Our Guide to Lucca: What to Eat, Do and Where to Stay in Tuscany’s Walled City
Life’s been busy but I still wanted to share a quick guide to Lucca, Tuscany! We went in June, I finally brought Curtis to Italy to experience it, eat good food, and meet some family members he hasn’t met yet! It was also like a second honeymoon for us, exploring wine country, eating pasta and fresh focaccia, watching Tuscan sunsets and enjoying the Italian pace of life for a few days.
If you haven’t been to Lucca, it’s just an hour or so drive from Florence. It’s full of rolling hills, medieval towns and did I say wine? My nonna is from the area surrounding Lucca, a mere few minutes walk or bike ride from the town centre. It’s one of my favourite small cities to visit while in Italy.
We AirBnb a beautiful loft apartment right in the centre! Our windows were right on the main street, and it was the perfect location for our stay. Lucca is a walkable city, full of towers and great food. You can easily visit it in a day, but I highly suggest staying at least one night to really take it in, explore the streets, walk the wall that surrounds the city and stumble into a cute wine bar or cocktail bar.
In this quick travel guide to Lucca, I’ll share where to eat, what to do and where to stay. Have you been before? What was your favourite part of visiting this town? Share in the comments below! You can also see my jam-packed Rome Guide here.
What to Do in Lucca
Climb the Torre Guinigi and take in those amazing views from up top. The 360-degree views are incredible and you can even spot Piazza dell’Anfiteatro from above. There are 230 steps leading to the summit, but the walk is worth it. In addition to those panoramic views, there’s also a garden at the top compete with a small forest of holm oaks.
Walk or bike along the tree-lined city walls. These raised walls were so calming and offered a nice shady retreat. There’s a couple of cafes up top to grab a drink if you need to take an apertivo break.
Do a little shopping
on one of the main streets in town full of boutiques and popular chains.
Visit the Chiesa di San Michele in Foro and take in the stunning architecture. If you are in town for the outdoor festival season, grab tickets for one of the great concerts that they put on each summer. Elton John, Sting, John Legend, Snoop Dogg and more famous artists have performed here.
Take a walk through Lucca’s Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, a sun-bleached ellipse of medieval houses built upon the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre.
Relax In Piazza Napoleone. Also known as Piazza Grande, Piazza Napoleone is a large, open-air, tree-lined square that is a lovely place to cool off in the hot summer months, or ice skate at Christmas time.
See one of the many churches in Lucca. Lucca has been nicknamed “the city of 100 churches” due to the abundance of them scattered around it. There are churches from several eras such as the Renaissance, Gothic, Medieval and Roman periods.
Where to Eat in Lucca
Get freshly baked focaccia before it sells out for the day at Forno a vapore Amedeo Giusti.
Enjoy apertivo hour at any of the small bars in Lucca, we liked the outdoor seating at Pult and the people watching on the bustling shopping street. But if you want a cocktail, try Franklin 33 after dinner.
Grab a gelato! There are so many gelaterias in Lucca as in many cities, and we ate from a few and no complaints.
Eat dinner al fresco at Santa Christina. We enjoyed risotto and a bolognese pasta dish for dinner. People watching on that little street was superb!
Eat Torta Verde di Lucca if you see it in one of the many bakeries in Lucca. It’s a speciality of the area, and one of my favourite pastries. My nonna makes me a fresh one every month, it’s on the savoury side, with pine nuts and ricotta cheese, but so, so good! Buccellato Taddeucci makes a great one, and you can sit out on the piazza to enjoy it with a cappuccino. They’ve been around since 1881.
Where to Stay in Lucca
This is our Airbnb, it was an amazing location, the hosts, Chicca & Guido, are an older couple who have two cute dogs that live next door in the building. You can get $60 CDN off your first booking with Airbnb if you follow this link.
How to get to Lucca
Lucca is a perfect stop if you’re travelling from Tuscany and Cinque Terre. It’s only about an hour drive from Florence, so it’s easy to access if you’re on a road trip.
If the idea of driving in Italy gives you a mild anxiety attack, you can also reach Lucca by the main train station. The regional train takes about 30 minutes from Pisa and about three from Rome.
The closest airports are in Pisa or Florence.
