Last updated: November 2026
Ten minutes from the Leaning Tower, there is a former royal estate of pine woods, meadows and dunes, where fallow deer wander across the road and the beaches can only be reached with a guide. That is San Rossore, the heart of the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli regional park. If you are spending a few days in Pisa, it is the green half-day I would add.
Here is how the park works, because the rules are what trip people up: which zone you can walk in, where the dog can go, and how to see the protected parts.
The short version
- The Tenuta di San Rossore is open every day, 7.30am to 7.30pm in spring and summer, 7.30am to 5.30pm in autumn and winter, with last entry half an hour before closing.
- Green zone: open to all, with the services, paved roads and parking. Dogs welcome, always on a lead.
- Yellow zone: woods and meadows you can walk or cycle on the marked paths. No dogs.
- Red zone and all the beaches: only on a booked guided visit, on foot, by bike or on horseback. No dogs.
- By bus: at weekends, line 26 runs from the Sesta Porta, with a stop at Piazza dei Miracoli and two inside the estate.
The three zones, in plain English
The estate covers 4,650 hectares, and the park divides it into three zones that get stricter the nearer you get to the sea. The green zone (C) is the strip you reach first coming from Pisa, along the road between La Sterpaia and Cascine Nuove. It is free to enter, and you can drive the paved roads and park in the marked areas. The green zone is also the only part where dogs are allowed, on a lead.
The yellow zone (B) is the big wooded area, with meadows and wetlands. You can walk or cycle it freely, but only on the signed paths. The red zone (A) protects the most delicate habitats, and all the estate’s beaches are in it. You can only go in with an authorised environmental guide, in small numbers, on foot, by bike or on horseback.
Guided visits and horse rides
To see the red zone or the estate’s beaches, book a guided visit with one of the environmental guides who work with the park. The park publishes the list. For the yellow and red zones on horseback, the park names the Equitiamo equestrian centre for guided rides. Walking in the shade of the stone pines with a guide who knows where the deer are is a very different day from driving through.
Bikes, food and a place to stay
The park says bikes and cycle carriages can be hired from April to October through the agency Top5Viaggi. There are places to eat at Cascine Vecchie (Da Poldino, the Bottega del Parco and the Ippodromo restaurant) and La Sterpaia, which also has rooms at the Casale La Sterpaia. If you are coming from Lucca, the bike path to Pisa is in cycling from Lucca.
Since 13 June 2026 the regional fire-risk period has been in force, so lighting fires and barbecues is banned outright. Watch for the same rule each summer.
Wheelchairs and pushchairs
The park rules allow people with reduced mobility to use wheelchairs, including powered ones, where the ground allows. The paved roads of the green zone are the easiest. The park’s accessible woodland trail, the Sentiero Sabrina Bulleri, is a good option, but dogs are not allowed on it. My wheelchair friendly Tuscany guide has more flat places around Pisa.
More of the park beyond San Rossore
The regional park is much bigger than the estate. On Lake Massaciuccoli, the LIPU oasis runs guided birdwatching on wooden boardwalks, and those boardwalks are free to walk. The WWF runs booked visits at the Cornacchiaia oasis near Calambrone. The park’s 30 km of coast mixes bathing beaches, free beaches and reserves, from the Lecciona and Marina di Vecchiano down to Calambrone. There is more on that in free beaches in Tuscany. Families might add the Il Pineto adventure park in the pinewood behind Marina di Pisa.
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Frequently asked questions
Is San Rossore free to visit?
Entry to the estate is free. Guided visits, horse rides and bike hire are paid.
Can I take my dog to San Rossore?
Only in the green zone, on a lead. Dogs are not allowed in the yellow or red zones, or on the accessible woodland trail.
Can I go to the beach at San Rossore?
The estate’s beaches are in the red zone, so only on a guided visit on foot or by bike.
How do I get there without a car?
At weekends, bus line 26 from the Sesta Porta in Pisa, with a stop at Piazza dei Miracoli and two in the estate. Or cycle.
Where these facts come from
I checked these in November 2026. Rules and seasons change, so please look again before you travel.
- Parco San Rossore: Cosa fare nel Parco (in Italian)
- Parco San Rossore: the three zones leaflet (PDF, in Italian)
More from the hills
Susan x