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If you just want a photo op, from Pisa Centrale its a nice 15-20 min walk to the Field of Miracles, i.e. the Leaning Tower.

The trains from Florence to Pisa and Pisa to CT are regional, no reservations required.

Children under 8 are not allowed to climb the Tower, if other family members want to then I would suggest having a reservation, especially in June.

thx for the input. @mike--most people i talk to who have travelled extensively in italy say don't even waste a single minute of your valuable time in italy on pisa. that's all subjective of course. and to each their own. personally, it's not on my bucket list, but for others in my party it is, so we are trying to make everyone happy whilst still keeping to a schedule.

as to this: " If you walk from the station to the Piazza dei Miracoli you'll see some of Pisa's charm, so you might want to close your eyes."

i find this a little smug and distasteful for a forum such as this where travellers of all kinds come together to get advice and learn from each other. it's snobby and insinuates that a traveller such as myself is unable to appreciate the charm of a destination. consider for a moment that how you travel is not how everyone travels. what you enjoy is not what everyone enjoys. i would rather spend a day hiking the paths of cinqueterre staring at cliffs and ocean rather than buildings. that's JUST ME. and some people have a whole summer to travel, some people have a few days. had i all the time in the world i'm sure you would find me on the piazza dei miracoli chasing butterflies.

i appreciate your input, but consider being pretentious elsewhere.

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I don't understand why people dislike Pisa so much. We stayed there for a day last year and really liked it. Yes, maybe it is a little more "gritty" than other, smaller Tuscan towns, but it is a very lively university city with more than just the leaning tower. Because of the students there are plenty of good, not expensive restaurants and bars. We stayed overnight and in the evening we had a good meal. Just don't eat at the restaurants close to the tower that cater to day-tourists.

THANK YOU, Dutchfemale! We could not agree with you more. In fact, we are saddened that people only consider Campo dei Miracoli, and then leave. We love walking Pisa's streets, love the restaurants (we just discovered a lovely bistro-bar opened only since June along the Arno which made us very, very happy). We love the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo... we love the fact that, once you get outside that Campo, you're surrounded by Italians! Real ones, even.

I don't think it is that people dislike Pisa so much as people have to sometimes prioritize their time in their vacation itineraries. this is my situation. I'm sure Pisa is fantastic and wonderful beyond the Miracoli. If you had only a week to visit California for example, you could not possibly see everything, and I would not be upset at you if you said you were going to skip Alcatraz or the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or Disneyland, or Yosemite, or whatever it is that you cannot fit in to your schedule.

Sorry, did not mean to say that you should spend more time in Pisa. Of course you need to prioritize your time. Just meant it in general after reading comments in threads about Pisa...

wsk, generally on this forum people say not to visit Pisa, something the locals find rather annoying, understandably.

As to a remark about the charm of Pisa, I think the person may have meant that there are other things to see that so many people miss in their rush to the campo. However, the post has been removed.

We walked from the train station and on the way found the delightful little chapel la Chiesa della Spina, for example

nickbooth.id.au/Europe02/…SanG0018.jpg

The duomo is very beautiful and your kids may enjoy a brief inspection of the bronze doors, filled with delightful detail such as this frog

nickbooth.id.au/Europe02/…SanG0026.jpg