Lucca travel guide
Tree-topped towers, a 4 km wall-top park and Puccini's home town
A compact Tuscan city wrapped in intact Renaissance walls, close to Pisa and Florence. Spring and early autumn suit a lap of the ramparts by bike; skip the Comics and Games week in autumn unless that is why you came. Two days is enough for the walls, towers and churches, with a third for the Puccini sites or the hills. Costs are high.
Lucca lies on the plain of the Serchio in northern Tuscany, a short train ride from Pisa. Its Renaissance walls survive complete, and the old town inside them is a grid of medieval streets, Romanesque churches and towers. Locals still cycle to work along its lanes. With direct trains to Pisa and Florence, it also makes an easy base for both.
Start on top of the walls. The ramparts are broad enough to carry a tree-lined avenue, and the loop is about 4 km, which makes an ideal first ride or walk to learn the layout. Bikes are for hire by the station and near Porta Santa Maria. In summer the path gets busy by mid-morning, so go early.
Via Fillungo is the main shopping street, and a gap off it leads into Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. The oval square traces the outline of a Roman amphitheatre: the arena has gone, but medieval houses were built on the old tiers. Nearby, Torre Guinigi carries a small grove of holm oaks on its roof. The climb has no lift, but the view over red rooftops is the best in town.
In the cathedral of San Martino, look for the marble tomb of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia and the carved labyrinth on the porch. San Michele in Foro, a few streets west, has one of the most elaborate Romanesque facades in Tuscany. Behind it, the Taddeucci bakery sells buccellato, a ring of sweet bread with raisins and aniseed.
Music runs through the calendar. Giacomo Puccini was born here, his works are staged throughout the year, and the Puccini Festival takes place each summer at Torre del Lago, about 20 km west. July brings the Lucca Summer Festival concerts, and in late October the city hosts Lucca Comics and Games, when every room in town is taken.
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Top things to do in Lucca
The walls, two climbable towers and a handful of Romanesque churches fill a relaxed couple of days.
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Best time to visit Lucca
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Comfortable for cycling the walls and walking between churches and towers.
Hot, with crowds on the walls and big open-air concerts in July.
Quiet and cool; museums and trattorie are easy to get into.
Lucca Comics and Games in late October or early November draws huge crowds; book months ahead or avoid those dates.
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Getting there
Pisamover from Galilei, then a train from Pisa Centrale
Pisa's Galileo Galilei airport is the natural way in, and it is close enough that you can land after lunch and be walking the walls by mid-afternoon. The Pisamover shuttle runs from the terminal to Pisa Centrale in a few minutes, and regional trains continue from there to Lucca. Lucca station lies just south of the walls by Porta San Pietro, on the line between Viareggio and Florence Santa Maria Novella, so the coast and Florence are both easy. Florence airport also works: take the tram into Santa Maria Novella and a direct train from there. Drivers come in on the A11, which links the coastal A12 with Florence.
- Pisamover
- Galilei airport to Pisa Centrale in about five minutes
- Train from Pisa
- About every 30 minutes, roughly half an hour to Lucca
- Train from Florence or Viareggio
- Direct services at least hourly
- Florence airport
- Tram to Santa Maria Novella, then a direct train
- By car
- A11 motorway; park in the large car parks north or south of the walls
- Drop bags at the Tourist Center on Piazzale Ricasoli, opposite the station, which also hires bikes.
- Autolinee Toscane coaches to Florence, Barga and other towns leave from the bus station on Piazzale Verdi, just inside the western walls.
Where to stay
Inside the ramparts or a villa in the hills
Lucca reverses the usual Tuscan pattern. Budget and mid-range rooms cluster inside or just outside the walls, within walking distance of the station, while the grand places are villas a few kilometres out in the hills. Inside the walls is the obvious choice for a short stay: the streets around Via Fillungo and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro put the towers and churches minutes away, though the evening stroll can be loud below your window. Rooms near Porta San Pietro save dragging luggage over cobbles. The countryside suits a longer, slower trip with a car.
