The most likely way for you to arrive in Bagni di Lucca is to drive. No doubt you will be armed with maps and a sat-nav.
Be sure to know the name of the village you are looking for. Bagni di Lucca usually refers to La Villa, the administrative centre. Along with Fornoli and Ponte a Serraglio, La Villa is situated beside the Lima River. All other villages are scattered on the mountains on either side of the river.
To help you to find your way to Bagni di Lucca I have taken photos from the passenger seat of our car from Lucca, the most likely way for you to drive. It will take about 30 minutes to drive from Lucca to Bagni di Lucca.
After leaving the A11 or the A12 Autostrada you will go through the Alt Stazione and find yourself in Viale Europa. As you come over a small rise you will see the wall surrounding Lucca…and a roundabout.
You can go either way at the roundabout and follow the wall around the town.
If you go left you will drive through a beautiful tunnel formed by the huge trees lining the street.
Follow the signs towards Abetone and Bagni di Lucca.
You will come to a distinctive roundabout with 4 poles.
Turn here for the Strada Statale 12 dell’Abetone e del Brennero, which will take you to Bagni di Lucca.
After a couple of kilometres you will leave the town behind and the scenery will change and you will see our mountains.
You will come to a roundabout, follow the signs for Abetone.
You will go though a series of tunnels.
Soon you will come to a fork in the road. Take the road to the left.
Don’t panic if you are in the wrong lane and take to road to the right. It will take you to Borgo a Mozzano and you will find signs there to take back to the SS12.
You will soon come to the stunning Ponte della Madelena. It should be on your left.
A few kilometres from here you will arrive in Bagni di Lucca. You can turn left at this sign to go to Fornoli and on to Ponte a Serraglio and La Villa.
Or go straight ahead until you come to these signs, where if you turn left, you will have arrived at Ponte a Serraglio.
Cross the bridge and you will be in the piazza of Ponte a Serraglio. Turn right at the end of the bridge and La Villa is approximately 1 kilometre further on.
It is also possible to arrive in Bagni di Lucca by Lazzi bus from Lucca. Here is Piazzale Verdi where the bus station is. The bus trip will be about 40 – 50 minutes.
There is a ticket office on the corner where you can buy a ticket and ask where is the bus stop. Don’t forget to validate your ticket when you enter the bus. There are often inspectors on the bus and you may be fined if your ticket has not been validated. Ask the driver to let you off in Bagni di Lucca.
There is also a train from Lucca to Bagni di Lucca. Here is the train station in Lucca.
Bagni di Lucca is not the final destination of the train. Look for a train going to Piazza al Serchio or Aulla. It will take about 25 minutes to get from Lucca to Bagni di Lucca. Bagni di Lucca is the stop after Borgo a Mozzano. Once again, your ticket must be validated before you enter the train.
Here is the Bagni di Lucca station.
At the front of the station, near the covered bus seat, you can catch a bus to Fornoli, Ponte a Serraglio and La Villa.
The buses do not coordinate very well with the trains…don’t ask me why.
For this reason I think it is better to arrive in Bagni di Lucca by bus, rather than train. There is no footpath most of the way from Fornoli station to Ponte a Serraglio and the approximately 1 kilometre walk can be a bit dangerous.
very thorough and helpful, Debra…thank you from a resident.
It can be a bit confusing the first time. Knowing the name of the village you are going to is very important.
Well done! I will send to the people who want to come to here, if thats ok?!
Please share the directions with anyone who needs them.
What a perfect guide; thank you so much. Visitors will be very grateful for such thorough instructions. Once people have arrived in Bagni di Lucca, most locals are happy to give directions to the various villages.
The outlying villages are fairly well signed once you get here. You really need a car to access these villages as the bus services only operate a couple of times a day.
I can remember that the first time we visited Bagni di Lucca, a real estate agent advised “follow the Abetone signs and you will get there…” What a great discovery it was!
Following the signs towards Abetone is a good idea. These signs are more obvious than the signs to Bagni di Lucca.
Thank you Debra-may I repost??
Please share the post if you think it can help.
Deb, this is perfect. If I ever make it to visit now, I won’t get lost! 🙂
I hope you do visit one day.
Great, I will keep this in mind for my trip there next year.
I will be looking out for you.
Great idea for a map, much more reassuring than the run of the mill road map.
You would still need a map, but it might help to recognise some of the turns.
A great guideline on how to get to Bagni. I’m sure there will be tourists who’ve never been to the area before who will find your blog and find this very useful. Apart from that, nice pics of a very enjoyable journey to Bagni.
It is a lovely drive up to Bagni di Lucca. I never tire of the views of the river and the mountains.
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This is wonderful and thank you so much for your invaluable information. Much appreciated. Thank you.
I’m pleased to be able to help.