Tour from Florence to Pisa?

Lee, you really don't need a tour from Florence to Pisa. The train service between the two is good. At the train station in Pisa, grab the bus or a cab and go to the Piazza dei Miracoli (Plaza of Miracles). This is where the Leaning Tower is located.

Lee - Judy has it exactly correct - No expensive tour required!! Very simple train down to Pisa and, once you're there, you'll see that a tour guide is not required. Climb the 322 steps, enjoy the view, check out the surrounding buildings and have lunch at one of the many Cafes - then back on the train to Florence!!

Ciao, Greg

Take the train from Florence to Pisa. It is simple, easy, and less expensive than a tour. After leaving the station you could take a bus, a cab, or walk. Rick outlines a nice stroll through an old neighborhood to the Leaning Tower.

Buon viaggio,

RB

Lee you have received good advice - the train is fast, simple, and cheap. I actually usually walk from the station in Pisa to the Leaning Tower - but - if you are looking for a tour, this bus tour, which includes some country side, is very well reviewed on several websites:

http://www.walkaboutpass.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_name=bestoftuscanytour_homepage

They actually have a new office in Florence down the street from where we live.

We just came back from Italy in September and we took the tour through Tuscany with the company that Anthony suggested - Walkabout Tours. They were fantastic. I would highly recommend them

Ditto all of the above. Took a daytrip from Florence to Pisa this past July. Very easy to do-- we got off at the smaller Pisa S. Rossore station and had only a 4 block walk to the tower then took the bus (leave from right outside the gate) back to Pisa Centrale.

I agree that you dont need a tour. WIth your Rick Steves guide book, it is easy to do on your own. HOWEVER, I strongly recommend that you take a cab from the train station not the bus. we encountered some of the following problems there:

1. the bus was not running according to the guidebook. we waited over an hour for it to come. once we got on it, we were scared for the first time in 2 weeks that we had been in italy. we were scared at the bus stop too, leading to #2 below.

2. at the bus stop, we ran into a couple from England. they tried to walk to the leaning tower, but a gypsie woman with her children came up to them. SHe put a map in their face and asked for directions. as she did so, her kid put his hand in the English man' pocket and tried to take his wallet. the english man was a cop, so he grabbed the kid's wrist and pushed him away. the bus was packed too so watch your wallet if you do take the bus.

3. due to the train taking so long, we didn't get to the tower until late. we stayed for only a few minutes and then tried to take the bus back to the station. That bus that according to the guidebook was supposed to come that night never came. we almost missed the last train back to florence. and, there were no cabs in the area. we were too scared to talk back to the station. luckily, my husband speak fluent italian and asked a local who said the bus was done. we ended up getting a ride from the man, but fortunately I have a large husband who is safe to be with.

4. dont expect the train to pisa to be as nice as the high speeds. its a local, which means it is not nice and take a long time. account for the time. we thought it would only take 20 minutes and it took about an hour and twenty minutes!!!

I really do not think you need a tour, but make sure you leave florence earlier enough and take a cab to the leaning tower and back!!!

Thanks everyone for the input! We got back from Italy a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time. We originally was going to take the train to Pisa but than we saw a bus tour that was advertised on the back of our map. I didn't realize it was the same tour as Anthony mentioned until I came back here. It was great because they visited 3 different areas plus lunch was included. We thought this was a good deal for 80 Euros per person. I recommend this tour for anyone who wants to see more than just Florence and has a whole day to spend.