Day trip from Florence to Lucca by train

Outbound 1 h 20 minAbout 6.5 h for your visit in Lucca
Costs for the dayabout €60.80 to €70.80 per person2 adults, recommended sights, with AI Tour Guide and foodWork out your costs ↓
Start the Lucca tourSee the day plan
Lucca

Lucca is an easy day trip from Florence: a direct regional train gets you there in about an hour and twenty minutes, with no change. Leave Florence shortly after eight and you get more than six hours inside the walls, enough for the whole walking tour, a long lunch and a late-afternoon train back.

Is a day trip from Florence to Lucca worth it?

Yes, and it is one of the simplest days out from Florence. Direct trains leave Santa Maria Novella throughout the day, the ride is short enough to read a few pages and look out of the window, and Lucca station sits right outside the walls, so you are in the old town within minutes of arriving.

Lucca gives you what Florence cannot: a complete ring of Renaissance walls you can walk along on top, a pedestrian centre small enough to cover on foot in a day, and a noticeably slower pace. The Roman past shows in the street plan itself, most clearly in the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, and the town is the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini. It also eats differently: tordelli with meat ragù, farro soup from the Garfagnana hills and buccellato, the anise and raisin cake.

The price of the day is a little under three hours on the train in total. In return you get a full day in a town that rewards lingering rather than queueing.

Who this day trip suits

  • Travellers worn out by Florence crowds who want a calmer Tuscan town for a day
  • Opera lovers, because Puccini's birthplace is part of the walk
  • Walkers and cyclists, since the walls are free and wide enough to walk or ride on top
  • Food lovers curious about Lucca's own dishes, from tordelli to buccellato
  • Anyone without a car, because the direct train does all the work

Go to Lucca if you want an easy, unhurried Tuscan town with walls, Puccini and its own food; if the Leaning Tower or a big-city day matters more to you, pick Pisa or Bologna instead.

Other day trips from Florence

How to get from Florence to Lucca by train

The Trenitalia Regionale from Firenze Santa Maria Novella to Lucca is the way to go: direct, frequent and without a change. Autolinee Toscane and FlixBus buses also run between the two towns, but their few departures do not fit a day trip.

Train: Trenitalia Regionale

Direct regional trains leave Firenze Santa Maria Novella for Lucca from early morning to late evening, often twice an hour, and take about an hour and twenty minutes. On weekdays there is a gap of more than two hours in the late morning, so take one of the early trains rather than turning up mid-morning. Buy your ticket from the machines at Santa Maria Novella or on Trenitalia's website, and buy the return at the same time so you skip the ticket queue in Lucca. If you hold a paper ticket, validate it in the machine on the platform before you board, because inspectors check. The fare is shown in the cost tool.

Operator
Trenitalia Regionale
Route
Firenze Santa Maria Novella → Lucca
Journey time
1 h 20 min
Morning departures
Monday to Saturday: 10 departures; Sunday: 9 departures
Travel fare
Outward €8.90; return €8.90 (€17.80 return total)

Tickets at Trenitalia ↗

Lucca station lies just outside the walls on the south side of the historic centre. Walk in through the walls into the pedestrian centre and on to the cathedral; allow about ten minutes at an easy pace.

Timetable

Train: Trenitalia

Monday to Saturday

DepartureArrivalDuration
05:0006:381 h 38 min
06:0307:391 h 36 min
07:0908:291 h 20 min
07:3709:231 h 46 min
08:0909:291 h 20 min
09:0910:291 h 20 min
11:3813:231 h 45 min
12:0913:291 h 20 min
12:3714:231 h 46 min
13:0914:291 h 20 min

