At the Pisa Book Festival, you can meet independent publishers at the Arsenali Repubblicani, browse their books and spend part of your visit listening to authors. The exhibition is only one part of the festival: literary sessions take place in several nearby venues, so choose the talks you most want to hear and leave space for browsing between them.
Dates and the official programme
- When
- Every autumn; dates set by the organiser for each edition
- Duration
- Usually four days; varies by edition
- Publishers’ exhibition
- Friday–Sunday, 10:00–20:00
- Exhibition admission
- Free
- Public programme admission
- Free
- Advance booking
- No registration or booking required
The Pisa Book Festival is an annual book fair and literary festival centred on small and medium-sized independent publishers. It suits readers who want to discover books beyond the largest publishing houses, as well as visitors interested in author conversations and the work of publishing. The exhibition’s opening pattern is distinct from the wider festival programme: use the programme to choose your sessions rather than treating the fair’s hours as the timetable for every venue.
The organiser publishes the official programme on the Pisa Book Festival website, under the edition’s “Programma” (programme) page. Recent programmes have been announced in September. The past-programme archive, “Programmi delle passate edizioni” (programmes from past editions), holds earlier programmes and gives you a sense of the festival’s range.
When choosing activities, start with the author or subject that interests you, then note the language and venue. A book presentation, a reading and a workshop ask for different kinds of participation. Leave some of your visit unscheduled if discovering publishers is your main reason for coming.
Book stalls, literary sessions and venues
| Moment | Day | Part of day | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening ceremony | Friday | Morning | Arsenali Repubblicani |
| Pisa Book Translation Awards | Friday | Evening | Varies by edition |
| La Storia a Palazzo | Sunday | Afternoon / early evening | Royal Palace |
At the Arsenali Repubblicani, browse new releases and backlist titles, buy books and meet the independent publishers behind them. The stands let you follow a subject or publishing house at your own pace, without committing your visit to a sequence of talks.
Author talks and book presentations sit alongside interviews, panel discussions, readings and signings. Participatory workshops also recur, including activities for children and young people. Authors speak in their own languages, including Italian and English, so choose a session in a language you understand. Browsing the stands offers another way to participate if a particular talk is not suitable for you.
The Museum of Ancient Ships of Pisa hosts talks, presentations, readings, seminars and discussions, as well as children’s workshops. Its festival programme gives families and readers a choice beyond the publishers’ exhibition.
Guelfa Tower’s fortification, the Fortilizio della Torre Guelfa, is a setting for author meetings, seminars and masterclasses. These more focused sessions give you another way to spend part of the festival beyond browsing or listening to a book presentation.
- Name
- Torre Guelfa
- Location
- Lungarno Ranieri Simonelli 16, Pisa Maps
The Royal Palace hosts literary activities and the history series La Storia a Palazzo, meaning “History at the Palace”. The lectures and meetings offer a history-focused alternative to author presentations.
- Name
- Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Reale
- Location
- Lungarno Antonio Pacinotti 46, Pisa Maps
- Site
- beniculturali.it
- Hours
- Mon Closed
- Tue–Thu 09:00–13:30
- Fri 14:00–18:30
Show 2 more
Sat 09:00–13:30Sun Closed
Admission and capacity limits
Arrive before the session starts and keep another activity in reserve. A different talk or a return to the publishers’ stands gives you an alternative if you cannot get into your first choice. Avoid planning your whole visit around a single session.
At the Museum of Ancient Ships, attending a festival session does not require ordinary museum admission. Use the festival programme’s times for its activities, rather than the venues’ ordinary visiting hours.
Visitors with reduced mobility have access to all festival venues. Allow room in your plans to move between the exhibition and the separate session spaces, especially when attending consecutive activities.
Getting to the festival venues
From Pisa Centrale, walking to the Arsenali Repubblicani takes about 20 minutes. Bus line 5 and the Lam Rossa are alternatives for reaching the main exhibition.
From Pisa Airport, the Pisamover automated shuttle connects you with Pisa Centrale via San Giusto/Aurelia. The journey takes about five minutes, including that intermediate stop. It runs daily from 06:00 to midnight, extended to 01:00 from 1 June to 30 September, and frequency varies with passenger numbers. Continue from the station by foot or bus.
The Arsenali Repubblicani stand beside the Arno, with the Museum of Ancient Ships and Guelfa Tower nearby. The Royal Palace is further along the same riverbank: the cultural programme is spread across separate venues, not contained within the exhibition hall.
Choose a small number of sessions and leave time between venues. Note where each activity takes place before setting off, and avoid back-to-back choices in different buildings. A gap also lets you return to the stands without having to rush your browsing.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: opening hours, services, and key figures.
- Il Festival – Pisa Book Festival
- Pisa Book Festival Association — opening hours
- Visita il Festival
- Pisa Book Festival — service
- Pisa Book Festival organizer — service
- Pisamover S.p.A. — service
- Pisa Book Translation Awards – Pisa Book Festival
- Pisa Book Festival 2026 – Svelato il programma della XXIV edizione con l’Ucraina Paese Ospite e lo Sport come filo conduttore
- Pisa Book Festival 2026 | Comune di Pisa
- Un mare di storie con il Pisa Book Festival
