Your stay — Genzianella
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The Property — Genzianella
Genzianella is a budget-friendly three-star in a quiet residential street just outside Lucca's historic walls. The lobby feels like an old-school family pensione: terracotta floors, a small reception desk with a jar of lemon candies, and the smell of coffee from the breakfast room. Its USP is a large private garden with olive trees and a pool, rare for a hotel at this price point. Best for independent travellers or couples who want a calm base and don't mind the 10-minute walk to Porta Elisa.
Chronicles of Lucca
Lucca was founded by the Ligurians, became a Roman colony (Luca), and retains its intact Renaissance walls, now a tree-lined pedestrian park. In the Middle Ages, it was a major silk-trading republic rival to Florence, with over 100 towers; the Guinigi Tower with its rooftop oak trees survives. Its architecture mixes Romanesque churches (San Michele, San Martino) with wide piazzas created by knocking down houses. Today, the city thrives on tourism and its well-preserved centre, famous for Puccini (born here) and olive-oil-drenched local cuisine.
Best Time to Visit
Full Lucca guide →Best months
May, June, September: warm days (22–28°C), low humidity, and crowds manageable between Easter and summer peak.
Peak / festival surge
July and August: intense heat (often 35°C+), plus the Lucca Summer Festival (big concerts in Piazza Napoleone most evenings). Hotel prices double or more; book months ahead.
Budget shoulder season
Late April and early October: 18–22°C, often sunny, sharply discounted rooms (30-40% off peak), and no queues for the Torre Guinigi.
Weather & packing
Lucca sits in a valley and can get stifling humidity in summer, with sudden afternoon thunderstorms. Pack a light rain shell or umbrella even in July, plus a scarf for the many churches requiring covered shoulders.
Live City Briefing — Lucca
- Construction on the Rilievo cycle path extension will close part of the northern ring road near Porta Elisa until September 2026; parking near the hotel may be affected.
- The Comune has trialled a new electric bus line (Linea A) circling the walls every 20 minutes from June 2026, a useful alternative to walking in heat.
- The Lucca Summer Festival runs 10 July–3 August 2026; headliners include Sting and Paolo Conte, bringing concert noise and crowded piazzas until midnight.
Your Perfect Room
✨ AI-generated · Jul 2026Before you check in to Genzianella, here's what to know about choosing the right room.
Best rooms to request
Request a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor facing the inner courtyard (away from the street). These floors are high enough to reduce ground-level noise, and the courtyard side will be quieter than front-facing rooms.
Rooms to avoid
Avoid rooms on the 1st floor (street level) as they will pick up traffic noise from the Corso Garibaldi axis. Also avoid rooms directly above the entrance or the ground-floor bar (if one exists) due to morning chair-scrape and chatter.
Best views
A rear-facing room on floor 3 might overlook the inner city walls or a quiet courtyard garden. Front-facing rooms give a view of the narrow, older street but at the cost of traffic noise.
Quietest floors
Floors 2 and 3 (third and fourth in European count) are the quietest for this 3-storey hotel, especially if they face the rear courtyard.
🔊 Noise notes
Lucca's ring-road (Corso Garibaldi) runs just outside the hotel's address zone, so front-facing rooms on the 1st floor will get scooter, bus, and foot-traffic noise until late evening. No nearby late-night bars, but early morning street cleaning can be an issue on the street side.
Insider tips
Ask for a room with a window onto the inner courtyard (not listed in standard data, but usually available upon polite request at check-in). If you arrive by car, the hotel may have a designated parking spot in the nearby garage on Via Santa Maria – ask in advance. Breakfast is likely served in a ground-floor area; sit away from the serving station for a calmer start.
- Call the hotel directly 24–48 hours before arrival and ask for a specific room type
- Add a note in your booking comments field
- Ask at check-in — front desk staff can often accommodate if a room is available
Hotel Facilities — Genzianella
Free, symmetric 20 Mbps, no login, valid throughout the building
No lift – historic townhouse, all rooms on first and second floors via stairs only
Digital press reader via tablet in lobby; no physical papers. Building is a 16th-century silk merchant’s house with original wooden beams and floor tiles in public areas
Check-in 14:00–22:00; early bag drop available from 10:00; late check-out to 12:00 costs €30
Free, with lockable room at ground floor
No step-free entry (two steps at front door); narrow doorways; no accessible room. Fully unsuitable for wheelchairs
No on-site parking. Public parking 'Parcheggio Carducci' 400 m away costs €15/day (08:00–20:00, free overnight). No EV charging
Fees, Taxes & Deposits
City / tourist tax: €2.40 per person per night (first 5 nights, children under 14 exempt)
Deposit & card hold: First night charged at booking; €50 incidental hold at check-in by card
Faith & Dietary Nearby
- Church: Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate (1.6 km · ~20 min walk)
Money & Currency
Get a travel card →Euro, EUR
Banks and post offices give fair rates; avoid exchange bureaux near train station and tourist spots, and never change at Pisa airport.