Sunday

DepartureArrivalDuration
06:0307:391 h 36 min
07:0908:291 h 20 min
07:3709:231 h 46 min
08:0909:291 h 20 min
08:3710:231 h 46 min
09:0910:291 h 20 min
10:0911:291 h 20 min
12:0913:291 h 20 min
13:0914:291 h 20 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Check current times at Trenitalia ↗

departures by weekday
DaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Monday to Sunday16:3117:521 h 21 min
Show all departures (17)
departures by weekday
DaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Monday to Sunday12:3113:521 h 21 min
Monday to Saturday12:3914:241 h 45 min
Monday to Sunday13:3114:521 h 21 min
Monday to Saturday13:3915:241 h 45 min
Monday to Sunday14:3115:521 h 21 min
Monday to Sunday15:3116:521 h 21 min
Monday to Sunday15:3917:241 h 45 min
Monday to Sunday16:3117:521 h 21 min
Monday to Sunday16:4618:251 h 39 min
Monday to Sunday17:3118:521 h 21 min
Monday to Saturday17:3919:251 h 46 min
Monday to Sunday18:3119:521 h 21 min
Monday to Friday18:3920:241 h 45 min
Monday to Sunday19:3120:521 h 21 min
Monday to Sunday19:3921:221 h 43 min
Monday to Sunday20:3121:521 h 21 min
Monday to Saturday21:3122:521 h 21 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Florence to Lucca day trip itinerary from morning to evening

Day plan for: Mon, Wed–Sat

The day hangs on the train out of Florence shortly after eight and the late-afternoon train back, which leaves room for the whole walking tour with a proper lunch in the middle.

  1. Morning08:09 – 09:29

    Take the direct train shortly after eight from Firenze Santa Maria Novella, arrive in Lucca around half past nine and walk through the walls to the cathedral.

    After the early trains the weekday timetable has a long gap in the late morning, so this departure gives you the full day.

  2. Tour09:45 – 13:00

    At the cathedral you open the tour in the browser and the AI Tour Guide greets you. It tells the story of San Martino, then leads you to Piazza San Michele, where you see San Michele in Foro from the square, up onto the city walls for a short stretch on top, on to Puccini's Birthplace, the museum of the morning, and along Via Fillungo, Lucca's main street. On Piazza San Michele, Taddeucci sells buccellato, which keeps for a day or two if you want it for the train home.

    The cathedral is open by the time you arrive, the walls are best before the afternoon, when the exposed stretches get warm, and Puccini's Birthplace closes early in the afternoon on several weekdays, so it belongs before lunch.

    1. Lucca Cathedral (Duomo di San Martino), stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour1Lucca Cathedral (Duomo di San Martino)
    2. Piazza San Michele & San Michele in Foro in Lucca, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour2Piazza San Michele & San Michele in Foro
    3. Lucca City Walls, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour3Lucca City Walls
    4. Puccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini) in Lucca, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour4Puccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini)
    5. Via Fillungo in Lucca, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour5Via Fillungo

    Start the Lucca tour

  3. Lunch13:00 – 14:00

    Lunch after Via Fillungo and before Palazzo Pfanner. Look for tordelli with ragù or farro soup in a trattoria in the side streets.

    The morning's museum is done, and the afternoon is mostly streets and squares, so a full lunch does not slow you down.

  4. Afternoon14:00 – 16:00

    The guide picks up again at Palazzo Pfanner, which you see from outside, then leads you into the Basilica di San Frediano, through the oval Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and finally to Torre Guinigi, which you also see from outside on this plan. If you want to climb the tower, treat it as an optional extra and take a later train back.

    San Frediano is the one interior of the afternoon and fits easily in this order, and the café tables of the Anfiteatro make a good pause near the end.

    1. Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour6Palazzo Pfanner
    2. Basilica di San Frediano in Lucca, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour7Basilica di San Frediano
    3. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in Lucca, stop 8 on the self-guided walking tour8Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
    4. Torre Guinigi in Lucca, stop 9 on the self-guided walking tour9Torre Guinigi
  5. Return16:00 – 17:52

    Leave Torre Guinigi by four, walk back to the station in about fifteen minutes, keep a quarter of an hour in hand and take the train at around half past four, which reaches Firenze Santa Maria Novella shortly before six.

    That buffer covers a slow walk or a ticket machine queue, and you are back in Florence in time for dinner.

Arrival to return departure: 7 h 2 min. Time for your visit: about 6.5 h.

Arrival 09:29, tour start 09:45: 10 min to walk to the start, 6 min spare.

