Italia Day 4: Pisa

Today we had a leisurely morning, even though we went to Pisa. We had breakfast at a leisurely pace and then headed to the train station to catch a regional train from Rome to Pisa. It takes almost 4 hours one way to get to Pisa from Rome taking the slower, regional train. You can take a fast train that takes a little over 2 hours, but it costs twice as much depending on what time and day you are traveling. But in line with our leisure day, we opted for the slower train, which the kids enjoyed for the most part. You take the train up the Western coast of Italy for some of the journey, so you come across beautiful coastal views.

From the main train station in Pisa you just need to buy a bus ticket and take the bus Lam Rossa that will drop you directly off at the Leaning Tower. It just a couple of Euros and takes about 10 minutes or so to get there. Alternatively you can just walk from the train station, which is about 30 minutes. We opted for the bus since we had 3 elderly people and a 4 year old who literally just fell asleep when we arrived in Pisa.

Once getting off the bus you have to make your way past all the vendors selling tourists Pisa trinkets. Once you get past the castle wall you’ll see a cathedral and the Leaning Tower. It really amazed my 6 year old! We actually have several pictures of him trying to hold up the Leaning Tower in different ways. It’s also very busy with several tourists trying to do the same thing, so be prepared to wait for that perfect shot.

Aside from the obvious photo ops, you can also go inside the tower to get great views from the top and see the cathedral bell. I would buy tickets beforehand because they do sell out quickly, especially in summer. We didn’t buy tickets because I wasn’t sure if my 6 year old (and the 4 year old) would be up for the view; I’m sure all parents know how fickle young children can be. Because of that we weren’t able to go to the top as they were sold out. Nonetheless we still had fun posing and taking in the beautiful architecture.

After we were done sightseeing, we took an ice cream break close by as a reprieve from the sweltering heat and then headed back on the train to Rome.