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Routes · Europe

Shanghai to Lucca and Pisa

Shanghai → Lucca → Pisa

Lucca
"02 Lucca seen from Torre Guinigi.jpg" by Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Italy - Pisa (Pisa)
Photo: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons

Walled-town cycling & the Leaning Tower Best season (general guide): Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

Lucca and Pisa are close neighbours in north-west Tuscany, one quiet and walled, the other home to a world-famous tower. This route spends four nights in Lucca and two in Pisa. From Shanghai you'll connect via a European hub to Pisa. Lucca is ringed by Renaissance walls, now a park with a tree-lined path on top where locals walk and cycle.

How to pace it: Spend days one to four in Lucca: day one, train from Pisa airport; day two, cycle the walls; day three, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and towers; day four, Puccini's town. Then spend days five and six in Pisa: day five, train to Pisa; day six, Piazza dei Miracoli.

Inside, the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro follows the oval of a Roman amphitheatre, and the Guinigi Tower has trees growing on its roof. The composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca, and concerts of his music are held in the town. Pisa's Piazza del Duomo, listed by UNESCO, brings together the cathedral, the baptistery, the cemetery and the Leaning Tower, which tilts because of soft ground.

Climbing the tower is by timed ticket. Spring and early autumn are the best seasons. Construction of the Leaning Tower began in 1173, and it started to lean during construction because of soft ground on one side. Engineers stabilised the tower between 1990 and 2001, reducing its tilt, and it reopened to visitors afterwards.

Lucca's walls are around four kilometres long and were never needed in a war. The Torre Guinigi is topped by holm oak trees. Pisa's Galileo Galilei was born in the city, and the university where he studied is one of the oldest in Italy. Lucca's buccellato, a sweet bread with raisins and aniseed, is sold in bakeries.

Lucca's Lucca Comics & Games, held each autumn, is one of the largest comics festivals in Europe, and the Lucca Summer Festival brings big concerts to the walls in July. Pisa was one of the Italian maritime republics.

Safety: Canada's advice for Italy is to exercise a high degree of caution (updated 29 Sep 2026), and the US rates Italy Level 2 (10 Sep 2026).

Suggested outline

  1. Shanghai

    Start

  2. Lucca

    By air · 4 nights suggested

    A town ringed by tree-lined walls.

  3. Pisa

    By train · 2 nights suggested

    The Piazza dei Miracoli and a university town.

    Pisa
    "Camposanto Monumentale di Pisa (16813099494).jpg" by Bernd Thaller from Graz, Austria, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Lucca — Arrive; train from Pisa airport· Shanghai → Pisa (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day, then Pisa → Lucca (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Lucca — Cycle the walls
  3. Day 3 · Lucca — Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and towers
  4. Day 4 · Lucca — Puccini's town
  5. Day 5 · Pisa — Train to Pisa· Lucca → Pisa (by train)
  6. Day 6 · Pisa — Piazza dei Miracoli
  7. Day 7 · Pisa — Travel home from Pisa· Pisa → Shanghai (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Lucca

Nearest airport: Pisa Search fares · Pisa ↗

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