You get more than six hours in Lucca; if you arrive late, shorten the end of the tour, seeing Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and Torre Guinigi only briefly, rather than rushing the morning.

The best day to visit Lucca from Florence

  1. Monday: recommended
  2. Tuesday: better not
  3. Wednesday: recommended
  4. Thursday: recommended
  5. Friday: recommended
  6. Saturday: recommended
  7. Sunday: better not
  • Tuesday: The planned interior visits (Puccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini)) do not fit the opening hours on this day.
  • Sunday: The planned interior visits (Lucca Cathedral (Duomo di San Martino)) do not fit the opening hours on this day.

A Lucca walking tour in one day

The walking tour is how you see Lucca on this day: nine stops on a one-way route of about three kilometres, from the cathedral to Torre Guinigi, with under forty minutes of actual walking and the rest of the time spent at the places. The AI Tour Guide leads it as a conversation, so you hear the stories of each place while you walk and can stop it to ask about whatever catches your eye.

The Lucca tour: your guide leads you from stop to stop.
  1. Lucca Cathedral (Duomo di San Martino)
  2. Piazza San Michele & San Michele in Foro
  3. Lucca City Walls
  4. Puccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini)
  5. Via Fillungo
  6. Palazzo Pfanner
  7. Basilica di San Frediano
  8. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
  9. Torre Guinigi

Start the Lucca tour

Opening hours as of 23 October 2026.

  1. Lucca Cathedral (Duomo di San Martino), stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour
    1Stop 1

    Lucca Cathedral (Duomo di San Martino)

    The cathedral of San Martino, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, is the seat of the Archbishop of Lucca and the natural start of the walk.

    Hours
    Mon–Sat: 09:30–18:00
    Sun: 12:00–18:00
    Price
    €5
  2. Piazza San Michele & San Michele in Foro in Lucca, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour
    2Stop 2

    Piazza San Michele & San Michele in Foro

    San Michele in Foro stands over the ancient Roman forum, and until 1370 it housed the commune's Major Council.

    Price
    Seen from outside on the tour; going inside is optional and not included in this total.
  3. Lucca City Walls, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour
    3Stop 3

    Lucca City Walls

    The ring of stone, brick and earthwork fortifications still encloses the whole centre and is wide enough to walk along on top.

    Price
    Free
  4. Puccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini) in Lucca, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour
    4Stop 4

    Puccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini)

    The museum fills the apartment on Corte San Lorenzo where Giacomo Puccini was born on 22 December 1858.

    Hours
    Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00–14:00 (last admission 13:30)
    Tue: closed
    Fri–Sun: 10:00–17:00 (last admission 16:30)
    Price
    €9
  5. Via Fillungo in Lucca, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Stop 5

    Via Fillungo

    Via Fillungo is Lucca's main street, about 700 metres of shops and workshops inside the walls and one of the symbols of the town.

    Price
    Free
  6. Palazzo Pfanner in Lucca, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour
    6Stop 6

    Palazzo Pfanner

    Palazzo Pfanner, built in 1660, sits at the edge of the walls and is entered from Via degli Asili.

    Price
    Optional interior visit.
  7. Basilica di San Frediano in Lucca, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour
    7Stop 7

    Basilica di San Frediano

    This Romanesque basilica is named after Fridianus, an Irish bishop of Lucca in the first half of the 6th century.

    Hours
    Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun: 09:00–18:30
    Sat: 09:00–17:30
    Price
    €4
  8. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in Lucca, stop 8 on the self-guided walking tour
    8Stop 8

    Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

    The houses around this oval square follow the curve of the Roman amphitheatre they were built on, now ringed by café tables.

    Price
    Free
  9. Torre Guinigi in Lucca, stop 9 on the self-guided walking tour
    9Stop 9

    Torre Guinigi

    The Guinigi family's tower is the most important of the few medieval family towers still standing inside the city, and it closes the walk.

