The town of Viareggio grew up in the 16th century as the seaport of the nearby Republic of Lucca. Its historic landmarks today are the 16th-century Torre Matilde, which rises massively along the docks, and the many Liberty-style (Italian Art Nouveau) buildings found throughout the town. A renowned summer resort “capital,” Viareggio became famous in the early 20th century for its luxury hotels and for the beach clubs that still define it today.
The mild climate, the well-equipped beaches, the shopping areas and the large green parks in the center make it perfect for a relaxing stay and for vacations with family and young children. The town is very easy to get around on foot and even more so by bike (there are plenty of rentals with daily, weekly and monthly packages).
Viareggio is also renowned for its shipbuilding industry, famous all over the world for the large sailing and motor yachts that tower over the docks and the marina. If you travel in winter, try to visit Viareggio on one of the Carnival Sundays, when the seafront avenues are literally overrun by gigantic allegorical papier-mâché floats and by the tens of thousands of people who join the parades, all strictly in costume. It's a show not to be missed!
On weekends, the streets of the town's neighborhoods host open-air parties where you can eat and dance until late, before moving on to the Versilia nightclubs that throw masked balls.
The mild climate, the well-equipped beaches, the shopping areas and the large green parks in the center make it perfect for a relaxing stay and for vacations with family and young children. The town is very easy to get around on foot and even more so by bike (there are plenty of rentals with daily, weekly and monthly packages).
Viareggio is also renowned for its shipbuilding industry, famous all over the world for the large sailing and motor yachts that tower over the docks and the marina. If you travel in winter, try to visit Viareggio on one of the Carnival Sundays, when the seafront avenues are literally overrun by gigantic allegorical papier-mâché floats and by the tens of thousands of people who join the parades, all strictly in costume. It's a show not to be missed!
On weekends, the streets of the town's neighborhoods host open-air parties where you can eat and dance until late, before moving on to the Versilia nightclubs that throw masked balls.
Book ahead
Viareggio tours
What to see in Viareggio
What to see in Viareggio
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The promenade is the perfect place to go shopping in the many boutiques, enjoy a coffee, a drink or a meal in the terrace which occur along the more than 2km of the wide pedestrian avenue. Departing from the pier and the marina, walking…
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Recently built by the architect Tomassi, the Citadel of the Carnival has become one of the landmarks of the Carnival of Viareggio, active manifestation for over a century (1873). The large oval arena, which hosts summer concerts and shows…
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Immersed in the urban of the city there are two large parks: “Le pinete” (the Pinewoods). These green spaces are ideal for a walk, on foot or by bicycle, between the gravel driveways. In summer the pine forest of the west is full of…
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The museum, housed on the first floor of the nineteenth-century building Palazzo delle Muse, traditionally nursing home for children suffering from respiratory diseases that were staying in Viareggio in the summer to breathe the sea air,…
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Paolina Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, loved Viareggio and here had built her residence in 1822, originally lapped by the sea. The villa, restored in its original system with the apartments with frescoes and the rear garden, houses the…
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Housed in a charming Art Nouveau villa, finely restored, Matteucci Foundation regularly organizes temporary exhibitions of Italian masters of the italian 1800 and 1900. The context and the shows, result of a careful selection, are a…
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Housed within the historic fish market now renovated, the museum overlooks the Burlamacca canal and one of the docks that still house moorings and shipyards. The exhibition is centered around the objects telling stories and crafts…
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Just a 5 km from Viareggio, the locality of Torre del Lago Puccini spreads from the sea to the western shores of Lake Massaciuccoli. Right on the lake, stands the house museum of Giacomo Puccini who wrote here some of his most famous…
1Passeggiata a mare ed edifici liberty
The promenade is the perfect place to go shopping in the many boutiques, enjoy a coffee, a drink or a meal in the terrace which occur along the more than 2km of the wide pedestrian avenue. Departing from the pier and the marina, walking north you come across what remains of Viareggio Liberty style in the entrances to the bathing establishments and in some of the most valuable buildings. Are worth a mention: the Gran Caffè Margherita, the entrance to the Bagno Balena, the shop Martini, the only one left building made entirely of wood after the fire of 1917 which completely destroyed all the structures that made Viareggio promenade a unique in the Italian Art Nouveau . Walking through a shop window to the other, you may want to have a glance to the buildings that line the avenue (many of which turned into hotels) to see the elegant Art Nouveau buildings with beautiful ceramic insert decorations including the most famous majolica by Galileo Chini.
