Pisa Day Trips by Type of Day

October 29, 2026

Choosing a day trip from Pisa by the kind of day you want

Pisa Centrale is a junction, which makes the town a cheap base for excursions. Rather than ranking destinations by distance, this page groups them by what sort of day you are after. Train fares quoted here are rough figures from booking sites rather than from the operator, so check Trenitalia before buying. Other prices are in euros for 2026.

A walled town you can cycle around: Lucca

Regional trains take 25 to 31 minutes and leave about every half hour, for a fare of roughly €4 to €5. The Renaissance ramparts form a tree-lined loop of 4.2 km with no cars, and bicycle hire inside the town is the usual way to ride it. Piazza dell’Anfiteatro follows the curve of a Roman arena. Torre Guinigi, topped with holm oaks, and the clock tower Torre delle Ore cost €8 each (€6.50 reduced) or about €19 for a combined ticket, and booking is compulsory on weekends and holidays.

A quick sea and food day: Livorno and Viareggio

Livorno is only 12 to 15 minutes away. The Venezia Nuova quarter has canals and arched bridges, the Fortezza Vecchia guards the old harbour, and the Terrazza Mascagni promenade has a black and white chequered floor facing the sea. Try cacciucco, the local fish stew. Viareggio takes 13 to 19 minutes and offers a sandy beach and Art Nouveau frontages along Viale Regina Margherita, and a February carnival with enormous papier-mache floats.

Hills and craftwork: Calci and Volterra

Calci lies about 10 km east, a 25 to 30 minute bus ride on Linea 120. The Certosa, a former Carthusian monastery, can only be entered on a guided visit and is open Tuesday to Sunday in limited slots. The university natural history museum in the same village costs €15 (€7 for ages 6 to 17), and some galleries are closed for refurbishment in 2026. Volterra is farther, about 65 km southeast and 1 hour 15 minutes by car or regional bus. It has an Etruscan museum with the famous slender bronze figure known as the Evening Shadow, a Roman theatre and alabaster workshops.

Art on a short clock: Florence

Faster regional trains take 50 to 60 minutes, slower ones 75 to 80, and a ticket costs about €9. Florence deserves a firm plan, since the Uffizi, the Accademia, the cathedral square and the Ponte Vecchio all belong to Florence and not to Pisa. Pick two or three and book timed entry ahead.

Coastline on foot: Cinque Terre

This is a long first look rather than a relaxed day. Reaching La Spezia takes about 45 to 75 minutes, with the quickest services near 42, and local trains then link the five villages. Plan on two or three of them and an evening train home. Official 2026 one-day adult cards are the Trekking card at €10 (€15 on peak days) and the Train card at €22, €29.50 or €35 depending on how crowded the day is. Several trail sections close or need a timed permit, such as the Via dell’Amore at roughly €10 with a card, so read the park site before choosing a route.

Sand close to the city: Marina di Pisa and Tirrenia

Bus Linea 10 runs to the coast, and a single ticket of €2.90 is valid for 90 minutes and also works on Pisa city buses. A cheaper €2 fare applied only to the 2026 summer promotion. The beach at Marina is pebbly, partly sheltered by rock barriers, and mostly occupied by private lidos. Lifeguard cover on free beaches is not confirmed, so choose a lido in season and check the day’s flag. Storm surges have worn parts of the shore away.

Last-train sense

Allow a margin on the way back if you have a flight, and check the final departure time when you arrive at your destination station.

Card prices are on the Cinque Terre park page , and coast bus fares on the Autolinee Toscane coast page . Guided excursions can be browsed in a Viator search for Pisa day trips .