    Hours (optional interior visit)
    Mon–Fri: 10:00–16:00
    Sat, Sun: 10:00–17:00
    Price
    Seen from outside on the tour; going inside is optional and not included in this total.
AI Tour Guide in Lucca

Your guide for the Lucca tour

In Lucca the AI Tour Guide meets you at the cathedral and leads you along the walls, through Puccini's corner of town and into the oval of Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, telling the story of each place as you go. It asks what interests you, remembers it and follows that thread, whether it is the Roman town under the streets or Puccini's music. You start it in the browser when you reach the cathedral.

stops
9
route
2.9 km
walking only
39 min
with visits
4 h 44 min
  • 100 free credits to start
  • €19.99 once for the whole group
  • Travel and admission tickets are not included
Start the Lucca tourSee the whole tour →

What a Florence to Lucca day trip costs

The day's cost comes from the regional train both ways, three paid interiors (the cathedral, Puccini's Birthplace and the Basilica di San Frediano) and lunch. Palazzo Pfanner and Torre Guinigi are seen from outside on this plan, and the walls, Piazza San Michele, Via Fillungo and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro cost nothing, so the walk itself keeps the budget modest.

Adults
Children

One device is enough for the whole group: two people listen on two connected headphones, larger groups use the phone speaker.

Cost breakdown

Costs for 2 adults · planned visits

Travel there and backTrenitalia Regionale2 adults × €17.80€35.60
SightsPuccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini), Lucca Cathedral (single visit) and Basilica di San Frediano (interior)2 adults × €18€36
AI Tour Guide touronce for the whole group€19.99
Food (estimate)€15 to €25 per person€30 to €50
Total€121.59 to €141.59
Split between peopleabout €60.80 to €70.80 per person
Sights
  • €5
  • €9
  • €4
Buffer and private guide

Lunch is cheaper and usually better in the side streets than at the tables on Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, and a slice of focaccia or a panino keeps the day lean if you want to save.

Prices as of October 2026.

Getting back from Lucca to Florence

The way back is the same direct regional train in reverse, about an hour and twenty minutes to Santa Maria Novella. In the late afternoon and evening there are usually one or two trains an hour, so missing one is rarely a disaster, and if you would rather stay into the evening, a later train works just as well as the one in the plan.

Allow about fifteen minutes to walk from the old town to the station and keep a quarter of an hour of buffer. If you already bought your return in Florence, you can go straight to the platform.

If you run late, cut the end of the tour first: see Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and Torre Guinigi briefly and head for the station. If you miss your planned train, the next direct one usually follows within the hour, so simply take that one, but do not let the evening slip past the last sensible train back.

Recommended returnTrenitalia: departs 16:31, arrives 17:52Leave the last stop of the tour by 16:00

Latest return that fits the day: 21:31

  • Trenitalia from Lucca, Sunday: departs 20:31, arrives 21:52
  • Trenitalia from Lucca, Monday to Saturday: departs 21:31, arrives 22:52

Questions about the day trip from Florence to Lucca

Can I climb Torre Guinigi on this day?

Not within the plan, which passes the tower at the end of the walk. If you want to go up, add it as an extra, book ahead (recommended on weekdays, required at weekends and on holidays) and take a later train back.

When should I not go to Lucca?

Around Halloween, when Lucca Comics & Games takes over the town for nearly a week and normal sightseeing becomes impossible. In July and August, avoid the walls at midday, as some stretches have no shade.

Can I cycle on the walls?

Yes. The walls are free to walk or ride, and bike rental is good value. A ride around the ring is an extra on top of the tour, so plan it as an optional detour and take a later train back.

Should I drive instead of taking the train?

The train is the easier choice. The historic centre is pedestrian, so drivers park outside the walls, for example at the Lucca Stazione car park next to the station, and walk in anyway.

Should I bring cash?

Bring some. Some small shops and vendors do not take cards, and comfortable, sturdy shoes matter more than anything else for a day on foot.

More day trips from Florence

Rome in a day 1 h 25 min Pisa in a day 50 min Venice in a day 2 h 14 min Siena in a day 1 h 15 min Bologna in a day 37 min San Gimignano in a day 1 h 30 min Assisi in a day 2 h Perugia in a day 2 h Orvieto in a day 2 h 10 min

Sources

Timetables, fares and opening hours come from these operators:

Image credits
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