4 Beaches Near Lucca for a Day by the Sea

Published on Updated on 5 min read
The Galleria Nettuno along the Passeggiata di Viareggio, with shopfronts facing the seafront promenade.
The Galleria Nettuno on Viareggio’s Passeggiata, the promenade beside the town’s beach. (sailko · CC BY 2.5 · Edited)

Viareggio is the simplest choice for a swim combined with a seaside town walk from Lucca. Lido di Camaiore favours a day with sunbeds and beach-club facilities. Motrone offers a free-beach alternative among the clubs, while Lecciona trades the built-up seafront for a longer approach through parkland. Choose for the journey back as well as the sand: carrying shade and water is a different day from renting an umbrella.

Which beach suits your day?

CriterionViareggioLido di CamaioreMotroneLecciona
Shore and water entrySand; sandy entryFine sand; gently shelving entrySand; sandy entrySand; sandy entry beyond dunes
Beach accessMostly bathing establishmentsMostly bathing establishmentsFree shore among clubsFree, undeveloped shore
Facilities and best useClub facilities, cafés; half-day swim and townClub facilities, pier; full day, families in calm seasBring supplies; half-day by car, full day by busBring supplies; full day, parkland
Outward car journey, including planned final walkabout 27 km; about 26 minutesabout 28 km; about 30 minutesabout 33 km; about three quarters of an hourabout 29 km; just under an hour
Outward public transport, including station approachabout 25 km; about three quarters of an hourabout 29 km; just over an hourabout 33 km; about an hourabout 35 km; about 2 hours
Final walking effortStation to seafrontInland bus stop to pier; short walk from squareShort from bus; longer from road arrivalSubstantial from station; shorter park approach by car

Journeys start at Piazzale Boccherini, outside Lucca’s western walls. Allow extra time for waiting, transfers and finding parking on top of the outward travel-leg totals. Choose Lecciona by rail only when you can give the shore a full day. Its final walk also awaits you on the return, while Viareggio leaves more room for a shorter outing.

Viareggio seafront

Viareggio’s central beach around Piazza Mazzini pairs a sandy shore and sandy water entry with the promenade’s cafés and shops. Choose it when you want beach time without giving up a town stroll. Most of this frontage is run by bathing establishments, so a sunbed day and a self-supplied free-beach visit are different choices, rather than interchangeable ways to use the same patch of sand.

Bagno Maurizio is one example of the club style, with a spacious umbrella layout, showers and a children’s play area. A typical umbrella and two sunbeds costs roughly €25–€50 for the day, rising towards €60–€80 at sought-after clubs or positions in peak summer. The usual package gives you the umbrella, beds and access to shared facilities, but food, drinks and extras can add to the bill.

From Viareggio station, the approach to Piazza Mazzini is about 1000 metres, about 13 minutes on foot. It takes you towards the central promenade rather than a remote beach entrance. For a half-day, settle on one club or shore stretch, enjoy your swim, then leave time for a café or the shops before returning to the station.

The sandy beach at Viareggio along the Tuscan coast.
Spiaggia di Viareggio, on the coast west of Lucca.
Maurizio.pincherle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Lido di Camaiore

Lido di Camaiore’s wide fine-sand shore suits a day spent between the water and a rented sunbed. The gently shelving sandy entry suits children in calm conditions, not rough seas. Most of the central frontage is club-served, making shade and shared facilities part of the appeal rather than a day of carrying everything yourself.

Pontile Bellavista Vittoria, the pier, is the central landmark. Pair beach time with a walk along it or the promenade. The beachfront cycle route offers another way to enjoy the coast without spending the whole day on the sand. Piazza Matteotti is the road-arrival landmark, with a final walk of about 450 metres, about 5 minutes, to the pier.

By public transport, take the train to Viareggio and continue by bus. The E26 approach uses an inland Aurelia stop followed by a walk towards the pier. Allow a full beach day when adding the bus transfer, rather than squeezing a swim between connections.

