Place to stay Lucca, Italy

[novagal]

I'm going to Italy in May and I'm planning to spend at least one day and overnight in Lucca. Anyone have recommendations on where to stay?

[madamtrashheap]

novagal, I've not stayed in Lucca but I have been there for day trips and it's gorgeous. If you can stay central then you'll get to wander the streets in the evening (like the locals) before going off to eat inn a fabulous Trattoria. The Hotel Ilaria is, from memory, fairly central. Not sure of prices, but it seemed nice when I walked past it. Hotel Napoleon is on the other side of the city and may be a little more affordable in the hotel category, but as far as super-cheap accommodation in Lucca, there's not a lot to be had centrally, but if you don't mind a 30min walk then there are quite a few further out (randomly enough, on the way to Pisa!). The used to be an Ostello (Hostel) close to the centre, I think called San Fred (or something similar), but not sure if it's still there or what it's like.

Hopefully someone has stayed there and can offer you a suggestion or two from personal experience, otherwise just map out where you'd like to be in the city (it's not particularly spread out) and go from there. www.venere.com is a good start.

[me]

there's an HI in Lucca. from what i've read, it's a big one!

a glance at Hostelworld.com shows other low cost places to stay, as well. Sogni d'Oro, the cheapest, is €17.00 pp in a 4 bed shared room. <but, it's outside the Lucca city walls>