travelfrenzy

We're leaving for Italy next week. Now that we've settled on our hotels, I'm getting around to booking tickets to some of the more popular sites. One of our stops is Florence and two of us want to visit Pisa and do the Tower climb. We'll be arriving in Florence June 19 from Cinque Terre and leaving June 21 for Rome.

I finally located the Pisa Tower site and it only lists dates starting June 22. Does this mean they are sold out or that you need to book two weeks in advance?

What do you advise? Should we show up in Pisa and wait around hoping to get tickets offline or should we go on to Rome and book a time to come back later? I understand it's a 1.5 hr train ride back from Rome (plus the expense of the train ride back). My daughter's doctor highly advises the tower climb...he was there 20 years ago but the tower was not open. We have tickets to Accademia and Uffizi for June 20..that's the one full day we have in Florence but doubt we can do Accademia, Uffizi, and Pisa in the same day. (I'm assuming Pisa is at least a half day.) Or maybe try to drop by on the way from Florence to Rome? (Then we'll have to ditch the luggage.)

kybourbon

It's more like a 3+ hour train ride from Pisa to Rome. Pisa is not on the way/train line from Florence to Rome.

chazzarelli

You can show up and purchase tickets for that day. I suggest getting there early. I went and had to wait about 1hr and half for my turn to go up. When you buy tickets, it will give you a grouping time that you can go up. If you get there early enough, you should be able to secure a decent time slot. I showed up after 10am and went up around 11:30. I just wandered around, took some pictures while I waited for my time slot. If you book your Accademia tickets in advance, you can skip the line, which is a KILLER. The first time I went we waited in line for almost 3 hours to get in. The next time I went I had a reservation, walked right up at my time slot and was in there in less than 15 minutes. I suggest getting to Pisa in the morning at between 8-9am - buy your tickets, and wander around. Book your Accademia tickets for around 2 or 3. That will give you plenty of time to get back to Florence in time for your reservation. I dont think you can do the Uffizi that same day, as I doubt you will want to rush going through there. You could do the Affize on the 21st, that morning, and then after, head back to your hotel, grab your bags and then to the train down to Rome. I think this is best so you can spread out your time and not zip through everything.

chazzarelli

Shoot..I just realized you already have the 20th booked for the Uffizi and Accademia. Well just goto Pisa on the 21st, and then head down to Rome in the Afternoon. If you go to Pisa in the AM as I suggested, you should be done and back to Florence by noon - nlt 1pm. Most hotels will allow you to check out and you can store your bags there.

Good luck and enjoy!

annhig

hi frenzy,

what the website [http://www.opapisa.it/it/la-piazza-d...miracoli.html]

says is that tickets are only available on line for days between 15 & 45 days ahead. you can however still buy tickets at the ticket office on the piazza dei miracoli for dates closer to your travel time; there are no telephone sales.

personally, i would want to go to Pisa not for the Tower [quite fun to climb for kids but climbing the Dome of St Peter's was much more fun and more rewarding when we got to the top] but for the buildings that surround it. ignore the tourist tat, the coach parties, the hawkers and look at the buildings. they were designed and built while most of europe was living in daub and whattle huts.

However, with the very restricted time you have, you might not want to spend even half a day in Pisa, and you certainly couldn't do Pisa, the uffizi and the accademia in the same day. [you could get the bus up to Fiesole however, from the bus-stop round the corner from the accademia, which is well worth while].

the only way to do it would be as you say to stop off in Pisa on the way, put your luggage in some lockers [I'm not sure if there are any but someone here will know] and go on the off-chance. only you know if it's worth the effort required to do this.