Florence to Lucca

By the Viamo editorial team · Editor Terje Moy · Last updated July 2026 · 5 min read

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Ringed by intact Renaissance walls wide enough to cycle along, Lucca is one of Tuscany's most complete and relaxed old towns, and unlike some of its neighbours it's a genuinely easy day trip from Florence — a direct train with no changes required. Here's how to get there and make the most of a day.

The best way: the direct regionale train

Trenitalia regionale trains run directly between Firenze Santa Maria Novella and Lucca roughly once an hour throughout the day, with no change required. The journey takes around 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, passing through Pistoia and the Tuscan countryside on the way. No reservation is needed for these regional services, and tickets can be bought shortly before travel from station machines, the Trenitalia app, or at ticket counters. Trains leave from Firenze Santa Maria Novella, easily reached from most central hotels on foot or by tram — see our Florence public transport guide if you need to get there first. Lucca's station sits just outside the southern city walls, a five-minute walk from the nearest gate into the old town, which makes this one of the more convenient rail day trips from Florence.

Cycling the Renaissance walls

Lucca's single best-known attraction isn't a building but the walls themselves: a complete, unbroken Renaissance-era rampart circling the entire old town, roughly 4 km around, wide and flat enough to walk or cycle along the top under a canopy of trees. Bike rental stalls cluster near several of the main gates, and a full circuit typically takes 30–45 minutes by bike or a little over an hour on foot at an easy pace. It's arguably the most enjoyable single thing to do in Lucca, offering views down into the old town on one side and out over the surrounding countryside on the other, and it costs nothing beyond the price of a bike rental if you don't want to walk.

Driving to Lucca

Lucca is about 75 km from Florence, roughly a 1-hour to 1-hour-15-minute drive via the A11 motorway (tolled) through the Tuscan plain towards the coast. Driving makes sense if you're combining Lucca with Pisa, which is only around 20 minutes further along the same road, letting you see both in a single day. As with most historic Tuscan centres, Lucca's old town inside the walls is largely closed to outside traffic, so park in one of the signed car parks just beyond the ramparts and walk or cycle in from there.

Combining Lucca with Pisa

Because Lucca and Pisa sit so close together, with a direct regionale train link of around 30 minutes between the two, many visitors combine both in a single day from Florence rather than treating them as separate trips. A typical pattern is an early train to Lucca, a few hours cycling the walls and exploring the centre, then the short hop to Pisa in the afternoon to see the Leaning Tower before heading back to Florence — see our guide to Florence to Pisa for the details of that leg. It's a more efficient use of a day than most other double-town combinations in Tuscany, since neither the train connection nor the towns themselves demand much time to get between.

What to see in Lucca

Beyond the walls, Lucca's old town is a dense, walkable maze of Romanesque churches and quiet piazzas, notably Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, an oval square built directly on the footprint of a Roman amphitheatre, its curved outline still traced by the surrounding buildings. The Cathedral of San Martino, with an asymmetrical Romanesque façade and an unusual leaning bell tower of its own, is a quieter alternative to Florence's more crowded Duomo. Climbing the Torre Guinigi, a medieval tower with a small grove of oak trees improbably growing from its rooftop, gives panoramic views over the terracotta rooftops and the walls beyond.

Puccini's Lucca

Composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, and the house where he grew up is now a small museum with personal artefacts, manuscripts and the piano on which he composed several of his operas. Fans of his music sometimes time a visit around one of the summer opera performances staged in the town, though the museum itself is open year-round and makes for a manageable stop even for casual visitors.

Markets and food

Lucca has a reputation within Tuscany for good, unpretentious food, and its weekly markets and small family-run trattorias inside the walls are generally less geared towards tourists than equivalents in Florence or Siena. Local specialities worth trying include tordelli lucchesi, a stuffed pasta, and olive oil from the surrounding hills, considered among the best in Tuscany.

Getting around once you're there

Lucca's old town is entirely walkable, and the walls themselves double as the easiest way to orient yourself — anywhere inside the ramparts is reachable on foot in 10–15 minutes from almost any gate. No local bus or taxi is needed once you've arrived from the station, and hiring a bike for the walls circuit is the only "transport" most visitors bother with during a day trip.

Which should you choose?

For nearly everyone, the direct regionale train is the easiest and most sensible way to reach Lucca: no change, a short walk from the station to the walls, and a journey short enough to leave a full day for exploring. Driving is worth it mainly if you're combining Lucca with Pisa or other Tuscan towns beyond the rail network. For nearby options with different transport quirks, see our guides to Florence to Siena and Florence to San Gimignano, or our broader Italy by train guide for how the regional network fits together.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a direct train from Florence to Lucca?

Yes — Trenitalia regionale trains run directly between Firenze Santa Maria Novella and Lucca roughly once an hour, taking around 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes, with no change needed.

Can you cycle around Lucca's walls?

Yes — the full Renaissance-era ramparts form a roughly 4 km loop that's wide, flat and popular for cycling, with bike rental available near several of the main gates.

Can I visit Lucca and Pisa in the same day from Florence?

Yes — a direct regionale train links Lucca and Pisa in around 30 minutes, making it practical to see both on a single day trip from Florence.

Is Lucca's train station close to the old town?

Yes — it's just outside the southern walls, roughly a five-minute walk to the nearest gate, with no bus or uphill climb required.