Address
Viale Margherita - Terrazza Ciano, Viareggio (LU)
Viale Margherita - Terrazza Ciano, Viareggio (LU)
2Cittadella e musei del Carnevale
Recently built by the architect Tomassi, the Citadel of the Carnival has become one of the landmarks of the Carnival of Viareggio, active manifestation for over a century (1873). The large oval arena, which hosts summer concerts and shows (since 2004 the festival in honor of Giorgio Gaber), is surrounded by tall hangars where are manufactured the constructions of papier mache that parade every year on the avenues to the sea during the masked Sunday courses. The Citadel is, at the same time, craftsmanship's place and a place of art and history: the Museum of Contemporary Art Carnevalotto houses since 1987, the eponymous award winning works (including Pomodoro, Cascella, Tilson, Mitoraj, etc...), the Carnival Museum tells the story of the event through images, movies, books and models. For the little ones, but not only, is possible to visit the hangars and take part in creative workshops on the technique of papier mache.
Opening hours
From October to April : from Thursday to Sunday 16-19 . From May to September : Tuesday to Saturday 17 - 20.Chiuso holidays. The Carnival Museum is open from 09.30 to 11.30 in the mornings of masked courses.
From October to April : from Thursday to Sunday 16-19 . From May to September : Tuesday to Saturday 17 - 20.Chiuso holidays. The Carnival Museum is open from 09.30 to 11.30 in the mornings of masked courses.
Address
Via Santa Maria Goretti, Viareggio (LU)
Via Santa Maria Goretti, Viareggio (LU)
Official website
viareggio.ilcarnevale.com
viareggio.ilcarnevale.com
3Pinete e Villa Borbone
Immersed in the urban of the city there are two large parks: “Le pinete” (the Pinewoods). These green spaces are ideal for a walk, on foot or by bicycle, between the gravel driveways. In summer the pine forest of the west is full of people in search of cool shade in one of the many kiosks that offer drinks, ice cream and watermelon, for the little ones are equipped playgrounds, rides and rentals of bicycles, tricycles and wheelchairs. For those who love wild nature, the pine forest of the east, formerly part of the Borbone estate and northern foothills of the Natural Park of San Rossore, lets delve into the pleasant paths and less frequented by tourists leading to the sea through passages of sand dunes in the typical Mediterranean flora. Along viale dei Tigli that passes for 5 km through the pinewood and connects Viareggio to the locality of Torre del Lago Puccini, there is the villa that Maria Luisa of Borbone built in 1822 as a hunting lodge of the estate. The villa has been recently renovated and is used by the town of Viareggio for exhibitions, conferences , concerts , theatrical performances and weddings.
Address
Pineta di Ponente: via A. Vespucci - via Marco Polo – via Zara Villa Borbone: viale dei Tigli, Viareggio (LU)
Pineta di Ponente: via A. Vespucci - via Marco Polo – via Zara Villa Borbone: viale dei Tigli, Viareggio (LU)
Official website
www.villaborbone.net
www.villaborbone.net
4GAMC – Galleria di arte moderna e contemporanea
The museum, housed on the first floor of the nineteenth-century building Palazzo delle Muse, traditionally nursing home for children suffering from respiratory diseases that were staying in Viareggio in the summer to breathe the sea air, holds a collection of over 3000 works of the twentieth century among which graphics, paintings and sculptures. Among the best-known names Picasso, Mirò, De Chirico, Toulouse Lautrec, Fontana, Pomodoro and the largest collection of the expressionist born in Viareggio Lorenzo Viani. In addition to the permanent exposition, periodically renewed, the gallery hosts temporary exhibition, performances and educational events.
Opening hours
September to June : Tuesday to Sunday 15:30 to 19:30 . July-August : Tuesday to Sunday 18:00 to 11:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
September to June : Tuesday to Sunday 15:30 to 19:30 . July-August : Tuesday to Sunday 18:00 to 11:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
Tickets and prices
Full ticket € 3, reduced € 1.50, free for under 14 and over 65.
Full ticket € 3, reduced € 1.50, free for under 14 and over 65.
Address
Palazzo delle Muse, Piazza Mazzini, Viareggio (LU)
Palazzo delle Muse, Piazza Mazzini, Viareggio (LU)
Official website
www.gamc.it
www.gamc.it
5Musei di Villa Paolina
Paolina Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, loved Viareggio and here had built her residence in 1822, originally lapped by the sea. The villa, restored in its original system with the apartments with frescoes and the rear garden, houses the archaeological museum C. A. Blanc dedicated to the prehistory and early history of Versilia, the Museum of Musical Instruments G. Ciuffreda and exhibition space for temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists, conventions and concerts.
