tour of Pisa?

[fun2travel]

I am wondering whether or not to get a tour ticket for Pisa, or just go and see what I can on my own. What has everyone else done there?

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[Jacqueline]

Pisa itself is a very minor attraction. Most people stop on their way to FLorence. I cant imagine devoting much time to it given how many other attractions there are in this region.
My dad toured Lucca which was fascinating too, if you want to see a traditional walled city.

Jacqueline
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[Chick's pal]

I recommend going to Pisa to see the tower. There is not much else there, from a tourism perspective. You can buy your tower admission tickets online in advance and that will save you a TON of time. We booked a private tour at this port and stopped first at Pisa. We arrived before 9:00 and there were hardly any people there yet. Great photo ops with no crowds. Our tour time was 9:00 (the first one) and we spent about an hour up the tower, on top, descending, and wandering around the Field of Miracles. So, in short, I'm offering that first thing in the morning is the time when you'll be able to see things most efficiently.

I provided the online link for the tower tickets in a previous post on this Europe board, so scroll down and look a bit for that.

[finallyavacation]

I agree that there isn't that much besides the tower worth seeing. If your time is limited it might not be worth it. The thing to remember is that there are "leaning" towers all over Italy.

[fun2travel]

Chick's pal
Do I actually need a ticket to enjoy the tower, I am not sure about the inside part. Are you able to get up close to see without a tour? I mainly ask this from a flexibility standpoint. I did not want to tie myself down to a particular time. Thinking I will go to the Accademia first before crowds. Any thoughts?

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[Mike Andrews]

[url="http://WWW.opapisa.it"]WWW.opapisa.it[/url] may be of some help to you.

Mike

[Hornblower]

I agree, apart from the Leaning Tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli there isn’t much to see in Pisa. If your ship’s tour takes you to Florence with a short stopover in Pisa then it may be worth it. If you prefer to do your own excursion you could see Lucca instead, or maybe combine Pisa, Lucca and Florence in the same day (of course depending on time limits). You also have the option of going to Siena and San Gimignano on a separate excursion.

Cheers

[mikemary945]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by fun2travel:
Chick's pal
Do I actually need a ticket to enjoy the tower, I am not sure about the inside part. Are you able to get up close to see without a tour? I mainly ask this from a flexibility standpoint. I did not want to tie myself down to a particular time. Thinking I will go to the Accademia first before crowds. Any thoughts?

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We're planning to catch Pisa on the way to Florence too. The big thing about the tower, as far as we can tell, is just seeing it. We understand there are 300 steps to the top, and between my wife's bad knees and the anticipated heat of July, I think we'll be satisfied just to see it and take the obligatory picture of us "holding it up". Daniele, our guide for the tour, told us to plan for tickets about 9:00am, if we planned to climb it.

Mike and Mary

Mike and Mary

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