As the title states you should visit Lucca, Italy. Why? Great question. We\u2019re so glad you asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Have you been dying to explore Florence and Tuscany? Have you done some research and found that the prices in Florence are a bit too expensive for your budget? Or have you been put off by all the recent articles decrying overtourism<\/a> in Florence?<\/p>\n Well, we have some good news for you. You CAN explore Florence, and Tuscany, without breaking the bank or contributing to the swarms of tourists in the city. And you\u2019ll have an amazing time doing so.\u00a0<\/p>\n How? Easy. Stay in Lucca.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this article, we will explain why we fell madly in love with Lucca. We\u2019ll give you some advice on planning your trip, as usual. And we will explore some things you should do while in Lucca. Finally we\u2019ll break down how to visit Florence while using Lucca as your base.\u00a0<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get into it, shall we?<\/p>\n TL;DR \u2013 What Makes Lucca a Great Base for Exploring Florence & Tuscany<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Lucca is quieter and more relaxed than Florence, with ancient walls, cobblestones, churches, few cars, and lots of charm. Charming, laid back, steeped in history and culture. That\u2019s Lucca in a nutshell.\u00a0<\/p>\n We have written pages and pages about Central and Northern Italy<\/a> on this blog. It\u2019s safe to say that we\u2019re huge fans of Italy. So when we booked a 7 day stay in Lucca in early May we were pretty confident that it would be great. What we didn\u2019t know was that soon we would be in love with a little city 35 kilometers east of Pisa.\u00a0<\/p>\n Upon arriving in Lucca via a 30-minute train from Pisa we were immediately struck by the rich verdant hills surrounding this small city. We walked through a gate in the city\u2019s ancient walls and were again struck by the quaint cobblestone streets within. Lucca\u2019s historical center is extremely well preserved, and wandering down the streets of this city is akin to taking a step back in time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Our time in Lucca was mostly spent leisurely strolling through the city, wandering from museum to cafe to piazza. Cars are uncommon within the walled city, which is a HUGE bonus. Many locals navigate Lucca\u2019s Old Town on bicycles adding to the overall ambiance of quaint antiquity.<\/p>\n As you wander Lucca\u2019s ancient streets you\u2019ll pass countless churches. More than 90 of them, in fact. You\u2019ll walk through many squares and piazzas, stopping to inspect the statues and towers. You might catch drifting musical notes of an instrument being played from an open second-story window as you pass the music academy. You\u2019ll certainly walk by someone sitting outside a cafe enjoying an espresso, and you\u2019ll have the urge to say hello and tell them to enjoy their day (buona giornata<\/em> in Italian). The smell of pizza in the oven will probably make you stop along the way for a slice or pie. The lure of an Aperol will eventually draw you towards a seat so you can enjoy your drink and watch the world go by.<\/p>\n Yes friends, Lucca is magical.<\/p>\n Again, everything is remarkably preserved, and locals go about their day with an air of relaxation that is pretty uncommon in many places we have visited. All of that just adds to Lucca\u2019s immense charm.\u00a0<\/p>\n What struck us the most? The lack of crowds. We visited in early May, so it wasn\u2019t high season yet. However, there was a noticeable difference in the density of tourists compared to Pisa and Florence. Lucca, quite literally, felt like a breath of fresh Tuscan air.\u00a0<\/p>\n During our 7 day stay we explored Lucca inside and out. Here are some of our recommendations on things to do while in Lucca. Further down we\u2019ll discuss visiting Florence from Lucca, and how best to utilize this city as a base for exploring Tuscany.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucca is a small city, with some 90,000 residents, and exploring it CAN be done in one hectic day. We don\u2019t recommend you do that. Sure, if you only have time to visit Lucca on a day trip than you should do so. As with every other destination, however, we encourage slow travel. It\u2019s the only way to really sink into the place you are visiting. And Lucca deserves the attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ideally, your visit to Lucca and Tuscany will last a week. You will spend the first day or two getting comfortable and exploring Lucca. After that, you can branch out and take trips around the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucca is home to numerous towers, several of which you can climb to gain sweeping views of the city. The most interesting of these towers is the 45-meter-tall Torre Guinigi<\/em>, which has a small garden nestled upon its crown. That\u2019s right, this ancient tower has a garden at the very top. That\u2019s pretty unique and worth visiting for that one fact alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n The climb up this Romanesque-Gothic tower is 233 steps. It\u2019s a mostly easy ascent although the stairs get very narrow and steep for the final two landings. Once atop Guinigi Tower you are treated to a gorgeous view of the city, in the shade of the towers\u2019 Holm oak trees. Max capacity is 25 people, and depending on when you go you might have the entire hanging garden to yourself for a few blissful minutes.<\/p>\n Entry into Guinigi Tower is 7 euros. More information can be found here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucca\u2019s ramparts are probably the first thing you notice when approaching the city. Standing some 12 meters tall and 30 meters at their widest the walls of Lucca are truly imposing. Constructed in the 16th century these massive fortifications also function as gardens and avenues. The full length of the walls is 4.4 kilometers, and they wrap around the entirety of Lucca\u2019s old town.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can have a leisurely morning stroll, an afternoon bike ride, or a refreshing beverage from one of the few cafes on the walls. They also offer some sweet views of the countryside surrounding Lucca.