Florence to Pisa Distance

Florence and Pisa sit roughly 68 km apart as the crow flies, but the road distance between the two city centres is longer — around 85 km — because the route follows the Arno valley rather than a straight line. The figure that matters for planning a trip is the driving or train distance, not the straight-line one, so this page breaks down both.

Below you'll find the distance by car, by train, and what that means for real journey times, plus how city-centre figures differ from a true door-to-door trip.

Straight-line ("as the crow flies") distance calculators put this at slightly different figures depending on the exact reference point used in each city — typically 67–69 km — since no road follows a perfectly straight line between the two.

City-Centre vs. Door-to-Door Distance

Most published distances — including the ~85 km driving figure above — are measured city centre to city centre (for example, from Piazza della Signoria in Florence to the Leaning Tower area of Pisa). That's a useful reference point, but it isn't the same as your actual door-to-door distance.

If your hotel is outside the historic centre, or you're heading to Pisa Airport rather than central Pisa, your real distance and journey time will differ from the city-centre figure — sometimes by 15–20 minutes once you account for getting out of Florence's restricted traffic zones (ZTL) or the last stretch into your specific address in Pisa. A private transfer is booked door-to-door, so the quoted time already reflects your actual pickup and drop-off points rather than a generic city-centre estimate.

By Car

Driving from Florence to Pisa covers about 85 km and normally takes 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on traffic and time of day. The direct route follows the FI-PI-LI (the Firenze–Pisa–Livorno expressway, officially the Strada di Grande Comunicazione), a free dual-carriageway that runs west through the Arno valley.

A longer alternative runs via the A11 motorway through Lucca; it adds extra distance and toll costs compared with the direct FI-PI-LI route, so most drivers only take it when they specifically want to stop in Lucca along the way.

By Train

The train is a direct, no-change option: Regionale Veloce services run between Firenze Santa Maria Novella and Pisa Centrale in roughly 50–65 minutes, with departures roughly every hour through the day. Journey time on its own doesn't tell the whole story, though — you still need to get to Santa Maria Novella station and, at the other end, from Pisa Centrale to your final destination (the historic centre is a 15–20 minute walk or short taxi/bus ride from the station, and Pisa Airport is a separate onward journey again).

By Private Transfer

A private transfer covers the same route door-to-door, so there's no walk to the station, no timetable to plan around, and no changing between train and taxi at the Pisa end. It's especially useful with luggage, for a flight connection at Pisa Airport, or when your Florence pickup point is outside the centre.

For a detailed breakdown of pricing, vehicle options and booking, see our dedicated Florence to Pisa taxi transfer page.

Places Along the Way

What Affects Travel Time

• Traffic around Florence, especially leaving the city during weekday morning and evening peaks.
• Your exact start and end points — a city-centre hotel versus an address outside the ZTL, or Pisa city versus Pisa Airport.
• Weather and general road conditions, which can add time on any given day.
• For train travel, the time needed to reach the station and, on arrival, to reach your final destination from Pisa Centrale.

Which Way Should You Choose?

There's no single "fastest" answer for everyone — it depends on where you're starting and ending, and how much luggage or how many people are travelling. The train is quick point-to-point but adds station-to-door time at both ends. Driving yourself gives flexibility but means dealing with Florence traffic and parking. A private transfer is typically the most predictable option for door-to-door timing, since it's quoted for your actual addresses rather than the city centre.