Day trip from Pisa to Lucca by regional train

Outbound 30 minAbout 6.5 h for your visit in Lucca
Costs for the dayabout €47.20 to €57.20 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 Pisa: the direct regional train takes about half an hour, and trains run all day. Take a morning train and you get about seven hours inside the walls, enough to walk the whole old town at an unhurried pace and still be back in Pisa for dinner.

Is a day trip from Pisa to Lucca worth it?

Yes, and the short ride is the main reason. Lucca is close enough that the journey barely eats into your day, there is no change of train, and you arrive just outside the walls with the centre a short walk away. Hardly any other day trip from Pisa gives you this much time on the ground for this little travel.

Lucca also gives you something Pisa does not. Pisa revolves around one square and one tower, while Lucca is a whole old town to walk through: an intact ring of walls you can stroll along, Romanesque churches, a piazza shaped by a Roman amphitheatre, the house where Puccini was born and a main shopping street running through the middle. It feels calmer and more lived in, and the local cooking (tordelli with meat sauce, farro soup, buccellato sweet bread) is reason enough to plan a long lunch.

What the day costs you is mostly an early start and a bit of discipline in Pisa: if you also want the Leaning Tower, see it early or on another day, because Pisa easily eats into the hours Lucca deserves.

Who this day trip suits

  • Travellers staying in Pisa who want a very different Tuscan town only half an hour away
  • Anyone who has seen Piazza dei Miracoli and wants a break from its crowds
  • Walkers who like a long stroll on top of old city walls
  • Food lovers who want a proper Tuscan lunch of local specialties
  • Opera fans, for Puccini's birthplace in the middle of town

Go if you are based in Pisa and want a relaxed, walkable walled town with a full day on the ground; if you only have three or four hours in total, spend them in Pisa instead.

Other day trips from Pisa

How to get from Pisa to Lucca by train

The direct Trenitalia regional train from Pisa Centrale is the way to go: it is quick, frequent and drops you right outside the walls. Autolinee Toscane also runs a direct bus from Pisa to Piazzale Verdi in Lucca, but it is slower and runs less often.

Train: Trenitalia Regionale

Regional trains leave Pisa Centrale for Lucca throughout the day and take about half an hour, with direct departures roughly two an hour on weekdays and noticeably fewer on Sundays. Many of them also call at Pisa San Rossore, the station closest to Piazza dei Miracoli, which is handy if you start near the Leaning Tower; check the stop in the timetable. Regional tickets carry no seat reservation, so you can buy at the station machine or through Trenitalia's own channels on the day. If you hold a paper ticket, validate it in the machine on the platform before you board, because unvalidated tickets can be fined.

Operator
Trenitalia Regionale
Route
Pisa Centrale → Lucca
Journey time
30 min
Morning departures
Monday to Friday: 12 departures; Saturday: 11 departures; Sunday: 6 departures
Travel fare
Outward €4.10; return €4.10 (€8.20 return total)

Tickets at Trenitalia ↗

Lucca station sits just south of the walls. Cross the road, walk in through Porta San Pietro and you are a few minutes from the cathedral, where the tour begins.

Timetable

departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Pisa Centrale → LuccaSunday · Trenitalia08:5009:1727 min
Show all departures (20)
departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia05:2505:5934 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia06:1306:4027 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia07:0407:3632 min
Pisa (Pietrasantina car park) → LuccaMonday to Thursday · FlixBus07:1507:4025 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia07:5008:2333 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane08:0508:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaSunday · Trenitalia08:5009:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia08:5009:2030 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Friday · Trenitalia09:0309:3835 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane09:0509:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia09:2209:5028 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaSunday · Trenitalia09:5010:1727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia09:5010:1828 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane10:0510:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia10:2010:4828 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane12:0512:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia12:2012:4727 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia12:5013:1727 min
Pisa Sesta Porta → Lucca Piazzale VerdiMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane13:0513:4944 min
Pisa Centrale → LuccaMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia13:2013:4727 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Timetable: FlixBus, as of 22 October 2026

