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Self-guided Bike ride Lucca to Pisa - Has anyone done this?

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Hello,
We are headed to Rome/Florence/Venice for three weeks in May/June. Of our 7 days in Florence we wanted to take a day trip to Pisa/Lucca. The tourist centre in Lucca rents e-bikes and has a self-guided route to Pisa (approx. a 3 hour ride). I thought this would be a great opportunity to get some exercise (with the security of the “e” function if we have difficulty!) and to get out in the Tuscan countryside. The option to take the train back from Pisa is also attractive.

Has anyone done this or heard anything about it? Does this seem worth it to do as a way to experience the Tuscan countryside? For some reason I thought the train went from Florence to Lucca to Pisa but now I understand that it goes through Pisa. So we’d be doubling back….returning bikes to Lucca by train and then back on the train through Pisa to Florence; maybe that’s bonkers from a planning perspective. Looks like it would add about 50-60 mins to the day overall. However, we won’t be in a rush so maybe it doesn’t matter.

Any advice welcome! Thank you!!
(P.S. it’s out first trip to Italy, my husband and I are travelling with our university age daughter and we are all casual bikers.)

Posted by
4445 posts

If you don't want to deal with returning with the bike on the train, you could just ride along the river just outside Lucca and double back. We did that one day and it was pleasant, though getting from old town to the park where the river path begins was hairy--make sure you have good directions.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks so much for your reply! I like this suggestion. We could get off the train at Pisa, then later carry on to Lucca and rent the bikes to ride along the wall. If the weather is good and we have the energy available, we could then make our way to the river. I will bear in mind your comment about the way to the river being a bit hairy….i appreciate you mentioning that. It might be that the stop in Pisa and cycling along the wall (with some stops in the city centre) will be enough for us in any event!

Posted by
4445 posts

It was likely user error, lol. We are both bike commuters at home, but we ended up on a short stretch of road with little shoulder. Once you get to the park though, it is smooth sailing and a lovely way to spend a nice day. The wall ride takes just minutes, though it is fun for the views.
When you zoom in on Google Maps, you can see the Serchio just north of Lucca, and the green area is a large park complex where you access the trail.

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