16 Fun Things to Do in Pisa, Italy

There’s so much more to Pisa than the Leaning Tower. There are so many cool things to do in Pisa — this is a big, bustling city with a mind and attitude of its own!

So many travelers swoop in on a day trip from Florence to take photos with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And yes, I’ve been one of them. But on my most recent trip to Pisa, I decided to explore the city in more depth.

Like all other Italian cities, Pisa has elegant piazzas and buzzing local streets to explore. Incredible churches showcase Pisan Romanesque architecture and the two Lungarni areas along the riverfront are charming at sunset. 

The city of Pisa is extremely walkable — I did all of my Pisa exploration on foot — and my experience was all the better as nearly all neighborhoods are for locals rather than tourists. Plus, food and drink prices are shockingly low, especially compared to pricey Florence, once you tread beyond the vicinity of the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli.

If you’re heading to Florence from within Europe, you may save money by flying into Pisa’s international airport. This is what I did from my home in Prague. You can fly into Galileo Galilei, store your luggage at the train station, explore Pisa for a few hours, and hop on one of the very frequent trains to Florence.

It’s easy — one might say Pisa-ey (oh God, I’m so sorry) — to visit this underrated Italian city.

This post was published in November 2024 and was co-written by Adventurous Kate and Hannah Cooper.

Things to do in Pisa

See the Leaning Tower of Pisa (of course)

Come on, you’re in Pisa, are you really NOT going to get a photo of yourself holding up the Leaning Tower?! This is not a place to worry about looking cool. Give it your cheesiest pose!

Located in the Square of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli), the Torre di Pisa is the campanile of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It reaches a little over 56 meters on the “high side” and just under that on the “low side.”

Fun fact: the tilt wasn’t intentional. It was caused by unstable foundations and efforts were made to straighten it out. Despite its crooked appearance, the bell tower is totally stable today and those 251 steps are safe to climb.

(And yes, they could straighten it out if they wanted to, but why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?)

Admission to the tower, cathedral, and temporary exhibition costs €20 ($22). It’s €27 ($29) for access all areas in the Field of Miracles. It’s worth the extra cost to visit the baptistery and the museums if you have the time. Tickets are available on the Opera della Primaziale Pisana website. 

Unless you’re willing to wait in a long line, I recommend you book a guided tour with skip-the-line tickets from spring through fall and on weekends year-round.

This Leaning Tower of Pisa Guided Tour allows you to skip the line and has full commentary. You’ll get to enjoy the views while learning all the titillating details and kooky anecdotes behind Tuscany’s utterly unique UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Explore the rest of the Piazza dei Miracoli

Formerly the Piazza del Duomo, the Piazza dei Miracoli is the setting of other cool landmarks besides the cathedral and bell tower. 

Although the tower is the main attraction here, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the main structure on the piazza. The white marble-clad cathedral was built in the Latin cross design and was later topped with an elliptical dome inspired by Moorish architecture. 

Standing at the rear, the Battistero di San Giovanni completes the experience. Second fun fact: this domed baptistery also leans ever so slightly!

Construction began according to Romanesque principles, and Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni Pisano completed the upper levels in the Gothic style. They sculpted the pulpit while Guido Bigarelli da Como takes credit for the baptismal font. 

The Camposanto marks the northern boundary of the Piazza dei Miracoli. This monumental cemetery dates from the 13th century and its name derives from the Italian for holy land.

You’ll get the best views of the whole compound from the Mura di Pisa, the old city walls. It’s a great place for photos and well worth a climb up there if you have the time.

You can easily wander the piazza on your own, or sign up for the Pisa Baptistery, Cathedral, and Leaning Tower guided tour to learn directly from a guide.

Wander the University of Pisa Campus

Historians believe that the University of Pisa dates back to the 12th century, but it may be a century or two older, making it one of Europe’s earliest universities. Exploring the historic buildings of the city center campus is one of the best free things to do in Pisa. 

And not only that — these buildings are just a short walk from the Leaning Tower!

The Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knight’s Square) is the beating heart of the university. It’s free from cafes and stores – and surprisingly, people! – but richly appointed with palaces and statues. 

Then be sure to check out the Palazzo della Carovana (Palace of the Elders) to see the most elaborate sgraffito facade in the whole of Italy. Unfortunately, the interiors are off-limits.

And if you have time — the Orto Botanico is a true highlight! This is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world and contains medicinal plants. Admission costs €4 (around $4.30) and includes the garden exhibition, herbarium, and museum. 

Stroll along the Borgo Stretto

Borgo Stretto is one of the most prominent streets in Pisa, connects Via San Francesco with the riverside Piazza Garibaldi. It’s a narrow street lined with ornate buildings containing classy boutiques and jewelry stores, and the best place for photos of street life in Pisa.

