Day trip from Lucca to Pisa by regional train

Outbound 29 minAbout 6 h for your visit in Pisa
Costs for the dayGroup: €106.39 to €126.39, excluding the items marked *2 adults, recommended sights, with AI Tour Guide and food* Not included: Camposanto Monumentale.Work out your costs ↓
Start the Pisa tourSee the day plan
Pisa

An easy day trip: the direct regional train takes about half an hour, runs often, and drops you a short walk from the old town. Leave Lucca in the morning and you get roughly six hours in Pisa, enough for Piazza dei Miracoli, a climb of the Leaning Tower and a walk down to the Arno before an afternoon train home.

Is a day trip from Lucca to Pisa worth it?

Yes, for most people staying in Lucca. Pisa is so close that the journey barely counts: about half an hour on a direct regional train, no reservation, no change. You are on Piazza dei Miracoli well before lunch and can still be back in Lucca for an evening on the walls.

Pisa gives you what Lucca does not: the white marble ensemble of cathedral, baptistery, cemetery and tower on one green lawn, and a lively university town around Piazza dei Cavalieri that feels nothing like Lucca's quiet lanes. The square around the tower gets crowded from mid morning, so the day works best if you see it first and then let the city empty out around you as you walk south to the river.

The price is small. You give up a day in Lucca, and the tower climb has to be booked ahead. If you have already seen the tower and have no interest in the rest of Pisa, Lucca alone is the richer use of the day.

Who this day trip suits

  • First time in Tuscany and based in Lucca: the Leaning Tower without a long journey or a car.
  • Short stays: two very different Tuscan towns in one trip, with Pisa done by mid afternoon.
  • Travellers on a budget: the regional train is cheap and the walking tour costs nothing to follow on foot.
  • Walkers: everything in Pisa from the cathedral square to the Arno is on foot, no bus needed once you have arrived.
  • Families with older children who want the tower climb as the highlight of the day.

Go if you want to see the Leaning Tower and a real university town with almost no travel effort; skip it only if you have seen the tower before and would rather spend the day in Lucca or on a bigger trip to Florence.

Other day trips from Lucca

How to get from Lucca to Pisa by train

Take the Trenitalia regional train from Lucca to Pisa Centrale: it is direct, takes about half an hour and needs no booking. Autolinee Toscane also runs a bus from Piazzale Verdi in Lucca to Pisa, but it is slower and runs less often than the train.

Train: Trenitalia Regionale

Regional trains leave from Lucca station, just outside the walls on the south side, and run direct to Pisa Centrale in roughly 25 to 37 minutes depending on the train. On weekdays there are about two departures an hour for most of the day, Saturdays are almost the same, and on Sundays there are about half as many with a gap around midday. The fare is a fixed regional Tuscan fare, so there is nothing to gain by booking early: buy the ticket at the machine or ticket office before you board, because buying on board costs a surcharge. Paper tickets for regional trains must be validated in the machines on the platform before you get on, or you risk a fine.

Operator
Trenitalia Regionale
Route
Lucca → Pisa Centrale
Journey time
29 min
Morning departures
Monday to Friday: 13 departures; Saturday: 12 departures; Sunday: 6 departures
Travel fare
Outward €4.10; return €4.10 (€8.20 return total)

Tickets at Trenitalia ↗

From Pisa Centrale it is a walk of between 20 and 25 minutes north through the centre to Piazza dei Miracoli, where the tour begins at the Baptistery; LAM city buses also run this way if you prefer to ride.

Timetable

departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia08:4909:1829 min
Show all departures (23)
departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia05:3506:0227 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane06:0006:3333 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia06:5207:1725 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia07:0807:4436 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane07:1007:5343 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia07:4008:1333 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia07:5308:2532 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane08:0008:4343 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia08:1308:4330 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleSunday · Trenitalia08:4209:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia08:4909:1829 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane09:0509:4843 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia09:1009:4737 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia09:4210:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia10:1210:4331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia10:4211:1129 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleSunday · Trenitalia10:4211:1331 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane11:0511:4843 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane12:0512:4843 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Friday · Trenitalia12:4213:1331 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioSunday · Autolinee Toscane13:0013:4343 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane13:0513:4843 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia13:1213:4230 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Timetable: Autolinee Toscane, as of 22 October 2026

departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia16:1916:4425 min
Show all departures (29)
departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane12:0512:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia12:2012:4727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia12:5013:1727 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane13:0513:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia13:2013:4727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia13:4314:0926 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiSunday · Autolinee Toscane14:0014:4444 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane14:0514:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia14:2014:4727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia14:5015:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia15:2015:4727 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane15:3016:1444 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia15:5016:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaSunday · Trenitalia16:1816:4426 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia16:1916:4425 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia16:5017:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia17:2017:4727 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane17:3018:1444 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia17:5018:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia18:2018:4727 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane18:3019:1444 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia18:5019:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia19:2019:4626 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Sunday · Autolinee Toscane19:3020:1444 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia19:5020:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaSunday · Trenitalia20:5021:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia20:5021:1828 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Friday · Trenitalia21:2021:4929 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia21:5022:1727 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Timetable: Autolinee Toscane, as of 22 October 2026

Lucca to Pisa day trip itinerary

Day plan for: Mon–Sat

Take the train just before nine, start at the cathedral square before the crowds peak, eat lunch in the university quarter and finish by the Arno with time to spare before the train back to Lucca around a quarter past four.

