Our hotel in Pisa was Grand Hotel Bonanno located less than a kilometre from the Leaning Tower. Fronting a viaduct, check-in is more conveniently done through the back entrance where the free parking lot is. It’s a full-fledged hotel with lift at very reasonable offer rate in April. Had our room been slightly bigger, it would have been very comfortable. Even though our room was fronting the viaduct, it was quiet and we had a good night’s sleep. Free wi-fi was stable and strong. Spacious lobby area and large breakfast cum dining hall. Fantastic range of breakfast selections even for the choice of hot drink.
Hotel frontage facing the main road. Free parking at the back.
Grand Hotel Bonanno, Pisa.
Our room with twin single bed.
Writing cum dressing table with built-in mini fridge. Electrically controlled shutter blinds.
There is only one halal eatery we came across in Pisa. There could have been more but we did not do a walkabout around Pisa. ‘Halal Food & Doner Kebab’ is located directly across the street from Garage Cammeo, the private parking lot close to the Leaning Tower. On the opposite side of the eatery, is Burger King. The dishes served are more Indian oriented but a couple of local dishes are also available. We had lunch and dinner here and expect to pay €7 for a meal. From this eatery, it’s a short distance to the walled entrance into the grounds of the Leaning Tower.
Halal Food & Doner Kebab.
Location of Halal Food & Doner Kebab. Across from Garage Cammeo.
Side view of the eatery. On the opposite side is Berger King.
Front of the eatery with set menu displayed on the wall.
Choose your set meal from the menu or order separately as you wish.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located 900m from Grand Hotel Bonanno. It’s a 4 minutes drive to Garage Cammeo, a private car park just opposite to the grounds of the tower (refer map below). It cost €2/hr if I recall correctly. Otherwise, you can park by the road side at the designated public parking at a cheaper rate.
It’s a short walk then to the tower with plentiful of vendors selling souvenirs. The 1st building you encounter will be the Baptistery of St. John where the lawn is open to public to stroll and rest. The next building will be the Pisa Cathedral & the Leaning Tower shyly peeking from the back. The lawn in-front of the cathedral is cordoned off but at the back, you are free to walk around.
The Leaning Tower has eight stories, including the chamber for the bells. There is a 297 spiral step staircase inside the tower leading to the top. At the top of the tower you’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the town. For an entry fee of €18, you can walk up to the top, no lift available. Rather expensive compared to St Mark’s Bell Tower of Venice at €8 and has a lift.
Due to the close distance of the tower to our hotel, we went once during the day and once on the next day during the night. Expect NO crowds during the night after 9 pm.
Baptistery of St. John
The grounds to the Baptistery of St. John is open to public.
Visitors enjoying the afternoon warmth of spring.
Baptistery of St. John, Pisa Cathedral & the leaning tower in the background.
The grounds to the Pisa Cathedral is off limit. Visitors enjoying the sun on the grounds of the baptistery.
Leaning Tower of Pisa peeking from the back of Pisa Cathedral.
The leaning tower from the back.
Front view of the tower.
UNESCO World Heritage site.
The baptistery at night.
The Pisa Cathedral and the tower at night … almost empty.
sampaisudah.com did not cause the leaning of the tower.
Route map from Grand Hotel Bonanno to Garage Cammeo by the side of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Arial view of the parking lot.
Entrance to Garage Cammeo. Take the left entrance. Rate is €2/h.