There are porticoes along the street that remind me so much of Bologna and other cities in nearby Emilia-Romagna!

Galileo Galilei was born right here on this street and you’ll clock a bronze statue commemorating his work. 

There’s also a lovely church of note, the Chiesa di San Michele in Borgo, built in the 10th century over a Roman temple. 

Visit the Santa Maria della Spina

The Church of Santa Maria della Spina is one of the most beautiful buildings on Pisa’s Lungarno, the road along the Arno River (yes, just like the road along the Arno River in Florence!). It’s situated on the south bank of the River Arno and exemplifies the Pisan Gothic style.

It’s no longer used as a church. Instead, the space is used for special events and temporary exhibitions. At the time of my visit, there was an interesting art exhibit featuring intense, emotional paintings.

It’s worth visiting this tiny church purely to see the ornamental exterior (I got this photo above from the bridge next to it), and you can always drop in to see if there’s an art exhibition.

Grab a treat at the Gelateria de’ Coltelli

You can’t visit an Italian city and not sample the local gelato! Whenever I go to a new Italian city, I like to look on Google Maps for the absolute best gelato in town, the artisanal and award-winning stuff.

And the place to go in Pisa is Gelateria de’ Coltelli — on the Pisa Lungarno near Borgo Stretto.

Gelati are sold in cups, cones, and sandwich form, wedged between two crumbly biscotti cookies. The ice cream is as thick and creamy as you’d expect from a proper Tuscan gelateria (the Florentines love to say they invented it!).

Flavors include the usuals — hazelnut, salted caramel, and lemon — as well as experimental options such as salted macadamia nuts, licorice, and dragonfruit. The menu changes periodically and caters to vegans and gluten-free gelato lovers. 

See Keith Haring’s “Tuttomondo” mural 

The American pop art and graffiti artist Keith Haring traveled to Italy in the 1980s and painted his “Tuttomondo” mural on the walls of the Sant’Antonio Abate Church.

It took Haring one week to create these 30 interlinked figures, representing harmony and peace among mankind and nature. It was painted in 1989, and Haring passed away the following year following his AIDS diagnosis. 

The mural is a super-quick walk from the train station, so this is one of the best things to do in Pisa after you arrive or on the way out.

Go on a food tour

Get your teeth into the Pisa culinary scene with a food tour! This Do Eat Better Experience in Pisa is an excellent choice and will show you the best of Tuscan food — with a distinctly Pisan twist.

If you want to eat like the locals do, this is a great tour for that — all of the destinations are popular spots for Pisa’s, and sustainability is one of the business’s top priorities.

Typical dishes might include crostini toscani, porchetta sandwiches, and lampredotto (stew made with cow’s stomach — no, you don’t HAVE to eat it, but Tuscans love it so much, it’s worth a try!!).

The walking tour lasts for three hours and includes roughly five stops. It’s capped at 12 participants and includes food and wine tastings. Plus, if you spend longer than one day in Pisa, you’ll have intel on where to go for dinner. 

Stop by Parco Don Bosco

If you’re craving a bit of greenery and a local atmosphere, head to Parco Don Bosco. Known interchangeably as Parco Alfredo Solarino, you can find this mellow spot east of the historic center. 

The playground and open-air gym make it a popular hangout for local families. Look out for the aqueduct crossing through the city park. It was constructed in the 16th century at the bequest of Ferdinando de Medici and modeled on a Roman aqueduct. 

Stretching around four miles from the Valle delle Fonti nature preserve, the Acquedotto Mediceo finishes at the Piazza delle Gondole. Keep an eye out for a basin of water there.

People watch at Piazza dei Cavalieri

You’ll have passed through Knight’s Square, just a stone’s throw from the Leaning Tower, while exploring the university campus. This monumental plaza deserves closer inspection and is a fun spot for people-watching.

If you’d like to dive deeper into Pisa, this off-the-beaten-path walking tour of Pisa passes the Piazza dei Cavalieri. This two-hour tour takes you down secret alleyways and points out sights you might miss. 

You’ll hear stories about the university, and historical anecdotes, and scratch beneath the surface. After a tour full of hidden gems, you’ll finish at the opposite of a hidden gem, the Leaning Tower.

Explore the Palazzo Blu

The Palazzo Blu stands a couple of minutes east of Santa Maria della Spina. It’s named for its sapphire-colored medieval facade, standing out wildly against the yellows and reds of the city, and is best appreciated up close and from across the river for a different perspective.

The palace is now an art gallery with a permanent collection and temporary exhibitions laid out in the aristocratic rooms. It’s a fun place to trace the development of Italian art through to the modern day. 

It’s open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 AM-7:00 PM and until 8:00 PM on weekends. Admission costs €5 ($5.30). 

