Pisa & outlet mall on my own?

Lizzyl875

New member
Hello,
I will was thinking about taking a tour of Pisa and going the outlet mall all in the same day using public transport? Is this doable and if so, which buses and how long would it take to get from one point to another starting and ending in Florence? I'm staying in Florence very close to the train station.

Also, is Pisa a place you can visit and learn about on your own without a tour guide? Any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will be in Florence the 2nd weekend of September. Grazie!
 
Definitely doable on your own, but not on the same day

Ciao Lizzy,

If you're starting in Florence, doing both Pisa and an outlet mall in one day is going to be very difficult (ok, impossible) as they are not in the same area.

All of the outlets you see listed here are to the north, east or south east of Florence: all in the opposite direction of Pisa!!

So if you have the time, you can plan on doing Pisa on one day (even half a day) and the mall on another day. Pisa is definitely a place you can visit on your own without the need of a guide. It is easy to reach by train (takes about an hour - see timetables at www.trenitalia.com).

As for the outlet mall, I recommend taking the bus directly to The Mall from Florence's SMN train station. You can see the times for the buses on the link mentioned above. The other outlet mall easy to reach from Florence is the Barberino one, which also has shuttle buses to it although just 2 per day in each direction so you have to plan your visit more carefully!

Hope you have a great time in Florence and Tuscany, I'm sure you'll enjoy both Pisa and shopping :) If you have any other questions, feel free to ask anytime!
 
Re: Definitely doable on your own, but not on the same day

Ciao Lourdes,
Thank you for the helpful information. In your opinion, what else is worth it to see in Pisa if I will only be there for 1/2 the day in the late afternoon/evening aside from the Leaning Tower? Are there any interesting streets to wander to or shopping? Grazie!
 
Pisa is small and walkable, very enjoyable

In Pisa, I recommend you walk to the Leaning Tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli passing through Piazza dei Cavalieri and then up Via Santa Maria to arrive at the Square of Miracles.

The Botanical Gardens are also very nice, just head back down Via Santa Maria after.... and then keep heading toward the Arno river. Once you get there, head right and cross Solferino bridge to get to the small gothic Maria della Spina church right along the Arno.

You can see lots of pictures of Pisa here:
http://www.tuscanypictures.com/pisa/
 
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