During our month-long family vacation to Italy, we knew we had to visit Pisa to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa with our kids. After some research, we determined the limited number of additional things to do in Pisa with kids made a daytrip to Pisa ideal for our family.
Still working on your Italy Itinerary with kids? Here is our 4 week itinerary for Italy with some suggestions for a 2 week Italy Itinerary and a 10-day Italy Itinerary with kids.
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Getting to Pisa with Kids
The Pisa International Airport is the largest airport in Tuscany. PSA is conveniently only a 10-minute drive from the airport to Central Pisa.
If you are like us and like to leave your car seats at home, we recommend getting a private transfer. Your personal driver will meet you at your arrival gate, walk you to your car which contains your pre-booked child seats. Private transfers typically don’t cost much more than a taxi – they are an affordable luxury for parents traveling with kids.
Flying to Pisa makes a lot of sense if Pisa is your first stop in Italy. But if you already in Italy, traveling by train to Pisa is a really fun experience. After a week of hiking in Cinque Terre with kids, we took the train from Monterosso to Lucca, with a change of trains in Pisa.
Our hour-long Cinque Terre to Pisa train ride arrived in Pisa at 10:17am. Our Pisa to Lucca train departed at 3:30pm, giving us approximately 5 hours in Pisa. I mean, how could you be at the Pisa Centrale station and not see the Leaning Tower of Pisa with your kids?
Most people will visit Pisa as an easy day trip from Florence, but we were fortunate the train route from Cinque Terre to Florence stopped in Pisa and Lucca. Thankfully, the Pisa Centrale station has luggage storage facilities, so we dropped off our larger bags for a few hours.
Tip: Look for “deposito bagagli”, located to the right at the far end of Platform #1, close to the police office. Have your passport ready for identification.
Getting to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with Kids
The walk from the Pisa Centrale Station to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is approximately 22 minutes (longer with little legs walking, obviously) and is a nice walk for families with small kids. The walk to the Leaning Tower of Pisa was nearly car-free the entire way so we could let the kids safely wander the streets and look in all the shop windows.
Visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa with Kids
Our priority was to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa with our kids right away. Afterwards, we could choose from the remaining things to do in Pisa with kids depending on how much time we had left.
It’s always an interesting experience to go and see a world-famous tourist attraction. We often wonder if we’ll be less impressed because of this, but that rarely happens. I mean, they are famous for a reason, right? Our visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with kids was amazing – it did not disappoint!
As you’d expect, getting good pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is really difficult. It’s very busy, so if getting the classic picture of you or your kids holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa is important to you, get there very early.
Can Children Climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
We love climbing towers when we travel, so we were sad to discover the Leaning Tower of Pisa does not allow kids under the age of 8 years old to climb the tower. No matter… simply walking around the stunning monuments while the kids chased pigeons (of course) was worth the visit.
Leaning Tower of Pisa Skip-the-Line Tickets
If you plan on visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa with your children, do yourself a huge favor by purchasing reserved time, skip-the-line Leaning Tower of Pisa tickets.
Additional Things to Do in Pisa with Kids
Campo dei Miracoli
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (which is a bell tower) is one of four monuments in the cathedral complex called Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). Also included in the complex are the Cathedral of Pisa (Duomo di Pisa), the Baptistery and the Monumental Cemetery.
Tip: There are big, clean pay bathrooms behind the cathedral – it’s worth the small fee.
A visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with kids is quite impressive, both in beauty and in its angle of leaning, but the Duomo and Baptistery are nice surprises as well.
Pisa Playground – Parco Don Bosco
We hadn’t really planned to see anything else in Pisa because we weren’t sure how long our visit to the Square of Miracles would take. Despite having an Italy Lonely Planet, we planned our afternoon in Pisa with kids by looking at a cartoon tourist map over lunch.
We spotted a drawing of an aqueduct with a playground approximately a 20-minute walk from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We had a great time at the Aqueduct park in Rome, and we knew our kids would love a visit to a Pisa playground, so we checked it out.
Parco Don Bosco, was a large treed park with a big playground, a bike path running past it and the aqueduct running the length of it. When we travel, we try to give our kids time to play, but was a home run to find a Pisa playground with an amazing piece of history right next door!
Only in Italy…
Giardino Scotto Park
Our last stop in Pisa with kids was at a park near the Pisa Centrale train station. The Giardino Scotto Park has an interesting history, having been a fortified 15th century citadel, a fortress and a private garden at various times.
In the early 1900’s it was donated to be a park for the citizens of Pisa. Today Giardino Scott Park is a perfect spot for a picnic in Pisa. You’ll enjoy sitting in the shade of the towering trees on a sunny day, while your children burn off some energy at the playground.
Family Photo Shoot
On several of our family trips around the world, we were lucky enough to capture some special moments from our family trip with a session with a professional photographer. Some of the family photos we received from these photo sessions are some of our most treasured possessions.
Pisa is such an iconic Italian destination. We didn’t have a chance this family trip, but you can book a family photo shoot in Pisa. Your professional photographer will make you feel relaxed and help you find photo-friendly locations in and around Pisa.
Family Photoshoot
A family photoshoot is an excellent way to preserve memories from your trip! Get $25 off your first Flytographer photo shoot.
Where to Stay in Pisa with Kids
We visited Pisa with children in 5 hours, but if you decide to stay a night or two in Pisa with your children you should stay in Central Pisa, north of the River Arno. It’s close to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the other things to do in Pisa with kids. The tourist area of Pisa is reasonably small, so you can walk anywhere in a short amount of time.
We stayed at vacation home rentals (like Airbnb or VRBO) for most nights on our Italy family vacation. We enjoy the family-friendly amenities like separate bedrooms, a kitchen to cook our own meals and laundry facilities.
There are plenty of Pisa vacation home rentals for your family vacation. Find a great place to stay in Pisa with these great tips on finding a family-friendly Airbnb.
If you would prefer a kid-friendly Pisa hotel for your Italian family vacation, we personally use and recommend Booking.com as their “Top Picks for Families” search filter makes it easy to find good family-friendly accommodation.
Pisa with Kids – Summary
Even though our visit to Pisa with kids was only for a few hours, I’m really glad we made the effort. A visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with kids is a gift they will carry with them, after all, it is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Even a year later, if we randomly see a picture of it our 4-year old knows exactly what it is. There’s the influence travel has on kids!
Next stop on our Italy tour… Lucca with kids! If you are going the other way and heading to Cinque Terre, read this guide to Cinque Terre.
Skip-the-line Leaning Tower of Pisa tickets
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Celine Brewer is a dedicated family travel blogger with a profound passion for helping families create unforgettable adventures together. Her blog blends captivating travel narratives with practical tips for family-friendly destinations and enjoying active travel with kids. As a mother of two, she understands the unique challenges of traveling with children and offers valuable insights to empower parents.
When Celine isn't traveling with her husband and two kids, she's either working on one of her three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Baby Can Travel and Travel Banff Canada) or out enjoying the majestic Canadian Rockies her family calls home.