Aug 19

Aug 19 Day Trip To Pisa

Hey guys! Let me tell you a little bit about my day trip to Pisa, Italy.

This was my second time visiting Italy; the first time was an improvised pit stop while traveling to Germany for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. We were only able to stay for 36 hours, so we really didn’t get to see much! When planning out my trip to Cinque Terre, Pisa was the best option for me to fly into versus Florence, Genoa or even Milan. So it gave us the opportunity to visit the Piazza del Miracoli (formerly named Piazza del Duomo), which by the way, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Upon arriving we did the usual, cleared customs and immigration, and then picked up our bags at baggage claim. From there we caught a bus to the Pisa Centrale station. Actually, before leaving I bought a sim card for my cell phone. If you ever fly into Pisa there are two places at the airport where you can get a sim card, at the 3 Store or at the currency exchange booth. I opted to buy mine at the currency exchange booth because at the 3 Store I would have to wait until after midnight for it get activated. So I went with a Vodafone data only sim card which was €15.00 for 5GB.

Adjacent to the currency exchange booth, is the ticket station for local transportation, keep in mind they only accept cash at this ticket station. The bus fare from the airport to the Pisa Centrale Station was €1.20 and this ticket was also good from Pisa Centrale to the Piazza del Miracoli. Also, while at Pisa Centrale Station, they have a Bag Storage service, where you can safely store your luggage for €4.00 per suitcase. This was convenient, as we didn’t want to lug around our bags. Last thing we did before leaving to the Piazza was taking a look at the train schedule to Cinque Terre so we knew how much time we had to do sightseeing in Pisa.

From the Pisa Centrale station to the Piazza is a very short bus ride. This was a very nice visit and great place to see. There is so much history at the Piazza del Miracoli (Square of Miracles), which houses the Pisa Baptistry (Battistero di San Giovanni), the Cathedral of Pisa, the leaning tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa), and the cemetery (Camposanto Monumentale). If architecture is your thing, then you are in for a nice treat. The architectural style known as Pisan Romanesque originated from the creation of the Cathedral of Pisa.

After walking around for a while we decided not to go up the tower because the line was too long. If this is something you would like to do; I would recommend purchasing your tickets online, especially if it is peak tourist season. This was a nice quick visit; you can definitely do Pisa in day. We were only there about 5 hours and had plenty of time to walk around, explore the cathedral and baptistry, view the leaning tower and enjoy a nice lunch.

Below are some shots I took and a vlog of my visit to Pisa.