Wednesday, December 4th 2024

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2023
15
August
Leaning Tower of Pisa: A Must-See or Skippable Attraction?

Question:

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Victoria

My husband and I are going on a mediterrean cruise next November and I can't decide on 1 of the excursions and would like some input. Were torn between excursion 1 going to see the leaning tower of piza then off to Florence for 4 hours. Or excursion 2 where we skip Piza and get 6 hours in Florence? I'm concerned that 4 hrs in Florence wont be enough with all there is to see and do. Do we really need to see the leaning tower of Piza? Your input is appreciated.

Humans say...

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Suzie

Skip Pisa and spend the time in Florence.

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Stacey

I've not been the the leaning Tower of Pisa but have been to Florence. I've heard Pisa is overrated, and I would definitely spend more time in Florence. Even 6 hours is short!

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Drew

I’d take Florence over Piza any day of the week.
Get a copy of https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/florence and 6 hours will be great. Prob best to just do a walk around and grab a gelato and a coffee.
If you plan to hit museums, skip the Uffizi and go to the Galileo museum instead.
RICKSTEVES.COM
Florence Travel Guide by Rick Steves

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Drew

And- if you have time- have lunch here:
https://www.fishinglab.it/en/
FISHINGLAB.IT
Home - Fishing Lab

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Jana

Florence is a beautiful city. Even six hours isn’t enough. You wouldn’t be missing much if you don’t see the leaning tower. It’s small, tons of kitsch for sale all around it, lots of elaborate pickpocketing on the site.

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Barbara

Skip Pisa.

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Mariam

Having been to both, skip Pisa

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Norm

If you’re u want to see any of the art galleries,palaces in Florence you should book a specific time slot and do it well in advance. The lineups for these things are incredibly long. Pisa is nice but very commercialized,not much else there but the tower and a couple of other lovely buildings.

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Diane

lots of great info on all aspects of cruises on Cruisecritic dot com -info on ports, best excursions, the ship itself.... (be sure to check the discussion 'boards')

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Gail

Diane yes, Cruisecritic is a fantastic resource!

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Barbara

If you are offered a Tuscany tour that includes Florence and maybe a stop in San Gigmignano, (which is about an hour outside Florence, then I would do that. It's a long day from the ship but worth seeing one of the beautiful ancient hillside towns of Tuscany.

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Cheryl

Florence for sure

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Marlene

Can you stay longer in Florence ? I would

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Victoria

Marlene monits a cruise ship stop for the day

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Meghann

Not much else to see/do in Pisa than the tower. It's crowded and lines are long if you want to go up.
Lots to see/do in Florence. Like others have said, even 6 hours won't be long enough.

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Kim

Skip Pisa, so much to see in Florence!

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Armando

Yes, Pisa NO Piza

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Gillian

Florence for sure. 6 hours isn't enough but well worth it

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Denise

I have also done both. Pisa is there for the pictures, super fun! If you don't think you will go back to Pisa, do it. 4 hours in Florence is enough to see the city, shop, grab a bite. Hope you have room for leather purses!!
I would prefer to see 2 places over only 1 place. Just my opinion!

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Tarek

Florence for sure...
Try to make it to one of the museums if you are into Art

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Tony

Both. 4 hrs in Florence is good enough but you have to walk constantly.

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Susan

Florence not Pisa.

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Pauline

Definitely skip Pisa. Florence is spectacular. The tower is meh!

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Barry

skip pisa

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Jackie

Best sandwich I ever ate was in Florence... I would go back just for that. We skipped Pisa since my partner has already been and I didn't care that much. I don't think you can lose either way but I prefer not to rush as I have done jam packed European cruises and can barely remember a thing because I tried to pack too much in.

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Sharon

Florence for sure. Skip Piza.

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J

It's hard to decide. I'm leaning toward Pisa.

