The Complete Pisa Travel Guide

There is far more to Pisa than leaning against a tower for a photo. It is a proper university city with a river worth a slow evening, a Keith Haring mural on a back wall, and two more leaning towers nobody photographs. The places here are the ones worth staying for, picked by someone who thinks Pisa deserves more than the single hour most people give it.

How to use this guide: the tabs at the top move you between itineraries, places to see, restaurants, hotels, experiences and day trips. On any tab, open the map for a much clearer picture of where things sit and how Pisa fits together between the Piazza dei Miracoli and the Arno. On your phone, tap Get the App (or add this page to your home screen) so the whole guide is one tap away. Short on time? Jump to the ⚡ Quick Facts below.

About Pisa: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go

This complete Pisa travel guide covers getting around on foot, arriving by train from Florence or the airport next door, the best of the Piazza dei Miracoli, where to eat away from the tower crowds, and the money-saving tips most day-trippers miss. Whether you're here for the Leaning Tower, the Arno at sunset, or a full day beyond the postcard, bookmark this page before you go.

Pisa is a Tuscan city of around 90,000 people on the river Arno, a short train ride from both Florence and the coast. Once one of Italy's powerful maritime republics, it is now best known for its university, one of the oldest in the world, where Galileo studied. The famous tower is the bell tower of the cathedral, and it leans because the soft ground beneath it began giving way while it was still being built.

Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the sections below cover how to get around, where to eat beyond the tower stalls, and how to see the Pisa that most people rush straight past.