Lucca-favorite place to stay, restaurants and fun things to do

It's tiny, like really tiny. You don't need to do a ton of planning for one day, though I would make a dinner reservation (can't rec that as my trip was too long ago). The most popular activity is probably walking the city walls, which you can also do on bike. We enjoyed taking the bikes outside of the old town and riding along the Serchio river via the river park (you can see it's just north of the city).
I did not terribly enjoy my hotel, so I would recommend going to Booking.com and looking at options within the walls for your dates and see what looks promising. That rarely steers me wrong!

We really enjoyed the evening Puccini concert at the church of San Giovanni.

We had an absolutely fabulous dinner at Osteria da Pasquale. Reservations in advance are a must. We asked our server for suggestions and were so glad we did. (I am recommending this restaurant again even though the last time I did so someone gave me grief because the chef is from Naples. Apparently it wasn’t Luccan enough? However it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, and the service was wonderful too.)

We were in Lucca Nov. 2023 and stayed here:

https://apalazzobusdraghi.it/en/

It is the top recommendation in the RS guidebook. Small - maybe 10 rooms. Nicely furnished and helpful staff. You will want to take a cab from outside the train station, as it would be a rather long walk with luggage.

For a couple of days I wouldn't plan too much. Walk the walls or rent bikes or the group bike cab and circumnavigate the walls.
There are five climbable towers in town and there is a river path for biking and you can go as far as Pisa if you want to. September is traditionally the month the weather breaks so it may still be warm during the days.

Best local pizza experience - Pizzeria da Felice - always packed and spilling into the street outside with little quarter given to tourists. Run the way it always has been with pizza and cecina sold by weight. Try the cecina with the pepper when offered.
Probably better pizza but less of an experience is Itaco across town.

Best gelato; Ele (formally De' Coltelli) and Momo in either location. There are other good places but these are the best - ele for wacky combos and amazing fruit flavors.

Best sandwich place: Ciacco on P.za Napoleone. If there's a crowd waiting just check in with the person running the front and she'll get to you in order - just trust the system.

So many good restaurants - always safer to make a reservation if you really want to eat someplace specific. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is beautiful and worth wandering through at night but is for tourists not locals. If you want to make that scene Sotto Sotto has the respect of the locals so I'd eat there.

There are musical performances every night ranging from free to expensive opera all over town but especially in September. Check the various websites but also look at the fliers around town. The Grapevine magazine calendar is a good place to start: https://www.luccagrapevine.com/
Example schedule: https://www.luccagrapevine.com/february2025/WO.pdf
https://eventi.turismo.lucca.it/en/

A fun BnB with some slightly over the top rooms is La Boheme if that interests you. It's very much in the center of town.
https://www.boheme.it/en/

In Lucca, as in Italy, they respect the siesta and la domenica so expect closures in the middle of the afternoon and on Sunday with some places tacking on Monday as well. Plan accordingly.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

cathy, on your other thread I gave you the name of the hotel we are staying at in May: Hotel Palazzo Alexander
https://www.hotelpalazzoalexander.it/

And I also listed sightseeing activities.

Thank you! I now see that hotel rec!

Tod,
That B&B looks fun! It is now looking like we will get to Lucca Saturday night and stay until mid Monday unless I change things up. Will most things in Lucca be closed on Sunday? Thank you!

Cathy

Many things will be closed on Sunday but if you're only there for one full day I doubt this will affect you in any significant way. A cute shop or coffee place you wanted to try may closed but there are others. Actually given how Italian stores close up by rolling the door down you may never actually know the shop was evert there. And weekends are good times for festivals and other events - especially in September.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Cathy,
I would heartily second the Osteria da Pasquale recommendation, along with the necessity of a reservation. For another memorable experience consider Ristorante la Norma on Via S. Nicolao. Reservations a must there also.
I believe that Rick Steve's tour groups have stayed at Hotel la Luna, but I don't know if that is still the case.
Enjoy!

**Church of Santa Maria Foris Portam facade --- what's nice about church facades is that you can see them while you are walking around and at any time of day.

**San Salvatore in Mustolio facade

**Basilica San Frediano facade and interior art

**Cathedral of San Martino facade & interior
(inside=https://www.finestresullarte.info/en/works-and-artists/lucca-the-cathedral-of-san-martino-a-journey-through-architecture-painting-and-sculpture).
Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints by Ghirlandaio, Last Supper by Tintoretto. Also see the funerary monument of Ilaria del Carretto, by Jacopo della Quercia between 1406 and 1408. She was the wife of nobleman Paolo Guinigi of Lucca, and she died very young. She is sleeping on a catafalque in fancy clothes, with a dog at her feet and little angels holding garlands all around.

**** But if you can only see one church facade, see San Michele in Foro's INCREDIBLE sculptures --- this is one of my favorite Romanesque church facades in Italy.

We had a good lunch at Gigi.

If you're there on the 3rd Sunday of the month, you can browse the monthly antique market that weekend. I will also agree on La Bourke for hotel and Pasquale and Gigi for restaurants. Pasquale is only open for dinner. If you visit the Guinigi tower and need a break, Bistro Piqui is a nice coffee shop/bar.