Please help to find a hotel in Pisa around 200-250 Euros. I cannot find any positive comments on any travel sites of any hotels in Pisa except for those that are very expensive. Thanks.

Our stay was at the Royal Victoria, within your budget. It is right on the river, central, and a very old hotel, once a grand hotel, but admittedly a little faded. Still the room was huge and elegant in an old-fashioned way. The staff couldn't have been nicer. We stayed up half the night talking with the night manager, one of the sons of the fourth or fifth generation owners. He also called and set up dinner for us at a great place--the Grotto. He warned us they wouldn't speak English so he sort of pre-ordered for us -- it was a great evening. The hotel was mainly filled with Italian businessmen and families, not tourists. It was not what you'd call great luxury, but it was a wonderful place to stay.

We stayed at the hotel Pace. A lot of research on hotel comments said it was good. Not to far from the train station it was clean but worn. Staff efficent and it was safe. My big question is why? We absolutely loathed Pisa as a filthy tourist trap. If you can stay anywhere else, do so.

Isn't it interesting how varied our opinions can be? I must admit that the immediate area around the Leaning Tower is realllllly touristy, and the area near the train station was also --filled with big bus tour groups. But we found Pisa itself rather delightful, partly because we wandered at night and felt like we were the only non-locals there. We loved the little restaurant the hotel sent us to, and they welcomed us royally despite their not speaking any English at all -- they just weren't used to many Americans there. We stopped in a couple of cafes and again, felt like we were truly the foreigners -- unlike places like Florence, where it is hard to spot anyone who isn't a "foreigner" tourist.

I agree with the comments about the Royal Victoria. It's certainly not plush, but our room was big and the hotel was clean. When we reserved, we asked for a room on the river side and got it, and it's both a good location and a nice atmosphere. We stayed at the Hotel Jolley Cavelieri for 1 night; it's across from the train station and more modern than the Royal Victoria. However, I liked the location of the Royal Victoria and would book it again. I think we paid less than your price range at both hotels last March.

I stayed at a lovely converted monastery about 15 minutes away from the leaning tower this August. It was called Santa Croce in Fossabanda. It is a 3 star hotel, clean and cheap €63 for a double with AC and breakfast. It mainly caters for conferences but was a really nice place to stay for our first night in Tuscany. Its web site is http://www.fossabanda.it/

I'm not sure if you want to spend that much or just can't find anything cheaper, but my wife and I stayed at the Hotel Amalfitana (http://www.dormireintoscana.it/Amalfitana/enindex.htm) last Feb. It is significantly under your budget as we paid EUR 65 (per night) for a double without breakfast. The staff was nice, the room was clean and moderately sized with private bath. They're located ~5 minutes walk from the Duomo/Tower square down Via Roma towards the river. It wasn't anything really special, but we'd definately stay there again. We learned of it as a recommendation from a colleague from Pisa. (It's where they suggest vistors stay.)

Enjoy your trip,
Paul

I would second the recommendation for Royal Victoria. We stayed there in September after arriving in Pisa from an overnight flight. The Victoria was fine for jet lag recovery - quiet, clean, friendly staff, and well located. The breakfast was OK. Hope you enjoy -