Photo: No machine-readable author provided. JoJan assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lucca
Cycling the walls of a gentle Tuscan town.
A gentle walled city where everyone cycles the tree-lined ramparts, with an oval square built on a Roman arena, a tower with oak trees on top and some of Tuscany's loveliest Romanesque churches. Easy from Pisa or Florence.
Places to see
- City walls of LuccaWalk · A 4 km ring of broad, tree-lined ramparts, now a park where locals walk, jog and cycle,…Free
Lucca CathedralChurch · A cathedral with a front of stacked marble arcades, each column carved differently;…≈ A$7
San Michele in ForoChurch · A church with an amazingly tall, lacy white front of little columns, topped by a statue…Free
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
When to go
- Jan12° / 3°Some rainQuiet
- Feb13° / 3°Some rainQuiet
- Mar16° / 5°Some rainBusy
- Apr19° / 8°Some rainBusy
- May23° / 12°Some rainBusy
- Jun27° / 16°Mostly dryBusy
- Jul30° / 18°Mostly dryVery busy
- Aug30° / 18°Mostly dryBusy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
Inside the walls. Towers, churches and the oval square: the whole old town, compact and car-light.
Outside the walls. By the station and beyond: cheaper rooms a short walk from the gates.
Flying in
Pisa Galileo Galilei (PSA): PisaMover to Pisa Centrale, then a train to Lucca, about 45 min, ≈ A$16.
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Lucca; check times and fares before you fly.
Getting around
You can walk everywhere. A single ticket is ≈ A$7. The old town inside the walls is flat and walkable; hire a bike to ride the 4 km of the walls. Trains to Pisa and Florence run often.
Tourist tax
Lucca's city tax: usually about €1.50–2.50 a person a night in hostels and B&Bs, more in hotels, for the first nights; under-12s don't pay. Paid at check-in (check).
Day trips
Pisa, about 25 min by regional train. The Leaning Tower.
