Hello, we will most likely be flying into PSA airport, and spending 3-4 days around florence and lucca. What I am trying to collect more information on, is whether it is better to use Lucca as a base or Florence. Any input or feedback would be appreciated. Thanks,
Jason
A base to visit which places? It depends on what you want to visit from that base.
To visit space, the best base would be Cape Canaveral, for example.
Have you been to Italy before? If not, I would base myself in Florence and visit Lucca as a day trip.
Lucca is in the far west of Tuscany so not as good base for Tuscany as Florence. You should, however, visit Lucca. With only four days you could do a night in Lucca and three in Florence, but the city really needs all three days with no time for day trips.
Jason,
My two cents worth: If you are visiting Florence for the first time, I'd stay there. The city deserves 3-4 days for a proper exploration. Lucca, at least the part within the walls, can be managed in a day or two. If the purpose of the trip is to see as much of the region as possible, I would stay in Lucca. It is cheaper than Florence, and there is plenty to see around there. Montecatini is a great place to spend a several hours, and if you're a Puccini fan, Torre del Lago Puccini west of Lucca is interesting, as well as the Puccini museum in Lucca. Florence is an easy, short train ride from Lucca. While in Lucca, be sure to try Osteria da Pasqualino. Reserve ahead of time.
As Roberto said, it depends a lot on what other places you want to see from your base. It also may depend on whether you have a car or are using public transportation. With a car I may not base in Florence, but if using trains/buses Florence is a better transportation hub for the area.
From Lucca to Florence takes a minimum of 79 minutes by train, plus whatever time is necessary to get to and from the train stations. I wouldn't want to base in Lucca and make multiple trips to Florence (or through Florence, which would be necessary for many Tuscan destinations) if I didn't have a car--and I never have a car, so I don't know how well it would work even with your own transportation. It really does depend on what places you want to see. If unsure, I'd go with the transportation hub, Florence, to keep my options open.
Thanks all for your input! It was all very helpful. I am most likely going to stay within Florence because it sounds like it is more of a transport hub. Also, we've never been to Tuscany before, so I do think it makes more sense to stay in Florence as we will most likely be going into Florence at least a couple of days. Thanks again,
Jason
Florence is amazing. You will likely spend most of your 3-4 in Florence. Lucca is nice, but we did it in half a day.
Sienna is a good city to visit. If you have time to go there, it would be my choice over Lucca.
