From Florence: Half-Day Tour to Pisa and the Leaning Tower

We tried looking for just a Pisa trip because most of the tours available include other tour destinations. This tour choice did not disappoint. Just be careful to choose the option that you want. There are multiple options: a. Just the transportation b. A guided tour with transportation c. A guided tour with a skip-the-line ticket to climb the pisa tower. We chose option c. There's really nothing much to see inside the tower. But this experience is not to be missed if you're climbing it with someone special. The narrow staircase and the experience of climbing almost 300 steps is really memorable. Note: The option to climb the pisa tower is not for people who have disabilities or impairments. But if you're able bodied then you can do so whatever your age. It will just be a matter of how fast you can do it. The whole climb just takes 20minutes more or less (up and down already).

Both the tour guide and the local guide were very informative. Keiko had great language skills- English, Spanish and obviously Japanese. She shared tips for restaurants, etc. The drawback was the meeting location directions. We found the street to meet on but the reference to a hotel was very misleading. We found the group by noticing people gathered across the street from us. Keiko was behind a bus parked on the street- so she and her flag were hidden. A better reference would have been the bus stop hub Montelungo which was within steps of the meeting point- there was no hotel Bottecelli within sight. Another couple also mentioned difficulty finding the meeting spot.

Overall it was a nice tour, it was great not to have to drive or organize the train from Florence. The local guide in Pise was hilarious, although we could not always hear well what she was saying when outside. My main complain is that it is too rushed if you book to climb the tower. We had minimal time left after the guided tour of the cathedral, just the time to drop the bags, escalate the tower, take a few pictures and it was time to go back. Barely time to use bathrooms in Pise, no free time just to walk around or get something to eat (and with no lines anywhere because if was slow season). The tour is supposed to be 6 hours, but we were back after 5h40. The 20 minutes free would have make a difference for us. Why not increase the length of the tour by 30-60 minutes? Also the guide in the bus stated she had water if needed but didn't mention it was for a fee, so some clients asked for one and were surprised to be charged, which brought a negative touch right from the start.