The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa in 2025

In March of 2025 I went on a Mediterranean cruise with my daughter, and one of the days our ship stopped in Livorno.  None of the excursions the cruise-line offered included climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Some included visiting the Square of Miracles and admiring the tower from the outside, but I really wanted to climb the tower.  I had heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa all my life, and I couldn't stand the thought of being so close to it and not being able to go inside.  So we planned our day ourselves.  And the Leaning Tower of Pisa ended up being not only my favorite site to visit in Italy, but my favorite site I have visited in all of Europe.  Here is a video from my climb up the Tower of Pisa:  Leaning Tower of Pisa

We took a taxi from the cruise ship to the Livorno train station.  From there, using the Trainline app, we purchased tickets on the next train headed to Pisa.  The train ride from Stazione Livorno Centrale (Livorno Central Train Station) to Pisa Centrale Train Station is only about 15 minutes and costs just over 3 euro each way.  It is well worth the money!

From the station it is only about a 25 minute walk from Pisa Centrale to the Square of Miracles where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is.  Make your reservations to climb the tower ahead of time so that you can definitely get in.  The square is open all the time, but the buildings on the square don't open until 9 or 10 am.  You can visit several different buildings in the Square of Miracles.  We arrived on the square before the first building opened at 9, and just walked around and enjoyed the outside of the buildings.

Here is the official website for the Square of Miracles:

Square of Miracles

Buildings to visit on the Square of Miracles include:

* Leaning Tower of Pisa

* Cathedral

* Baptistery

* Camposanto (cemetery)

* Sinopie Museum

* Opera del Duomo Museum

I recommend purchasing a complete ticket including climbing the tower, which is 27 euro.  We visited the Baptistery first, then the Camposanto, followed by the Sinopie Museum and the Opera del Duomo Museum, and finally visited the Cathedral before heading to our 11 am visit to climb the tower.  Keep in mind that you cannot have any bags at all - including a small purse or a cross-body bag.  There is a luggage locker storage that is free of charge for ticket holders directly next to the palace (the palace is not included in the Square of Miracles ticket).  You scan your ticket barcode at a small kiosk in the locker room and a locker opens for you.  Put your belongings in the locker and keep the receipt to be able to retrieve your belongings after climbing the tower.  The timing worked out for us perfectly to arrive just before 9 am and be finished seeing everything before our 11 am tower climb.

The tower was leaning much more than I expected.  I had seen photos of it many times, but seeing it in person and walking all around the outside of the tower leaves you so amazed that it could still be standing!  It looked like it might topple over at any moment.  Additionally, walking inside the tower was not unlike trying to walk through a fun house at an amusement park!  It is hard to keep your balance as you climb up the winding staircases to the top of the tower, feeling the tower leaning as you climb. The tower is hollow on the inside. Most of the winding staircase is enclosed between the walls of the tower. However, the two top levels of the tower are exposed to the air and you can view the surrounding area in all directions as you walk around the tower.  I am terrified of heights, and I admit that I was very scared at the top of this tower, both on the top level and on the second to top level.  But I knew that I would probably never be in Pisa again, so I gathered all of my courage and finished climbing to the top.  You can look down through the hollow inside from the second-to-top floor and from the top floor of the tower, as well as looking up from the bottom of the tower after you climb down. The top level houses 7 bells that each chime a different note in the musical scale.  Because of fears that the bells' vibrations might destabilize the tower, they are only for display purposes. Climbing the tower is a definite MUST when you visit Pisa!  And despite my fear of heights, if I am ever lucky enough to be in Pisa again, I would definitely climb the tower again!  It is worth it!

The Square of Miracles has been known by other names, including Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), Compo dei Miracoles (Field of Miracles), or Meadow of Miracles.  Its popular name, The Square of Miracles, originated from a novel written by poet Gabriele D'Annunzio.  

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Tower was the third building on the Square to be built.  They began construction in 1173 and spent 177 years building the tower.  Only five years into construction and three floors up, the tower had already begun to lean when the south side sunk into the ground.  Construction was put on hold for a century and eventually the tower stabilized.  When they continued building again in 1272, the floors were built with the ceilings on one side of the building higher than the others, to try to adjust the lean of the tower.  In 1319 the tower was completed, and had a 1 degree lean.  In 1990 its lean was measured at 5.5 degrees.  And in 2010 the lean measured at 4 degrees.  It is 183 feet high on one side, and 186 feet high on the other.  Climbing the tower includes 294 steps and is not for the faint of heart.  It threw off my balance a great deal, and my fear of heights was in full force at the top.  Still, I'm very glad I did it once.

Entering the Square of Miracles 

View of the Tower from the Opera del Duomo Museum

view from the Tower

Looking up the tower from the bottom

view of the Tower from the Ancient Walls of Pisa

The google maps location of the Tower:  Leaning Tower of Pisa

Leaning Tower of Pisa Memorabilia and Information

I always purchase earrings at the various places I visit.  I love wearing dangly earrings, and earrings are a very easy souvenir to carry because they take up such limited space.  My very favorite earrings that I have ever purchased on any of my trips are the pair that I purchased at the Square of Miracles gift shop.  I wear them often and I always think of my visit to Pisa throughout the day as I'm wearing them.  I wish you could purchase them online.  I looked at their Official Online Store but didn't see the earrings, so you have to purchase them in person.  You can purchase other Pisa memorabilia at the online store, or you can find other options online, such as at Amazon.  Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.  This is at no additional cost to you.

Leaning Tower of Pisa bookends

Pisa Travel Guide 

Reobrix Leaning Tower of Pisa building block set 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa: The History and Legacy of Italy's Most Unique Building 

5 Foot Leaning Tower of Pisa Cardboard Cutout party decoration 

Metallic Leaning Tower of Pisa statue

Touring Italy by Train

Florence and Tuscany Travel Guide