5 Best Hotels in Lucca, Tuscany

The brocade bedspreads of this inn in the heart of the centro storico are fresh and crisp; the proprietor is friendly; and the breakfast, served in a cheerful apricot room, is more than ample. Although it's just around the corner from the Duomo, busy Corso Garibaldi, and the great walls of Lucca, the inn feels private as it's tucked away on a quiet, sun-sprinkled piazzetta (small square)—a place to retreat to when you have seen all the church facades you can possibly stand. Breakfast is only sometimes included in the price of a room.

This charming hotel with a friendly staff is right off the main shopping drag, Via Fillungo. Terra-cotta floors and stenciled walls impart a cozy feeling, while the high brick and timbered ceilings create a sense of spaciousness. The sitting room, with its fireplace and bar, provides a lovely place to relax. Breakfast is served in a cheery room with sponged-painted walls.

The former stables of the Villa Bottini have been transformed into a modern hotel with stylish rooms done in a warm wood veneer with blue-and-white fittings. Free bicycles are a nice bonus in this bike-friendly city, and the sumptuous buffet breakfast could see you through dinner. Residenza dell'Alba, the hotel's annex across the street, was originally part of a 14th-century church; now it's a luxe accommodation with in-room hot tubs, high sweeping ceilings, Oriental rugs, and lush, comfortable furniture.

On a quiet, airy courtyard close to the Piazza del Mercato, this hotel, run by the Barbieri family for more than four decades, occupies two renovated wings of an old building. The bathrooms are modern, but some rooms still have the flavor of Old Lucca. One of the suites has high frescoed ceilings and a chandelier, an echo of a nobler age.

This hotel, in a building dating from the 12th century, has public rooms with timbered ceilings, warm yellow walls, and brocaded chairs and guest rooms with high ceilings and still more of that glorious damask. Top-floor suites have sweeping views of the town. One suite is on the mezzanine floor but also has city views.