Pistoia day trip from Florence or Lucca
A day trip to Pistoia from Florence or Lucca: Piazza del Duomo with the cathedral's silver altar of St James and the striped baptistery, the green-and-white church of San Giovanni Fuorcivitas, lunch around the market stalls of Piazza della Sala, then the Museo Civico in the Palazzo Comunale, Giovanni Pisano's pulpit in Sant'Andrea, and the della Robbia frieze of the Ospedale del Ceppo with the tunnels of Pistoia Sotterranea below. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 1 days
Pistoia in 1 day
Day 1
Piazza del Duomo (Pistoia)
One of Tuscany's finest medieval squares, framed by the cathedral, the baptistery, the town hall and the bishop's palace.
Pistoia Cathedral (silver altar of St James)
Romanesque cathedral of San Zeno with an arcaded front and the silver altar of St James, worked by goldsmiths over two centuries.
Baptistery of San Giovanni in Corte
Octagonal Gothic baptistery striped in green and white marble, facing the cathedral, often used for exhibitions inside.
San Giovanni Fuorcivitas
Long church with a striped green-and-white side front, a pulpit by Fra Guglielmo and Luca della Robbia's glazed Visitation inside.
Piazza della Sala (market square)
The old market square, with fruit and vegetable stalls by day and crowded bars and tables at aperitivo time.
Palazzo Comunale and Museo Civico (Pistoia)
Gothic town hall on Piazza del Duomo, home to the Museo Civico's Pistoian paintings and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.
Sant'Andrea (Giovanni Pisano pulpit)
Romanesque church with a striped facade, holding Giovanni Pisano's marble pulpit of 1301, carved with crowded, dramatic scenes of Christ's life.
Ospedale del Ceppo and Pistoia Sotterranea
Medieval hospital with a glazed terracotta frieze by the della Robbia workshop; guided tours go down into the tunnels and channels below.
Watch: Pistoia
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
Getting there
Regional trains on the Florence-Lucca line reach Pistoia in about 35 to 50 minutes from Florence and about 45 minutes from Lucca, running often through the day. From the station Piazza del Duomo is a walk of about 10 minutes through the old town. By car, park outside the walls, since the centre is a limited traffic zone.
Staying in Florence or Lucca? This day fits into those city plans, and in the Trip Builder it is one click under each of them.
When to go to Pistoia
Spring and autumn are the best seasons for walking the old town, and Pistoia stays much quieter than Florence all year. July brings the Pistoia Blues festival in Piazza del Duomo and the Giostra dell'Orso on 25 July, the feast of St James. Summer can be hot and humid in the plain, so plan indoor sights for the afternoon.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Pistoia on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Pistoia on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Pistoia on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Italy from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Pistoia
- Several of the town's sights, the Ospedale del Ceppo and the baptistery included, keep shorter hours on weekdays and open longer at weekends; this plan suits a Saturday.
- Pistoia Sotterranea is seen only on guided tours of the tunnels under the old hospital; book a time and do the rest of the day around it.
- Churches close for a long lunch break; this plan sees the cathedral and San Giovanni Fuorcivitas in the morning and Sant'Andrea in the afternoon.
- Piazza della Sala has a fruit and vegetable market in the morning and fills with bars for aperitivo in the evening; take home the knobbly sugared confetti of Pistoia.
- The bell tower beside the cathedral can be climbed on guided visits; the town's big days are the Pistoia Blues festival and the Giostra dell'Orso, both in July.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Baptistery of San Giovanni in Corte: Gianni Careddu, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ospedale del Ceppo and Pistoia Sotterranea: Mattana, Public domain
- Palazzo Comunale and Museo Civico (Pistoia): Etienne (Li), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Piazza del Duomo (Pistoia): Spike, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Piazza della Sala (market square): Nicolò Begliomini, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Pistoia Cathedral (silver altar of St James): Spike, CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Giovanni Fuorcivitas: MM, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sant'Andrea (Giovanni Pisano pulpit): Mattana, Public domain
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