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Audrey

Skip Pisa/ you don’t have enuf time in Florence but take what you can get … ideally with pre-purchased tix to top sites

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Terri

We chose to go to Pompeii over pisa. Absolutely no regrets

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Laura

Terri pompei is from alafi not Livorno I believe.

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Terri

Laura we had the option to do either of those excursions from the cruise port.

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Laura

Terri pompei is 5 hours from Florence.

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Laura

Do both. We did both and had 4 hours in Florence and only an hour in pisa. You want to say you were at pisa.

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Jacqui

Terri Pompei is south of Rome!!

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Laura

I sent you a message with the 2 we booked since I'm not sure I can/should share private tours on this page.

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Terri

Laura I only booked through the cruise line. My travel agent highly recommended it, especially in the Mediterranean. Thank gawd we did because we were late getting back to the ship everytime

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Jennifer

Laura good to know!

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Victoria

Terri going there on another day!

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Deborah

I skipped Rome to stay in Florence. Magical city.

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Barbara

Florence for sure.

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Karen

Just florence

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Donna

We got off the cruise and there were guides offering private tours. We opted to do both Pisa and Florence. At Pisa it was really just a quick photo opt and walked the grounds for a bit. Then we headed to a Florence. He took us to a few look out points before dropping us off for free time to walk around. Definitely not enough time to see and do it all even if you only opted to go to Florence. But it was enough to give us a taste and we know it’s on our bucket list to return one day (not via cruise).

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Sabrina

If crunched for time definitely take more time in Florence!

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Chantal

Skip Pisa, it' s 5 minute attraction. Spen more time in Florence.

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Rosalie

We just got back .. take Florence.. book your skip the line tickets for David and also Uffuzi gallery..

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Nur

Skip Pisa. Tourist trap.

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Toni

Pisa is very touristy. Did not enjoy it. Vendors are lined up with tacky souvenirs

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Laura

Florence has much more to offer

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Beth

Skip Pisa

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Danniela

Florence is more worth your time than pisa

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Christin

Danniela I agree

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Maggie

My vote would be for Florence .. it’s a beautiful city

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Nadia

Pisa you'll clear in 30 min go to Florence

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Sarah

Definitely option 2 with more time in Florence as there’s so much more to see!

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Alan

Florence, definitely skip Piza

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Susan

Skip Piza

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Joanne

Skip pisa

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Jacqui

Skip Pisa and spend 6 hours in Florence. Need a great 4th generation restaurant ‘ Trattoria Camillo’ - Just over the Ponte Vecchio ( covered bridge) turn right (as soon as you are over the bridge) on via Jacopo #57 on the left side . It is closer to Ponte Tinto the next bridge. Fabulous food. Do try deep fried zucchini blossoms when in Italy. If not on the menu ask for them and they will usually make them.

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Robert

Skip Pisa.

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Brendan

Florence

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Terri

If I was you, I would only book excursions through the cruise line. We were late getting back to the ship every single time. Traffic is insane. Best trip of my life . Happy for you

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Pamela

Definitely Florence!

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JA

Go to Florence. It’s beautiful and totally worth the time there. Best food we had in Italy. Enjoy!

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Tanya

There usually is another option with 1/2 day visit of Florence and 1/2 into the hills.

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Shannon

We did the Piza and Florence excursion. I enjoyed both!

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Nicole

We did the leaning tower of Pisa & 4 hours in Florence, we were the youngest by far and such we kind of speed walked to the tower and were the only ones in the group who had time to go up the Leaning tower because we literally had 45 min in Pisa, its literally a couple of buildings in a little square. It was actually my second time to Pisa and let me tell you its way over hyped. I personally wished we only did Florence but my husband really wanted the iconic Pisa photos of pushing the tower over. My recommendation is just do Florence, there is soo much to do there, you will enjoy your day way more and less time will be wasted sitting in a bus

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Jennifer

Following

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Drew

Pisa is 10 minutes, waste of tims
Florence is amazing

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Karen

My daughter saw it, told me to skip it. So we spent extra time in Florence and I don’t regret the decision. Florence is a beautiful city

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Brenda

Would you be doing transatlantic November 23rd on Enchanted Princess?

