The best beaches near Lucca: our top 7 (with map)

A handpicked selection of seven of the best beaches near Lucca, perfect to escape the heat. Best Lucca beaches you can reach by car or train.

Lucca is one of the prettiest towns in Tuscany.

This small, pretty town is famous for its stunning ancient walls, charming piazzas and a family-friendly city center; however, it gets hot in summer!

So hot, in fact, that you may want to leave the town and find solace on the beach occasionally.

Thankfully, Lucca is not far from the sea.

While the town itself is inland, Lucca is less than 1 hour from the coast and within easy distance to Versilia, a stretch of the Tuscan coast famous for having some of the most beautiful beaches in Italy.

Many of the most famous beaches in Tuscany are part of the province of Lucca and they offer seaside experiences to suit all needs.

Versilia is home to some of the most glamorous in the country, and beach clubs in the area often come with price tags that match this fame.

However, you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy a day on the beach near Lucca!

In this guide, we share our favorite seaside towns near Lucca you can reach by train or car and some tips to make the most of your day on the sand.

Whatever your style of travel is, we are sure you will find the perfect escape in this handpicked selection of the best beaches near Lucca.

First time on an Italian beach? Read also: Beach clubs in Italy: all you need to know.

The beach beaches near Lucca at a glance

Name of the beach/locality	Distance from Lucca	Car/train	Best for
Viareggio	30 mins	train	All
Marina di Pietrasanta	40 min	car	Upscale stays
Forte dei Marmi	40 min	car	Upscale stays
Marina di Massa	45 min	car	Families /all
Lido di Camaiore	40 mins	car	Families / all
Marina di Pisa	45 mins	car	Families / all
Donoratico	1h20 mins	car	Families / all

Map of the top beaches near Lucca, Tuscany

Top 7 beaches near Lucca for a day trip to the coast

Viareggio – the best beach near Lucca for train travelers

Viareggio is one of Italy’s best-known seaside resort towns and a trendy summer getaway with locals and foreigners alike.

Located in the north of Tuscany, Viareggio used to be Lucca’s port, and it still is the closest beach to Lucca’s town center.

You can get from Lucca to Viareggio in as little as half an hour, and you can come by car, train or bus, making it one of the most accessible beaches and one of the best day trips from Lucca.

Viareggio is blessed with large, long sandy beaches and a beautiful town center with Liberty-style architecture unique in the area.

This mix of elegant architecture and beaches has made Viareggio a trendy hangout for glamorous crowds, which means that the prices you find here are higher than in other parts of Tuscany.

However, there is no doubt that Viareggio is exceptionally pleasant and has some of the best beaches near Lucca.

Depending on your budget, you can spend the day in one of the town’s upscale beach resorts or take the promenade to the edge of town, where you can find the Spiaggia Libera, the free beach.

Among the best beaches in Viareggio, there are:

Passeggiata: the area of passeggiata, aka Viareggio’s promenade, is the most popular with visitors.

Here you have a wonderful sandy beach and excellent beach clubs, and you find yourself close to Viargeggio’s beautiful hotels and shops.

This is the perfect spot if you want to mix a day on the beach with high-end shopping.

The passeggiata area is one of the most family-friendly beaches near Lucca: many beach clubs here have kids’ play areas, and the sand degrades gently, making this area safe for beginner swimmers.

If you are in Lucca with kids and want a beach day, Viareggio is great.

La Darsena: Viareggio’s locals favorite beach, close to the historical center of Viareggio.

Here, you find beach clubs and free stretches of sand (Spiaggia Libera).

La Darsena is large and sandy, full of clubs, sport pitches restaurants and cafes and also has the occasional stretch of free beach, which you reach by walking to the end of the beach club area.

La Terrazza: La terrazza the area of Viareggio closest to Lido di Camaiore and a place where you find beautiful, elegant and relaxing beach clubs.

There is no free beach in this area to speak of: this beach is best if you want a relaxing, upscale experience in an exclusive setting and don’t mind paying top prices for it.

La Lecciona: La Lecciona is a wonderful beach near Lucca, and one of the least built up.

La Lecciona stretches for several kilometers between Viareggio and Torre del Lago, immediately to the south of the town and has several areas attracting different types of visitors, including clothing-optional stretches.

Viareggio is also the beat beach near Lucca if you don’t have a car since it is well connected to Lucca by train.

If you are not familiar with rail travel, read here >>> our guide to train travel in Italy

Lido di Camaiore – one of the best beaches near Lucca for families

If you are in Lucca with kids and you’re looking for a great one-day escape, Lido di Camaiore is perfect!

Lido di Camaiore is immediately north of Viareggio and one of the best beaches near Lucca for families with kids, both small and teenagers.

Blessed with long, sandy beaches, Lido di Camaiore has gently degrading beaches and shallow waters that make it perfect for beginner swimmers and children, who find here clear waters, soft sand and well-equipped beach clubs.

However, the town also has many entertainment facilities and a lively nightlife that make it fun also for older kids and teens, who can make the most of the long summer evenings in this fun seaside resort.

