How to get from Florence to Pisa: best way between bus, train or car
Pisa is a very popular destination for those visiting Italy, most famous for its leaning tower. In addition to the leaning tower, there is much more: Pisa is a university town with a lively and fascinating historical centre and several museums to visit. And of course the monumental complex of Piazza dei Miracoli. Being very close to Florence, you can visit it on a day trip, and one day is enough to see almost everything. If you want to know how to get from Florence to Pisa, in this post you will find all the options available, and my advice to better organize your trip.
My name is Claudia and I am a local licensed tour guide in Florence, Italy! Learn more about me and my guided tours in Florence.
- Also read: best day trips from Florence (also without a car)
- Getting from Florence to Lucca
Where is Pisa?
Pisa is located in Tuscany, the same Italian region where Florence is located. Pisa is about 90 km (56 miles) west of Florence, very close to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (but not facing the sea). The two cities are therefore very close, and are well connected by roads and railways.
Pisa is a small town, and you can visit it entirely in one day. If you are only interested in the leaning tower and Piazza dei Miracoli, half a day is enough.
How to get from Florence to Pisa for a day trip
In this section I’ll explain how to get to Pisa from Florence to take a day trip and visit the city of the leaning tower. In the next section, at the end of the post, you will find my advice for getting to Pisa airport.
My favorite hotels in Pisa:
To get to Pisa from Florence you have three options:
- Train
- Rental car
- A tour with transportation included
Let’s see them one by one:
Getting from Florence to Pisa by train
The train is the simplest and cheapest way to go from Florence to Pisa (and vice versa). From Florence Santa Maria Novella station there are trains to Pisa (station is called Pisa Centrale) at least every 30 minutes (more often during peak hours), and a single ticket costs 8.90 euros. The first train leaves Florence at 5.35 am, the last train leaves Pisa at 11.07 pm.
The journey by train lasts from 50 minutes to an hour and 20, depending on how many intermediate stops the train makes. In any case, the cost of the ticket is the same, whether it is a fast regional train or a regular regionale.
The trains available on this route are only regional, there are no high-speed trains connecting Pisa and Florence. They are all trains of the Trenitalia company, and you can book your ticket online on the official website. You can also buy the ticket directly at the station, at the automatic ticket machines or at the counters.
In any case, on regional trains it’s not possible to reserve a seat, the seats are not numbered, and the first-come, first-served rule applies. The trains are often very crowded, especially in summer, when there are many tourists, and it often happens that you have to make the journey standing up because there are no more free seats. These trains are also used by many local commuters, therefore on weekdays are very crowded between 7 and 9 am and between 5 and 7 pm. I advise you to get to the station and get on the train a little early to find a seat.
On regional trains there is also first class, but honestly I don’t recommend it: it costs more, but it’s not very different from second class, and the journey is so short that it doesn’t make much difference. Even in second class you will find overhead lockers for storing your luggage and sockets for recharging your mobile phone.
Once you arrive at Pisa station, Piazza dei Miracoli and the leaning tower are about 20 minutes away on foot, or 15 minutes by bus (the line is called LAM red, the stop is TORRE 1).
- Warning: once you arrive at Pisa station, be careful of pickpockets. Unfortunately it is a sadly well known station for this.
You might also need to know:
From Florence to Pisa by car
If you are planning to rent a car and explore Tuscany on your own, I recommend using RentalCars.com to compare the prices of the main car rental companies and find the one that offers the best price.
- Also read my tips for renting a car in Florence
From Florence you can reach Pisa by car in about 1 hour and 20 minutes, along the SGC Firenze-Pisa-Livorno highway. The highway (superstrada) is free, but it’s one of the worst roads in Italy, with lots of traffic, constant roadworks and frequent accidents.
Alternatively, there is the A11 Firenze-Mare motorway (Autostrada), which takes about 10 minutes more and there is a toll to pay (and also quite expensive, over 7 euros). On the other hand, the A11 Autostrada it’s much wider, linear and safer.
Both along the superstrada and along the autostrada there are service areas with gas stations, snack bars and restaurants (Autogrill).
If you drive along the Firenze-Pisa-Livorno, you can stop by the lovely medieval village of San Miniato, which is famous for its truffles. And maybe you can take a truffle hunting experience there!
