During our month-long family trip to Italy, we knew we wanted to visit Pisa with kids to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. It’s one of those world-famous landmarks that even young kids recognize, and we felt it was well worth making the effort to see, even if Pisa wasn’t one of the main stops on our Italy itinerary.
We decided that a day trip to Pisa would work best for our family. There are definitely enough things to do in Pisa with kids to make a half-day visit worthwhile, especially around the Leaning Tower and the Square of Miracles, but we didn’t feel like we needed several days there. For us, Pisa worked perfectly as a short stop between bigger destinations.
In this guide, I’ll share how we visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa with kids, what else we found nearby, how we managed luggage at the train station, and the parks and playgrounds that helped make the day more enjoyable for everyone. If you’re wondering whether Pisa is worth visiting with children, how much time you need, or what to do beyond taking the classic Tower photo, this should help you decide how to fit Pisa into your own Italy itinerary with kids.
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Still working on your family trip to Italy? Start with our 4-week Italy itinerary with kids, then use our suggestions to adapt it into a 2-week or 10-day Italy itinerary for families.
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How to Get to Pisa with Kids
Flying into Pisa
The Pisa International Airport is the largest airport in Tuscany. It’s easy to get from the Pisa Airport into central Pisa. The PisaMover is a high-speed cable shuttle that connects Pisa International Airport to the Pisa Centrale railway station in just 5 minutes.
If you are landing in Pisa after a long flight and want the easy way into Pisa, we recommend getting a private transfer with the Welcome Pickups service. We have used Welcome Pickups often while travelling through Europe with kids. We appreciate how our driver meets us in the arrivals area and we can easily pre-book car seats. All this for about the same price as a normal taxi or Uber.
Taking the Train to Pisa
Flying to Pisa makes a lot of sense if Pisa is your first stop in Italy. But if you are already in Italy, travelling by train to Pisa is a really fun experience. After a week of hiking in Cinque Terre with kids, we were headed to a stop in Lucca with kids. This train journey involved changing trains in Pisa.
Our Cinque Terre to Pisa train arrived in Pisa around 10:30 am, but our Pisa to Lucca train didn’t leave until 3:30 pm, giving us approximately 5 hours in Pisa. This layover in Pisa was the perfect opportunity to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa with our kids!
Storing Luggage Near Pisa Centrale
Most people will visit Pisa on an easy day tour from Florence, but we were fortunate the train route from Cinque Terre to Florence stopped in Pisa. Thankfully, there are many places to store your luggage near the Pisa Centrale station.
This app didn’t exist during our family trip to Pisa, but today we use the Bounce app whenever we need to store our bags for a few hours. Bounce has plenty of convenient luggage storage options to choose from in central Pisa.
Getting to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with Kids
The walk from the Pisa Centrale Station to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is roughly 20 – 25 minutes 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 interesting to see a world-famous attraction in person. I sometimes wonder if it will feel overhyped, but that rarely happens. They’re famous for a reason, right? Our visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa with kids was amazing, and it did not disappoint!
As you’d expect, getting good pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is really challenging. 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, we recommend getting 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 Tickets and Booking Tips
If you plan to climb the Leaning Tower, book a timed entry ticket in advance and arrive on time. Late arrivals are not admitted and are not refunded.
Things to Do in Pisa with Kids
Explore the Square of Miracles
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually the bell tower and one of four monuments in the cathedral complex known as Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli, the Square of Miracles. The complex also includes the Cathedral of Pisa, or Duomo di Pisa, the Baptistery and the Monumental Cemetery.
Tip for parents: There are big, clean pay bathrooms behind the cathedral.
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.
Visit the Playground Near the Leaning Tower
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. With a little time left in our visit, 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 near 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.
It took us roughly 20 minutes to walk to Parco Don Bosco. It was a beautiful treed park with a big playground, a bike path running past it and an aqueduct running alongside it. When we travel, we try to give our kids time to play, but it 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 1900s it was donated to be a park for the citizens of Pisa. Today Giardino Scotto 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.
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, I’d look for accommodation 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 main tourist area of Pisa is fairly compact, so many families can get around on foot.
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 as their “Top Picks for Families” search filter makes it easy to find good family-friendly accommodation.
Our Final Thoughts: Pisa with Kids
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 memory they’ll carry with them. After all, it’s one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Even a year later, if we randomly saw a picture of it, our 4-year-old knew exactly what it was. There’s the influence travel has on kids!
Follow Along on our Family Trip to Italy
We hope you enjoyed reading about our day trip to Pisa with kids. If you’d like to follow along on our Italy itinerary with kids, we arrived in Pisa after hiking in Cinque Terre with kids. After Pisa, we made our way for a short visit to Lucca with kids, before ending our Italy vacation with a trip to Florence with kids.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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