The tower in short
The Leaning Tower is the free-standing bell tower of Pisa Cathedral. It is not a defensive tower. Together with the cathedral, the baptistery and the Camposanto it forms the core of the Piazza dei Miracoli. UNESCO inscribed the Piazza del Duomo as a World Heritage Site in 1987.
The main figures below are those of the Opera della Primaziale Pisana, which runs the monuments. Other measurements, for example from the city's tourism portal, differ slightly and are listed next to them.
Height, tilt and steps compared
The main value for each, with the other measurements.
| Measurement | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 58.36 m | Main value, Opera della Primaziale Pisana |
| Height | 55.86 m | Other measurement, technical sheet (file dated 2024) |
| Height | About 56 m | Other measurement, city tourism portal (text from 2021) |
| Height | 58.63 m | Other measurement, university wiki (Unipedia) |
| Tilt | 5.115° | Main value, described as current |
| Tilt | About 4° | Other measurement, technical sheet |
| Tilt | 5° | Other measurement, city tourism portal |
| Tilt | 3.97° | Other measurement, university wiki |
| Steps | 251 | Main value, from the visitor information |
| Steps | 273 | Other count, monument page |
| Steps | 268 | Other count, technical sheet, counted as 536 up and down |
| Steps | 292 | Other count, learning brochure |
The numbers come from different measurements and are not one series. For a visit, plan with 251 steps and about 30 minutes on foot. For the reasons behind the tilt, read why the tower leans.
Pisa tours and day trips
Guided visits and day trips to the Leaning Tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli, with live prices and availability.
Size and construction
Measurements of the tower itself.
Outer diameter
15 m.
Capitals and stones
The tower has 207 capitals and 29,424 stone blocks.
Weight
14,453 tonnes. Read the comma as a thousands separator, so this is about fourteen and a half thousand tonnes, not 14 tonnes.
Bells
The tower has seven bells. The biggest one was cast in 1655 and weighs about 3.5 tonnes. You see the belfry from the top of the climb.
Climbing the tower →The four monuments by date
Which building came first.
| Monument | Key date | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cathedral | 1064 | Founded in 1064 and consecrated on 26 September 1118 |
| Baptistery | 15 August 1152 | Foundation date |
| Tower | 9 August 1173 | Start of work; some accounts following Vasari give 1174 |
| Camposanto | 1277 | Founded to gather the graves scattered around the cathedral |
Do not mix up the tower with the baptistery. The baptistery measures 54.86 m in height and 107.24 m in circumference. Those are not tower figures.
Facts for your visit
The numbers that matter on the day.
Ticket price
A tower ticket costs €20 in 2026, with no regular reduced tower tickets. The visit is tied to a time slot you choose.
Tickets and time slots →Age limit
In 2026, visitors born in 2018 or earlier may climb with a paid ticket and a paying adult. Those born in 2019 or later may not.
Time on the tower
The operator's visitor information gives about 30 minutes for the visit, on foot, with a short historical introduction by staff.
Rules that shape the visit
Bags, arrival and booking windows.
Arrival
The operator recommends arriving 15 minutes before your tower slot. A late arrival can lead to losing the visit without a replacement.
Bags
Handbags must also be handed in for the climb. The cloakroom is free and reserved for tower visitors. Elsewhere on the square, small bags up to 20 × 30 × 38 cm are allowed, and large suitcases do not go into the monuments.
Booking window
Online sales for individual visitors open 90 days ahead and run until the day of the visit. On-site sales start 15 days before the visit, at the ticket offices at the entrances to the square.
Leaning Tower of Pisa facts: frequently asked questions
How tall is the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
The tower is 58.36 m tall according to the operator of the monuments. Other measurements give 55.86 m, about 56 m or 58.63 m, so you may see small differences between websites.
How many steps does the tower have?
251 steps according to the visitor information. Other counts give 273, 268 and 292. Plan with 251 and expect a climb of about 30 minutes.
How many bells are there?
Seven. The largest was cast in 1655 and weighs about 3.5 tonnes.
Is the tower the bell tower of the cathedral?
Yes. It stands apart from the cathedral as its free-standing bell tower and was not built for defense.
When did the tower open to visitors again after the rescue?
It reopened on 15 December 2001 after being closed from the start of 1990.