Timetable: Autolinee Toscane, as of 22 October 2026

departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia16:4217:1331 min
Show all departures (28)
departures by weekday
RouteDaysDepartureArrivalDuration
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane12:0512:4843 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Friday · Trenitalia12:4213:1331 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioSunday · Autolinee Toscane13:0013:4343 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane13:0513:4843 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia13:1213:4230 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia13:4014:1232 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleSunday · Trenitalia13:4214:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia14:1114:4332 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia14:4215:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia15:1115:4332 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia15:4216:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia16:1116:4332 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane16:3017:1343 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia16:4217:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia17:1117:4332 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Saturday · Autolinee Toscane17:3018:1343 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia17:4218:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia18:1618:4529 min
Lucca Piazzale Verdi → Pisa Sant'AntonioMonday to Sunday · Autolinee Toscane18:3019:1343 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleSunday · Trenitalia18:3219:0230 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia18:4219:1735 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia19:1219:4331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleSunday · Trenitalia19:4120:1332 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Saturday · Trenitalia19:4520:1530 min
Lucca → Pisa (Pietrasantina car park)Monday to Thursday · FlixBus20:2020:4525 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia20:4221:1331 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Sunday · Trenitalia21:1321:4330 min
Lucca → Pisa CentraleMonday to Friday · Trenitalia21:4222:1331 min

Timetable: Trenitalia, as of 22 October 2026

Timetable: FlixBus, as of 22 October 2026

Timetable: Autolinee Toscane, as of 22 October 2026

Pisa to Lucca day trip itinerary: morning to evening

Day plan for: Mon, Wed–Sat

A morning train gets you to Lucca before ten, the walking tour carries you through the town in its own order with lunch in the middle, and a late afternoon train brings you back.

  1. Morning08:50 – 09:20

    Take the direct train from Pisa Centrale just before 9, arriving in Lucca half an hour later. Walk in through Porta San Pietro and be at the cathedral around half past nine.

    This train leaves you a full day without a dawn start, and the walk from the station to the cathedral is short.

  2. Tour09:30 – 12:45

    Open the tour in your browser in front of Lucca Cathedral. The AI Tour Guide greets you, tells you the cathedral's story and leads you on to Piazza San Michele, where San Michele in Foro is seen from the square, then to a short stretch of the City Walls, on to Puccini's Birthplace and along Via Fillungo. Along the way it asks what interests you and shapes what it tells you.

    The cathedral and Puccini's Birthplace are the two interiors of the morning, with the walls as a breath of open air in between.

    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. Lunch12:45 – 13:45

    Lunch after Via Fillungo and before Palazzo Pfanner. Order local dishes such as tordelli with meat sauce or farro soup.

    Via Fillungo closes the morning in the middle of the centre, and an hour's break splits the day so the afternoon stops do not feel rushed.

  4. Afternoon13:45 – 16:00

    The guide picks up again at Palazzo Pfanner, seen from the outside, then leads you to the Basilica di San Frediano and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, and ends at Torre Guinigi, which you see from the street. About three quarters of an hour remain for an optional extra, such as a drink in Piazza dell'Anfiteatro or buying a slice of buccellato for the train.

    San Frediano, the afternoon's interior, fits comfortably within its opening hours, while Torre Guinigi stays a view from the street on this walk.

    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 – 17:13

    Leave Torre Guinigi by around four, walk back out through Porta San Pietro to the station and take the train shortly before five, arriving at Pisa Centrale a little after five.

    The walk to the station plus a buffer at the platform take about half an hour, and this train gets you back in good time for an evening in Pisa.

Arrival to return departure: 7 h 22 min. Time for your visit: about 6.5 h.

Arrival 09:20, tour start 09:30: 10 min to walk to the start.

You get about seven hours in Lucca; if you arrive late, keep the tour order and cut from the end, letting Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and Torre Guinigi become a quick look on the way to the station.

Best day to visit Lucca from Pisa

  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, from the Duomo to Torre Guinigi

The tour is how you see Lucca on this day: about 2.9 km, roughly forty minutes of pure walking, from the cathedral by Porta San Pietro across the old town to Torre Guinigi. It is an easy town walk with a stretch along the walls, long stops at the interiors and short ones in the squares. The AI Tour Guide leads it as a conversation, so you can ask, linger or move on whenever you like.

