Best Beaches in Pisa

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the bell tower of the Leaning Tower and the religious buildings of the picturesque Piazza dei Miracoli are Pisa's most popular attractions and some of the most photographed buildings in the world, but the Pisan coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea also boasts some of the best beaches in the region.

In fact, among the best things to see and do in Pisa are visiting the Marina Beach, which is the most famous seaside resort of the city, but also taking a swim or relaxing during a walk on the beaches of Calambrone, Vecchiano, Tirrenia, Migliarino, Viperonia and Viareggio which, although located in Lucca, are the most visited by tourists who come to Pisa.

The Marina di Pisa is the main and most famous bathing area of the city and is connected to the centre of Pisa by the SP224 road, but also by a cycle path, so one of the best alternatives to get to know the Marina is to go on a cycling excursion. There you will find small but beautiful beaches and some of the best landscapes of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Marina of Pisa has its own physiognomy and to reach it you will have to cross a road full of Art Nouveau buildings, reminiscent of the best times of the city, when the seaside resorts in Pisa were as popular as or even more popular than those of Cinque Terre. It is also located in the area close to the Pineto Adventure Park, which offers children's activities and is ideal if you plan to travel with children.

In the Marina you will also find the marina, one of the largest in the region. The area also has many bars, pubs and restaurants, so it has a great nightlife. Although it is not located within the central circuit of the city's attractions, the Marina is often included in the itineraries of the best tours of Pisa. So it can be a key stop if you book a guided tour of Pisa.

Details of interest

• How to get there by public transport: by bus on lines 10, 70, 80, 120 and 875 and by express services on line 21.
• How to get there by car: on the SP224 road.

The case of Calambrone is very particular because, although it is one of the most famous beaches of Pisa, it is also one of the least frequented by tourists and this is partly due to the fact that it is the last stop on the Pisan coast before reaching Livorno, so it is a bit far from the centre. However, Calambrone, which is the locals' best kept secret, is well worth a visit.

This beach is ideal if you want to enjoy a relaxing day or if you plan to visit it with your family, as it is large, with many services around it and calm waters. Calambrone is also part of Italian history, as it became known during Fascism for the construction of seaside resorts and as a favourite summer resort for the youth of the time.

If you are a wildlife enthusiast, you can also enjoy activities in the nearby lush pine forest and have lunch or dinner in the nearby restaurants, many of which are famous for their open views of the sea and the coastline of Livorno, a city you can visit on the best tours from Pisa.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: on bus lines 70, 80, 120 and 875.
• How to get there by car: on the SS67 and SP224 roads.

The Marina di Vecchiano, located in Pisa but halfway between the city centre and the beginning of the Cinque Terre, is a 4-kilometre stretch of golden sandy coastline stretching from the mouth of Serchio to Torre del Lago Puccini, so as well as enjoying a swim, you can take in some of the best scenery in the region.

Vecchiano is surrounded by the Migliarino Scrubland, which is one of the few unspoilt areas in Tuscany and has its own ecosystem protected by a wild nature reserve. To the north of Vecchiano you will also find the first cliffs of the Italian Riviera, so you will be able to take the best pictures of the area.

Most of Vecchiano's beaches are free of charge, but there is a private sector that combines modern facilities with a protected natural environment, where you can stay or use the services of the restaurant and bar.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: there are no options available, although you can opt for private transport.
• How to get there by car: via the SS1 and SP10 roads.

After the Marina of Pisa, Tirrenia is the most famous beach around the city. This seaside resort, which was founded during the 20th century by a Pisan entrepreneur with the expectation of becoming the Italian Hollywood, is a favourite place for young peoplebecause of the many services it offers, its proximity to the Marina and because it is also the ideal beach for water sports.

The main sector of Tirrenia, called Bagno Mistral, offers crystal clear waters and white sands and the surrounding dunes, surrounded by the pine forest, give the site an ideal setting for a relaxing afternoon, especially if you plan to visit Pisa during the summer months. The urban area of Tirrenia is also home to the Sunlight water park, which is ideal if you are planning to visit the city with children.

Tirrenia's proximity to the centre of Pisa will allow you to enjoy the beach even if you are planning a short stay. If this is your case, here are the best alternatives to get to know Pisa in 1 day

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: there are no options available, although you can opt for private transport.
• How to get there by car: via SS1, A12 and E80.

Near the Marina of Vecchiano, the seaside resorts of Migliarino have wide beaches and a wooded area with junipers, Aleppo pines and wild flowers, making it an ideal place for long walks, even outside the summer months or the high season.

At Migliarino beach, unlike the other seaside resorts in Pisa, you can opt for excursions on foot or on horseback where you can discover some of the most popular sites in the area, such as the dry stone cliffs, the olive groves and the highest points from which you can get panoramic views of the sea, making Migliarino also ideal for watching sunsets.