Most shops, restaurants and hotels accept Visa/Mastercard contactless; smaller bars and market stalls still want cash for small amounts.
Not expected. Round up the bill in restaurants (1-2€), taxis round to nearest euro, hotel staff appreciate a euro per bag.
Eat, Shop & Travel on a Budget
Cheap car hire →Espresso at the counter of any bar — €1.10–€1.30.
Pizza al taglio (by the slice) from a forno or panino from a gastronomia — around €5–€7.
A main pasta or pizza in a modest trattoria outside the city walls — €10–€14.
Look for rosticceria and forno near Porta Elisa or Via della Dogana for cheap takeaway pizza, farinata and arancini.
Conad, Coop, Eurospin and Lidl are common around the walls and just outside.
Via Fillungo and side streets have mid-range Italian chain stores; for cheap basics try OVS or Upim.
Lucca is walkable — no local transport needed. From Pisa airport, take the Pisa Mover to the station then a regional train to Lucca (€8.30 single).
Buy a Lucca Card for discounts on museums and bike rental; eat away from Piazza dell'Anfiteatro; fill a water bottle at the city's public fountains (fontanella).
Good to know — Lucca
Type C/F/L · 230V
safe
$1 ≈ €0.88 · EUR
Emergency Contacts
Lucca112 is the single European emergency number for police, ambulance, or fire. 118 is the local ambulance number, 115 is the fire brigade. For non-urgent police matters in Lucca, call 0583 4491.
💡 Save these numbers in your phone. In life-threatening emergencies, call immediately.
Where to Eat
💡 Booking tip: For popular restaurants in Lucca, book at least a week ahead — especially for weekend evenings and during festival season.
Your arrival at Genzianella
🕒 Check-in is from . Arriving earlier? Most hotels store luggage free — just ask at reception.
🚐 Pre-book an airport transfer →Getting Around
Find train tickets →Hotel Le Giraffe, Lucca → Lucca Porta Elisa (city centre)
💡 Bus stop is 50m from the hotel, corner of Via Romana & Via delle Ville. Buy tickets at the tabacchi on Via Fillungo (€1.50 each, 90-min validity). You can walk to the walls in 10 minutes—only bother with the bus for grocery trips to the Coop on Via Pisana.
Lucca Railway Station (Piazzale Ricasoli) → Hotel Carlos, Via Fillungo
💡 Use line L (blue bus) from the station—get off at 'Via Fillungo 2' stop. But honestly, the whole historic centre is flat and walkable; skip the bus if you have light luggage. Buy tickets at any tabacchi (look for a T sign) before boarding—no cash on board.
Lucca Station (Piazzale Ricasoli) → Hotel La Principessa (Via della Chiesa)
💡 Take bus line L1 or L2 from the station to stop 'Via della Chiesa'. Walk 3 mins to hotel. But honestly, Lucca is flat and walkable; from the station to the hotel is just 1.2 km, so skip the bus unless you're hauling heavy luggage.
Pisa Airport (PSA) → Lucca Bus Station (Piazzale Verdi)
💡 Buy your ticket at the airport ticket office or via the Vaibus app to skip queues. Bus stops just outside arrivals; it's slower than the train but drops you right by the old town walls.
Pisa Airport Bus Station (outside arrivals) → Lucca Bus Station (Piazzale Verdi)
💡 This is the cheapest direct airport option, but frequency is low. Check the timetable at vaibus.com in advance—miss one and you wait two hours. The drop-off at Piazzale Verdi puts you a 5-minute walk from Hotel Carlos through the porta walls.
Pisa Centrale Station → Lucca Station
💡 Buy tickets from the automatic machines at Pisa Centrale (cash or card). Validate your ticket in the yellow box before boarding—fines are €50 on the spot. From Lucca station, it's a 10-minute walk to Hotel Carlos: exit left, cross Piazzale Verdi, and head into Via Fillungo.
Pisa Airport (take PisaMover shuttle to Pisa Centrale station) → Lucca Railway Station (Stazione di Lucca)
💡 PisaMover costs €2.70 and runs every 5 minutes. From Lucca station it's a 15-min walk straight ahead down Via Cavour to the hostel. Cheapest option if you're not in a rush.
Pisa Airport (PSA) → Hotel La Principessa, Lucca
💡 Pre-book with a local firm like Taxi Lucca or Pisa Taxi to avoid surge prices. The hotel can arrange this for you too.
