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Number 20 of 20 in Florence

Pisa from Florence: the Leaning Tower and the Square of Miracles

The foundations of the bell tower of Pisa were laid on 9 August 1173, in soft ground, and it began to lean before the builders reached the third floor. They kept going, on and off, for two centuries.

What it is
Day trip
Time to allow
5 to 7 hours
Cost
Train fare, ticket for the tower
Best time
A morning, by an early train

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    Why Pisa is worth it

    The tower is about 56 metres high and stands on the edge of a wide green lawn with the cathedral it belongs to, a round baptistery and a walled cemetery, all in white marble. Pisa built them when it was a sea power, with the plunder and the trade of the Mediterranean. Together they are called the Square of Miracles, and they have been a World Heritage Site since 1987.

    By 1990 the tower leaned five and a half degrees and was closed for fear it would fall. Engineers spent the next eleven years drawing soil from under the high side, and brought it back to just under four degrees. It was reopened in 2001 and is expected to stand for centuries more.

    You can climb it, by a spiral stair of nearly three hundred steps inside the wall, and feel the slope change under your feet as you go round. The cathedral next to it, which most people walk past, is one of the finest Romanesque churches in Italy.

    What to see

    1. The climb

      Sold for a set time, in small groups, and it takes about half an hour. At the top are the bells and a view over the roofs to the mountains.

    2. The cathedral

      Begun in the 1060s, striped in grey and white, with a carved pulpit by Giovanni Pisano and a bronze lamp said to have set the young Galileo thinking about pendulums.

    3. The baptistery

      The largest in Italy. The attendants sing a few notes at intervals to show the echo, which lasts for many seconds.

    4. The Camposanto

      A long cloister of Gothic arches round a lawn, lined with Roman tombs and what remains of frescoes burned in the Second World War.

    5. The photograph

      Everyone holds the tower up. The lawn opposite the cathedral front is where to stand for it.

    How to do it well

    • Book the climb before you leave Florence. Tickets are for a fixed time, and children under eight are not allowed up.
    • Trains run from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale several times an hour and take about an hour. From there it is twenty-five minutes on foot through the town, or a short bus ride.
    • Bags are not allowed on the climb. There is a free cloakroom beside the ticket office.
    • The tower and the buildings round it need about two hours. Add an hour for a walk along the river.
    • A half-day coach tour from Florence saves the changes and comes with a guide.

    Where it is

    Address

    Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, 80 kilometres west of Florence

    Nearest station

    Trains for Pisa Centrale leave from Santa Maria Novella station

    Tickets and tours: Pisa and the Leaning Tower

    Pisa and the Leaning Tower: common questions

    How long does it take to get from Florence to Pisa?
    About an hour by train from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale, and twenty-five minutes more on foot to the tower.
    Can you climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
    Yes, with a ticket for a set time. There are nearly three hundred steps, the visit lasts about half an hour, and children under eight are not admitted.
    Why does the Tower of Pisa lean?
    It was built on soft clay and sand that could not carry its weight evenly, and it began to sink on one side while it was still being built. Work between 1993 and 2001 reduced the lean to just under four degrees.
    How much time do you need for Pisa?
    Allow 5 to 7 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about Pisa

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    203,107 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 11 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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