Pisa- take two
We are taking Classic Italy, Small Groups next May. As a follow-up to my previous post about Pisa, we decided, what the hey, why not plan to visit Pisa during one of the free afternoons in Florence. I know, I know, there is so much to see in Florence and Pisa is pretty touristy or touristic. But it is such an icon, how can we not go see it if it is possible.
The issue is how to do it. We are looking at two options- Hire a car and guide/driver (ndvb gave me a referral) or take a Viator tour. At first I thought the Viator tour was just the ticket- an air conditioned bus departs Florence not far from our hotel in early afternoon for the approx 1 hour bus ride to Pisa, Viator arranges for tickets to the tower (no waiting in line to buy tickets) and provides a brief guided walk through the town. The car and driver will be considerably more expensive but should provide a more thorough and personal experience. Another option which I think too complex is to go by train and tour Pisa on our own.
However, after reading MANY reviews, I learned a few more things about the Viator tour. As you know, Viator is basically a broker and a local company provides the services- guides can be hit or miss. The biggest issue is that even though they liked the tour, many (most) people felt it was too rushed. Also, you can't take food on the bus. The bus must park a fair distance away- a 10+ minute walk to the tower. They don't supply Voxes so, unless you are standing close, it is hard to hear the guide during the brief walk through town. The tour does not include tickets to the Duomo or the baptistery and there really isn't time to see them anyway. The tickets provided for the leaning tower are for a specific time slot late in the afternoon which doesn't leave much time before the bus is scheduled to depart, so if you climb the tower, you must go up and down fairly quickly, almost no time to linger at the top to take in the view or take many photos. There is no flexibility in the tour.
I can buy tickets for the tower, baptistery, and Duomo online before we go. At this point my thought is if I'm going to do this, spend the money and do it right by hiring a driver/guide.
Does anyone who has taken this Tauck tour and made a side trip to Pisa, either way, have any comments or suggestions?
