One Day in Lucca: A Self-Guided Walking Tour from Florence
Lucca is one of my favourite towns in Tuscany.
It has a dreamy, historic feel and none of the crowds you find in Florence or Siena. Its Renaissance walls have survived intact, and its old streets and squares still trace their Roman layout.
Lucca makes an easy day trip from Florence by train. I have visited twice, and this guide covers everything I learned both times.
This is what to do in one day in Lucca, a map for a self-guided walking tour and how to get there
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Lucca Day Trip from Florencce at a Glance
- Distance from Florence: 38 miles
- Fastest journey time: 1 hour, by bus
- Cost of train or bus ticket: €9 one-way
Is One Day in Lucca Enough?
One day in Lucca is enough to see its old centre, climb Torre Guinigi, visit the Duomo and walk part of the city walls.
With two days or more, you can explore its museums, slow down and try more of its food.
How to Get from Florence to Lucca
Lucca demonstrates how easy it is to travel around Tuscany without a car.
You can get from Florence to Lucca by train, bus or an organised tour.
By train
Frequent trains run from Florence Santa Maria Novella station to Lucca. The faster direct trains make the journey in 80 minutes, and a one-way ticket costs around €9.
You can check train times here. For planning on the go and to book and download your ticket, grab the Trenitalia app.
As this is a regional train, there is no advantage in booking your train ticket in advance.
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Santa Maria Novella train station is a ten-minute walk from Florence’s Duomo in the city’s historic centre
It’s a five-minute walk from Lucca train station to St. Peter’s Gate (Porto San Pietro) at the southern edge of the historic centre. Head towards the city wall as you exit the station and hang a left. From this city gate, it’s another five minutes on foot to the cathedral.
By bus
The bus between Florence and Lucca is faster (one hour), but you’ll need to need to take a tram to its starting point at T2 Guidoni. Services are few and far between on Sundays.
The service is operated by Autolinee Toscana.
By car
Think twice before driving to Lucca. Much of the old centre is limited to residents with permits, and fines are common.
Park outside the walls instead. It’s less hassle, and you have a better chance of parking for free. Find more on parking in Lucca here.
On an organised tour from Florence
An organised tour is a good choice if public transport in Italy makes you nervous, or if you want to fit more than one town into a day.
One popular choice is this 9-hour guided tour of Pisa and Lucca from Florence, which includes the Leaning Tower and Pisa Cathedral.
Getting Around Lucca
Lucca is easy to get around on foot.
Most sights are located in the compact old centre, much of which is pedestrianised. You can walk from one end of town to the other in 20 minutes. Use the city walls to get your bearings if you lose your way.
Or do as locals do, and cycle. Lucca is bike-friendly, and I saw plenty of people riding along the walls. You can rent a bike for the day near Piazza Santa Maria, or arrange one in advance here.
The Best Things to Do in Lucca: Self-Guided Walking Tour + Map
This self-guided walking tour covers my favourite spots in Lucca.
For an interactive version of the map, or to save it on your phone, click here or on the image.
San Martino Cathedral
Work began on Lucca’s Duomo in the 11th century and was completed in the 15th century, resulting in a hodgepodge of artistic and architectural styles. Whilst it can’t hold a candle to the cathedral in Siena or Florence, you should still include it in your Lucca itinerary.
For me, it was better on the outside than on the inside. Its elaborate Romanesque façade is an explosion of candy-striped columns and is covered with scenes from Christian teaching.
Inside, there are frescoed Gothic arches, Renaissance paintings and 19th-century stained glass. Volto Santo di Lucca, a centuries-old wooden crucifix, is the cathedral’s most famous relic.
San Martino’s sacristy is home to Ilaria del Carretto’s tomb, carved by Jacopo della Quercia around 1408, and one of the finest funerary monuments of the early Renaissance. Her effigy lies with a little dog at her feet, a symbol of fidelity, and the carving is remarkably delicate for its age.
Practical information: The Cathedral is open Monday – Saturday, 9:30 am – 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. More information about opening times and tickets is here.
