Pisa Centrale (Pisa)

If you were hoping to see The Leaning Tower on exiting Pisa Centrale train station then you’re going to be disappointed.
The railway station is located towards the southern edge of the city centre in a fairly scruffy part of town.

However, this main station in Pisa has been renovated recently, so it makes for a pleasant environment in which to wait for a train.
All the platforms/binaro have lifts/elevators leading to the passage way that runs beneath them, giving step free access to the main exit/entrance.

The renovations at Pisa Centrale station have been timed to coincide with the opening of the people mover between the station and Pisa Airport; which has replaced the train service between Pisa and the airport.
The people mover is at the far end of the subway that runs beneath the platforms, on the opposite side of the station to the main entrance.

Depositing bags when visiting Pisa

Stopping off at Pisa, in order to see the tower, when travelling between cities is a popular option, hence a near permanently lengthy queue for the left luggage office at Pisa Centrale.
The station doesn’t have left luggage lockers, you have to deposit a bag with the attendant and in the summer you may have to queue for more than 30 minutes.

There are buses from Pisa Centrale station forecourt to The Leaning Tower and Duomo, but the connections aren’t obvious, due to the lack of information at the bus stop(s).
Hence the perpetual queue at the Tourist Information Office in the station, with one person after another asking ‘how to get to the tower’, which is a 20-25 minute walk from Pisa Centrale station.

The bus operator in Pisa is Cpt and the journey planner on its website defaults to journeys from Pisa Centrale station to the Duomo (cathedral and tower).

by train

However Pisa Centrale is not the closest station to the tower - Pisa S. Rossore station is and it has much easier access – it only takes around 8 mins to walk between Pisa S. Rossore and The Leaning Tower/Pisa Duomo.
If your train is calling at Pisa S. Rossore (only Regionale trains do so) then leave the train there and not at Pisa Centrale.
Though the trains from Firenze heading to La Spezia call at Pisa S. Rossore AFTER they call at Pisa Centrale.

If you’re heading to Pisa to see The Leaning Tower complex and are on a train that doesn’t call at Pisa S. Rossore station, then the best option can be making a transfer at Pisa Centrale to a train that does.
When you arrive at Pisa Centrale check the train departure posters to see when the next train from there to Pisa S. Rossore will be departing.

Regionale (R/RV) trains from Pisa Centrale, that terminate at Lucca, Aulla Lunigiana or Viareggio, all call at Pisa S. Rossore, as do most trains from Pisa Centrale that will be terminating at La Spezia.
If there is a train to Pisa S. Rossore departing within 20 mins, then taking the train from Pisa Centrale to the Tower is a better option than taking the bus.

Before you leave Pisa S. Rossore station , check the train departure posters to see if there is a return train that suits you.
The departures from Pisa S. Rossore can be infrequent, so it can be worth targeting the train for your return journey and timing your visit to the Tower accordingly.
You’ll need a minimum of two hours to make the most of The Tower/Duomo complex; and to make your way from and to Pisa S. Rossore station

At Pisa S. Rossore a subway leads from the platforms and drawings of the tower and arrows will point you in the right direction; it is a basic, suburban station.
You’ll exit on to a quiet side street, so quiet that it’s easy to assume you’ve made a mistake.

Turn left on to a residential street named Via Andrea Passano.
Don’t take the road straight ahead of you marked by the No Entry road signs.
Take the right fork in the road on Via Andrea Passano, and at the end of that street, across the road, you will see an archway.

This is the western entrance to the Duomo complex that houses the tower.
It is a flat and easy walk that will take between 5 and 8 minutes.

There are several Regionale trains per day (at least 1 x train per hour during the afternoon) that depart from Firenze S.M.Novella station heading to La Spezia Centrale.
These trains all call at Pisa S. Rossore station, which is the closest station to the tower; after they call at Pisa Centrale.

Another option (that’s easiest on Mon-Fri) is to first take a train from Firenze S.M.Novella station to Lucca.
The station in Lucca is adjacent to its stunning town centre and then in the afternoon, there are hourly trains between Lucca and Pisa, which all call at Pisa S. Rossore station.

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