How Do You Get from Florence to Pisa: Train, Bus or Tour?

All options in one table

The train is the default answer: regional trains from Santa Maria Novella reach Pisa Centrale in about 1 h 22-23 min, calling at Empoli and Pontedera. Tours cost more but bundle transport with an escort or guide and, on some options, the tower ticket.

Driving is the weak option: Pisa's ZTL electronic gates run 24 hours a day and only vehicles with a valid permit may enter, so a car is not practical in the centre.

Frequency and times

Regional Trenitalia trains run frequently from Florence Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale, and RFI station boards show them taking about 1 h 22-23 min, calling at Empoli and Pontedera. Faster Trenitalia services also run the route, so check the train type and the time before you buy.

Tickets and train types

A regional ticket follows the Tuscany distance tariff: buy it at the station machine or in the Trenitalia app. Regional trains need no seat reservation. Faster services can carry a reservation, so check the train type when you buy.

Buying and validating tickets

Regional tickets can be bought at ticket offices, machines, the Trenitalia site and app, with electronic or digital tickets available up to five minutes before departure. Paper regional tickets must be validated at the station machine before the train departs and the journey completed within four hours of validation. Digital tickets activate automatically at the scheduled departure of your chosen train.

Walking, bus or taxi

Pisa Turismo describes the walking route from the station to Piazza dei Miracoli as 2.89 km. If you would rather ride, Autolinee Toscane's urban single ticket for Pisa costs €2.00, or €3.00 bought from the driver. A taxi is the other short ride to the square.

A workable day trip outline

Take a morning train from Florence Santa Maria Novella, walk or bus to Piazza dei Miracoli, climb the Tower, then walk back through the city centre to the station for an afternoon return. If you want more, the Piazza Duomo tourist office facing the Tower opens 9:30 am to 7:30 pm daily from March to October and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm from November to February.

The Tower ticket costs €20 with no reduced rate, per the Opera's own price page, and the climb is 251 steps on an uneven and slippery floor, lasting about 30 minutes. Entry is by fixed time slots, so arrive 15 minutes before your time, because late arrivals are refused and not refunded. Children under 8 are not admitted.

For a fuller day, the Pisa and Lucca tour combines both cities, and the private options give you a driver. You can also continue to the coast on your own, since Pisa and the Cinque Terre sit on connected rail lines.

Which train to pick

Regional trains take about 1 h 22-23 min and need no seat reservation, which makes them the flexible choice for a spur-of-the-moment day trip. Faster services can cut the journey time, so compare departures at the station machine or in the Trenitalia app.

The Flibco airport bus

A direct Flibco bus runs hourly from Florence Airport to Pisa International Airport, taking about 1 hour. On the Pisa end, the Pisa Mover shuttle links the airport with Pisa Central station in about 5 minutes. It runs daily from 6:00 am to midnight, with last departures extended to 1:00 am from 1 June to 30 September, and in low season a single shuttle runs about every 12 minutes between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm.

ZTL and parking

Pisa's ZTL electronic gates run 24 hours a day and only vehicles with a valid permit may enter, per the city's tourism site, so you cannot drive to Piazza dei Miracoli. The municipal listing names a free car park on Via Pietrasantina, though the listing dates from 2014 and does not describe it as a coach terminal. For most day trippers the train is simpler.

What you actually see

Piazza del Duomo was inscribed by UNESCO in 1987 under four criteria, covering the cathedral, baptistery, bell tower and Campo Santo, on a property of 8.87 ha. The Bell Tower stands about 56 metres tall and weighs 14,453 metric tons, and its foundations were laid on 9 August 1173. Work on the Baptistery began in 1152 and the Camposanto in 1277. UNESCO notes that Galileo observed a swinging bronze chandelier in the cathedral, feeding his early work on dynamics.

Any ticket includes a free Cathedral pass with no fixed time, and admission to the Cathedral alone is free, with children under 11 entering free with an adult. From 17 June to 31 August the Camposanto and the Tower stay open at night until 10:00 pm, which suits an evening visit. Dress appropriately in the Cathedral, and note that cameras are not allowed during masses.

Doing it yourself by train

Take a morning train from Florence to Pisa, spend a few hours at the Tower, then continue along the coast to the Cinque Terre villages. Once inside the national park, the Cinque Terre Train Card (MS) for adults aged 12-69 costs €22.00 for 1 day in band A between 14 March and 1 November 2026, and from 2 Nov to 31 Dec 2026 it costs €17.30 for 1 day, per the park's official page. The card includes the Blue Trail between Monterosso, Vernazza and Corniglia, the Via dell'Amore, bus travel within the villages and free station toilets.

If that sounds like too many moving parts, a combined tour handles the connections for you. The private Pisa and Lucca day trip with hotel pickup covers two towns in one day, and the dedicated combined pages below cover Pisa plus the coast.

Tours that cover both

Two ready-made options pair the Tower with the five villages. See the Cinque Terre and Pisa Tour from Florence and the Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence with Pisa Option pages, or the train-based Cinque Terre and Pisa Day Trip from Florence. If you prefer the hills instead of the coast, the Tuscany Day Trip from Florence: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa with a Winery Lunch and the San Gimignano Day Trip from Florence with Pisa First both end in Pisa, as does the Siena Day Trip from Florence: Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa in One Day.

Browse all options on pisa tours from florence.

Match the option to your day

If you travel light and like setting your own pace, buy a regional train ticket at the station, cover the 2.89 km from Pisa Centrale to the Tower on foot or by bus and wander back. If you are short on time, the half-day coach tours at $43 and $44.03 per person fit a Pisa visit into six hours with guiding included. If you want privacy, the private half-day trip with a driver at $251.20 per person is the shortest door-to-door day.

Families with young children often prefer tours, since the Tower does not admit children under 8 and timed tickets add friction. If you plan to continue to Lucca or the coast, the train keeps your options open, and for Lucca specifically the combined coach day trip at $65 per person covers both cities in 9 hours.

Buying on the day

Regional tickets need no advance purchase, and electronic tickets can be bought up to five minutes before departure. Only the Tower itself needs planning, since its timed tickets sell out and you can change the time, not the date, up to 2 hours before your slot.