Alright, so, here are all the top THINGS TO DO while you are exploring the charming town of Lucca. Located just 20 minutes from the tourist attraction town of Pisa, this adorable town has so much to offer. We stayed for a long weekend and it was the perfect mix of exploring, food, relaxing and culture. If you’ve got the time, here are a few things I suggest making a priority to see.
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Guinigi Tower is “the tower” with trees on top: It measures 45 meters high and is a whopping 232 steps to the top.
This Medieval tower was built in the second half of the 14th century and is a symbolic icon of the city of Lucca. Among the medieval towers of the city (within the walls there were about 200 towers and tower-houses) Torre Guinigi is the only one that belonged to private families not to have collapsed, cut off, or demolished by the sixteenth century. You can climb all the way to the top for the most AMAZING panoramic view of the entire city!
Because of Covid regulations – book tickets in advance here.
Botanical gardens: Buy tickets in advance here. It was fun to walk around and see all the different plants, giant trees, little pond with frogs and lilypads- but it wasn’t exactly exciting (for us). If I were to plan a do-over trip, I would omit this and spend an hour elsewhere.
Anfiteatro: In medieval times, town meetings took place here. It is a great place to stop and grab lunch or a spritz. Our Airbnb had a window that opened to it and it was fun people watching or listening to the chatter happening during dinner hours before curfew. Definitely the place to hang out, people watch or to enjoy an espresso or a spirtz.
Walk/Bike Around the walls of Lucca. It is a 4km circular route with amazing views, parks, little cafes, tons of trees, benches etc. We rented a double bike that was 12euro an hour. It only took us an hour to bike around with a playground and a few spritz stops. (I’d say, with Chad and I pedaling and Presley sitting in the front it took approximately 20 minutes to do an entire lap)
Chiesa e Battistero di San Giovanni e Santa Reparata: Pay to visit the church/museum with ruins underneath and a golden ceiling. You can also attend a Puccini e la sua Lucca concert/recital here on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights at 7pm. Tickets available here. This might have been my favorite aspect of Lucca – absoutely incredibly to go below the church to see the ruins.
Where to stay:
If you stay within the walls of Lucca, it is 95% a ZTL zone so you will not be able to drive there. Keep that in mind while you are looking for a place. We stayed at THIS Airbnb and it was perfect for our little family of 3. With a gorgeous view into the Antifeatre, a loft bed, hammock and self check in features – it’s definitely a win in my book. Extra perk – the host was incredible and had a giant list of things to do, favorite restaurants, etc. She even called to make our dinner reservations so I didn’t have to.
PARKING:
There isn’t enough paid parking in Lucca, you can try HERE for parking. Chad dropped us off as we couldn’t drive to our actual Airbnb and then was lucky and found a WHITE (free) parking spot that we snagged for the entire weekend outside of the city walls.
WHERE TO EAT:
Ristorante La Parte degli Angeli – The Angels Share
We had a reservation, made it right on time & hands down one of the best dinners I’ve had in a long time. I literally cleaned my plate. Pricing was appropriate, the wine they paired for us was divine & the ambience was great. We felt a few rain drops but otherwise stayed dry.
Other highly suggested Dinner spots: Bistrot Paris Boheme (cash only), The Olivo, Gli Orti da Via Elisa (kid friendly) and Ginos Bistrot.
Things to do outside of Lucca:
Go visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Stop by the Roman Aquaduct
Visit the Tree of the Witches
See more on my Instagram highlight for “Pisa” right here. Headed to Lucca? I’ve got all these stops (and more) PINNED right here for you to use to easily navigate your way around to all the sites!
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