Pisa Airport (PSA) → Hotel Le Giraffe, Lucca
💡 Book with Taxi Lucca (0039 0583 491212) or NCC Fiorentini. They track flights and cost less than hailing at the airport. The hotel's small courtyard drop-off saves walking with bags.
Pisa Airport Bus Stop (outside arrivals) → Lucca Piazzale Verdi (near Ostello San Frediano)
💡 Buy ticket from the tabacchi inside the airport or the app – driver won't sell it. Get off at Verdi, then it's a 5-min walk to the hostel via Via Fillungo.
Pisa Airport (PSA) → Hotel Le Giraffe, Lucca
💡 Take the Pisa Mover shuttle from the airport to Pisa Centrale station (€2.70, 5 min), then Vaibus line L4 from the bus bay there to Piazzale Verdi in Lucca (€2.80, 50 min). Walk 100m to the hotel. Avoid the local trains—they’re slower and more expensive.
Pisa International Airport (Galileo Galilei, PSA) → Ostello San Frediano, Lucca
💡 Fixed rate of €50 to Lucca city centre – confirm with driver before setting off. No extra charge for luggage.
About Lucca
Wikipedia ↗
Lucca ( LOO-kə, Italian: [ˈlukka] ) is a city and comune in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as an Italian "Città d'arte" (City of Art) from its almost intact R...
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best rooms at Genzianella?
Request a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor facing the inner courtyard (away from the street). These floors are high enough to reduce ground-level noise, and the courtyard side will be quieter than front-facing rooms.
Which rooms should I avoid at Genzianella?
Avoid rooms on the 1st floor (street level) as they will pick up traffic noise from the Corso Garibaldi axis. Also avoid rooms directly above the entrance or the ground-floor bar (if one exists) due to morning chair-scrape and chatter.
Is Genzianella noisy?
Lucca's ring-road (Corso Garibaldi) runs just outside the hotel's address zone, so front-facing rooms on the 1st floor will get scooter, bus, and foot-traffic noise until late evening. No nearby late-night bars, but early morning street cleaning can be an issue on the street side.
Which rooms have the best views at Genzianella?
A rear-facing room on floor 3 might overlook the inner city walls or a quiet courtyard garden. Front-facing rooms give a view of the narrow, older street but at the cost of traffic noise.
What are insider tips for staying at Genzianella?
Ask for a room with a window onto the inner courtyard (not listed in standard data, but usually available upon polite request at check-in). If you arrive by car, the hotel may have a designated parking spot in the nearby garage on Via Santa Maria – ask in advance. Breakfast is likely served in a ground-floor area; sit away from the serving station for a calmer start.
What time is check-in at Genzianella?
Check-in at Genzianella is from null. Check-out is by null.
Does Genzianella have Wi-Fi?
Free, symmetric 20 Mbps, no login, valid throughout the building
Is there a city or tourist tax at Genzianella?
€2.40 per person per night (first 5 nights, children under 14 exempt)
Where can I eat cheaply near Genzianella?
Pizza al taglio (by the slice) from a forno or panino from a gastronomia — around €5–€7.
What is the cheapest way to get around from Genzianella?
Lucca is walkable — no local transport needed. From Pisa airport, take the Pisa Mover to the station then a regional train to Lucca (€8.30 single).
When is the best time to visit Lucca?
May, June, September: warm days (22–28°C), low humidity, and crowds manageable between Easter and summer peak.
Top Attractions in Lucca
💡 Check for free organ recitals Saturday afternoons. The Pisan-style exterior is best seen in morning light.
💡 Avoid the overpriced cafés in the square. Instead, grab a panino from Alimentari Puccini one street away and eat it on the steps near the southern edge.
💡 The church is free, but the small museum (€2) gives access to the rooftop terrace for a close look at the facade's marble intarsia. Visit early to avoid tour groups.
💡 Walk to the centre and look up—the irregular roofline follows the original amphitheatre seating. Free to enter, but no seating inside; grab a coffee at Caffè di Simo for a view.
💡 The free section covers the main church. Pay €3 for the treasury and sacristy to see the gorgeous wooden choir stalls and 14th-century frescoes.
💡 Visit late afternoon when the sun slants through the west window, lighting up the mosaic. Free entry, but check for occasional concerts (€5–€10) in the crypt.
💡 Head to the back of the nave to see the restored fresco of the Last Judgement—it's often missed by tourists but is one of the best in Tuscany.
💡 Free entry on the first Sunday of the month. Otherwise, it's €4, but if you're on a budget, the free public park on the walls (Parco delle Mura) is just as green and costs nothing.