My husband and I are traveling to Italy on October. We will be flying into Florence and staying for four nights. We do not want to make the Florence portion of our trip shorter as we are meeting friends in Florence for those four days. We will then travel (just the two of us) to Lucca by train for two nights and take the train (with connections) to Cinque Terre for two nights. Our trip will end by taking the train back to Florence for one night before flying home the following morning. A total of nine nights in Italy. Do you have any advice on what to do in Lucca? Is this a good place to visit in the middle of our trip? Is it too short a stay in Lucca and CT?
Posted by
New England
790 posts
Everyone has a different travel rhythm but for me that would be too much moving around. If I had 9 nights in October, I’d base in Florence or maybe split my nights between Florence and Siena. That way you can experience the early-morning and later-evening magic of these two popular day-tripper destinations when the day trippers aren’t there. It makes a big difference!
If you base wholly in Florence, there’s plenty to see and do in the city, plus you could do day trips to Prato, Siena, Chianti county (Radda for example), Lucca if desired (see below), or Bologna (less than an hour by fast Frecciarossa train).
When in October? I ask because Lucca hosts Europe’s largest comics convention every year at the end of October and I’ve read that setup starts weeks in advance, so the piazzas are taken over by the erection of huge white tents which detracts from the charm and beauty of the centro storico.
I can’t speak to visiting the Cinque Terre in October — if you get advice that it’s worth doing, then I’d advocate for basing 2/3 of your nights in Florence and 1/3 of your nights in the CT. You are smart with your plan to stay in Florence the night before your flight home presumably from FLR.
Posted by
Calgary, AB, Canada
688 posts
I don't think it is too short a time for either. Lucca is a lovely town to explore. We have rented bikes and riden around the town on the wall. Just wandering and getting lost is nice too ( make sure you know how to find your hotel). Last time we were able to get to a Puccini concert at Basilica San Giovanni, which is a lovely church even if you don't love Puccini. I would stay inside the walls. I think you will find it very relaxing after Florence.
Regarding the event in October, we were there in October 2022, and while they were starting to set up, it in no way impacted us. We also went to CT that October and it was fabulous, great weather.
Posted by
New England
790 posts
Lisa, good to know, and reassuring!
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much for your advice and tips. This will be our second trip to Florence, so I don’t want to use it as our home base. We are mostly going there to visit our friends and then added on a few extra stops before heading home. I’ll hope for good weather in CT!
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1707 posts
Wherever you decide to stay keep in mind that 2 nights somewhere is only 1 full day sandwiched by packing, checking out, transit, checking in and unpacking. Florence to Lucca and Lucca to La Spezia are both about 1.5 hours so the travel time isn't bad. But make sure you're getting enough time in wherever so you remember Italy rather than logistics and train stations of Italy.
Everyone's pace and interests are different - just my $.02 - have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
Portland, OR
69 posts
Lucca is a very sweet little town, the fortified walls have a lovely walking/biking path all the way around and it's I believe about 2 miles to walk the entire perimeter. The town inside the walls is lovely with lots of shopping, restaurants and music venues. We went to a concert one night and it was lovely. I would stay inside the walls in the old town to get the most of your two nights. The train station is a short walk away. Enjoy your time and happy travels!
Posted by
Portland, OR
69 posts
As mentioned by another person on this post, Lucca is hosting a Comic Con event in October, it might not be the best place to stay in lieu of that information. I am taking a Rick Steves tour in late October/early November and we are staying in Volterra on tour due to the convention in Lucca.
Posted by
New York
339 posts
Lucca Comics and Games is from October 29 to November 2 this year. Extremely crowded during that time, but before that is fine.
Posted by
Washington State
433 posts
Because you are traveling in October, this may not apply…but…just FYI. We traveled to Lucca last week, from Venezia and connecting in Florence. An additional train track is being added between Florence SMN and Lucca. Our tickets, even when validated online, showed Lucca as our destination, but our regionale train stopped and emptied in Pistoia. We had to move to a bus, drive a short distance to Montecatini Terme, where we boarded another train to Lucca. So many people were very confused as there was no advanced warning. Hopefully this track work will be completed by the time of your trip.