Green Lucca: Relaxing Afternoon Walking Tour Including Botanical Gardens Visit

Our tour begins at the railway station; once you have met your local guide you will take a stroll towards the historic part of town, via a secret, medieval passage that not a lot of tourists know about. 

As we walk towards our first stop, we will talk a little about Lucca’s fascinating history and what it’s like to live here. After a few minutes we will reach the Botanical Gardens where you will be pleasantly surprised to discover a peaceful, green oasis in the middle of the city. 

The gardens were founded in 1820 by the Bourbon Duchess Maria Luisa as a scientific laboratory, led by the Royal College. We will walk along beautiful paths, admiring towering old trees and a pretty plethora of plants and flowers that have been generously donated over the years by other botanical gardens around the world. 

We’ll also lead you to our favourite spot in the gardens, a haunting lake that hides a mysterious a legend — but you’ll have to join our tour to find out more! 

Our next destination is the city walls, which we will climb (not literally; there are steps, and this is a relaxing afternoon tour after all!). From the top, we’ll enjoy magical views across the historic rooftops and fortifications of the city towards the marvellous landscape of the Tuscan hills beyond. We’ll also gaze down on the pretty tree-lined boulevard below with its impressive array of tree varieties such as horse chestnuts, tulip trees, holm oaks and so on. 

A picturesque stroll through the town is certain to put us in the mood for a refreshment stop and, this being Italy, we know just the thing to rejuvenate you: artisan gelato! We’ll visit our favourite gelateria set against a beautiful, ancient backdrop and divulge the secrets of how it’s made and the tasty (and sometimes surprising) products they use to produce it. If you don’t fancy a gelato but would like to quench your thirst instead, drinks are available too. 

After getting our sweet fix, we’ll continue to traverse the historic streets for a short time, taking you to hidden corners and neighbouring districts where we’ll talk about the economy and traditions of Lucca through the ages.

We have saved something rather special for our last stop. There are 11 bastions linking the city walls together and not a lot of people know that the bastions lead you underground. We’ll ascend into our favourite bastion to explore the treasures below and then head to the top of the structure to look down upon beautiful villas, palaces, gorgeous renaissance gardens and the unique ‘lemon house.’ 

After seeing Lucca from all angles, we’ll make our way back to Amphiteatre Square where our tour ends. Before you go, don’t forget to ask your local guide for tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay in lovely Lucca.