I'm trying to book timed entry tickets for Guinigi Tower and the clock tower, but can't seem to do it online. I keep running across information about the Lucca Visit Card. My question is, if I get a Lucca Visit Card that includes both of the sights, can I climb the towers anytime I want or do I still need a timed entry? I'll be there June 2 (which is a national holiday) and June 3 so I'm trying to plan in advance.
Thanks for any insights you can share!
Teri
“ I'm trying to book timed entry tickets for Guinigi Tower and the clock tower, but can't seem to do it online”
You can do it online, but not this far in advance. Right now, you can only book entry tickets for the Guinigi Tower for the month of April.
I believe this is the website for pre-ordering individual tickets for the towers.
https://cultura.comune.lucca.it/#biglietteria
The actual ordering pages are in Italian (Can't find a tab in English; have I missed it?) but just use an online translation tool. Tickets look to cost €8.00 per adult for each tower - which is quite a lot less expensive than the card, if wishing only to see these two attractions - and do involve a timed-entry choice at time of purchase. As mentiond above, tickets are currently only available through April.
The page for pre-purchasing the card does't appear to require booking timed entries for either tower: It's probably be just as easy to purchase it in Lucca. You could contact a Tourist Information Point with your question about the card just to be sure?
https://www.turismo.lucca.it/en/information/Lucca-information-point/
Thank you for your responses. I'll probably end up going to the TI to learn more.
How necessary is it to prebook? We just went there first thing in the morning, grabbed breakfast across the road and waited a few minutes for it to open.
That was also our experience years ago, but that was pre-pandemic, before timed entry was a thing.
Did you end up booking them individually or just used the lucca card? I'm trying to figure this out as well. Thanks!
We were in Lucca June 2 - 4 and we were able to get tickets for the Guinigi tower on the spot. The space at the top of the tower is definitely limited so I can see how it could be a problem, but it worked out just fine for us. If you were to get your tickets and be told to wait for entry, you would be able to find plenty of other things to do and see while you wait. Lucca is so small that there’s always something just around the corner. (We never climbed the clock tower.)
Have fun!
Thanks for the update, we'll be in Lucca in October for a day. Are there any other sites in town that you recommend?
There are four or five different towers to climb, so that's always fun. The Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is a great place to look around, and get food or a drink. A lot of people enjoy renting bikes and riding on the ramparts. I think it's about a 2.5 mile loop. (We walked it instead of biking.) There are nicer stores than the usual touristy type. Decent clothing, shoes, and nice gifts. Just roam around the narrow roads and enjoy!
