Pisa day trip from Florence: seven ways to reach the tower

$62 — Pisa, San Gimignano and Chianti, 12 hours. The cheapest Pisa day trip from Florence and the most reviewed: 4.5 on 9,641 reviews. The title promises Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano with a light lunch, but the description lists Pisa, San Gimignano and Chianti. If Siena is the reason you are going, check the itinerary on the listing.

$151 — Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa, 12 hours. Departs from Florence and takes in the Chianti vineyards and the medieval architecture of all three towns. 4.8 on 5,373 reviews, the highest score of any trip here with more than a thousand reviews. The title says lunch at a winery; the description calls lunch and wine optional.

Which to pick. The difference is $89 and 0.3 of a rating point. If Siena matters more than Pisa, the Siena and San Gimignano page compares six more trips.

$94 — Cinque Terre and Pisa, 12 to 12.5 hours. Colourful villages and coastal views, then Pisa and its Leaning Tower. 4.7 on 3,335 reviews. The lowest price for a Pisa day trip from Florence that includes the coast.

$177 — with a boat ride, 12 hours. Manarola and Vernazza, a boat ride, a light vineyard hike and a stop in Pisa, by coach, minibus or minivan. 4.7 on 127 reviews. It costs $83 more than the trip above; the boat and the hike are what the description adds.

Where Pisa fits. On both, Pisa is one stop at the end of a long coastal day. The Cinque Terre page compares these with the private days to all five villages.

$424 — private, 9 hours. For you and your group only: Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena, Monteriggioni and Chianti. The shortest Pisa day trip from Florence on this site, and the one with the most towns. 4.9 on 34 reviews.

$898 — private Cinque Terre with Pisa, 11 hours. A day on the coast with a stop on the way back at Piazza dei Miracoli to see the Leaning Tower. 4.9 on 186 reviews.

What the listings leave out. Neither says whether the price covers one person or the whole group. Check on the listing before you set them against the group trips.

$1,060 — private vehicle, 8 hours. Strictly, this is not a Pisa day trip from Florence: it picks up at the port of Livorno and covers both Florence and Pisa at your own pace, which suits cruise passengers with one day ashore. It is rated 5.0 on 6 reviews, so there is little to judge it by.

Per hour, the group days are cheap. The $62 trip works out at about $5.17 an hour, Cinque Terre with Pisa at about $7.52 on its longer figure, and the $151 day at about $12.58. The private days cost about $47.11 and $81.64 an hour.

Where the reviews are. The seven listings carry 18,702 reviews between them, and 15,014 of those sit on the two hill-town days. The cheapest has the lowest score here, 4.5; the next one up scores 4.8.

Our read of the numbers. For most people the best day trip to Pisa from Florence on this evidence is the $151 day: thousands of reviews, a 4.8, and Siena named in the description. If price comes first, the $62 day costs less than half. Other directions out of the city are on the day trips page.