Pisa

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18 amazing things to do in Pisa

Every guide to Pisa opens with the same landmarks, and the big ones do earn their spot. But these 18 are the places I'd actually walk you to: the icons worth your time, plus the quiet corners and viewpoints that never make the lists.

Cattedrale di PisaFree (w/ time slot)The magnificent striped-marble cathedral at the heart of the Field of Miracles, and the Tower is actually its bell tower. Directions
Skip the lineBattistero di San Giovanni€10 (combo)The round marble baptistery: the largest in Italy, with jaw-dropping acoustics. Directions
Skip the lineMonumental Cemetery of Pisa€10 (combo)The 'monumental cemetery': a serene marble cloister said to hold soil from the Holy Land, lined with vast medieval frescoes. Directions
Get TicketsPisa 2-Hour Walking Tour★ 4.9 · From €26The highest-rated thing to do in Pisa: a 2-hour walk with a brilliant local guide that goes far beyond the Tower: Galileo's legacy, Keith Haring's mural, Piazza dei Cavalieri, Borgo Stretto and the old market square, with… Directions
Piazza dei CavalieriFreePisa's grand Renaissance square: once the political heart of the medieval republic, now home to an elite university. Directions
Santa Maria della SpinaFree (€2 inside)★ Tip: it's most magical at golden hour when the white marble glows over the river; catch it at sunset on your walk between the centre and the Tower. Directions
Borgo StrettoFree★ Tip: duck into Caffè dell'Ussero, one of Italy's oldest literary cafés, for an espresso where 19th-century revolutionaries and poets once plotted. Directions
Get TicketsPisa Kayak Tour on the River Arno★ 4.7 · From €35See Pisa the way almost no tourist does, from the water. Directions
Skip the lineMuseo delle Sinopie€7 (combo)★ Tip: it's on the combo ticket and almost always empty: a cool, quiet escape when the Field of Miracles gets packed. Directions
Piazza delle VettovaglieFree★ Tip: come around 7pm for a cheap spritz where the locals actually go out, a world away from the Tower crowds a few streets over. Directions
Corso ItaliaFree (shopping extra)Pisa's main shopping street: pedestrian, lined with shops and cafés, running from the station toward the river. Directions
Get TicketsPisa Private Pasta-Making Class★ 4.9 · From €130A 4-hour private cooking class in a farmhouse in the Tuscan hills above Pisa: roll fresh pasta by hand with a local family, then sit down to eat what you made with local wine. Directions
Tuttomondo (Keith Haring)FreeStart with a surprise: Keith Haring's last great mural, a 180-figure explosion of colour painted on a whole wall right by the station in 1989. Directions
Palazzo Blu€6A striking blue palace on the riverfront housing Pisa's art collection and rotating exhibitions. Directions
Museo Nazionale di San Matteo€5★ Tip: one of the best-value, least-crowded museums in all of Tuscany; if you love art you'll often have the rooms to yourself. Directions
Orto e Museo Botanico€6The oldest university botanical garden in the world, founded 1544: a peaceful green maze of glasshouses, ponds and ancient trees. Directions
Piazza GaribaldiFreeThe lively square right on the Arno where the two main streets meet: a great spot for a gelato by the river. Directions
Skip the lineTower of Pisa€26The big finish, and yes, you climb it. The famous lean is real and dizzying from the top, with the whole Field of Miracles spread below. Golden tip: book the LAST timed climb of the day so you're up top at sunset, then do your… Directions