Pisa worth a stop?

I traveled by train and stopped for a 1/2 day between Florence and CT. Yes, I thought it was well worth the time. The church and baptistry are lovely and seeing the slant of the tower is much more impressive that the photos. I didn't climb it. 2 sets of friends did, though, with kids, and came back with very mixed impressions, from "great" to "wish I'd stayed on the grass." I think it depends a lot on how easily you get vertigo.

I found getting there by car to be challenging. Signs for the "Torre Pendante" are everywhere, but can lead you in circles (I'm sure it was just me). Then there's the matter of driving in Pisa without entering areas that are off-limits to non-resident vehicles (the ZTLs). So I'd use a good map and go to a parking lot outside of the ZTLs and walk. It's worth doing. I copied the driving and parking recommendations from the Pisa tourism office web site: By car 1) From the exit Pisa Nord Through the highway Statale Aurelia to Pisa. At the junction for Parco di S. Rossore, turn left into Viale delle Cascine. Drive along via Contessa Matilde to Largo Cocco Griffi and the Cathedral Square (15-20 minutes) 2) From the exit of the expressway Fi-Pi-Li - Pisa Center Exit "Aurelia", drive on along the highway Statale Aurelia to Pisa. After crossing the river Arno through the bridge on the Aurelia, turn into Lungarno Cosimo I° and then into via B. Pisano until you reach the Cathedral Square (15-20 minutes) Tourists parking area : Via Pietrasantina, a five minutes' walk from the Cathedral Square

Train, yes...car, no

Having been to Italy many times I did not have a burning desire to go there, but when I took my grandson a few years ago, he wanted to see it. Rented our car in Florence (no gps) and do not remember any issues with driving there. As soon as we arrived in town we found a parking lot and it was an easy walk. He loved it and sat on the steps and sketched the tower and later did a painting of it...so I have very fond memories of Pisa and am glad I waited to see it with him... lots of people who have been say 'skip it.' but, they went.... and probably people told them not to go.... for me it was worth the half day, but now I do not need to go again.

I think it's worth it ... but be very careful of driving in the Restricted Zones around Pisa.

Having been there 2x I think it is worth a stop. Our kids, elementary and Jr. high age at the time, loved seeing the tower and climbing it too. One of my favorite pictures of that trip is of our son standing on one of the steps of the tower and you could see how worn down the steps were. I remember as a child seeing pictures of this iconic tower and then to see it for real was great. Went back in 2009 so my sisters could see it too and climb the tower. First time we went we had a car as we were enroute to the C.T. and my husband had no trouble driving and there was a parking lot very close by. 2nd time around we arrived by train. Instead of getting off at Pisa Centrale we got off at Pisa S. Rossore and then you are just a few minutes walk to the tower. You can take the bus back then to the main train station when you are ready to leave.

Sherry, you have seen pictures of the leanng tower since grade school. It's time to see it. It's not hard to get to once you are in Pisa. However, watch out for the Zona Traffico Limitado (ZTL) restricted driving zones. Big tickets. Learn to recognize the ZTL signage by searching the web and you will be fine. Note that I wouldn't be this nice about the ZTLs in Florence. They are more numerous there.

Another vote for yes Pisa is worth seeing especially by train/bus. You only need 2-3 hours and can get some nice photos.

We were also on the route from Tuscany to CT and I was very reluctant to stop in Pisa. And am soooo glad we did! The Field of Miracle with all that white marble is quite spectacular - in that configuration very very unique. We were driving and took RS suggestion of parking at Parcheggio Pietrasantina. It is a very big parking lot, tour busses will park there as well, free of charge and just a 10 min. walk to the tower. The parking lot is well marked and not difficult to find (your GPS will have it as well) and from there you just follow the signs with the tower.

Thank you to all who replied. I think we will make the stop in Pisa. We ran into the ZTL thing in Milan in 2008 trying to get to our hotel. Thankfully, I had read about it on this board and we turned around and parked in a garage on the outskirts of Milan and took the Metro in to the center of the city.

And don't forget there's more than just the tower. Be sure to go inside the Duomo and the Baptistry. The Baptistry was designed to have a 10-second acoustic "hang time", meaning a note will echo for 10 seconds. This allows a soloist to sing harmony with him/herself. Check out this video and a few pics from Pisa that I took in 2008. The video is of the interior of the Baptistry, with audio of the security guard/docent singing for the crowd. Amazing. One of the highlights of our visit. (The guard sings every 10 minutes or so.) http://tinyurl.com/PisaHiLights Click on the "Show Info" option in the upper right for a brief text description of each photo.