Florence is inland, so a sea swim means leaving the city for the Tuscan coast. Viareggio is the facilities-led choice, while La Lecciona offers an unserviced shore, Marina di Pisa a town seafront, and Quercetano Bay a smaller cove. Choose the beach before choosing the train or car: the final approach can make as much difference to your day as the journey out of Florence.
Which beach suits your day?
| Criterion | Viareggio | La Lecciona | Marina di Pisa | Quercetano Bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shore and water entry | Sand; gently shelving | Sand; exposed to waves | Sand/shingle; variable, partly sheltered | Sandy entry; rocky edges |
| Beach access | Managed centre; free Darsena | Free, unserviced | Public and managed | Free and managed portions |
| Best suited to | Facilities and promenade breaks | Self-sufficient beachgoers | Seafront and shore together | Swimming and a town break |
| Drive from Florence station area, then walk | Piazza Mazzini parking: about 99 km, about an hour and a quarter; walk about 100 metres, about 1 minute | Viale Europa parking: about 99 km, about an hour and a quarter; walk about 1.2 km, about 15 minutes | Piazza Sardegna: about 97 km, about an hour and a half | Castello Pasquini area: about 114 km, about an hour and a half; walk about 650 metres, about 8 minutes |
| Rail arrival and onward approach | Viareggio station: walk about 1000 metres, about 13 minutes | Torre del Lago station: walk about 4.7 km, just over an hour | Florence–Pisa Centrale: about 77 km, about an hour; onward bus/access walks: about 14 km, about 28 minutes | Castiglioncello station: walk about 900 metres, about 12 minutes |
Florence is inland: a coastal beach trip means leaving the city, rather than finding somewhere to swim within it. Versilia, including Viareggio, is a customary beach escape for Florentines. Marina di Pisa is the closest driving destination in this selection. Allow a full day for all four, as the outward and return journeys take time away from the beach, especially with La Lecciona’s long station walk. With only half a day, things to do with children in Florence leave more time for the outing itself.
Viareggio’s central shore and Darsena
Viareggio’s central shore pairs a long sandy beach with bathing establishments beside the promenade. The gently shelving bottom gives children room to paddle near the edge in calm conditions, but shallow water is not protection against waves or currents. Wind can turn a paddling day into a promenade day.
For an establishment day, typically budget around €25–€50 for an umbrella and two sunbeds, with higher prices in peak summer, at weekends and for front-row positions. That usually gives you a designated spot and access to shared facilities, but a private changing cabin, meals and some shower services may cost extra. It suits you if carrying shade and beach equipment from the station would spoil the outing.
Darsena, south of the harbour, offers a free-access sandy stretch instead. Choose it if you prefer to bring your own beach kit rather than pay for a set-up. It is a different destination from the central shore used for the station walk and driving approach above.
The Liberty-style buildings along the promenade give a beach break something to look at, while the town’s pinewood offers an alternative to staying on the sand. Summer crowds affect both the shore and the seafront: leave space in the day for lunch or a walk rather than making swimming the only activity.
Maurizio.pincherle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
La Lecciona
La Lecciona is the alternative to Viareggio’s rows of umbrellas: come for open space, not beach services. Its exposed water entry means wind and breaking waves matter more than the promise of a sandy bottom. It suits confident, self-sufficient beachgoers better than a family expecting sheltered paddling and facilities close at hand.
The walk from Torre del Lago station is a substantial part of the outing, particularly when you are carrying water and shade. The Viale Europa seaside approach is shorter, but you still carry everything for the final stretch. Wear walking shoes for the approach rather than treating it as a stroll in beach sandals.
- Bring enough drinking water, food and sun protection for the beach stay.
- Carry your own shade and a bag to take all rubbish away.
- Keep your load manageable for the return walk as well as the outward one.
Use the designated paths from the Lecciona–Guidicciona coastal cycle-pedestrian route and the existing wooden beach walkways. Do not cut across informal tracks through the dunes: keeping to the access routes protects the vegetation that holds the sand in place.
- Name
- La Lecciona
- Location
- Spiaggia della Lecciona, Viareggio, Province of Lucca Maps
- Essential fact
- A natural sandy beach between Viareggio and Torre del Lago, backed by dunes in the coastal park.
Michela Cupisti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Marina di Pisa’s seafront
Marina di Pisa’s shore around Piazza Sardegna suits a day split between bathing and a seafront walk. Sand and shingle alternate along narrow in-town sections, with stone groynes protecting some of the water from waves. Choose the actual water entry, not just the stretch that looks sheltered. The bottom and footing vary, so a protected section is not automatically somewhere a small child can stand comfortably.
Public shore and bathing establishments offer different ways to spend the day. On the public sections, bring your own shade and something comfortable to sit on. Water shoes can help on shingle. The limited width of the beaches leaves less room to spread out than at Viareggio. For an umbrella and two sunbeds at an establishment, budget around €25–€50 for the day, with peak summer dates and seafront positions pushing prices higher.
