For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Lucca, Italy Travel Guide has been your connection to Lucca's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Lucca Attractions
There is much to see and do in Lucca and the best way to get around is to either walk or rent a bicycle. Check with your friendly bed and breakfast innkeeper and they will be able to let you know where you can rent bikes for the day. The streets are narrow and only residents of Lucca are allowed to park cars within the city walls. Bicycling is the preferred method of transportation by the locals as they perform their daily shopping. On Sundays you’ll see large groups of Italian men dressed in full racing gear cycling through the streets. Normally on Sunday the shops are shuttered and the restaurants are closed. However, on the third Sunday of each month the town holds a market with live music and contests, stalls selling antiques, local produce and crafts. As the families exit the churches, they stroll along their favorite piazza and the whole town comes alive. You might like to coordinate your bed and breakfast visit to have this experience. Lucca’s streets are dominated with churches, 99 in all. A tour of the churches will soon reveal the history of the town. Periods of prosperity when structures were rebuilt and rededicated, adorned with period art and some recently restored, sumptuous gardens medieval stonework. You will notice artistic elements from different centuries as things were added or improved upon. Examples are the Cattedrale di San Martino, Chiesa e Battistero di San Giovanni e Santa Reparata and the San Frediano. Museums further explain Lucca’s history. The Museo Nazionale Villa Guinigi, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Mansi and Museo della Cattedrale contain archeological finds, paintings depicting Luccan scenes, religious art, carvings, coin collections, tapestries and frescoes. If you’re planning on visiting more than one of the churches or museums cumulative tickets are available. It is likely that your bed and breakfast innkeepers can explain the ticket details to you. Visit the modest home of composer Giacomo Puccini located just north of the Piazza Cittadella. Climb to the top of the highest bell tower to get an aerial view of the tiled rooftops and the pastoral Tuscan hills. You will soon discover that a leisurely walking tour of the inner walled portion of Lucca will reveal many historic marvels so keep your eyes open and ask the friendly locals or your bed and breakfast hosts when you see something that needs an explanation.
If you’re interested in visiting Pisa or Florence, while residing at a Lucca bed and breakfast both locations make for a wonderful day trip by train. Viareggio is a first class seaside resort located on the Mediterranean Sea about 20 km from Lucca. The beaches are sandy with a gentle drop into the water and there’s more than just the beach to enjoy. Enjoy shopping, discos, cafés, and art galleries or catch a movie. Ask your bed and breakfast innkeeper the best way to explore this area.
