If you’re visiting Florence and want to explore a different Tuscan city during your stay, consider taking a day trip to Pisa. In Pisa, you’ll find many great things to see and do — Leaning Tower of Pisa, anyone? But what’s the best way to get from Florence to Pisa?
In this article, you’ll learn about all the different ways to get from Florence to Pisa. Whether you prefer to take a train, drive a rental car, or take the bus, we’ve got you covered. We want to make it easy for you to decide the best way to make the trip.
So, without further ado, let’s look at the different ways you get from Florence to Pisa.
| Method | Duration | Cost | Frequency | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | ~1 hour | ~$10 | Every 15-30 mins | Fastest public transport, direct route | Slightly more expensive than bus |
| Bus | ~1-1.5 hours | ~$5-8 | Every 30-60 mins | Cheapest option | Slower than train, less frequent |
| Car/Taxi | ~1 hour | ~$80-100+ | On-demand | Fastest, most convenient | Most expensive, parking can be difficult |
| Tour | ~5-8 hours | ~$50-100+ | Daily departures | Guided tour, transportation included | More expensive, less flexibility |
Florence to Pisa by Train
The most common way to make the trip from Florence to Pisa is by train. As the most popular public transportation method in Italy and almost all of Europe, it should be no surprise that there’s a train from Florence to Pisa. Popular tourist destination to popular tourist destination, there will almost always be a train going between the two!
Due to the popularity of the two cities and their relative geographical nearness, it’s a short trip from Florence to Pisa — and back if you want to — via train. Head to Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway Station in downtown Florence and buy your ticket to Pisa. Hop on board and get comfortable. Although the trip isn’t very long, you will make stops along the way.
Sometimes, the train from Florence to Pisa will make up to seven stops or more for drop-offs and pick-ups, so make sure you get a comfortable seat if you can! The typical sequence will go as follows. From Firenze Santa Maria Novella, you’ll stop at Firenze Rifredi, followed by Signa. Empoli Train Station, then San Miniato – Fucecchio, followed by S. Romano – S. Core, and the last stop will be at Pontedera – Casciana T. before finally arriving at Pisa Central Station.
That might sound like many stops and will just take forever, but if you’ve ever traveled the high-speed trains of Europe, you’ll know that they work incredibly efficiently and get you from point A to point B quickly. The entire trip, including all stops, will only take 1 hour and 10 minutes, the fastest of the three options. And you can expect to pay only around $10 – $12.
Florence to Pisa by Car
One of the best ways to travel around Italy — including going from Florence to Pisa — is by car. If you’re traveling, this more than likely means a rental car, but don’t let that deter you. Renting a car in Italy is shockingly cheaper than renting one in many other places, including the United States.
You can find rental cars for as cheap as $6 – $10 per day in Italy, depending on when you go. That’s cheaper than taking a train from Florence to Pisa! And the beauty of having your car to drive around and please is that you don’t need to count on anyone else or make any extra stops. You just go where you please.
Getting from Florence is a simple drive, taking less than an hour and a half to get there. Along the way, feel free to admire the views of the countryside and take it all in. It’s a beautiful drive! From Florence, head out onto Via Ghibellina and SS67 towards Via Marco Polo. This leg of the trip is only about 2.5 – 3 miles and will take you around 10 minutes or so.
Once you get to A1/E35, keep your eyes out for the Pisa Nord Est exit soon after and take it. After about 55 miles, you’ll be coming up to the last portion of your trip. It’s just a series of taking a few different exits back to back, and you’ll be in the city center of Pisa.
Take Via San Pio da Pietrelcina, Via Monsignor Aristo Manghi, Via Ferruccio Giovannini, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi, and lastly, Via Statale 12 to Via Contessa Matilde. And that’s it. You’ll be smack dab in the middle of Pisa.
The total drive time is about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and the only extra cost is the gas you use once you have the car rented. But getting from Florence to Pisa and heading back will likely not even use a full tank!
Florence to Pisa by Bus
Taking buses from Florence to Pisa will typically require you to go from one bus to another a couple of times, but the journey itself isn’t too bad. There are a few different bus routes that you could take to make the trip, including a route similar to the way above of getting there by car.
But for the sake of variety, we’ll also look at a different route that’s even more common for buses to take (if you want to get somewhere besides the airport!). A non-stop, straightforward bus route will get you from Florence to Pisa in just about an hour flat. Grab your ticket and hop onto your bus at Piazza Stazione in Florence.
And following a fairly similar general route to Pisa, you’ll arrive at the Pisa Airport. The issue here, of course, is that you’re just at the airport. And to get to your actual final destination, you’ll need to hop on another bus or rideshare. This route costs about $14.
If you want to take a bit of a different route that will take you to Pisa’s city center, then start at Busitalia SITA Nord Autostazione in Florence. Hop on board for a short ride to Pierluigi da Palestrina (only about 3 minutes). Once there, switch buses and head to Viale Europa Fr. 736 — this is the meat of the trip and will take about an hour. From there, one last switch to the bus heading to Via Bonanno 113 in downtown Pisa. This will set you back about $22 in total.
As mentioned, the first route to the Pisa Airport will take just about an hour, and then you’ll need to add time to reach your final destination within Pisa. The second route will take a bit more time, about 1 hour and 50 minutes. But you’ll end up in a much more useful place in Pisa where you can get to attractions more easily.
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