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Victoria

Brenda no, 2 back to back cruises nov 1 - 22 on the Enchanted Princess. Are you boarding the day after we leave? Lol

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Brenda

Victoria I am , it's our first transatlantic

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Victoria

Brenda enjoy!!

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Brenda

Victoria thank you, you as well

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Beena

Florence

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Dee

Florence all the way!

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Frances

On a one-day excursion from port, Florence only.

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Catharin

6 hours in Florence for sure. I agree with the comments about booking skip the line tickets. It’s worth the extra money in time saved.

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Anne

Florence 100%

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Alexis

Skip the tower and go to Florence

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Liese

Go to Florence, Piza, doesn't compare

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Kerri

6 hours in Florence
Florence is so beautiful

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Janice

6 hours in Florence. Hands downs.

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Susan

Florence hands down over Piza

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Pat

You can pass on the Leaning Tower. Take extra time in Florence

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Dina

Done both.
Definitely skip Pisa.

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Jo

Skip Piza and do the 6 hours in Florence.

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Karen

Pisa- when you’ve seen all the good stuff
so in a couple of trips!! Enjoy!!

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Barbra

Florence. You will see Piza on the way. Go to the market in Florence and don't forget to bargain. And gelato, some of the best I had was in Florence. Check out the gold market under the bridge by the river. Also, the Duomo, the famous Florence Cathedral. Nice little restaurants near cathedral to sit and have a wine or beer and people watch for a bit when you get tired.

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Tammy

6 hours in Florence

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Paul

Firenza for sure. The coach ride can be long. Train is fun. Some cities offer free walking tours. Italian styling for male clothing is cool. I bought a hunk (2) of Parmigiano : make sure it is vacuum packed and the store label.

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Chris

If you're trying to see the world before you die, go to both, as you'll never go back. We did.

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Melissa

Pisa is lovely to see if you have the time to spare But Florence is magic. You can easily spend 6 hours there and it still not be enough.
As someone that hates rushing I would strongly suggest going to just the one place for this round. Florence won’t disappoint

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Kristen

Pisa is unnecessary

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Barb

There’s so many wonderful things to see in Florence. And only one in Pisa. Stay with Florence

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Merla

Florence is amazing...I spent 3 days there!


A.I. says...

AI Profile Pic

Mediterranean Cruise Excursion Dilemma

My husband and I are going on a Mediterranean cruise next November and can't decide on one of the excursions. We're torn between:

**Excursion 1:**
* Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa
* Spend 4 hours in Florence

**Excursion 2:**
* Skip the Leaning Tower of Pisa
* Spend 6 hours in Florence

I'm concerned that 4 hours in Florence won't be enough time to see and do everything we want. Do we really need to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Factors to Consider

When making your decision, consider the following factors:

* **Your interests:** What are you most interested in seeing and doing in Florence? If you're primarily interested in art and history, you may want to skip the Leaning Tower and spend more time in Florence.
* **Your time constraints:** How much time do you have available for this excursion? If you're only in port for a short time, you may want to choose the shorter excursion that includes the Leaning Tower.
* **Your budget:** Excursions can vary in price, so be sure to factor that into your decision.

My Recommendation

Personally, I would recommend skipping the Leaning Tower of Pisa and spending more time in Florence. The Leaning Tower is a iconic landmark, but it's also very crowded and can be seen from a distance. Florence, on the other hand, is a beautiful and historic city with countless things to see and do. With 6 hours, you'll have plenty of time to explore the Uffizi Gallery, visit the Duomo, and stroll through the Ponte Vecchio.

Of course, the best decision for you will depend on your individual preferences and circumstances. I hope this information helps you make the right choice for your Mediterranean cruise excursion.









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