Hi Everyone,

My family will be traveling round trip on Monday 12/22/03 from Florence to Pisa at about 9 AM. What is a good time to purchase the ticket: day before or that morning. We have no idea have much time we will stay in Pisa so do I have to buy a ticket with a specific return departure time?

Is it worth the money to climb the tower? From the Pisa Tower reservation website it would appear there is limited time at the top of the tower.

By the way I've tried using the Italian train website repeatedly with no luck. The German website works fine.

Thanks to all,

Mike

Simply buy a round trip rail ticket to Pisa. It's valid for 2 months from the date of purchase, but for only 6 hrs. from the time you "validate" it in the yellow punching machine next to the train tracks. On a round-trip ticket, you mush "validate" it before each leg (punch different ends of the ticket). If you want to avoid the crowds in the morning waiting to buy rail tickets, you could purchase it the evening beforehand, although this is not essential. You could also use one of the self-service machines, if you feel comfortable and want to avoid the lines.

I think that climbing the tower is a unique experience, so for me it's worth the money.

If you're going with your family, buy the tickets the day of. No point in going to the train station twice. Lines aren't bad, but do get there at least half hour before departure because of morning crowds.

Do climb the tower. It's very worth it, just for the experience and the view from the top. Buy the tickets ahead of time, before you leave for your trip. The odds of getting tickets when you arrive aren't good. Though, be warned that you will get dizzy going around in circles as you climb what with no windows and the slant.

Hi mendota,

A contrarian view. Don't bother with Pisa. Go to Lucca instead.

Also, make sure to take the no. 7 bus from the train station to Fiesole to watch the sun go down over Florence from the terrace of the Blu Bar.

Have fun.

You can access Trenitalia at this link.

http://www.trenitalia.com/en/

I have to second ira's suggestion - skip Pisa and go to Lucca, or even Siena. Pisa is easy to get to, but just doesn't have enough going for it to justify a trip for it alone.

IRA and SHEEPDOG ; I know your correct in skipping Pisa but I'll return and my children and wife would not understand. Thank you both for your suggestions and yes IRA I used your new Italian train website name and it worked!

GAC and Matrexx: Thank you for the comments and I will follow your suggestions.

IRA : Is there a place in Florence that has a couple of reasonable variety/clothing stores with a restaurant nearby? I enjoy your posts as there are straight forward and reliable.

You didn't say how many were in your family. There are discounts for train travel I think for five or more but also discounts for children.

We stopped in Lucca on our way to Pisa and found most things closed. We took the bus from Florence to Lucca and then the train from Lucca to Pisa. My daughter wanted to see the tower (it's just one of those things kids want to do). From Pisa we took the train back to Florence. Maybe we didn't see the "right places" in Lucca but none of the adults with us cared for the town. Pisa we didn't expect much but the tower but it made my daughter happy.

Hi mendota,

Well, since you must go to Pisa, be sure to take a picture of each member of your family holding up the tower.

Re shopping: We didn't do much, but we did go through COIN. You can find some details at http://www.timeout.com/florence/shop.xml?ar=3&cg=1

There is a good gelato shop on the corner and many places to eat in the area.

Have fun.

GAC! sorry to intrude on this forum. you have helped me so much in the past and i need your assistance again! my 3 months of italy travel completes in just 2 weeks. i want to stay! is it possible to leave country for 24 hours and return, get passport restamped and live hassle free for another 90 days.. and is it Ok to travel within EU? will my passport get restamped or must i return to US! SOS. need your help ASAP. please email me at [email protected] thanks a million. r

We bought a round trip ticket to Pisa the evening before just to save some time in the morning. We left Florence at 9am on Eurostar and returned on the local train, which left Pisa about 1:30pm. It's about a 15 minute bus ride from the train station in Pisa to the Field of Miracles where the tower is. My husband had made a reservation to climb the tower about two weeks before our trip and that worked well. It was something he wanted to do and enjoyed it; he said it fulfilled a childhood fantasy of his. The pictures he took from the top were beautiful. They allowed each group 30 to 40 minutes to make the climb, spend some time at the top, and return to the bottom. The group he was in was around 15 people. We also visited the cathedral next to the tower. It was gorgeous. The morning we spent there was well worth it. I realize some people think Pisa is just a tourist trap, but you can find beauty there also. If you can fit the trip into your schedule, do it.

If you are into paper goods and pencils the Il Papiro store across the street from the tower had better prices than the ones in Florence.