Pisa, Italy sits on the banks of the Arno in western Tuscany, about 10 km from the sea. It’s best known for its Leaning Tower, but the city has far more to offer.
In this guide, you’ll find the best things to do in Pisa, from visiting the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli to the city’s other historic sites and museums. Finally, we’ll also cover where to eat and drink, as well as the easiest day trips into the rest of Tuscany.
Why visit Pisa, Italy?
In the 11th and 12th centuries, Pisa was one of the four great maritime republics of Italy, alongside Venice, Genoa and Amalfi. It’s also where Galileo Galilei was born in 1564, and its university, founded in 1343, still shapes the city. Thousands of students keep the bars, bookshops and cheap trattorie busy all year.
Timing makes a big difference. April, May, September and October bring mild weather and thinner crowds, and in winter you can often walk straight into the monuments. However, keep in mind that cruise ships dock at nearby Livorno and day-trip coaches arrive from Florence.
As a result, the busiest hours on the square are roughly 10 am to 4 pm, so it’s best to arrive before then or stay on into the evening. On the other hand, if you’d rather take things slowly, holidays in Pisa fit neatly into a longer Tuscany trip. After all, both the coast and the hills are within an hour of the city.
Top things to do in Pisa Italy in one day
If you only have one day, it’s best to follow a simple order. First, start early at the tower before the crowds arrive. Then, walk south through the old town and gradually make your way towards the river.
Must-do checklist:
- Climb the Leaning Tower on the first slot of the day
- Step inside the cathedral and the Baptistery
- Walk the arcades of Borgo Stretto
- See Piazza dei Cavalieri and the Scuola Normale
- Stroll along the Arno to Santa Maria della Spina
- Find Keith Haring’s Tuttomondo mural near the station
- Try a slice of cecina, the local chickpea flatbread
The Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli: tickets and tips
Piazza dei Miracoli, or the “Square of Miracles”, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Interestingly, the famous tower is actually the cathedral’s bell tower.
Work on it began in August 1173. However, the foundations sit on soft sand and clay, so by around 1185, when builders reached the third storey, the tower had already started to lean.The bell chamber was only finished in 1372.
| Height | About 56 m |
| Steps | 251, with no lift |
| Weight | About 14,500 tonnes |
| Lean | About 5.5 degrees before 1990, about 4 degrees today |
| Stabilisation | Closed from 1990 to 2001 to reduce the tilt |
| Bells | 7 |
Tickets are sold by time slot, and the official site, opapisa.it, is the cheapest place to buy them.
| Ticket | Price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Leaning Tower (includes the cathedral) | €20 |
| Tower plus Baptistery or Camposanto, with the cathedral | €27 |
| Tower plus all monuments | €27 |
| Baptistery, Camposanto or Opera del Duomo Museum (each) | €8 |
| Baptistery, Camposanto and museums, without the tower | €15 |
| Cathedral only | Free, but you need a ticket |
- Children under 8 can’t climb the tower, and under-18s need an adult with them
- Bags and backpacks must go in the cloakroom, so arrive 15 minutes before your slot
- The climb takes about 30 minutes, and the steps are worn and slippery in places
- Summer evening slots after 7 pm are usually quieter
Historic sites and museums beyond the tower
Once you leave the Piazza dei Miracoli, the crowds thin out quickly. Some of the best things to do in Pisa are a ten-minute walk away.
- Camposanto: the monumental cemetery on the square, with medieval frescoes restored after bomb damage in 1944
- Piazza dei Cavalieri: the old political heart of the city, now home to the Scuola Normale Superiore, founded by Napoleon in 1810
- Santa Maria della Spina: a tiny, intricate Gothic church right on the bank of the Arno
- Orto Botanico: founded in 1544, often described as the oldest university botanical garden in Europe
- Palazzo Blu: a riverside palace hosting major temporary art exhibitions
- Tuttomondo: Keith Haring’s huge 1989 mural on the wall of Sant’Antonio Abate, one of his last public works
Where to eat and drink in Pisa
Skip the restaurants facing the tower. Walk ten minutes into the centre, and prices drop, and quality goes up.
Head for the streets around Piazza delle Vettovaglie, where a morning food market runs under the arcades and the square fills with students and aperitivo crowds in the evening.
| Try | What it is |
|---|---|
| Cecina | Thin chickpea flatbread, often eaten in a focaccia roll |
| Zuppa pisana | Thick bread and vegetable soup, similar to ribollita |
| Baccalà alla pisana | Salt cod cooked with tomatoes and onions |
| Torta co’ bischeri | A rice and chocolate tart from the Pisa countryside |
| Local wine | Reds and whites from the Pisan hills and nearby Montescudaio |
Day trips from Pisa into Tuscany
Pisa’s location makes it a handy hub. Galileo Galilei Airport is linked to Pisa Centrale station by the Pisa Mover shuttle in a few minutes, and trains fan out across the region from there.
| Destination | By train | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Lucca | About 30 minutes | Renaissance walls you can cycle around |
| Viareggio | About 20 minutes | Beaches and an Art Nouveau seafront |
| Florence | About 1 hour | The Uffizi, the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio |
| Cinque Terre | About 1 hour to La Spezia | Five cliffside villages on the Ligurian coast |
If you’d rather drive, it’s easy to rent a car in Tuscany at the airport and head inland to Volterra or San Gimignano. Just remember that Pisa’s centre is a ZTL, a limited traffic zone, so park outside it.
Plan your Pisa trip from a base in Lucca
The things to do in Pisa Italy, easily fill a full day, and most people leave wishing they hadn’t rushed.
Lucca Apartments and Villas has apartments, villas and farmhouses across Tuscany, so you can see the tower in the morning and be eating dinner inside Lucca’s walls by evening. Pick the home that suits your group, and Pisa becomes just one of several easy day trips from your front door.
