smaller and has an old historic section to explore? Any recommendations on where to stay or eat in either? I do have a day in Pisa at the end of the tour. Any recommendations on which to fly into at the beginning?
Posted by
Green Bay
21407 posts
Pisa generally has the most flights, and perhaps better prices.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
Fly in to Pisa, take a train or bus to Lucca. Explore away! And there is a nice wall surrounding the city for you to walk on. Lucca is mostly old with lots of nooks and crannies to look into. One day in Pisa should be plenty.
Posted by
California 🦋
5301 posts
Karol,
Just wondering... why Pisa vs Genoa?
Have you been to Florence before?
You could fly into Florence & explore Florence then depending on how many days you have, you could day trip to Siena or
Lucca.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
I would consider the price also. Milan might be substantially cheaper than both and from Milan to Monterosso it's just a couple of hours longer. Pisa has mostly flights with low cost European carriers and so does Genoa. The only major airlines to Pisa are Alitalia via FCO (which makes no sense since the train from Rome is just as fast) or AirFrance via CDG. There is also one daily BA via LHR, but only one. Delta via JFK does not fly to PSA in Oct. Genoa has pretty much the same options, plus maybe LH via FRA.
Check on Kayak and see options and prices. Milan MXP or Rome FCO have the most options and the lowest prices. So take everything into consideration.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Pisa is much smaller than Genova, but I would stay in Lucca rather than Pisa.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5534 posts
Neither. I would stay in Lucca. Pisa is the biggest tourist trap in the world and far from quaint.
Posted by
Fort Lauderdale, FL
1246 posts
I have flown out of both, Genoa is very, very small, not even a typical airport waiting area. Pisa definitely has more to offer, as far as airports. Have not used Florence airport because I had more flight choices with Pisa.
As far as staying, I would go for Lucca, it is historic and less than 30 min away. Or, as mentioned, go to Florence, a little further, but so worth it.....IMO
Since you already have a day in Pisa, which is more than enough, I wouldn't stay there. I agree with the others, it is a tourist trap!
Posted by
OP
san clemente
6 posts
Thanks, I have to spend a night in Pisa as my flight gets in too late to train to Lucca, but will take a train the next day and stay in Lucca. Any recommendations on where to stay in either city? Near the train station would be convenient if it were a nice area.
Posted by
Dana Point
1226 posts
First off, welcome neighbor! I see you're practically next door to me!
We stayed at Michele's Guest House in Pisa in 2011 and found it to be a very nice place. It is near to the train station, and therefore near to the airport. We had an early-morning flight out of Pisa, and Michele drove us to the airport, took less than 5 minutes at that time of day. It's not located in the most picturesque neighborhood, but was safe and Michele did point us in the direction of some good local restaurants.