Piazza del Giglio
This small square is anchored by the Teatro del Giglio, Lucca’s main cultural venue. At its centre is a marble statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the figures behind Italian unification.
Piazza Napoleone
Adjacent to Piazza del Giglio is a square named after the despot who took control of Lucca in 1799. The large building on the right was formerly the seat of the pre-Napoleonic Republic of Lucca, and many consider Caffé Ninci to serve the best coffee in town.
Church of San Michele
Piazza San Michele, the centre of town since it was the Roman forum, is dominated by the Church of San Michele.
Much like San Martino Cathedral, I found this more striking on the outside than inside. However, it is well worth visiting to take a peek at Filippino Lippi’s Four Saints altarpiece (1483).
The exterior of the church glorifies the saintly and the secular. Its summit is crowned by a 4-meter-high statue of Michael the Archangel, to whom the church is dedicated. The faces of some of the heroes of the Italian independence and unification movement are perched above its columns.
Practical information: The church is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm. When I visited, it closed between 12 pm and 3 pm. Entrance is free.
Piazza Citadella & the Puccini Museum
Piazza Cittadella is where Lucca celebrates its most famous son.
Giacomo Puccini, one of the greatest opera composers of all time, was born in Lucca in 1858. His birthplace is now home to a museum dedicated to his life and work. Check seasonal opening hours here (closed on Tuesdays).
Via Fillungo
Via Fillungo links Piazza San Michele and Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, and it is Lucca’s main shopping street.
To me, retail therapy is an oxymoron. But the shops along this street are special. Although they may have changed function over the years, the original frontage has been preserved, reliefs, mosaics and all.
You will also pass Torre delle Ore (Clock Tower) on Via Fillungo. This is one of Lucca’s tower houses you can climb (you need to buy your ticket from the Guinigi Tower; check seasonal opening hours here).
Piazza dell’Anfiteatro
This oval-shaped piazza is the architectural ghost of Lucca’s Roman amphitheatre. Before the fall of the Roman Empire, this amphitheatre seated 10,000 people just outside the old city walls.
A complete ellipse of medieval houses now stands where the grandstands once were. Gladiators slugged it out in the piazza itself.
Today’s attractive square – the only secular piazza in Lucca – is ringed by cafes, restaurants, and shops.
Basilica di San Frediano
Shimmering in the sun, the Church of San Frediano faces a pretty piazza with lovingly tended flower beds and a few cafes.
Built by the pope in 1112 to outdo the Bishop of Lucca’s cathedral, its façade is glorious. Pure grey-white marble frames a golden 13th-century mosaic of Christ, flanked by two angels and the twelve apostles.
Torre Guinigi (Guinigi Tower)
Fancy a bit of tower climbing? Head up to the small garden at the top of Torre Guinigi, planted with oak trees, for the best view in Lucca.
Take the series of stone steps before huffing and puffing your way up a spiral metal staircase to the top. It’s an easy climb, but not ideal if you are claustrophobic.
Your reward is the best view in town, with Piazza dell’Anfiteatro to the north and the clock tower to the east. It’s among the best five Euros I have spent in Italy.
Practical information: Guinigi Tower is open daily, with a seasonal timetable. You should book ahead if visiting on weekends or holidays.
Lucca city walls
Before heading back to Florence, stroll along Lucca’s Renaissance wall or ramparts. This 16th-century wall stretches for 2.5 miles and replaces a medieval one, which in turn replaced a smaller Roman wall.
Its eleven heart-shaped bastions, designed to beef up the city’s defences, are now attractive picnic areas, and you can venture into its tunnels at San Paolino Bastion or San Martino Bastion.
If you have time, visit the Botanical Garden of Lucca. Occupying more than two hectares, it was founded in 1820 by Princess Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, the sister of Napoleon.
It is open in the warmer months of the year. Check opening hours here.
Looking for another day trip? I’ve written guides to taking a day trip to Arezzo and spending a day in Venice from Florence.
By Bridget
Bridget Coleman is an award-winning travel blogger who is an incurable Italy addict and has travelled its length & breadth on multiple occasions. Find out more here.
To get in touch, email her at hello@flashpackingitaly.com