# Day Trips & Tours from Lucca, Italy, by Train or Car | Doorways > Pisa, Florence, the Garfagnana mountains and the Versilia coast, twelve unforgettable day trips from a Lucca villa base, with drive times and tips. Source: https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/lucca-day-trips/ Travel Guide · Day Trip Ideas # Day Trips and Tours from Lucca, Italy [Day Trip Ideas](https://villavacations.com/category/day-trip-ideas/) By Kit Burns · June 1, 2026 ![Day Trips and Tours from Lucca, Italy](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-hero.webp) The best day trips and tours from [Lucca](https://villavacations.com/destinations/lucca/), Italy, are [Florence](https://villavacations.com/destinations/florence/) and Pisa by train, the Cinque Terre by boat, [Siena](https://villavacations.com/destinations/siena/), Volterra and [San Gimignano](https://villavacations.com/destinations/siena/), the marble quarries of Carrara, the historic villas around Lucca, and the Devil’s Bridge and Barga in the Serchio Valley. A villa near Lucca makes an ideal base for all of them. Here are our 10 favorite day trips from Lucca. ## Day trips from Lucca by train Lucca’s station is a five-minute walk from the city walls. Trains reach Pisa in 20 to 30 minutes and Florence in about an hour and 20 minutes, so both are easy days without a car. For the Cinque Terre, Siena, Volterra and the hill towns, a car or a private driver is much simpler, and several of our villas can arrange one. ## Tours from Lucca, Italy For a first look at the city, a private walk with a local historian covers the walls, the cathedral of San Martino and the view from the Guinigi Tower. Beyond Lucca, we arrange private guides and drivers for Florence, Pisa, the Cinque Terre and wine tastings in the [Colline Lucchesi](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/lucca-wine-country/), so you can enjoy the day without worrying about trains or parking. Private tours with Context Travel A private walk through Lucca with a historian The walls, the towers and the piazzas of the old town with a local expert, the best way to start a week near Lucca. ![Introduction to Lucca Tour with Guinigi Tower](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/eod-context-lucca-introduction-to-lucca.jpg) From $77 per person Half day · private ### Introduction to Lucca Tour with Guinigi Tower A walk inside the Renaissance walls with a local historian — the cathedral, the amphitheatre piazza built into the Roman ruin, the Guinigi Tower with the oak trees on top. Private, priced per group: $415 for 2, about $77 per person for 12. Book this experience [See all 1 private tours in Lucca →](https://villavacations.com/experiences/lucca/) ## Ride a bike along the walls of Lucca ![biking-lucca-walls-lucca-italy-2.jpg](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-body-01.webp) Visit or avoid the flea market Sunday mornings near the beach in Viareggio. Spend the balance of the day in Lucca. Rent bicycles at the tourist office to ride on the city walls and the car-free streets inside the walls. ## Take the Train to Florence ![florence-tuscany-2.jpg](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-body-02.webp) Take the train from Lucca or drive (park at the airport to take the airport shuttle). Reserve in advance to visit the Uffizi in the afternoon. Walk around the center from the Duomo, visiting the Baptistry, Giotto's Tower, Opera del Duomo Museum and have lunch at Sasso di Danti next to the Duomo. On to Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Signoria and the Uffizi. Dine at night in Lucca at Buca di Sant' Antonio. ## Walk the Cinque Terre ![cinque-terre-coast-liguria-italy-alt-2.jpg](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-body-03.webp) Start early to drive to Lerici to catch the hourly boat across the beautiful Gulf of the Poets to Portovenere and up the spectacular coast. Hop off at Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the 5 fishing villages, and walk north from village to village (non-walkers can stay on the boat to Portofino for a beautiful ride). The first section, the Via d'Amore, can be done by anyone in sneakers. Only the last section requires hiking boots. Walk as many villages as you wish, stopping to swim, or enjoy lunch by the sea. Return by boat to Lerici. ## Lunch in Siena ![skyline-at-sunset-siena-italy-2_0.jpg](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-body-04.webp) Travel to Siena and visit the Cathedral. Follow any of the winding brick alleys to the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo to relax and enjoy the scene as you imagine the spectacle of the Palio that takes place here in July and August. Lunch in Siena. Enjoy gelato on the Campo. Stop at another tiny hill town, Monteriggioni, and stop at Vinci to see working models of Leonardo's inventions. ## Climb the Leaning Tower ![leaning-tower-of-pisa-pisa-italy-2.jpg](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-body-05.webp) Visit Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli to see the Leaning Tower and the Cathedral. If you are hungry, stop at Il Segreto di Pulcinella to try their delicious pizza with mushrooms and pumpkin. Spend the balance