A pier extending from the beach at Lido di Camaiore.
The pier on Lido di Camaiore’s beach, north of Viareggio.
Carnby · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited

Motrone free beach

Motrone offers a break from the extensively club-run frontage of Marina di Pietrasanta: you can settle with your own equipment rather than rent a sunbed package. The sandy water entry makes it a straightforward swim choice in favourable sea conditions. Bring your own shade and drinking water, particularly for a summer visit when space on the shore is in demand.

Name
Motrone free beach
Location
Motrone, Marina di Pietrasanta Maps
Essential fact
A public sandy beach at Motrone on the Marina di Pietrasanta seafront.

The approach is along Viale Roma. From Viareggio station, E26 reaches the Hotel King stop, leaving a short final walk. The car approach ends farther away on the seafront road: the remaining walk is about 1000 metres, about 14 minutes. A half-day swim works well by car, but with the train and bus combination, leave a fuller day so the return journey does not crowd out your beach time.

Sandy beach and shoreline at Marina di Pietrasanta.
The beach at Marina di Pietrasanta on the Tuscan coast.
Geobia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Lecciona

Lecciona is the choice for a free-beach day away from the continuous bathing establishments farther north. Its long shore has a sandy water entry, with protected parkland behind it. Use the marked park paths and dune boardwalks rather than cutting across the dunes. The Torre del Lago approach is part of the outing, not simply the last few steps from a car park.

Name
Lecciona beach
Location
Torre del Lago side of the Viareggio coast Maps
Essential fact
An undeveloped sandy beach backed by dunes and parkland between Viareggio and Torre del Lago.

The rail journey changes at Viareggio for Torre del Lago. From Torre del Lago station, the final walk is about 4.7 km, just over an hour. That is a substantial walk with beach supplies, and you will have to make it again after swimming. Arriving by car at Viale Europa leaves a shorter park-path approach of about 1.8 km, about 25 minutes.

Bring shade, drinking water and food so you can stay and enjoy the shore. If beach time is limited, favour the car approach or another beach, rather than adding activities to an already long rail outing. A full day leaves room to swim, rest and make the walk back without turning the visit into a rushed stop.

The beach at La Lecciona with the Apuan Alps visible in the distance.
La Lecciona beach in Viareggio, with the Apuan Alps behind it.
Michela Cupisti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited

Transport, parking and swimming

Lucca–Viareggio trains
Operating days and seasonal date ranges vary by service; timetable valid 14 June–12 December 2026
Lido coastal bus
E27: Viareggio station to Viale Colombo stops; walk to pier
Motrone bus tickets
Urban: €2.00, 70-minute validity; suburban: €3.80 if fare band 2 (10.1–20.0 km) applies
Lido seafront-square parking, 1 April–30 September
08:00–02:00 daily; €1.50/hour or €10/day
Lido seafront-square parking, 1 October–31 March
08:00–20:00 daily; €0.50/hour or €5/day
Official bathing season
1 May–30 September
Viareggio establishment season
15 April–15 October
Lido establishment season
1 May–30 September
Compulsory club opening, both resorts
15 June–15 September; conditional opening outside this period
Central Viareggio water classification
Excellent
Northern Lido water classification
Excellent, 2026 season
Southern Motrone water classification
Good, 2025 season

From Piazzale Boccherini, the shared walk to Lucca station is about 1.3 km, about 17 minutes. Direct trains reach Viareggio. Change there for Torre del Lago. For Lido and Motrone, the journeys compared above use E26, while E27 offers the Viale Colombo approach to Lido. The bus fare depends on the service and ticket category, not simply the beach name.

Driving to Viareggio brings you to Piazza Mazzini on the central seafront. At Lido, the square-parking charges apply around seafront squares such as Piazza Matteotti. Leave room for finding a space before carrying beach bags to the shore.

Lecciona’s designated naturist area lies between rescue posts 13 and 15, between Viareggio and Torre del Lago. In peak summer, arrange a club place ahead if you want a particular position. Free shores can also be crowded. When wind or rough water makes entry unsuitable, choose the shore or promenade rather than a swim.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: services, fares and charges, and closures.

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