We have the opportunity to stay free in Lucca while in Italy. Can we use that as home base and still go to Cinque terre? Are there other day trips around there we should do? I assume we need a car? Planning to go from there to Florence for a few days. Good plan? It's our first trip to Italy so any advice is appreciated!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
Linda,
NO, you don't need a car, as that brings up some other issues. Especially in the Cinque Terre, a car is virtually useless.
A day trip from Lucca to the C.T. is certainly possible by train. The travel time will be about two hours with two changes, depending on which train you decide to use (I used Monterosso as an arbitrary destination to check the times). If you want to maximize your time in the C.T., using a departure at 06:00 would get you there by 08:35, but you could also use a departure from Lucca at 08:42. NOTE that many of the trains on that route will be Regionale so you MUST validate your ticket prior to boarding the train on the day of travel or risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
Travel to Florence for a few days will also be very easy. Travel time is about 1.5 to 2 hours, and there are some direct (no changes) trains on that route (many are Regionale).
You could also take a day trip to Pisa to see La Famosa Torre. Travel time by train is about 30 minutes, but as I recall there's a bus from Lucca as well that has about the same travel time.
You can check all the rail travel details by using the Trenitalia website.
You might find it really helpful to pack along a copy of the Italy 2014 Guidebook as there's a LOT of good information there that will help with sightseeing, transportation, etc.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Atlanta
1005 posts
I love Lucca, and on a week-long stay there made a day trip to the CT by train. It's easy to do. What's frustrating for a day trip is that you probably will have to leave earlier for the return that you might want to. Considering that there are several connections to make on the way home, i.e., several opportunities to screw things up, you might not want to take the last train out. If you already have a free place to stay in Lucca, consider paying for an overnight in the CT so you can enjoy more of it without watching your watch all afternoon.
Florence and the CT are easiest by train, but it would be great to have a car for a few days to wander into more of Tuscany. You can't really park inside Lucca, but there are several city parking lots right outside the city gates.