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the great pleasures of Tuscany is striking out into the verdant hills\u2026to drink a lot of wine. Lucca offers occasions like this in spades. There\u2019s nothing like the smell of fresh raindrops upon a vineyard while relaxing with a glass of your preference.<\/p>\n All it takes is a short bus ride from just outside of Lucca\u2019s walls. You can reach a myriad of wineries, all offering relaxing views, delicious wine, tours, food, and peace of mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n We recommend Tenuta Adamo<\/a>, which we visited twice during our time in Lucca. Our first visit was for a full tour of the facilities, which included tasting 5 different wines, and fresh olive oil. The cost was 20 euros per person. Worth it. Our second visit was simply to enjoy a bottle while taking in the tranquil view. We found the folks at Tenut Adamo to be friendly, accommodating, knowledgeable, and quick to bring us another bottle. What more can you ask for?\u00a0<\/p>\n Lucca\u2019s Piazza dell\u2019Anfiteatro is considered one of the coolest piazzas in Italy. Once a Roman amphitheater, the piazza is now home to a dozen or so restaurants and bars. It can get pretty crowded with tourists during high season, but it\u2019s still a great place to grab a drink or a meal as you explore the town.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, you\u2019ve been dying to go to Florence<\/a>, or Firenze <\/em><\/strong>as it is called in Italian. Good call. Florence is a marvelous city, filled with stunning art, architecture, culture, and food.\u00a0 We highly recommend going and seeing it for yourself, at least once. But why are we recommending exploring Florence while staying in Lucca?<\/p>\n Well, at the top of this article we mentioned Florence and and its issues with mass tourism. It\u2019s a growing issue within the city, and quite frankly, all across Europe. When we visited Florence in May of 2024 we found the city absolutely bursting at the seams. To say that it was stuffed with visitors is a massive understatement.\u00a0<\/p>\n To be quite frank, it wasn\u2019t a very comfortable experience. More akin to visiting a theme park than an actual city. However, mass tourism brings with it more than just congested streets and hours long lines to view the statue of David. Accommodations become scarce and prices rise to meet demand. Ergo, if you visit Florence between April and October you can expect to pay a premium for your visit.<\/p>\n You can offset some of these costs by staying outside of Florence proper. There are many small towns within a hour of Florence by train or car. Lucca is a bit further away, with trains taking anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. However, day trips to Florence from Lucca are easy to arrange, and cost effective as well. If you don\u2019t mind the time spent on trains you can have your pizza, and eat it too. So to speak.<\/p>\n The best time of the year to visit Lucca and Tuscany is Spring (April\/May) or Fall (September\/October). June, July, and August should be considered high season for the region. High season means spending more money on accommodations, longer queues, larger crowds, and potentially scorching temperatures. If you can avoid contributing to the masses of tourists during high season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a list of some great tours you can take while visiting the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n And there you have it folks. So, what\u2019s left to do? Book your tickets and visit Lucca, of course! As always, happy travels everyone, and we\u2019ll see you on the road!\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As the title states you should visit Lucca, Italy. Why? Great question. We\u2019re so glad you asked.\u00a0 Have you been dying to explore Florence and Tuscany? Have you done some research and found that the prices in Florence are a bit too expensive for your budget? Or have you been put off by all the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7066799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[97880,109041,98514,228042,116785],"tags":[13556,228043,16914,3694],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7066798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-florence","category-italy","category-lucca","category-tuscany","tag-florence","tag-lucca","tag-tuscany","tag-visit"],"yoast_head":"\n
\u2022 It\u2019s cheaper to stay in Lucca and still visit Florence by train, making your travel more comfortable and affordable.
\u2022 The best times to visit are spring (April\/May) or fall (September\/October) to avoid big crowds and heat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhat Makes Lucca Great?<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.justapack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/rooftops-Lucca-Italy-1100x709.jpg\")
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Things to Do in Lucca<\/h2>\n
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Climb Torre Guinigi<\/em>, Guinigi Tower<\/h3>\n
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Walk Lucca\u2019s Historic Walls<\/h3>\n
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Visit a Winery \u2026 or Three<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.justapack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tenuta-adamo-winery-lucca-italy-1100x728.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDrinks in the Piazza dell\u2019Anfiteatro<\/h3>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.justapack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/piazza-dell-anfiteatro-lucca-italy-1100x745.jpg\")
Why Lucca is a Great Base For Exploring Florence and Tuscany<\/h2>\n
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When to Visit Lucca and Florence\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"piazza](\"https:\/\/www.justapack.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/piazza-san-michele-lucca-italy-1100x816.jpg\")
Cool Tours to Take in Lucca\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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