Opening hours
September to June: Tuesday to Sunday 15:30 to 19:30. July-August: Tuesday to Sunday 18:00 to 23:00.
September to June: Tuesday to Sunday 15:30 to 19:30. July-August: Tuesday to Sunday 18:00 to 23:00.
Tickets and prices
Full ticket € 2.50, reduced € 1.50, free for under 14 and over 65.
Full ticket € 2.50, reduced € 1.50, free for under 14 and over 65.
Address
Via Machiavelli 2, Viareggio (LU)
Via Machiavelli 2, Viareggio (LU)
Official website
www.viareggiomusei.it
www.viareggiomusei.it
6Centro Matteucci per l’Arte Moderna
Housed in a charming Art Nouveau villa, finely restored, Matteucci Foundation regularly organizes temporary exhibitions of Italian masters of the italian 1800 and 1900. The context and the shows, result of a careful selection, are a little gem not to be missed for lovers of the genre.
Opening hours
Opening hours and ticket costs, which vary according to the exhibition, can be found on the website of the Foundation.
Opening hours and ticket costs, which vary according to the exhibition, can be found on the website of the Foundation.
Address
via Gabriele D'Annunzio 28, Viareggio (LU)
via Gabriele D'Annunzio 28, Viareggio (LU)
Official website
www.centromatteucciartemoderna.it
www.centromatteucciartemoderna.it
7Museo della marineria Alberto Gianni
Housed within the historic fish market now renovated, the museum overlooks the Burlamacca canal and one of the docks that still house moorings and shipyards. The exhibition is centered around the objects telling stories and crafts related to the sea: the material culture of the craft of the shipyards with the carpenters and shipwrights, divers, the life and on-board instruments. The museum hosts occasionally conferences and concerts.
Opening hours
September to June: Tuesday to Sunday 15:30 to 19:30. July-August: Tuesday to Sunday 18:00 to 23:00. Closed on Mondays.
September to June: Tuesday to Sunday 15:30 to 19:30. July-August: Tuesday to Sunday 18:00 to 23:00. Closed on Mondays.
Tickets and prices
Full ticket € 2.50, reduced € 1.50, free for under 14 and over 65.
Full ticket € 2.50, reduced € 1.50, free for under 14 and over 65.
Address
Via Pescheria, 9 – Lungo canale Est, 23 - Viareggio (LU)
Via Pescheria, 9 – Lungo canale Est, 23 - Viareggio (LU)
Official website
www.viareggiomusei.it
www.viareggiomusei.it
8Torre del Lago Puccini, casa Giacomo Puccini e marina
Just a 5 km from Viareggio, the locality of Torre del Lago Puccini spreads from the sea to the western shores of Lake Massaciuccoli. Right on the lake, stands the house museum of Giacomo Puccini who wrote here some of his most famous works, the same which are still sung in the homonymous open-air theater, built on the shores of the lake, which hosts every summer Puccini's most famous opera festival in the world. The marine of Torre del Lago provides a wide choice of restaurants, pubs and disco-pubs, which overlook the waterfront close to the pinewood, frequented mainly by young people especially on weekends, are a reference point for the LGBT tourism.
Opening hours
10:00 to 12:40 a.m. / 15:00 to 18:20 p.m., closed on Mondays.
10:00 to 12:40 a.m. / 15:00 to 18:20 p.m., closed on Mondays.
Tickets and prices
Full ticket 7 €, reduced 3 € for children aged 6 to 13 years; small groups of at least 15 people on request € 6, free for children up to 6 years and members of the “Amici delle case di Puccini”.
Full ticket 7 €, reduced 3 € for children aged 6 to 13 years; small groups of at least 15 people on request € 6, free for children up to 6 years and members of the “Amici delle case di Puccini”.
Address
Viale G. Puccini 266, Torre del Lago Puccini, Viareggio (LU)
Viale G. Puccini 266, Torre del Lago Puccini, Viareggio (LU)
Official website
www.puccinifestival.it
www.puccinifestival.it
How to get to Viareggio from Lucca
By train
Viareggio station is on the coastal lines Ventimiglia-Torino-Genova-Pisa-Roma and Milano-Livorno. Inland, Viareggio is connected to the Pisa-Firenze and Lucca-Firenze lines. From Florence there are trains about every hour, taking an hour via Pisa and an hour and a half via Lucca.