Check out the museums

If you spend longer than a day in Pisa, these museums are worth visiting.

Head to the Sinopie Museum (Museo delle Sinopie) to view draft etchings, blueprints, and recovered frescoes all relating to the Camposanto. 

The Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo is a temporary exhibition of paintings, reliefs, sculptures, and holy trinkets amassed from the cathedral and baptistery. 

Admission to these two museums is included when you buy the €27 “completa and torre” bundle at the Pisa Cathedral ticket office. 

Elsewhere, the Museum of Human Anatomy (Museo di Anatomia) is part of the university. Exhibitions of mummies, plaster casts, and skeletons skim the macabre and medicinal history. It’s open Monday to Friday and reservations are advisable. Admission is €2.50 (just over $2.50). 

Contained in an ancient Benedictine monastery, the National Museum of San Matteo is a little further afield. It contains paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages, the Romanesque period, and the 16th century. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday and costs €5 ($5.30). 

The National Museum of the Royal Palace exhibits regal tapestries, oil paintings, and regal armor in a lavish setting. This one is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings and Friday afternoons. Admission is €5 ($5.30).

Meander the banks of the Arno River

The Arno River flows from the Tuscan Apennines through Florence and other Tuscan towns before meeting the sea at the Port of Pisa. It’s a tall order to stroll the entire 150-mile length, but you can squeeze in a mile or two!

There are two walking paths on either bank of the Arno called the Lungarni. These grant photogenic views of the colorful historical buildings on each side and from the Ponte di Mezzo. 

Continue east and you can follow the Mediceo Lungarno all the way to the former palace of the Medici family in Pisa. Just over the bridge, the Giardino Scotto contains the remnants of Pisa’s city walls and a Medici fortress. 

This is easily one of the top things to do in Pisa at sunset. Assuming you have a day that wasn’t as cloudy as mine!

Explore Pisa by bike

If you stay more than a day in Pisa, you can rent a bike and cycle to the Ligurian Sea. Yes, it’s that close!

This company rents bikes and provides access to a GPS-based app that guides you to the Marina di Pisa via a network of cycling lanes called the Trammino. These easy bike paths take you through farmland and open fields with minimal hills. 

You can rent either a regular road bike or an e-bike and take on the “Road to the Sea.” Helmets are provided and you’ll want to dedicate a whole day to this activity. 

Take a day trip to Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is one of the most visually striking places I’ve ever visited in Italy — and it’s actually pretty easy to visit from Pisa! While lots of people like to visit for a few nights, you can absolutely make a day trip work here if you start early.

These five villages are linked by a train and hiking trails. As a day trip, it makes sense to join a tour. Local guides and drivers are best placed to steer you to the most astonishing viewpoints.

This Cinque Terre small group tour from Pisa includes a minivan transfer to the town of La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre. From there, you’ll take in the cliffside hamlets from either the boat (seasonal) or train (all year). 

The tour typically calls at three or four towns determined by the weather and other conditions.

Want to do it on your own? You can. Take the train to La Spezia (one hour), then get the Cinque Terre pass and you can take the train between the towns of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

Read More: Guide to the Five Towns of Cinque Terre

Go wine tasting in Tuscany

Every region in Italy produces its own unique wines and never you’re far away from your next cellar door! In the case of Pisa, you’re very close the Chianti region. 

Chianti wines are deep and rich, made from rich Sangiovese grapes, the perfect companion for a massive bistecca fiorentina. The idyllic hills fill the space between Pisa, Florence, Lucca, and San Gimignano.

I strongly recommend choosing a tour for wine tasting in the Chianti Hills — it’s near-impossible to do by public transport, and you won’t need to worry about intoxicated driving. This half-day Chianti wine tour means there’s no need to hold back as you’ll be in the safe hands of a local designated driver. 

It includes a vineyard and cellar tour and tasting of wine and Tuscan olive oil with regional cheeses.

How Much Time to Spend in Pisa, Italy

A lot of travelers spend an hour or two in Pisa and move on. But there really is a lot more to Pisa than just the Piazza dei Miracoli, and if you’re determined to sightsee comprehensively, you can easily pad out a whole day with things to do in Pisa beyond the tower.

Pisa is a popular day trip from Florence — it’s so close by. If you decide to do a day trip to Pisa from Florence, my tip is to divide your time between Pisa and the medieval city of Lucca. Lucca is located on a train line between Pisa and Florence (though a different line from the direct Florence-Pisa line), and I think it’s one of the nicest cities in Tuscany.

If you want to book a guided tour, I recommend the Pisa and Lucca Day Trip from Florence. Otherwise, if you only have half a day to spare, stick to just Pisa with the Half Day Pisa Trip from Florence.

