Traveling from Florence to Pisa by Train

You don't have to buy in advance, but the train station ticket office and kiosks can get very busy. If you do buy online and don't have a chance to print out tickets, just show the etickets to the train conductor.

You could take an earlier train back, I would not have dinner at places near the Campo dei Miracoli.

You can also get to Pisa and back by bus.

You can buy the tickets at the station the evening before, when it will be less busy. Be sure you »validate« those tickets before boarding the train by stamping them in a machine like this.
I wouldn't worry about the train being so crowded you can't to get a seat. In the worst case you'll have to stand till the next station, when some people are getting out.

You might take the train to Pisa San Rossore station which is a closer walk to the Field of Miracles where the tower is. If you take the train to Pisa Centrale, you then need to take a local bus to the Field of Miracles or walk about 30 minutes (not a bad walk if you have time). But there aren't many direct trains from Florence to San Rossore, and I don't think there is luggage storage there so it makes sense for day trippers without bags. If you can't get a direct train to/from San Rossore, you might as well just catch a bus from Pisa Centrale anyway. You can always take the train back from Pisa Centrale to Florence.

If you have a working smart phone, you can always install and use the Trenit app to buy train tickets. I found Trenit very handy. You don't need to buy regional train tickets more than a few minutes in advance, but the Trenit app will stop selling them for a particular train maybe 10-15 minutes before the train leaves. It does help you to be able to avoid a possible line at the train station to use a ticket machine or buy from an agent. I paid for Trenit tickets with PayPal but a US credit card may work too. Unfortunately, I could not register with Trenitalia so had to re-enter my personal info each time I bought a new ticket. You need not enter any personal info (for regional trickets) at the ticket machines at the stations, which take cash (I think) or chip and PIN credit cards (probably not chip and signature credit cards that most US travelers would have). I used my chip and PIN card to buy tickets from the machines a few times, too; my chip and signature card without a PIN was not accepted.

The absolute best way to buy train tickets is to have the Trainline app. Tickets we bought at the last second and in advance. Do not have to validate because the barcodes are on your phone. We used exclusively in Italy last month. Worked perfectly. No surcharges are involved. Plus it's easy to use in English. Cannot recommend it enough

suju,

Most of the trains from Firenze SMN to Pisa Centrale are either Regionale or Regionale Veloce, so there's absolutely no need to buy tickets in advance. There will be no difference in price, and they don't sell out.

There's a departure from Firenze SMN at 14:28, arriving Pisa Centrale at 15:28 (currently listed at €8.40 PP). If you're arriving in Florence by train, my suggestion would be to stop at one of the Kiosks and buy your tickets before checking into your hotel. When you arrive back at the station for your trip to Pisa, simply validate your tickets and then board your train.

You can also buy your return tickets from Pisa to Florence at the same time, but don't validate them until just prior to boarding the train, since they have a "shelf life" once validated. On the return trip there's a departure at 21:32, arriving back in Florence at 22:32 (same price).

Regarding going directly to Pisa S. Rossore, it may be closer to the tower but many rail solutions require a change at Pisa Centrale anyway so I'm not sure that would be much of a benefit. In the same situation I'd disembark at Pisa Centrale and just use a Bus, Taxi or walk to the tower. Your choice......

A fast way to buy regional tickets at SMN is at the tiny "Parafarmacia" (drugstore) just on the entrance on the via Alamanni side, top of the stairs on the right. They print your ticket on the spot, you can also buy the return leg - for each ticket remember to specify the date on which you will travel and to validate tickets at the platforms. Also tobacconists in the area near the station sell regional tickets. As this service is known only to locals, you won't find queues.

As I said, Ken, it makes sense to go to/from San Rossore station in Pisa only if you can get a direct train from Florence. There are a few.

If you decide to purchase tickets at the station rather than prepurchasing them or using the app, keep in mind they will be good for any regional or regional veloce train during the date specified on the ticket. Just validate them prior to boarding the next departing train, and make sure to validate the correct tickets if you purchase round trip.

We (family of 4) are arriving in Florence around 11:30am on July 27
and planning to take a train from Santa Maria Novella station to Pisa
Centrale around 2:30pm.

sujutravel, where are you arriving from? Somewhere else in Italy or from somewhere out of the country? I guess I would question booking tower tickets and planning a train trip for arrival day if you're coming off an international flight? You could have difficulties if that flight is delayed.

Thank you all for guidance and sharing information. I truly appreciate it.

I'm travelling by train from Venice to Florence. Reaching Florence at 11:30am. We are going to check in at hotel ( 7 min from SMN station).
Have decided to buy round trip train ticket on spot at SMN Station from Kiosk(Florence to Pisa Centrale). Planning to catch 2:30pm train. We have already booked Tower ticket for 5:30pm slot. This should give enough time to get there and planning to return either by 8:00pm or 8:30pm train back to Florence.

Regarding Validating ticket - Where do I go.. Is there another machine to punch in tickets?

For validating your tickets, use the machine like this. You'll find them in the ticket hall and on the way to the platforms.

Wow! Thanks for suggesting Pisa San Rossore, which is much closer. I just booked tickets to and from this train station from/to Firenze S.M. Novella and all of them were direct. There weren't as many scheduled trains coming back from Pisa and for some reason they took longer, but I figured I'm spending the day in Pisa; not just to see the Field of Miracles, but to see a bit of the town and to do a little Geocaching along the way. This gives me plenty of time from the time I arrive to the time I leave on the train-besides, the longer ride back will give me some time to relax. THANKS A MILLION!!!