After a relaxing weekend at La Francesca Resort on the Italian Riviera, we took the train to Pisa on Valentines Day.
Pisa – Getting there and Away
Pisa is a compact city, with fantastic architecture. The city is just 10-15 minutes bus journey from Pisa airport, which is connected direct to Manchester on Ryanair. Pisa Centrale train station is walkable from the tower and Miracle Square. Trenitalia connects Pisa with all the main cities including Florence and Rome.
I’d like to add that February is a great time to visit. I thought that it might be quite cold in February, but it was actually quite warm and fluctuated between 16-20 degrees with SUNSHINE!
Hotel Astor
From Pisa Centrale, we walked for a few minutes and checked into Hotel Astor. It’s centrally located (15 minutes from the Tower), clean and good value. We paid just 40 EURO for one night, which was a double room with private en suite.
For more hotels in Pisa, Italy, click here.
An Afternoon Walk around Pisa
From Hotel Astor, we crossed the bridge and headed down Corso Italia towards Miracle Square (Piazza Miracoli)
I managed to persuade Sy to stop and check out some of the Churches of Pisa. My favourite was the Church of Santa Maria della Spina.
Piazza dei Miracoli
Cathedral Square (In English) or Piazza dei Miracoli (in Italian) is really astounding. It makes me mad when people under-rate Pisa. They compare it to Florence, they recommend it for only one day – hell no!
If you want to really explore Piazza del Miracle and climb the tower, you will need a good 3 hours. Following your visit to the square, you can also spend hours roaming the beautiful Italian streets and eating out.
TOP TIP: Book online here rather than waiting in the queues for hours.
The tower of Pisa really is leaning, as you can see, because it was built on foundations that were too soft. You can go in the Duomo (Medieval Cathedral) for free, but you still need to book your ticket.
Pisa for Valentines Day – Where’s the Romance?
So…Valentines Day, you expect the romance, right? Sure, said Sy. He offered to take us for….wait for it….
Thankfully, we did end up somewhere more appropriate. The ‘Chips ‘n’ Food’ joke transformed into a lovely pizzeria ‘La Taverna di Pulcinella‘ (number 3 in top 10 Pizzeria’s in Pisa on TripAdvisor).
Around two hours from Manchester Airport by Easyjet, Pisa is the perfect Valentines getaway.
If you enjoyed this blog and want to read more about Italy, you might like to read about La Francesca Resort in Cinqueterre or the best romantic Italian getaways.
Book accommodation in Pisa on hotels.com, Agoda or Expedia.
The Pisa Tower reminds me of my trip to Italy where I met Rome, Naples and Venice. Amazing landscapes.