- Via Fillungo and the Anfiteatro
- The centre of everything, some evening noise
- Inside the walls, quieter lanes
- Walk to everything, very still at night
- Near the station
- Just south of Porta San Pietro, handy with luggage
- Lucca hills
- Country villas a few km out, you need a car
- For Lucca Comics and Games, rooms inside the walls sell out months ahead; Pisa or Viareggio by train is the fallback.
Getting around
Bike hire at Porta Santa Maria, buses from Piazzale Verdi
Inside the walls Lucca is flat, compact and largely closed to traffic, which makes it one of the easiest Tuscan towns to explore on foot. Bikes are part of everyday life here, and rental shops cluster near the station, by Porta Santa Maria on the north side and along the way in from Porta Elisa to the east. They rent everything from ordinary bikes to multi-seat family models for a lap of the walls. A bike is hardly needed in the old town itself but helps if you are staying out of the centre. Autolinee Toscane runs the town buses from Piazzale Verdi, though most visitors never need one.
- Bike hire
- Tourist Center by the station, Porta Santa Maria, Porta Elisa
- Town buses
- Autolinee Toscane routes from Piazzale Verdi, timetables at at-bus.it
- Bus tickets
- From tobacconists; validate on boarding
- Driving inside the walls is restricted to residents, and only a couple of car parks inside are open to visitors, so leave the car outside.
Know before you go
What makes Lucca worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Cycling the walls at 8am, when locals are jogging and the trees cast long shadows over the path.
- Torre Guinigi, with holm oaks growing on its roof and a view across the old town.
- Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, an oval of houses built on a Roman arena, best with a coffee in the late afternoon.
- San Michele in Foro, whose facade is stacked with tiers of tiny columns.
- A slice of buccellato from Taddeucci, the aniseed sweet bread the city claims as its own.
Good to know
- Do not drive inside the walls; most streets are limited to residents and cameras issue fines.
- Public fountain water is safe to drink, so carry a bottle.
- Book trattorie for dinner or arrive around 19:00, as small places fill fast.
- A combined ticket covers Torre Guinigi, Torre delle Ore and the botanical garden.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Lucca, month by month
November is usually Lucca's rainiest month, and summers are warm. Choose a month to compare its averages.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Lucca (Consorzio LaMMA, via Wikipedia).
Ramparts ride, Guinigi oaks and Puccini's birthplace
Two days in Lucca starts with a bike ride around the full 4 km circuit of the city walls, then Via Fillungo, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, Torre Guinigi and the cathedral of San Martino. Day two covers Puccini's birthplace and the Torre delle Ore, with an afternoon train to Viareggio or an evening at Torre del Lago.
Spend the first morning on the walls. Hire a bike near the station and ride the full 4 km circuit while it is still cool, then lock up near Porta Santa Maria. Walk down Via Fillungo, the main shopping street, to Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, and climb Torre Guinigi before lunch for the view across the rooftops from under its oaks.
In the afternoon go to the cathedral of San Martino for Jacopo della Quercia's tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, the Volto Santo crucifix and the labyrinth carved on the porch. Finish at San Michele in Foro and buy buccellato at Taddeucci behind it.
On day two, visit Puccini's birthplace in the old town, then climb the Torre delle Ore, whose clock still works, for the view down Via Fillungo. Take an afternoon train to Viareggio for the sea, or plan an evening at Torre del Lago if the Puccini Festival is on.
Tordelli, farro soup and buccellato
The dish to order in Lucca is tordelli lucchesi, half-moons of fresh pasta stuffed with meat and served with a meat ragu. Farro soup comes from the Garfagnana valley to the north, and the city's sweet is buccellato, an aniseed bread studded with raisins sold at Taddeucci behind San Michele in Foro.
Luccan cooking is Tuscan with its own touches. Tordelli lucchesi and a thick zuppa di farro, made with an ancient grain, are the two dishes to look for. Local cooks like to add pine nuts, and Trattoria da Leo on Via Tegrimi is a good place to find these dishes; the menu is in Italian only, so arrive around 19:00 or book.
