I am spending a week in the Cinque Terre in October but staying overnight in Pisa on the way back to UK. Does anyone know the walking time between the station (I have a hotel near there) and the Duomo (Tower etc)? As a supplementary question - since booking this holiday I have now read that October is a miserably wet time in North Italy so am I likely to come back to the UK even more rusty than when I set out? Many thanks.

walking time is about 20min. You can also take a bus for about 1 euro. The bus stop is just outside the train station.

I've never done it as a beeline, but I would put the walk as more than 20 minutes myself, if we are talking about Pisa Centrale. I would think more like 30 minutes. If you are toting luggage, a taxi would not be an extravagance.

Here is a map of Pisa. The monuments are at the top. The train station is in the yellow area at the bottom.

http://www.comune.pisa.it/img/pisaantp.jpg

Weather can be gorgeous at that time of year. You can get unlucky with downpours, but you won't have to be lucky to experience beautiful skies and mild weather. Temps will chill at night, however, so bring coverups.

I've walked it (on the way back from Tower to station), and it's about 30 minutes walk, and that's provided you don't get lost.

Take the bus instead.

If you get off at San Rossore station, which is much closer to the tower, it is a about 5-10min walk. There is an underground passage you need to locate to get from and back to the station, but once you find it, your right there.

I have taken the bus which is about 1 euro and got there rather quickly.

Don't know about the weather in October (as I myself with be there for the first 2 weeks of October), but I in Firenze the last week of September last year and it was very hot during the day a bit cool at night with a few days of light right.

Have a great trip!

jdc

I have taken the bus which is about 1 euro and got there rather quickly.

Don't know about the weather in October (as I myself will be there for the first 2 weeks of October), but I was in Firenze the last week of September last year and it was very hot during the day a bit cool at night with a few days of light rain.

Have a great trip!

jdc

We walked from the station to the tower and loved it (about 20 minutes). I don't see how you can get lost. Be sure to download a good map before you set out. A good part of the walk is in a pedestrian zone and the architecture is fabulous. You can get a real sense of the history of this city. Also, you get to walk on a bridge over the Arno River -- beautiful. Pisa is a lot more than just the Leaning Tower. Be sure to go inside the Cathedral (outstanding) and don't miss the Baptistry. If you are lucky, you will be there when the guard "sings."

I would avoid the San Rossore station in Pisa. I saw a man mugged, an older US WWII vet traveling alone. He was bloody and a mess; happened while he was walking to SR. We also found the underground passage to be unpleasant: dirty, used as a toilet, and there were syringes on the ground.

Centrale and walking time depends on you and your pace. At this point, I'm pretty sure it would take me 30 minutes. Bus or taxi are very easy.

It was exactly 20 minute from train station to Tower (25 minutes including gelato stop).

Does anyone know if there are lockers in Pisa Centrale train station to store your luggage while you visit the sites for a few hours?

When was this Tuscanlifeedit?

<i>We walked from the station to the tower and loved it (about 20 minutes). I don't see how you can get lost. </i>

I agree with you as you were walking FROM train station TO the Tower, so you could just follow the direction of the Tower.

What I did was walking FROM the Tower TO the train station. I did not get lost but it wasn't like there was just one big street to walk along that connects one to the other.

Thanks everyone for your responses. As I am going, principally for a walking holiday, I will enjoy the stroll. Having read a little about the City it seems as if there are some nice parts en route especially around the University and waterfront. And might actually eat around the river (north bank). Zeppole, enjoyed some of your earlier posts and especially some of your pictures of Portovenere etc.
Many thanks again.

Kate101

There are no lockers, but there is a left luggage department. As you stand in the main entrance to the station, facing the tracks, the left luggage is at the end of the platform to your left. It is around &euro;3.50 per piece of luggage for up to 6 hours.

As for walking times, 20 minutes at good pace, 25 minutes if stopping for gelato, anything up to 45 minutes if sidetracked by the market just after the bridge across the river.

When we arrived in Pisa, it was spilling rain so we took a taxi. The driver gave us a recommendation for lunch at a wonderful restaurant off the beaten path. Taxi was worth every penny and not unreasonable at that.

The rain let up later and we walked back through some back streets and along the river. Delightful walk.

Thanks Irishface - don't suppose you remember the name of the restaurant or location?