You can dedicate your whole morning to exploring Pisa, and then spend the afternoon in the medieval capital of Tuscany. It’s super easy to grab the train, so it’s a “pisa” cake! (Again, I’m so sorry.)

Because Pisa is home to an airport serving primarily budget airlines in Europe, it can also be the place where you start or end your trip. I did this on my most recent trip — I flew from Prague to Pisa on an early flight, took the Pisa Mover to the train station, stored my luggage in the train station, spent a few hours exploring the city, then picked up my bag, bought a ticket, and hopped on the train to Florence.

Pisa is also worth considering as a base in Tuscany. It’s much more affordable than Florence, yet well-connected by public transportation, and handy for exploring the Ligurian coast, Cinque Terre, and Tuscan wine regions. Pisa is definitely a better place to stay in summer during peak season. 

How to Get to Pisa, Italy

First off, if you’d like to visit Pisa on a guided day trip from Florence, there are two that I recommend. If you have a full day to spare and want to visit a cool, underrated Tuscan city as well, I recommend the Pisa and Lucca Day Trip from Florence. If you have only half a day to spare, stick to just Pisa with the Half Day Pisa Trip from Florence.

Pisa has its own international airport, often known as the Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA). It’s well-connected to regional airports and other European cities, though there are no direct transcontinental flights. Try to get a window seat — you’ll see the famous tower as the plane prepares to land!

The Pisa-Mover shuttle service connects the airport and Pisa Centrale Train Station in five minutes flat. (Honestly, this is something I wish all airports had!) It operates between 6:00 AM-12:00 AM and costs €6.50 ($7) each way.

There is a luggage storage place in the train station where your bags will be securely stored while spending a day in Pisa. It’s manned 8:00 AM-9:00 PM and costs €5 ($5.30) per bag. It’s set a bit deep inside the station, but look for signs saying Deposito Bagagli.

Pisa is also very well connected using Italy’s outstanding rail network. High-speed trains take an hour between Pisa Centrale and Florence Santa Maria Novella. Pisa is also an hourlong journey from La Spezia, the gateway to Cinque Terre, and just 17 minutes from Livorno, the regional cruise ship hub.

Where To Stay in Pisa, Italy

Pisa is a relatively small city. You can walk from Pisa Centrale to the Campo dei Miracoli in less than 30 minutes. There are plenty of buses that can take you across the city for cheaper. Trains to San Rossore, Pisa’s second station, take 12 minutes. 

• Best Top-Rated Luxury Hotel in Pisa: The Palazzo Cini Luxury Rooms is a short walk from the train station and the city center tourist attractions. Decor fuses old and modern with hot tubs in the best rooms and there’s a shared garden for guests.
• Best Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Pisa Near Pisa Centrale: Hotel Bologna is another option near the main train station. It’s traditionally outfitted with terracotta accents and lots of wall frescoes. There are rooms for solo travelers. 
• Best Top-Rated Mid-Range Hotel in Pisa Near the Leaning Tower: The Rif – Boutique Hotel is the best option for where to stay near the main attractions and San Rossore. The palatial architecture and landscaped garden are romantic and select rooms have spa tubs. 
• Best Top-Rated Budget Hotel in Pisa: Follow the Corso Italia over the Ponte di Mezzo and voilà, the Royal Victoria Hotel has a stellar location on the banks of the River Arno. Rooms are furnished with gorgeous antiques and riverside units have the best views in Pisa. 
• Find deals on places to stay in Pisa here.

Best Time To Visit Pisa, Italy

Pisa is one of those places you can visit at any time of year and have a good time. My personal recommendation for all of Tuscany is to visit in the fall, especially October. The summer crowds clear out, it’s a great time for food festivals and wine, and the Tuscany region is all kinds of golden hues at this time of year.

(Keep in mind Florence will still be crazy-busy then, though — Florence, Rome, and Venice don’t have much of an off-season unless you go in January.)

The high season in Pisa lasts from spring through to fall. As the iconic leaning tower inevitably has a ring of tourists clicking their cameras at any time of year, bumping into crowds is unavoidable around the Field of Miracles. If you’re a photographer looking to get good shots, you’ll want to get here early — think sunrise — though even then, you won’t be alone.

Winter is the best time to visit Pisa for quiet. The weather is mild during the day but subject to frosty nights and cold snaps. Check out January for a low-season deal — and remember to wrap up warm and bring your umbrella!

Is Pisa Worth It?

I think it’s definitely worth stopping in Pisa if you haven’t been before — and it’s also worth checking out a few cool sites beyond the Leaning Tower!

While I only spent a day here most recently, I felt like I got so much out of my trip, and it was the perfect start to my Italian journey before heading to Florence.

I hope you have the best time in Pisa!

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Have you been to Pisa? Share your favorite things to do!