Bocca d’Arno, the river mouth at the northern end, and the harbour are landmarks for a seafront outing, not substitutes for the bathing shore around Piazza Sardegna. Keep the swimming part of the day focused on the beach rather than the river-mouth setting.
By public transport, changing at Pisa means gathering your beach kit and walking to the bus departure point. Leave room for the connection in both directions: a late start can eat into the shore time even when the train journey itself is straightforward.
Quercetano Bay
Quercetano Bay rewards a visit with a more contained beach day than the long Versilia shore. The sandy entry is the place to start a swim; rocky edges change the footing and leave less space for paddling. Choose the sandy middle for an easier entry, while still judging waves and depth before going in.
Free and managed portions share a small beach, so summer demand has a visible consequence: there is less room to find another patch of sand. For an umbrella and two sunbeds, budget around €30–€60 for the day, with peak summer dates and front-row positions tending towards the upper end.
Castiglioncello makes it easy to follow swimming with a town break rather than remain on the shore all day. The walk from its station is manageable with a light beach bag, while the Castello Pasquini area is the driving approach. Keep enough energy for the return uphill from the shore, especially after a hot afternoon.
- Name
- Quercetano Bay
- Location
- Lungomare del Quercetano, Castiglioncello Maps
- Essential fact
- A sandy cove on Castiglioncello’s rocky coastline.
Original uploader was Mark.castiglioncello at it.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Edited
Coastal transport, parking and beach seasons
- Adult regional rail, one way
- Florence–Torre del Lago or Florence–Pisa Centrale: €9.80, second class
- Bus ticket
- €2 one way; Pisa urban buses included; 90 minutes from first validation
- Summer lines 10 and 20, 2026
- 11 June–31 August; weekdays 05:25–01:01; weekends/public holidays 06:00–01:01
- Line 20, from 15 September 2026
- Monday–Friday and Saturdays: three daytime departures each way, roughly six hours apart, plus two late-evening services; Sundays/public holidays: two evening services each way only
- Piazza Mazzini parking
- €1 first 15 minutes; €2 each additional hour; 08:00–24:00, subject to seasonal and weekday restrictions
- Public Viale Europa seafront parking
- 20 April–30 September, daily 08:30–24:00; €1 first hour, €1.50 second, €2 each subsequent hour, or €10 whole period
- Piazza Sardegna blue-marked spaces
- 1 June–15 September: €1/hour, €4.50/6 hours, €6/12 hours
- Castello Pasquini parking
- First 30 minutes free; €1/half-hour, €1.80/hour; €13.50 day rate (08:00–20:00); payment 08:00–02:00
- Bathing-water monitoring
- 1 April–30 September each year
- Minimum establishment opening
- Viareggio and Marina di Pisa: 15 June–15 September each year; individual establishments may open longer
Trains serve Viareggio and Torre del Lago. Direct services to Castiglioncello and services to Viareggio run daily outside summer, with departures at varying intervals. For Marina di Pisa, walk from Pisa Centrale to Sesta Porta for lines 10 and 20 and get off at Marina Sardegna for Piazza Sardegna. Waiting between services adds to the journey legs above. Line 20’s sparse off-season service needs a day built around the bus, particularly on public holidays.
Driving approaches start in Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station area. Allow extra time for summer traffic and finding a space. Viareggio’s Piazza Mazzini parking serves the central promenade, not Darsena.
For La Lecciona, the Viale Europa approach uses the Torre del Lago seaside area. Use the public paid seafront spaces for the tariff above. Parcheggio Ombra Europa on Viale Europa is a separate car park.
Castello Pasquini parking serves Quercetano Bay and accepts passenger cars only. Pay by meter, app or subscription, but vehicles displaying the required disability permit park free.
The monitoring season is separate from beach-establishment opening. Outside the main facilities season, free shore still means carrying your own supplies, while a managed beach may offer fewer services. Make wind and waves the deciding conditions for swimming, and leave room for a shore walk when the sea is rough. Holiday crowds also make a lightly packed bag easier to manage.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services, closures, and fares and charges.
- Ente-Parco Regionale Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli — service
- ARPAT — closures
- Comune di Viareggio — closures
- Comune di Pisa — closures
- Trenitalia — service
- Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) — service
- Pisa-Mare by bus!
- Line 20 winter timetable: Pisa–La Vettola–San Piero a Grado–Marina di Pisa–Tirrenia–Calambrone
- Trenitalia — fares and charges
- Autolinee Toscane — fares and charges
- Comune di Viareggio — fares and charges
- MOVER S.p.A. — service
- Pisamo Mobilità; Comune di Pisa — fares and charges
- Comune di Rosignano Marittimo — service
- Nuovo Futuro S.c.r.l. Cooperativa Sociale — fares and charges