  1. Morning08:49 – 09:18

    Take the direct regional train just before nine from Lucca, arriving at Pisa Centrale around a quarter past nine. Walk north through the centre to Piazza dei Miracoli and the Baptistery. On Sundays the matching train leaves Lucca a few minutes earlier.

    This train gets you to the square before mid morning, when it fills up, and leaves the whole day ahead of you.

  2. Tour10:00 – 13:00

    At the Baptistery, open the tour in your browser and the AI Tour Guide greets you. It tells you the stories of the square as you go: the Baptistery from the outside, then the Camposanto Monumentale on the northern edge around half past ten, where it is worth going in to see the frescoed walls, Pisa Cathedral, then the Leaning Tower around half past eleven, where three quarters of an hour cover the climb if you have booked it. From there it leads you south through the old town to Piazza dei Cavalieri, asking what catches your interest along the way.

    The four monuments on the square are the reason most people come, so they get the fresh morning hours; booking your tower slot for late morning matches the point where the tour reaches it.

    1. Baptistery of Pisa, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour1Baptistery of Pisa
    2. Camposanto Monumentale in Pisa, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour2Camposanto Monumentale
    3. Pisa Cathedral, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour3Pisa Cathedral
    4. Leaning Tower of Pisa, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour4Leaning Tower of Pisa
    5. Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour5Piazza dei Cavalieri

    Start the Pisa tour

  3. Lunch13:00 – 14:00

    Have lunch after Piazza dei Cavalieri and before walking on to Tuttomondo. The streets around the square are the university quarter, so look for a casual trattoria and try a local dish such as bordatino alla pisana or pasta e ceci.

    With students around, this part of town has cheaper, more ordinary places to eat than the cafés next to the tower, and it splits the tour at its natural middle.

  4. Afternoon14:00 – 15:45

    The guide picks up again with the walk to Tuttomondo, Keith Haring's mural near the station, and ends the tour on the Arno at Santa Maria della Spina around a quarter past two, seen from the outside. With more than an hour left, add an optional stroll along the river promenades towards Ponte di Mezzo and Borgo Stretto, which costs about an hour there and back.

    The tour ends close to Pisa Centrale, so the spare time before the train can go into a slow walk by the river rather than into waiting at the station.

    1. Tuttomondo in Pisa, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour6Tuttomondo
    2. Santa Maria della Spina in Pisa, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour7Santa Maria della Spina
  5. Return15:45 – 16:44

    Leave Santa Maria della Spina by a quarter to four at the latest, walk to Pisa Centrale and take the train around a quarter past four, arriving in Lucca around a quarter to five. On Sundays leave by the same time and take the Sunday train, which leaves a minute earlier.

    The walk to the station plus time to buy and validate a ticket fits comfortably, and you are back in Lucca for the evening.

Arrival to return departure: 7 h 1 min. Time for your visit: about 6 h.

Arrival 09:18, tour start 10:00: 35 min to walk to the start, 7 min spare.

Realistically you get about six hours in Pisa; if you arrive later, keep the morning on the cathedral square and shorten the end of the tour by the river rather than skipping the tower.

Best day to visit Pisa from Lucca

  1. Monday: recommended
  2. Tuesday: recommended
  3. Wednesday: recommended
  4. Thursday: recommended
  5. Friday: recommended
  6. Saturday: recommended
  7. Sunday: possible
  • Sunday: Different connections run on this day.

Pisa walking tour in one day

The walking tour is how you see Pisa on this day: it starts at the Baptistery on Piazza dei Miracoli and runs south through the old town to Santa Maria della Spina on the Arno, about 2.7 km and roughly 37 minutes of actual walking spread over the day. The AI Tour Guide leads the walk as a conversation, telling the story of each place as you reach it, while the route and the map in your browser take you from stop to stop.

The Pisa tour: your guide leads you from stop to stop.
  1. Baptistery of Pisa
  2. Camposanto Monumentale
  3. Pisa Cathedral
  4. Leaning Tower of Pisa
  5. Piazza dei Cavalieri
  6. Tuttomondo
  7. Santa Maria della Spina

Start the Pisa tour

Opening hours as of 8 October 2026.

  1. Baptistery of Pisa, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour
    1Stop 1

    Baptistery of Pisa

    Begun in 1152 by the architect Diotisalvi, whose signature is still on the building, the round baptistery is where Galileo Galilei was baptised.

    Price
    Seen from outside on the tour; going inside is optional and not included in this total.
  2. Camposanto Monumentale in Pisa, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour
    2Stop 2

    Camposanto Monumentale

    The monumental cemetery on the northern edge of the square, built from 1277, holds Roman sarcophagi and frescoed walls, and legend says its soil was brought from Golgotha.

