Day trip from Florence Lucca
A flat walled town west of Florence, ringed by 4.2 km of Renaissance ramparts you can walk or cycle, 1 h 20 away by direct train.
Is Lucca worth a day trip from Florence?
Go. An easy, slow day.
Yes. Lucca is the least stressful day out from Florence: a direct train every hour, € 8.90 each way, a station 5 minutes from the walls and nothing that needs booking weeks ahead. The ramparts are free and take about an hour on foot. Add the Guinigi tower with the oak trees on top, the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and a long lunch, and you have 5 relaxed hours. It is not a place of blockbuster sights, so if you need a checklist, add Pisa on the way back. Trains between the two take about 30 minutes.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 1 h 20one way · Trenitalia
- Transport
- Regional train
- Self-guided cost
- € 17.80Regional train return (€ 8.90 each way). Walking the walls is free; the Guinigi tower ticket is extra and its 2026 price could not be confirmed · Trenitalia
- Tour price
- From € 65Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 4–6 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- None; the walls are a public park
- Best time
- Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct; avoid the Lucca Comics days around 1 NovDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Lucca
- 01
The walls
A 4.2 km tree-lined loop on top of the ramparts, wide enough for walkers, bikes and four-wheel pedal carts. An hour on foot or 25 minutes by bike. Free and open all day.
- 02
Torre Guinigi
A 45 metre brick tower with seven holm oaks growing on the roof. There are 230 steps, the last flight on narrow metal stairs. Allow 30 minutes including the queue.
- 03
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
An oval square of houses built on the footprint of the Roman amphitheatre, entered through four low arches. Ten minutes to see, longer if you sit down at a cafe table.
- 04
San Martino cathedral
The cathedral holds the Volto Santo, a wooden crucifix venerated since the Middle Ages, and the marble tomb of Ilaria del Carretto by Jacopo della Quercia. Half an hour is enough.
- 05
San Michele in Foro
A white church on the old Roman forum with four tiers of carved columns, each one different, on its tall facade. Free to enter and five minutes from Via Fillungo.
Good forOld towns and villagesWith kids
How to spend the day
Take the 09:09 direct train from Santa Maria Novella, in Lucca at 10:29. Enter by Porta San Pietro and go straight up onto the walls for the full loop, on foot or on a rented bike. Come down for the cathedral and Via Fillungo, lunch around 13:00, then the Guinigi tower and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. In the evening direct trains back leave at :31 past the hour, 19:31 and 20:31 included. The last one is at 22:31.
Lucca in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustFrom June to August the plane trees on the walls give real shade, which makes Lucca kinder than most Tuscan towns at midday. The Lucca Summer Festival runs from 24 June to 29 July 2026: on concert nights streets around Piazza Napoleone close early and the late trains are full. Rent bikes before 11:00, when the choice is best.
Winter
December to FebruaryDecember to February works well here. The town is flat, the walls stay open, the churches and cafes are warm and nothing depends on a season. The trees are bare and dusk comes before 17:00, so walk the walls first. The Guinigi tower keeps shorter hours. Expect a quiet, slow day and an easy train home.
How crowded it gets
Busy- Busiest
- Lucca Comics around 1 Nov, concert nights in July, Easter weekend
- Quietest
- Weekday mornings all year, and Nov-Mar outside the festival
Lucca absorbs visitors better than Pisa or Siena. Only the Guinigi tower and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro queue up, mostly from 11:30 to 15:00. Climb the tower right after the walls and come back to the oval square late in the afternoon.
How do you get to Lucca from Florence?
Train
- Travel time
- 1 h 20
- Frequency
- Hourly direct, at :09 past
- Cost
- € 8.90 each way
- Departs from
- Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Direct regional trains, fixed price and no reservation. Avoid the options via Pisa that the planner also shows: they take 1 h 50 and cost € 11.40. Lucca station is just outside the walls, a 5 minute walk to Porta San Pietro.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 9 hours door to door
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cost
- From € 65
- Departs from
- Piazzale Montelungo, behind Santa Maria Novella station
The coach tour pairs Lucca with Pisa, with a guide in both or as transport only with 2 hours free in each town. Useful if you want both towns without watching train times. For Lucca alone, the train is simpler and far cheaper.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Easy flat shoes are enough: Lucca has no hills. Wear something you can cycle in if you rent a bike. Cover shoulders for the churches. In winter the walls are exposed to wind, so bring a scarf.
What to eat
Tordelli lucchesi are meat-filled pasta served with meat sauce. Farro soup with beans is the cold-weather dish. Buccellato, a ring of sweet bread with raisins and aniseed, is sold in bakeries near San Michele. The streets between Via Fillungo and the amphitheatre have the widest choice.
What you will spend
The train is € 8.90 each way and that can be the whole cost, because walking the walls is free. Bike hire, the Guinigi tower and the cathedral's paid areas are small optional extras. The tour that pairs Lucca with Pisa starts from € 65.
How to get the most out of the day
- Bike rental shops cluster inside Porta San Pietro and at Piazza Santa Maria. They ask for an ID as deposit, so carry a card or passport.
- Children's seats, tandems and four-seat pedal carts are available at most rental shops. The walls have no cars, so the loop is safe for young riders.
- To add Pisa, take the train from Lucca to Pisa San Rossore, the stop closest to the tower, then return to Florence from Pisa Centrale.
- Many restaurants stop serving lunch at 14:30. Finish the walls by 13:00 or eat first and climb the tower afterwards.
How long do you need in Lucca?
Plan 4–6 h on site, plus 1 h 20 of travel each way from Florence.
When is Lucca closed?
None; the walls are a public park. Best time: Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct; avoid the Lucca Comics days around 1 Nov.