Lucca Day Trip from Florence: Private Pisa and Lucca Day Trip

Stop by Stop

The day starts at your hotel door, which removes the walk to a coach meeting point. Pisa comes first, and you explore the Piazza dei Miracoli and the city's streets at your pace with the driver on hand. No fixed time in Pisa is set, so you are not tied to a coach schedule.

After Pisa you drive on to Lucca, where the free time covers the Guinigi Tower, the Cathedral of San Martino and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, plus the gardens including the botanical garden. Again, no exact number of hours is stated for Lucca, only that the day splits between the two towns. The final stop is drop-off back at your Florence hotel. One practical note: because no split is fixed, ask the driver at pickup how they divide the day if you have a fixed plan such as a booked tower slot.

Included and Excluded

The inclusions are about the ride, not the sights: private transportation, bottled water, WiFi on board and the air-conditioned Mercedes itself. Pickup and drop-off at your Florence hotel are part of the service. There is no licensed guide walking you around the sights in Pisa or Lucca, and no entrance tickets of any kind come with the price.

The exclusions are the three things you pay for yourself: lunch, alcoholic drinks and the Leaning Tower ticket. if you get inside Pisa Cathedral is not stated in the listing, so treat it as something to arrange on your own. The upside of buying nothing ahead is flexibility: you can pick the tower slot and the lunch table that suit your day.

The Stated Limits

Children under 8 cannot climb the Leaning Tower, and this trip does not include the climb anyway, so families should decide early whether the tower matters. Wheelchair users are not suited to this trip. The Pisa Cathedral is a place of worship, so dress appropriately if you go inside. The day runs 8 hours with road time counted inside, which is a long stretch for small children or anyone who dislikes road time.

The two other honest catches: the tower ticket and lunch are not in the $276.57, and the free time in both towns is unstructured, which some travellers find too loose. If you want a fixed schedule with a guide, look elsewhere.

• Not for children under 8 hoping to climb the tower. The Half-Day Pisa Tour by Coach has the same tower age rule, so pick a day that skips the climb.
• Not for wheelchair users. The listing says it is not suitable, so plan independently.
• Short on time? The Private Half-Day Trip to Pisa does Pisa alone in 4.5 hours.
• On a budget? The Pisa and Lucca Day Trip by Coach is $65 per person for 9 hours with optional guided walks.
• Only Pisa matters? Browse the half-day options in Florence to Pisa tours.

Tower Ticket and Slot

The Leaning Tower ticket costs €20 per person with no reduced rate. It is valid only on the date and time printed on it, so you pick a slot when you buy, which is exactly what makes this private day useful: choose the hour that fits your own Lucca timing. Arrive 15 minutes before your slot, because late arrivals are refused entry with no refund.

You can change the time, not the date, or cancel up to 2 hours before your chosen slot. The climb is 251 steps on an uneven, slippery floor and takes about 30 minutes, and it is not recommended for people with cardiovascular or muscular disorders. Children who will not have turned 8 by the end of the year cannot climb, visitors under 18 must be with an adult and may be asked for ID.

If your time sells out online, try a later slot or the on-site ticket offices, which open 30 minutes before the monuments.

Bags, Cathedral and the Rest of the Square

Bags and luggage must be left in the free cloakroom before the tower, though small bags up to 20x30x38 cm go up with you. Any ticket includes a free Cathedral pass with no fixed time, and children under 11 with an adult enter the Cathedral free. The Cathedral is a place of worship, so dress and behave appropriately.

Beyond the tower, the Baptistery, Camposanto, Sinopie Museum and Opera del Duomo Museum fill out the square, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987. From 13 November to 20 December the monuments open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and the Cathedral 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, but hours shift on Sundays and for ceremonies, so check the official timetable for your date. In summer the Camposanto and the Tower stay open until 10:00 pm.

Wear comfortable shoes for the stone square, and remember summer heat on an open piazza: bring water, a hat and sun protection.