of the day at the beach at Lido di Camaiore or Forte dei Marmi in season or drive south to Livorno. On the way home, treat yourself to a European experience by taking the waters at a spa, Bagni di Pisa, located on the state road between Lucca and Pisa, or take a cooking class. ## Michelangelo’s Marble ![carrara-marble-quarry-carrara-italy-b-2.jpg](https://villavacations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/exploring-tuscany-day-trips-lucca-area-body-06.webp) Drive north up the coast to Carrara to see the quarries where Michelangelo got his pure white marble. If you adore fish, drive on to Tellaro, just south of Lerici and dine at the Locanda Miranda for a fabulous fish lunch. Stop at the famous village for sculpture, Pietrasanta on the way home. Explore the Lunigiana and the Magra River Valley and visit the Fortress of Aulla. ## Tour Historic Villas Tour the magnificent villas and gardens in hills around Lucca. Near Marlia, 5 km north of Lucca, are Villa Mansi and Villa Reale (which has hourly guided garden tours except Monday) and Villa Torrigiani, east of Lucca. Then do nothing! Dolce far niente. ## Volterra & San Gimignano Head south to Volterra, one of our favorite hill towns in Italy! Shop for alabaster gifts and visit the Etruscan museum & the Museo Giarnacci. Continue to San Gimignano to see the famous skyline, enjoy a local specialty, cinghiale (wild boar), for lunch, and walk all the way around the fountain in the Piazza della Cisterna to ensure your return. To avoid crowds, visit Massa Marittima instead of San Gimignano during the day and visit San Gimignano at night. ## Devil’s Bridge, Barga & Pinocchio Shop, visit the churches, amphitheatre and continue north to the Garfagnana Mountains. Be sure to see the Devil's Bridge on the way to visit the charming Etruscan town, Barga. If you have kids, visit the Parco di Pinocchio in Collodi. Spa lovers could enjoy another good spa about 45 minutes east of Lucca called Grotta Giusti close to the Montecatini exit on the Autostrada A11 or visit Montecatini both the village and the upper town by funicular or just go to the beach. ## Designer Shopping Shop at the Prada outlet in Montevarchi, and all the other designer outlets like Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana in nearby San Giovanni Val d'Arno (in the Valley of the Arno) south of Florence. Non-shoppers could see instead Piero della Francesca’s in Arezzo, Monterchi, and San Sepolcro and join up with the shoppers later on. Before you Leave Revisit the places you loved the most or to see something you missed. Reflect on all you've done and save the rest for next time. Arrivederci! ## More from our Lucca guides - [Where to Stay in Lucca: Inside the Walls or a Villa in the Hills](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/where-to-stay-in-lucca/) - [The Best Time to Visit Lucca, Month by Month](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/best-time-to-visit-lucca/) - [What to Eat in Lucca, and Where We Eat](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/what-to-eat-in-lucca/) - [Puccini’s Lucca: Nightly Concerts, His Birthplace and the Lake Festival](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/puccini-lucca/) - [The Historic Villas and Gardens of Lucca](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/villas-and-gardens-of-lucca/) - [Lucca Wine Country: The Colline Lucchesi and Montecarlo](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/lucca-wine-country/) - [The Garfagnana and Serchio Valley: Lucca’s Wild Back Country](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/garfagnana-serchio-valley/) - [8 Reasons You Should Not Miss Lucca](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/why-visit-lucca/) - [The 10 Best Activities for Kids in Lucca](https://villavacations.com/travel-guide/best-activities-for-kids-in-lucca/) - [Lucca villas and destination guide](https://villavacations.com/destinations/lucca/) Planning a trip to Italy? Add Doorways as a preferred source on Google, so our new guides are more likely to show up when you search. [Add us on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=villavacations.com) Stay in ## Hand-selected villas in *Lucca* Lucca ### Borgo Bernardini 12 Beds·12 Baths·24 Guests Lucca ### Casa Del Fattore 8 Beds·10 Baths·15 Guests Lucca ### Casa Felice Matteucci 7 Beds·7.5 Baths·14 Guests [Browse All Villas](https://villavacations.com/villas/?destination=Lucca) About the author ### Kit Burns Kit Burns is a contributing editor at Doorways. A long-time guidebook writer with deep ties across Italy, Kit covers the practical side of a villa week — the restaurants, the day trips, the places worth driving an hour for. He travels with a notebook, a paper map, and very little else. Travel Guide ## More *stories* Day Trip Ideas · October 28, 2026 ### Day Trips from Siena: Val d’Orcia, the Crete Senesi and the Towers of San Gimignano Day Trip Ideas · October 26, 2026 ### The Garfagnana and Serchio Valley: Lucca’s Wild Back Country Day Trip Ideas · June 1, 2026 ### Day Trips from Amalfi Town and the Amalfi Coast --- Doorways Villa Vacations, Italian villa specialists since 1994. Book through a travel advisor: https://villavacations.com/contact-us/