Buccellato comes as a ring or a loaf. For something different, Pizzeria La Bersagliera on Via Pisana, about ten minutes' drive out, is run by a Calabrian family and tops its pizzas with spicy salami and olives. Finish with China Massagli, a bitter digestive tonic made by a historic local pharmacy, and fill your water bottle at any public fountain.
Torre del Lago opera, comics crowds and trains to Viareggio
Lucca is Puccini's birthplace, and the summer Puccini Festival is staged in an open-air theatre at Torre del Lago, about 20 km west. July brings the Lucca Summer Festival, and Lucca Comics and Games fills the streets in late October or early November. Pisa, Florence and Viareggio are all easy by train.
Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca in 1858, and his music is performed here year-round. In 1891 he moved to Torre del Lago, about 20 km west on Lake Massaciuccoli, and the summer Puccini Festival is staged there in an open-air theatre by the lake. In July, the Lucca Summer Festival brings big-name concerts to the squares of the old town.
Lucca Comics and Games is one of Europe's largest fan conventions, and hotels sell out months ahead.
Day trips are easy by rail. Pisa is a short train ride away, with services every half hour. Trains also run at least hourly to Florence Santa Maria Novella and west to Viareggio, the seaside town famous for its February carnival floats. Buses climb the Serchio valley to Barga, a small hill town above the river.
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How we research our Lucca travel guide
Lucca's train times, festival dates and opening hours are updated when they change, using the Comune di Lucca website and Italia.it.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Lucca.
Getting there
Ride the Pisamover to Pisa Centrale and take a regional train, which runs about every 30 minutes. The station is a short walk from Porta San Pietro.
Pisa's Galileo Galilei airport is the natural way in, and it is close enough that you can land after lunch and be walking the walls by mid-afternoon. The Pisamover shuttle runs from the terminal to Pisa Centrale in a few minutes, and regional trains continue from there to Lucca. Lucca station lies just south of the walls by Porta San Pietro, on the line between Viareggio and Florence Santa Maria Novella, so the coast and Florence are both easy.
Timing & weather
About 4 km. The tree-lined path is open to walkers and cyclists, with bike hire near the station and Porta Santa Maria.
It runs each summer at Torre del Lago, about 20 km west of Lucca, where Puccini lived from 1891.
July and August, and above all during Lucca Comics and Games in late October or early November, when hotels fill months ahead.
The best time to visit Lucca is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Mild weather for cycling the walls, without the July and August crowds.
- Best overall: April - June, September - October (Comfortable for cycling the walls and walking between churches and towers)
- Summer: July - August (Hot, with crowds on the walls and big open-air concerts in July)
- Winter: November - March (Quiet and cool; museums and trattorie are easy to get into)
General
Two days covers the walls, towers, cathedral and main churches. Add a day for Puccini sites or the countryside.
In the large car parks just outside the walls, north or south of the centre. The walled centre is reserved for residents, so park and walk in.
Yes. Direct trains run at least hourly on the Florence to Viareggio line, and the station is right outside the walls.
Torre Guinigi for the oak trees on top and the view; Torre delle Ore for its working clock and the view down Via Fillungo. Neither has a lift.
Buccellato comes from Taddeucci, the bakery behind San Michele in Foro. Tordelli lucchesi with meat ragu are on old-town menus, including Trattoria da Leo on Via Tegrimi.
The Tourist Center on Piazzale Ricasoli, just outside the station, offers day luggage storage and bike rental.
Inside the walls Lucca is flat, compact and largely closed to traffic, which makes it one of the easiest Tuscan towns to explore on foot. Bikes are part of everyday life here, and rental shops cluster near the station, by Porta Santa Maria on the north side and along the way in from Porta Elisa to the east. They rent everything from ordinary bikes to multi-seat family models for a lap of the walls.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules apply in Italy. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors to Italy is rare. Pickpocketing is the main problem, especially on buses and metros in Rome (bus 64 is notorious), at Roman and Florentine sights, and at Termini and Naples Centrale stations. Wear your bag across your body and zip it, and use only licensed white taxis or official ride apps.