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 opening 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 on the old Roman forum, and until 1370 it housed the Major Council, the town's most important assembly.

    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 earth fortifications still encloses the whole centre and has become a path you can walk along the 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 in 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
    €5
  5. Via Fillungo in Lucca, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Stop 5

    Via Fillungo

    Lucca's main street runs for about 700 metres inside the walls and gathers the town's shops and workshops.

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

    Palazzo Pfanner

    This palace from 1660 sits right at the edge of the walls and shows how Lucca's leading families lived.

    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

    The Romanesque basilica is named after Fridianus, an Irish bishop of Lucca in the sixth 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 outline of the Roman amphitheatre they were built on, and you enter through vaulted portals.

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

    Torre Guinigi

    Torre Guinigi is the town's chief family tower and one of the few still standing inside the walls.

    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

From the Duomo di San Martino to Torre Guinigi, the AI Tour Guide leads you through Lucca and talks with you as you go: it tells the story of the Roman forum under San Michele, of the amphitheatre that shaped the oval piazza and of the house where Puccini was born. It asks what you want to hear more about and remembers it at the next stop. You start it in your browser in front of 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 Pisa to Lucca day trip costs

The short regional train ride is a small part of the budget; most of the day's cost comes from the paid interiors and lunch. The default selection includes the cathedral, Puccini's Birthplace and San Frediano, and you save by seeing more places from the outside, since the walls, Via Fillungo and the squares are free anyway.

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 × €8.20€16.40
SightsPuccini's Birthplace (Casa Natale di Giacomo Puccini), Lucca Cathedral (single visit) and Basilica di San Frediano (interior)2 adults × €14€28
AI Tour Guide touronce for the whole group€19.99
Food (estimate)€15 to €25 per person€30 to €50
Total€94.39 to €114.39
Split between peopleabout €47.20 to €57.20 per person
Sights
  • €5
  • €5
  • €4
Buffer and private guide

Children up to 12 enter San Frediano free, and buying water at a supermarket rather than at cafés near the sights keeps the small costs down.

Prices as of October 2026.

Getting back from Lucca to Pisa

The way back is the same train in reverse: walk out through Porta San Pietro to the station and take a direct regional train to Pisa Centrale, about half an hour. Trains run regularly into the evening, so you can choose your train based on your energy rather than the timetable. Leave the last stop about half an hour before your train, which covers the walk to the station and some time on the platform.

If you run late, cut from the end: Torre Guinigi and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro can become a short look on your way to the station. If you miss the last train, there is one late-night Autolinee Toscane bus from Lucca station to Pisa station after midnight.

Recommended returnTrenitalia: departs 16:42, arrives 17:13Leave the last stop of the tour by 16:00

Latest return that fits the day: 21:13

  • Trenitalia from Lucca, Saturday to Sunday: departs 21:13, arrives 21:43
  • Trenitalia from Lucca, Monday to Friday: departs 21:42, arrives 22:13

Questions about the day trip from Pisa to Lucca

Can I see the Leaning Tower and Lucca on the same day?

Yes, if you keep Pisa short. Piazza dei Miracoli needs about an hour and a half to two hours; book a tower climb well ahead, then take the train to Lucca from Pisa San Rossore, close to the square. You will arrive later, so cut the end of the Lucca tour rather than rushing it.

Is there a dress code for the churches?

Cover shoulders and knees for the cathedral and San Frediano; a light scarf in your bag solves it.

Can I climb Torre Guinigi?

On this plan the walk ends outside the tower, because a climb runs on booked slots. If climbing it matters to you, book a slot (recommended on weekdays, required at weekends) and use the spare time at the end of the walk for it, or take the time from another stop.

Should I drive instead of taking the train?

There is no need. Traffic inside Lucca's walls is restricted, so you would park outside, for example at the Carducci car park, and walk in, while the train drops you just as close.

More day trips from Pisa

Florence in a day 1 h Siena in a day 2 h 7 min San Gimignano in a day 1 h 13 min

Sources

Timetables, fares and opening hours come from these operators:

  • FlixBus: timetable, as of 22 October 2026
  • Autolinee Toscane: timetable, as of 22 October 2026
  • Trenitalia: timetable, as of 22 October 2026
Image credits
AI Tour Guide
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