During your visit, you can also visit the Natural Park of Migliarino, San Rossoro, Massaciuccoli, which is home to local flora and fauna, and also the town of Torre del Lago Puccini, which is a picturesque village with medieval architecture.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: by bus on lines 10, 70, 80, 120 and 875 and by express services on line 21.
• How to get there by car: on the SP224 road.

Bocca d'Arno is actually the northern sector of the Marina of Pisa, but it differs from it because it marks the mouth of the Arno (hence its name) and the beginning of the sandy gulf that divides Pisa on one side of the river and the other. Here you can enjoy the beaches, which are not very long but very busy, and you will also see the activity of the fishermen, who circulate around the area fishing with nets.

The skyline of Bocca d'Arno is very varied, with the seascape on one side and the Apuan Alps in the background as a contrast, so you can see a different profile of the city a few kilometres from the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

In the area of Bocca d'Arno you can also visit a small market to buy fresh fish of the day and walk along the promenade that will take you to the marina, where the Marina di Pisa begins.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: by bus on lines 10, 70, 80, 120 and 875 and by express services on line 21.
• How to get there by car: on the SP224 road.

If you want to visit a wilder and quieter bathing area, you can opt for Gombo beach, a wide sandy area north of Bocca d'Arno that stands out for its crystal clear waters and wooded surroundings, but also for the services of Villa del Gombo, where you will find a restaurant as well as accommodation.

Playa del Gombo is a favourite spot for sports boats, which usually dock at the breakwaters that mark the limits of the resort, so if you decide to visit it you will come across a large number of sailboats and small boats cruising the Italian Riviera.

Keep in mind that access to Playa del Gombo is somewhat complicated by land and that it is far from the city centre, so it can be an inconvenient option if you are planning a short stay. If this is your case, here is a list of things you can do to discover Pisa in 2 days

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: there are no options available, although you can opt for private transport.
• How to get there by car: along Viale delle Cascine.

Viperonia is located to the north of Calambrone and is an even more exclusive choice as it is rarely visited by tourists and is not even well known by the locals, although it has a lot of services and a less rugged area than the resorts to the south, which marks the border between Pisa and Livorno.

Viperonia is the ideal place to escape the crowds of Tirrenia, which after the Marina di Pisa is the most famous beach in the city and therefore receives a large influx of visitors to enjoy the warm, crystal clear waters and white sands. The only thing you should be aware of is that there is a large umbrella rental sector, so the beach is substantially reduced.

If you plan to visit Pisa during Christmas, you will find that in Viperonia and Calambrone there are celebrations and fireworks shows, just like in the Marina on New Year's Eve.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: by bus on lines 10, 70, 80, 120 and 875 and by express services on line 21.
• How to get there by car: along Viale Mezzapiaggia.

Fortino Gaspa is a small bathing area located between the Bocca d'Arno and the Marina of Pisa, which formally belongs to the latter but in practice is independent, since it is separated from the Marina by two breakwaters that mark the limits of one of the quietest beaches in the city and one of the ideal places to visit with the family and children.

The main virtue of Fortino Gaspa is that it is located a few kilometres from the tourist epicentre of Piazza dei Miracoli, so it is ideal to go after enjoying the entrances to the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral or the visit to the Baptistery and the monumental Cemetery. It is easy to access and is also a very convenient option so as not to alter the itinerary of your tour of the city.

Precisely for this reason, it is a beach very popular with tourists in summer, which is part of the region's high season, although you can also visit it during the winter or autumn months, as it offers clean and wide landscapes towards the Tyrrhenian Sea and the promenade of the Marina di Pisa runs close to the descent to the beach.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: by bus on lines 10, 70, 80, 120, 875, E3 and E25 and by express services on line 21.
• How to get there by car: on the SP224 road.

Although it does not belong to Pisa but to Lucca, Viareggio is one of the most visited beaches by tourists who come to the city, as it offers a wide range of services and some of the best scenery in Tuscany, especially in the area of the lighthouse and the marina, where you can also taste the fresh fish in the local restaurants.

And if you want to make the most of your visit, you can combine your tour of the seaside resort of Viareggio with a walk through Lucca, which is considered Pisa's little sister because of the architectural similarity of some of its buildings and also because of its geographical proximity. There you can visit the Torre delle Ore, the Gothic Cathedral of St. Martin, the Romanesque Basilica of San Frediano, the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and also the medieval city walls.

Viareggio is an ideal place to visit during the summer for a dip in the Ligurian Sea, but out of season you can also enjoy its restaurants and views.

Interesting details

• How to get there by public transport: by bus on lines 10, 70, 80, 120, 875 and E3, by express services on line 21 and by Trenitalia train service.
• How to get there by car: by road SS1 and SP9.