Trains to Pisa

Were it not for its leaning tower, Pisa might never have been so well known in the Italian tourist industry. Yet there is much more to Pisa than that tower, and the city deserves a visit on any tour of Tuscany. Pisa lies on the banks of the River Arno (as does its neighbour and rival Florence).

The railway station, Pisa Centrale, is just south of the city centre. It’s an easy walk from the station to the Ponte di Mezzo and the graceful central district. The star attractions, including the cathedral with its famously tilted campanile, are clustered by the town wall in the north-west corner of the city centre.

Pisa has excellent train connections, so it’s a great base for exploring the surrounding region. The fast trains to Florence take just 48 minutes, although the average journey time is nearer an hour. The walled city of Lucca is just 30 minutes away by train. The Cinque Terre coast is served by direct trains from Pisa – it takes just 75 minutes from Pisa to Monterosso. If seaside style is your thing, then the sunny beaches at Viareggio are just 20 minutes from Pisa on regular local trains.

Pisa has excellent connections from further afield. There are several direct trains each day from Milan, Genoa, and Rome. Services from Turin and Naples are limited to just two or three trains per day, but they are still direct. Journeys to Pisa from Verona and Venice normally require a change of train at Florence.

Pisa has a useful overnight train to Sicily. From April till September there is even on certain evenings a direct overnight service to Vienna. On those days when the direct Vienna train does not run, passengers just need to travel to nearby Florence to join the year-round daily sleeper to the Austrian capital.