    Hours
    Daily: 09:00–20:00
  3. Pisa Cathedral, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour
    3Stop 3

    Pisa Cathedral

    The cathedral, begun in 1063 in the Pisan Romanesque style, is the centrepiece of the square and holds Giovanni Pisano's carved pulpit.

    Hours
    Daily: 10:00–18:00
    Price
    Free
  4. Leaning Tower of Pisa, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour
    4Stop 4

    Leaning Tower of Pisa

    The cathedral's bell tower began to lean on the soft ground soon after building started in 1173, and the tilt feels far stronger when you stand beneath it.

    Hours
    Daily: 09:00–20:00
    Price
    €20
  5. Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Stop 5

    Piazza dei Cavalieri

    Once the political centre of medieval Pisa, Vasari's irregular square is now the heart of the university, with the Palazzo della Carovana and its decorated facade.

    Price
    Free
  6. Tuttomondo in Pisa, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour
    6Stop 6

    Tuttomondo

    Keith Haring painted this vast, colourful mural in 1989 on the rear wall of the church of Sant'Antonio Abate, one of the last public works before his death.

    Price
    Free
  7. Santa Maria della Spina in Pisa, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour
    7Stop 7

    Santa Maria della Spina

    This small Pisan Gothic church right on the Arno, built around 1230, is covered in spires, pinnacles and sculpture, a fine place to end the walk.

    Hours (optional interior visit)
    Mon, Tue: closed
    Wed–Fri: 15:00–18:00
    Sat, Sun: 10:00–13:00, 15:00–18:00
    Price
    Free
AI Tour Guide in Pisa

Your guide for the Pisa tour

In Pisa the AI Tour Guide leads you from the Baptistery where Galileo was baptised to Keith Haring's mural and the little church on the Arno, telling the stories of each place as you walk. It talks with you, asks what you would like to know more about and remembers it, so the tower and the knights' square get as much depth as you want. You start it in your browser at the Baptistery.

stops
7
route
2.7 km
walking only
37 min
with visits
3 h 22 min
  • 100 free credits to start
  • €19.99 once for the whole group
  • Travel and admission tickets are not included
Start the Pisa tourSee the whole tour →

Lucca to Pisa day trip cost

The train between Lucca and Pisa is a fixed and modest regional fare, so the day's cost is mostly the two tickets the cost tool includes as recommended, the Leaning Tower climb and the Camposanto Monumentale, plus food. The other stops on the tour are seen from the outside and add nothing.

Adults
Children

* Not included: Camposanto Monumentale.

One device is enough for the whole group: two people listen on two connected headphones, larger groups use the phone speaker.

Cost breakdown

Costs for 2 adults · planned visits

Travel there and backTrenitalia Regionale2 adults × €8.20€16.40
SightsLeaning Tower of Pisa (tower climb) and Camposanto Monumentale2 adults × €20€40
AI Tour Guide touronce for the whole group€19.99
Food (estimate)€15 to €25 per person€30 to €50
Total*Group: €106.39 to €126.39, excluding the items marked *
Sights
  • €20
  • Camposanto Monumentale
Buffer and private guide

Buy water at a supermarket before you reach Piazza dei Miracoli and eat lunch in the university quarter around Piazza dei Cavalieri, where prices are lower than next to the tower.

Prices as of October 2026.

Getting back from Pisa to Lucca

The way back is the same direct regional train from Pisa Centrale, and the tour ending by the Arno helps: from Santa Maria della Spina it is a walk of about 15 minutes to the station. Allow another quarter of an hour to buy a ticket and validate it on the platform, which is why the plan has you leave the river well before the train.

If you run late, drop the optional river stroll first, then shorten the end of the tour. If you miss the planned train, the next direct one follows within about half an hour on weekdays and Saturdays; on Sundays the gaps are longer, so check the Sunday column of the timetable before you set off.

Recommended returnTrenitalia: departs 16:19, arrives 16:44Leave the last stop of the tour by 15:45

Latest return that fits the day: 21:50

  • Trenitalia from Pisa Centrale, Monday to Sunday: departs 21:50, arrives 22:17

Questions about the day trip from Lucca to Pisa

Do I need to book Leaning Tower tickets in advance?

Yes. Tickets for the climb are sold online by the operator for timed slots and often sell out, especially in high season. Sales open between 20 and 45 days before the visit, so book as soon as your date is set.

Can I take a bag up the Leaning Tower?

No, bags and backpacks are not allowed on the climb. Leave them free of charge at the cloakroom in the building opposite the tower by showing your ticket.

Is there a dress code for the cathedral?

Yes, shoulders and knees must be covered in Pisa's churches, so bring a scarf or light layer if you are in summer clothes.

Can children climb the Leaning Tower?

Children under 8 are not allowed to climb, and there is no reduced child price for the climb, so plan the tower around older children.

Should I get off at Pisa San Rossore instead of Pisa Centrale?

Pisa San Rossore is about a five minute walk from Piazza dei Miracoli, against roughly 22 minutes from Pisa Centrale, so it suits trains that stop there. The plan uses Pisa Centrale because the tour ends near it and the direct trains to and from Lucca all run there.

More day trips from Lucca

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Sources

Timetables, fares and opening hours come from these operators:

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