Where to park in Pisa
Be aware that parking in Pisa can be a nightmare, due to the ZTL (traffic limited zone) and the lack of parking spaces. There are paid public car parks very close to the leaning tower and Piazza dei Miracoli.
Alternatively, I recommend you leave your car in the free car park in via Pietrasantina: from here it’s a 15-minute walk to the leaning tower, or 10 minutes by local bus (line is LAM red, get off at stop TORRE 1).
A tour from Florence to Pisa with transportation
If you don’t have a rental car and don’t want to worry about organizing the journey by train, the perfect solution is an organized tour, including transportation, a tour guide and maybe even some other towns to visit. It’s the best way to optimize your time, reduce stress and learn something about the places you’re seeing from the tour guide.
There are plenty of excursions from Florence to Pisa, and those for small groups are very cheap and well organized. They also usually include pick up and drop off at your hotel which is very convenient.
- I recommend this 6 hours tour of Pisa from Florence, with transportation and a licensed tour guide.
- If you’re short on time but want to see as much as possible, check out this 9-hour tour of Pisa and Lucca, including transportation. It’s customizable, you can add guided tours in Lucca and Pisa with licensed local guides and entrance tickets.
How to get from Florence to Pisa Airport
Many travelers land at Pisa airport, which is bigger and busier than Florence airport. To go from Pisa airport to Florence you have 4 options:
With a rental car
I recommend this option only if you plan to do a road trip in Tuscany. If, on the other hand, you only want to visit the main cities, public transport (trains) is definitely the simplest, fastest and cheapest solution.
In Florence there are several car rental companies (again I recommend you to use RentalCars to find the one with the best price), where you can pick up your car and drive around. Pisa airport is located right along the SGC Firenze-Pisa-Livorno highway (superstrada). You just have to take the highway and go straight following the signs for Pisa, until you find the exit for the airport. Or you can choose the toll motorway (autostrada). For all the details and advice on this topic see the paragraph above on how to go from Florence to Pisa by car.
At Pisa airport there are offices of the same car rental companies, where you can return the car at the end of your trip.
By train
This is by far the best, cheapest and most reliable option. First take the regional train from Florence Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale (I explained how to do it above). Then from Pisa Centrale train station take the light rail called Pisamover, which connects the train station to the airport in 5 minutes. The Pisamover ticket costs 5 euros.
The only case in which it is not possible to reach Pisa airport by train is if you have a night flight, because trains do not run between 11.30pm and 5.30am. In that case the alternative is the bus or a private transfer.
By bus
There are shuttle buses of the private company Caronna, which make the journey between Florence and Pisa in about an hour, at the price of 15 euros.
Watch out! The Caronna buses do not leave from the Santa Maria Novella station (nor from the historic centre). They instead leave from the T2 Guidoni tram stop, which is close to the Florence airport. You can reach the T2 Guidoni stop from Santa Maria Novella station in about 30 minutes by tram (line T2).
Unless I have an overnight flight, I prefer to use the train as it is always reliable and on time. Buses, on the other hand, can get stuck in traffic, and I once had a scheduled ride canceled at the last minute.
Private transfer from Florence to Pisa Airport
This is the best option for those who want to minimize the hassle of transfers and for those who have a lot of heavy luggage, which would be too tiring to drag between trains and stations.
A professional driver will pick you up at your hotel, and take you directly to the airport in an elegant car, taking care of your luggage, highway tolls and anything else.
There is also a very interesting option: a private transfer from Florence to Pisa Airport, with a stop in Pisa or Lucca. This is a great chance to see the leaning tower before leaving Italy, or to spend a few hours in the lovely medieval city of Lucca.
- private transfer from Pisa Airport to Florence with a stop in Pisa or Lucca.
- private transfer from Florence to Pisa Airport with a stop in Pisa or Lucca.
That’s all! I hope you found this post useful for planning your trip to Italy and to figure out how to get from Florence to Pisa. Let me know in the comments below how was your experience and you have any other tips to share.
I am a Vespa lover and was thinking about visiting the Vespa Museum in Pontedera. Is it doable by train?
ciao Caleb, it’s totally doable! Pontedera is one of the stops that the train will do between Florence and Pisa, so you can get off at Pontedera-Casciana Terme station, then the Vespa factory and museum is at a walking distance. I love that museum!