Biking the Via Francigena: Lucca to Rome

If you're looking to accomplish one of Europe's greatest pilgrim routes by bike, and would like to journey through the heart of stunning Tuscany, this ride is for you. Riding from Lucca to Rome, you'll have the opportunity to stay in medieval Tuscan towns and cities, indulge on delicious Tuscan food and wine, and celebrate the end of your ride in one of the world's most iconic cities, Rome. The tour is suitable for relatively fit regular cyclists seeking an active holiday, and are comfortable with spending much of the day in the saddle, experiencing a region and discovering its variety over longer daily distances.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Leisure Cycling | Leisure Cycling

Foodie, Wine, Long-Distance Trails, Off the Beaten Track

The minimum age for this tour is: 16 Years

This tour is graded moderate. The grade is determined on the basis of the entire trip. Individual days may vary in terms of difficulty, i.e. some rides may be slightly more difficult or easier than the overall grade.The grading is based on using a standard hybrid bike. There is one cycling day graded moderate to strenuous (Day 6), with a distance of 70km and a daily total elevation of 1398m. Daily total elevations range from 250m to 1395m. The terrain will be varied, and usually rolling with some longer or steeper ascents/descents on quiet country roads, with the occasional short stretch on busier roads through towns. Remember, Tuscany is renowned for its hilltop towns and villages, meaning most days finish with a climb.

Minimum Age

The minimum age for this tour is 18yrs. This is due to the remote nature of the route.

This cycling tour is suitable for relatively fit regular cyclists seeking an active holiday. Daily distances range from 44km to 76km, and you'll spend much of the day in the saddle experiencing a region and discovering its variety over longer daily distances.

If riding a standard hybrid bike, you must be a regular fit cyclist to achieve this day, and be comfortable with longer distances with long (and sometimes steep) ascents/descents.  

We highly recommend upgrading to an E-bike for some battery-powered assitance so that you can arrive at your hotels sooner, to recharge for the following day by the pool, or to have time to explore the beautiful Tuscan towns and villages along the way.

We use a mixture of 3 and 4-star hotels on this tour, as well as B&Bs, all of which are locally-run.

We hand-pick the accommodation to ensure you enjoy every minute of your stay. A warm welcome, traditional hospitality, and delicious local food and drink come as standard. Some come with outdoor swimming pools.

We book en suite rooms as standard. 

Alternate Accommodation

We'll always try and use the hotels’ shown in the accommodation information. Occasionally, because of limited availability, we may have to accommodate you in alternative hotels which aren’t listed in the description. The alternative accommodation will be of the same or better standard than those described. In case alternative accommodation needs to be booked, supplements may be payable, and we’ll advise you accordingly.

Navigation is straightforward with GPX tracks provided in our app. Please note that this route does not always follow the pedestrian pilgrim route of the Via Francigena, as the trails are not always suitable for bikes. Therefore you cannot rely on the usual waymarking of the Via Francigena. Instead, you'll mainly follow the brown signs of the Via Francigena, which closely follows the official pedestrian route.

This trip is available from April to the end of October. You can start your holiday on any date in the season.

Spring in Italy is sublime and April, May and June are the best months for cycling. Autumn is a great time of year as the landscape is made up of a gold and red pallet, so September and October is a great time to ride the Via Francigena. July and August can be very hot, so you will have to start very early to miss the heat of the day, and perhaps have a long lunch and finish riding in the mid to late afternoon. We highly recommend upgrading to an E-bike should you decide to do this tour in the summer months.

The start location of this tour is Lucca, in the heart of Tuscany. 

We recommend flying to Florence or Pisa Airports. You can then take a train to Lucca from either of these airports. 

From Pisa Airport, there is a direct bus departing from the airport to Lucca (50-minute journey). Or, there are regular trains running every 30 minutes should you want to make your way via the centre of Pisa (to see the leaning tower of Pisa, for example!). You first need to take a train to Pisa Centrale from the airport (only a ten-minute journey), and then take a direct train to Lucca from there, with a journey time of 30-minutes. For train timetables, visit Trenitalia. 

From Florence Airport, the quickest way to get to Lucca is by bus, a direct 55-minute journey from Terminal 2. If making your way from the centre of Florence, there is a direct train from Florence Santa Maria Novella (S.M.N) train station, taking 1hr20 mins.

The tour finishes in Rome. If you are flying home from Rome Fiumicino Airport, it's just a 30-minute train from Rome Termini station to the airport. 

Alternatively, if returning to Florence Airport, it's a 1.5hr train from Rome Termini to Firenze S.M.N (Florence's Santa Maria Novella train station) then a 15 minute tram to the airprot from there.

If flying out of Pisa then take a train from Lucca, changing in Florence.

Luggage transfers between overnight locations are included in the tour. We request that you have only one piece of luggage per person, and it should weigh approximately 20kg.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.