Lucca’s urban buses are useful for reaching accommodation beyond the walls and particular parts of the centre from the railway station. Piazza Napoleone, Piazza Santa Maria and Sant’Anna need different lines, so choose the bus by its destination and boarding stop, not simply by finding one outside the station.
You can use a paper ticket, an activated app ticket or contactless payment, but each has a different action at boarding. Winter service also varies by line and day, especially for the Sant’Anna connection.
When the bus is useful
- Operator
- Autolinee Toscane
- Digital purchase
- at bus app; Blink; TABNET, URBI, TELEPASS and DropTicket apps
- Other purchase channels
- Onboard contactless; ticket offices; ticket machines; authorised retailers; driver
Walking is the default within the historic centre. From Piazzale Ricasoli, the railway station forecourt, Piazza Napoleone is about 800 metres away, about 11 minutes on foot. The walk takes you into the southern part of the walled centre.
A bus becomes useful with luggage, limited walking stamina or an address beyond the walls. When choosing where to stay in Lucca, consider the district as well as the distance from the station.
Palickap · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Useful lines and boarding stops
| Line | Boarding stop | Alighting stop / place served | Direction | Journey time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3+ | — | Napoleone / Piazza Napoleone | — | about 7 minutes |
| 2+ | — | S.Maria 3 / Piazza Santa Maria | — | about 9 minutes |
| 1+ | Regina Margherita Fs | Sant’Anna Chiesa | Sant’Anna Chiesa | about 12 minutes |
| 1+ | Stazione FS Lucca | Piazza Napoleone | Piazza Napoleone | — |
| 5 | Stazione FS Lucca | Sant’Anna, west of the walls | Sant’Anna | — |
From the station area described above, Piazza Napoleone gives access to the southern historic centre, while Piazza Santa Maria serves its northern end. Choose the row for your destination, then find its boarding stop. For accommodation in Sant’Anna, match the alighting stop to your address west of the walls.
The Stazione FS Lucca stop serves the railway station, whereas Regina Margherita Fs is a separately named boarding point. Use the stop name as well as the line number. Sant’Anna lies west of the walls, making its church stop useful for accommodation in that area.
- Name
- Stazione Fs Lucca
- Location
- Lucca, Province of Lucca Maps
Piazzale Verdi is a central bus interchange, not the railway station. It sits by the western side of the historic centre. If your journey refers to Verdi, head for that interchange rather than the station forecourt.
- Name
- LUCCA Piazzale Verdi
- Location
- Lucca, Province of Lucca Maps
Hein56didden · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Service days and winter timetables
| Line / days | Departure origin | First departure / window | Interval / last departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1+ / weekdays excluding Saturdays | Ospedale San Luca | 06:36 first departure | Generally every 12 minutes, daytime |
| 1+ / Sundays and public holidays | — | 08:30–20:27 service window | Every 30 minutes |
| 5 | Pontetetto Chiesa | 07:16 first departure | 20:07 last departure; intermittent |
For these connections, allow for the service pattern as well as the ride. Line 1+ evening gaps and final departures vary by direction and trip. Choose a departure for your direction of travel before heading to the stop, particularly for a return journey late in the day.
Plan a Line 5 journey around an individual scheduled departure, rather than arriving at the stop expecting a regular interval. Allow for the bus to travel from its departure terminal to your boarding stop.
The urban single ticket
| Ticket | Adult fare | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| Standard urban single | €1.70 | 70 minutes from validation or activation |
| Driver-issued urban single | €3.00 | Same urban validity |
Transfers between buses within Lucca are permitted during the ticket’s validity. Changing buses does not restart that period, so keep the original ticket or payment device available through the journey.
Buying from the driver costs more than the standard single. Onboard sales depend on safe, regular service conditions and may be suspended during inspections. Buying before you board avoids relying on a driver sale. The single ticket covers the urban journeys described above.
Buying, tapping and boarding
Yes, you can tap a contactless card or enabled device on Lucca’s urban buses using Tip Tap. Alternatively, board with a paper ticket or a ticket bought in the at bus app. Purchase alone does not validate paper tickets or activate app tickets.
Do
- Validate paper tickets at first boarding; keep the ticket intact and legible for inspection.
- Activate an app ticket at first boarding; show its active QR code on the device used to buy it.
- Tap on every bus, including transfers, using the same card or device; show that card or device for inspection.
- Wait for the beep and green screen/light confirming a successful tap.
- If the paper validator fails, write the boarding date and time on the ticket with a pen and immediately tell the driver.
Don’t
- Treat an unvalidated paper ticket or inactive app ticket as valid.
- Use one card or device for several passengers: each pays for one passenger only.
- Switch between a physical card and a phone during the journey.
- Treat an error sound and red screen as successful payment.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services and fares and charges.
- How to purchase tickets
- Carta dei Servizi 2026, section 4.3.3, Autolinee Toscane
- Tickets and passes | Autolinee Toscane
- 1+ Ospedale S.Luca-FS-Napoleone-Verdi-San Angelo/Nave — winter timetable
- Line 5 timetable, Autolinee Toscane
- Ospedale S.Luca-V.le Cadorna-Stazione Fs-V del Peso-P.za Napoleone-Sarzanese-S.Angelo/Nave | Autolinee Toscane
- Elenco fermate linea 2+ (ex LAM Rossa)
- DON STURZO-S.ANNA CHIESA-VERDI-STAZIONE FS-S.CONCORDIO-PONTETETTO | Autolinee Toscane
- Carta dei Servizi 2026
- tip tap
- Contactless | Autolinee Toscane
- Travel rules | Autolinee Toscane
- Carta dei Servizi 2024 — Autolinee Toscane