Timetables and tickets
By bus
Viareggio has bus connections to almost all the main towns in Tuscany. Before you leave, check your route from your departure station.
Timetables and tickets
By car
From the north, take the A1 Autostrada del Sole to Parma, continue on the A15 to Santo Stefano di Magra and then on the A12 Genova-Rosignano toward Rosignano, to the Viareggio exit. Careful, don't be fooled by appearances: the right exit is Viareggio, not Versilia! From the south, you can take the A1 Autostrada del Sole and, once in Florence, get on the A11 to Viareggio. Along the coast, take the Via Aurelia to Rosignano, then the A12 freeway toward Genoa, and exit at Viareggio.
Where to eat in Viareggio
Gli amici del gusto
Giancarlo immediately puts at ease when you enter the small room and you let serve yourself, because the menu is fixed and the price too. 10 starters, 3 main courses, afters, side dishes, dessert, water, wine, liquor and anything you want to follow. The kitchen prefers fresh fish that varies on the menu depending on the fishing of the day. If you want to try it, arrange: you need to book about a year before....or have a stroke of luck, it happens!
via F. Cavallotti 45, Viareggio (LU) · (+39) 0584 945157
Laltrolato
A cube of glass open onto a small garden. Laltrolato is a pleasant discovery while walking between the docks of Viareggio or returning from a day at the beach. Open for lunch, dinner and after dinner, offers sophisticated menus with a focus on fish, offered with originality and sophistication. Try the octopus soup or ravioli with shellfish and do not hesitate on homemade bread!
Via Euro Menini 47, Viareggio (LU) · (+39) 0584 184012
Gelateria Dolceamaro
Dedicated to biological, kilometer zero and seasonal products. Dolceamaro offers completely handmade ice cream using local raw ingredients, strating from water with low mineral content of the Apuan Alps or from pine nuts collected in the park Migliarino-Massaciuccoli-San Rossore. No additives, no coloring, just pure ingredients for fruit flavors, cream and savory warm crepes.
via Mazzini 110, Viareggio (LU) · (+39) 0584 1842096
Wine bar Caffè Irene
Coffee, pastries, as well as quick lunches, salads, appetizers and good wine. The Caffè Irene animates the evenings in the historic center of Viareggio with cocktails accompanied by live music. The friendliness and hospitality of the staff makes everyone feel at ease and the informal reception, the tables added onto time in the middle of the street, the music that mixes with the chatter, reminiscent of the Parisian and Spanish atmosphere.
Via San Martino 120, Viareggio (LU) · (+39) 0584 32099
Fubi’s
Sophisticated restaurant, minimalist chic. A few tables, soft atmosphere that fits well with dishes that are looking for original marriages of flavors using only organic and seasonal ingredients. The owner will be happy to suggest the perfect pairing with local wines, explaining the origin of the meat and the unusual use of spices that surprises listening to the menu. For more metropolitans, by Fubi's you can bring from home your own bottle of wine and, as in the best locals of New York, only pay the corkage...Bring Your Own Bottle!
Via 4 Novembre angolo via Verdi, Viareggio (LU) · (+39) 0584 1921548
Tips
The people of Viareggio are usually very blunt and a bit rough, like many Tuscans: formal manners aren't the fashion here, and people get friendly with you right away. Don't take offense!
If you go to Viareggio during the Carnival, remember that wearing a mask here is almost compulsory: get yourself one, even something simple and improvised, so you don't feel like a fish out of water! Also during the Carnival, if you arrive by car, be careful: many of the town's usually free parking lots temporarily become paid parking.
Opera lovers who want to see one of the operas of the Puccini Festival should plan ahead and leave early: the only avenue leading to the theater on Lake Massaciuccoli (Viale Marconi) is often one long line of cars!
If you go to Viareggio during the Carnival, remember that wearing a mask here is almost compulsory: get yourself one, even something simple and improvised, so you don't feel like a fish out of water! Also during the Carnival, if you arrive by car, be careful: many of the town's usually free parking lots temporarily become paid parking.
Opera lovers who want to see one of the operas of the Puccini Festival should plan ahead and leave early: the only avenue leading to the theater on Lake Massaciuccoli (Viale Marconi) is often one long line of cars!
Book ahead