Thank you for that. I need to know how long it takes to walk etc from one place to the other. If there are queues to climb the tower I will give it a miss. How long will it take to walk from the station to the tower / duomo and back.

Thanks for your help

It is about a mile from the station to Campo dei Miracoli. The time depends on how fast you walk.

It takes about 20-30 mins to walk across the city to the tower. There will almost certainly be a wait to climb the tower unless you pre-book your ticket online, but that is a bit risky as if your plane was delayed, you could miss your slot. It takes about 2 hours to see all the buildings at the Campo dei Miracoli, you could see how long the wait is to climb the tower on the day and if two hours or less, see the other buildings while you wait.

Thanks, that's helpful. i won't be booking tickets beforehand, if I get there and I have time then I will go up but if not I will do something else.

I have read a fair bit about pick pockets. I am a solo female but am not soft and will be careful but is there anywhere I need to avoid?

Take the usual precautions and be extra vigilant at the train station, but I wouldn't worry unduly.

Thanks will do, I sometimes think that when people see a thread about pickpockets it often gets blown out of proportion. Have been to Barcelona a good few times and their forum is full of pickpocket threads but I have always felt OK there. Just a bit more wary now I will be on my own!