Lido di Camaiore has a lovely seaside promenade called Viale Europa. It is famous for afternoon and evening walks thanks to its many restaurants and lounges and hosts a weekly market in summer.

Something unique about Lido di Camaiore is the cycling path that connects it with Marina di Pietrasanta.

The greenways are a fun way to get around and one more thing that makes this town suitable for families who want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of big cities and traffic.

As well as beach clubs, Lido di Camaiore has nice stretches of free beach, which the municipality has equipped with particular attention to the needs of families.

A lovely one is near Piazza Lemmetti, great for families thanks to some shaded areas offering solace from the relentless sun.

Heading to Italy with kids? Join our free Facebook Group Travel Italy with kids for first-hand info and tips from like-minded parents who love Italy!

Marina di Pietrasanta – one of the best beaches near Lucca for an upscale experience

Marina di Pietrasanta is one of the most exclusive localities in Versilia and one of the best beaches near Lucca if you want an upscale experience and have the budget to afford it.

Found to be ‘the most expensive beach in Italy in 2022’, according to a recent survey, Marina di Pietrasanta is wonderful and exclusive.

Marina di Pietrasanta covers several localities, some close to the coast and leafy, residential areas and for a day at the beach is the locality of Tonfano.

This is the part of town closest losest to the sea, where you find a small and pretty town center, restaurants and the beach clubs.

Here is also where you find a lovely pier, iconic to the area and one of the symbols of Versilia.

The beaches in Marina di Pietrasanta are large and sandy.

You can choose between over 100 beach clubs, or you can opt for the free beach.

The free beach in Marina di Pietrasanta is called Spiaggia Libera di Motrone, and it is lovely.

While free, the municipality has equipped with showers and facilities so you can have a comfortable experience without breaking the bank.

Marina di Pietrasanta is one of the most famous localities in Versilia for nightlife, with upscale clubs that make it one of the best beaches near Lucca if you are looking to party with the VIPs.

The best way to get to Marina di Pietrasanta from Lucca is by car.

Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is one of the most famous and elegant localities in Versilia and home to some of the most expensive beach clubs in Tuscany and beyond.

Forte de’ Marmi has become fashionable in the 60s and has been a trend-setting, jet-setting destination ever since, attracting incredibly wealthy foreigners who vacation here in their over-the-top villas and yachts.

In terms of beaches, Forte de’ Marmi has upscale beach clubs that match the requirements of the town’s demanding summer dwellers and some free beach areas that are beautiful and less exclusive.

Worth knowing is the presence of the free beach in Via Apuana, which has lovely dunes and is WWF nature reserve.

The best way to get to Forte dei Marmi from Lucca is by car.

Marina di Massa

Marina di Massa is one of the best beaches in Tuscany for families and a lovely place for a day on the beach from Lucca or even Florence.

Marina di Massa has extensive sandy beaches and shallow waters in the northernmost stretch of Tuscany.

It is also blessed by the presence of pine trees that offer welcome shelter to the heat of the summer.

Marina di Massa has many beaches that include both beach clubs and free stretches.

Among the best free beaches in Marina di Massa there is La Partaccia, with showers, a volleyball pitch and a small umbrella pine forest nearby.

Great beaches are also Bad Kissinger, Poberomo and Trabucco, towards the southern part of the town

Marina di Pisa

Marina di Pisa is one of the best beaches near Florence as well as Lucca, and it is a popular seaside getaway for the weekend when it fills with day-trippers and weekend trippers escaping the city.

The beach in Marina di Pisa has a mix of small pebbled and sand lapped by shallow water, gently degrading into the sea, making it popular with families with kids especially.

Unlike the beaches in Lido di Camaiore and further north, the beach here is smaller and the water here is not always see-through.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the water is dirty; several stretches of the coast have the blue flag awarded to localities with clean waters; however, virtually the water looks darker and murkier than elsewhere in Tuscany.

The best way to get to Marina di Pisa from Lucca is the car.

Donoratico area

Donoratico is a locality in central Tuscany with some of the best family-friendly beaches in Tuscany.

It is a little further from Lucca than other beaches in this article; however, it is a delightful place for a day on the sand and works well for a beach day from Lucca or if you are driving from Lucca to Southern Tuscany, Monte Argentario or even Rome and want a break.

In Donoratico, you find many campsites, tourist infrastructures, and long stretch of golden sands for free and equipped with beach clubs.

The presence of accommodation facilities and shallow, clean waters make the beaches of Donoratico among the most family-friendly in Tuscany and a fantastic place for a day trip from Lucca in the sand.

The area is famous for the stunning Golfo di Baratti, with beautiful sandy beaches and lovely vegetation, including a beautiful pineta (umbrella pine forest).

However, our favorite beach in the area is the free beach Carbonifera, a little further south but still in the area (in the photo, the little one is my daughter!): this is the best free beach near Lucca for golden sand, clean waters and a relaxed atmosphere.

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of the best beaches near Lucca and it helps you find one that suits you and your vacation plans.

Safe travels!

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