Leaning Tower of Pisa Tour from Florence by Train

Stop by Stop

You meet at Firenze Santa Maria Novella station, in Piazza della Stazione. From there a regional train carries you to Pisa, and the walk from the station to the Piazza dei Miracoli is 2.89 km. The included tower ticket has your fixed climb time, so the practical move is to walk straight to the tower and arrive ahead of your slot.

After the climb you visit the Cathedral on the included entry, and the listing adds the Baptistery from the outside. Travellers report about 2 hours on the Piazza, which is enough for the tower and the Cathedral at a steady pace but not much more. The return is flexible: you take a train back within the 5-hour validity, on your own timing.

The times below come from the listing. Where the listing is silent, no figure is stated.

Included, Optional and Not Offered

The listing ticks three inclusions: transportation by train, Leaning Tower ticket and Cathedral. The tower ticket is the big draw. Buying it separately on the official Opera della Primaziale Pisana site costs €20 with no reduced rate, so the value here is that the ticket and the timed slot are handled for you at booking.

The Cathedral is included as well. The listing also mentions the Baptistery, but only from the outside. There is no guide on the listing, no lunch, no hotel pickup and no stop in any other town. Food and drinks are excluded, so plan for the cafes around the square or eat before you leave Florence.

The table below separates what is in the price from what is not, based on the listing itself.

Check These Limits Before You Book

Children under 8 cannot climb the tower. The Opera della Primaziale Pisana bars children who will not have turned 8 by the end of the current year, so a family with small kids gets no climb on this trip. The square itself still works for them, and the Cathedral and the Piazza are free for under-11s with an adult.

Wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility are not suited to this listing, which says so plainly. The walk from Pisa station and the 251 uneven steps make it a poor fit. Pregnant women are also listed as not suited to this trip. A private option such as the Private Half-Day Trip to Pisa drops you at the square by car.

There is no guide on the listing. If you want the history explained on the square, the coach trip at $43 per person is the pick: the Half-Day Pisa Tour by Coach offers an optional guided visit of the Cathedral and the Piazza.

Travellers report about 2 hours on the Piazza, so if you want more free time or a second town, the Pisa and Lucca Day Trip by Coach gives about 2.5 hours in Pisa plus Lucca. The 5-hour validity also makes this a short day rather than a full one, and there is no hotel pickup, so plan to be at Santa Maria Novella on time.

The Ticket and the Slot

The Leaning Tower ticket costs €20 and has no reduced rate. Every ticket is for a fixed date and time and slots are limited in number, so you pick a time when you buy. On this trip the slot is handled for you at booking.

Arrive 15 minutes before the time printed on the ticket, because late arrivals are refused entry and are not refunded. If a time is sold out online, try a later one or the on-site ticket offices, which open 30 minutes before the monuments. You can change the time, not the date, up to 2 hours before your slot.

The Climb Itself

The climb is 251 steps on foot on an uneven and slippery floor, and the visit lasts about 30 minutes. The tower is about 56 metres tall and its foundations were laid on 9 August 1173. It is not recommended for people with cardiovascular or muscular disorders.

Wear proper shoes: travellers on this listing report the steps are smooth and sandals can slip on the way down.

Age and Bags

Children who will not have turned 8 by the end of the current year are not admitted to the tower. Visitors under 18 must be with an adult and may be asked for ID to prove age. Hand bags and luggage must be left in the cloakroom before the climb.

Small bags or backpacks up to 20x30x38 cm are accepted, with no weight limit. The cloakroom for tower visitors is free.

The Cathedral and the Rest of the Square

Any ticket includes a free Cathedral pass, and the Cathedral itself is free to enter, so the included entry on this trip fits the official system. Children under 11 with an adult enter the Cathedral free without a ticket. It is a place of worship, so dress and behave appropriately: shoulders and knees covered.

Hours can change on Sundays and religious holidays. The Baptistery, Camposanto and the two museums complete the UNESCO-listed square, inscribed in 1987, and children under 11 with an adult enter those free too. The full Florence to Pisa tours shows which trips add these monuments.

Hours and What to Wear

Hours change by season. In one published period, 13 Nov to 20 Dec, the tower, Baptistery, Camposanto and both museums open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and the Cathedral 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. From 17 June to 31 August the Camposanto and the tower stay open until 10:00 pm.

Entrance is allowed up to 30 minutes before closing. Bring comfortable shoes for the walk from Pisa station, sun protection for the open square in summer, and leave large suitcases at your Florence hotel because they are banned at the tower.

The Rules at a Glance

The table collects the figures a visitor is asked about most, all from the official Opera della Primaziale Pisana pages.