Staying in Borgo Giannotti, Lucca: north of the walls, from Porta Santa Maria to the Serchio

Who should stay in Borgo Giannotti?

Borgo Giannotti suits travellers who arrive by car and still want to walk to the sights. You are outside the limited traffic zone, so there is no permit to arrange and no camera to worry about, and about three in four of the properties listed here offer free parking. It also suits cyclists and runners, who have the river paths nearby, and guests travelling with a dog: more than half of the listings accept pets.

It suits less well anyone arriving by train with heavy luggage, because the railway station is on the opposite side of the city, and travellers who want to step out of the door into a medieval lane. The streets here are those of an ordinary Italian town, and the evening choice of restaurants is inside the walls.

What kind of accommodation is there?

The 47 properties in this area are mainly apartments, about 25 of them, followed by seven bed and breakfasts, five villas, four holiday homes, three guest houses and two aparthotels. There is a single hotel, the three-star Hotel San Marco, in the quarter of the same name. Among the better-known places are Villa Catelli and B&B Villa Agnese Lucca, both bed and breakfasts in villas, and the aparthotel Le Dimore del Borgo.

Only one listing here mentions a swimming pool, so if a pool matters, look at the Lucca Hills instead. Each listing states the parking arrangement, the distance from the centre and whether pets are accepted.

How far is it from the sights?

The nearest properties are about 700 m from Piazza San Michele, the typical one about 1.2 km and the farthest 2.3 km, which translates into roughly 10 to 30 minutes on foot. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is the closest landmark: three quarters of the listings are within 1 km of it, and from the southern end of the Borgo it is a walk of well under ten minutes through Porta Santa Maria.

The cathedral, on the southern side, is about 1.2 to 1.5 km away in a straight line, so allow 20 to 25 minutes. The railway station is farther still, about 1.5 to 1.8 km as the crow flies and on the far side of the walls: count on 25 to 30 minutes on foot across the centre, or a taxi if you have cases.

Which gate do you use?

Porta Santa Maria, built in 1592, is one of the three historic gates of Lucca and the natural way in from the Borgo. Just inside it, Piazza Santa Maria holds a cluster of bicycle hire shops. From San Marco the closer entrance is Porta San Jacopo, opened in 1930 at the north-east corner. Next to it, on the San Salvatore bastion, is the Via Francigena Entry Point.

Where do you park?

This is the side of Lucca with the free car parks. The tourist office names two to the north of the walls, Piazzale Don Baroni and the Tagliate car park, and neither requires a ticket. Read the signs before leaving a car overnight: parts of these squares are cleared on market and event days.

During Lucca Comics & Games the rules change: in 2025 Porta Santa Maria was closed to unauthorised vehicles around the clock, while Porta San Jacopo remained one of the two authorised vehicle entrances.

What is there in the neighbourhood?

The Parco Fluviale del Serchio is the main asset. The riverside park covers about 250 hectares, and from the Terrazza Petroni, beside the San Quirico bridge, a loop of about 11 km for walkers and cyclists follows the river downstream to the San Pietro bridge and back. The bank nearest the city has a skate area, a refreshment kiosk and a riding centre, and in summer canoes go out from the small river beach. The Via Francigena and the Puccini cycle route both pass through the park.

Close to the river, the Foro Boario, the former cattle market, hosts a farmers' market, within 1 km of nearly every property in this area. The Borgo itself is a street of everyday shops rather than souvenir stalls.

Is it noisy?

Less than the centre at night, more than the countryside by day. Via del Brennero is part of the state road that heads north up the Serchio valley and carries through traffic for much of the day. The side streets of San Marco are residential and calmer after dark.

When does it fill up?

The whole city sells out for Lucca Comics & Games, from 28 October to 1 November in 2026, and rooms for those days go months ahead. The concert nights of the Lucca Summer Festival, held between late June and late July, and the weekends of the antiques market, on the third Sunday of each month and the Saturday before, also tighten availability. Winter, outside the Christmas period, is the quietest time.