18:00
Viareggio
- By the sea
- Train station
- 60,579 residents
Good for BeachesFestivalsCultureFamiliesWalksWithout a car
Viareggio is the largest town on the Versilia coast, a resort of about 60,000 people with an entirely sandy shoreline on the Ligurian Sea.
It is best known for its Carnival. Masked parades of giant papier-mâché floats have run here since 1873 and now follow the seafront between late January and early March. The floats are built all year in the hangars of the Cittadella del Carnevale in the north of town, where a museum tells the history of the event.
The seafront promenade, the Passeggiata, is lined with bathing establishments and Liberty and Art Deco buildings. Many were rebuilt in the 1920s by the architect Alfredo Belluomini and the ceramist Galileo Chini, among them the Gran Caffè Margherita, where Puccini was a regular. South of the canal lies the Darsena, the port district of fishing boats and shipyards, where yacht builders such as Benetti still work.
Two pine woods frame the town: the Pineta di Ponente inside the town and the Pineta di Levante towards Torre del Lago. Viareggio suits beach holidays, families and carnival visitors.
Events in Viareggio12
Filter →Today · Tuesday 27 October1
Friday 30 October1
17:30
Saturday 31 October1
16:00
Friday 6 November1
—All day
Friday 20 November3
—All day
17:00
21:15
Friday 4 December1
—All day
Sunday 6 December1
17:00
Friday 11 December1
—All day
Running all through2
2 Oct
11 Oct
What to see
Carnevale di Viareggio
Masked parades of giant papier-mâché floats along the seafront, held between late January and early March; the first documented parade was in 1873.
Cittadella del Carnevale and Museo del Carnevale
Opened in 2001, a circular square ringed by 16 hangars where the floats are built, with a year-round museum of floats, posters and papier-mâché technique.
Passeggiata and Gran Caffè Margherita
The seafront promenade of Liberty and Art Deco buildings; the café, with its two domed turrets, was rebuilt in 1928 to Belluomini's design with decoration by Galileo Chini.
Darsena
The port district, with its first dock built in 1819, home to fishing boats, leisure marinas and yacht yards such as Benetti, founded in Viareggio in 1873.
Pineta di Ponente and Pineta di Levante
Two pine woods for shaded walks: the Ponente is the main green space inside the town, the Levante runs from the Darsena to Torre del Lago within the regional park.
Villa Paolina and GAMC
Villa Paolina holds archaeological and musical-instrument museums and the Paolina Bonaparte apartments; the GAMC modern art gallery in Palazzo delle Muse has over 3,000 works.
Beaches
Passeggiata beaches
Bathing establishments with umbrellas and loungers along the promenade; the seabed shelves gently and is sandy.
Darsena beaches
Wide beaches south of the port with both free and equipped stretches; one of the two free-access beaches in Viareggio.
Spiaggia della Lecciona
A free beach backed by dunes and pine wood between Viareggio and Torre del Lago, inside a nature reserve; no bathing establishments.
Getting there and around
- By car
- By car, leave the A12 at the Viareggio-Camaiore exit; the Viareggio–Lucca link road joins the A11 Florence motorway.
- Train and bus
- Viareggio station is on the Genoa–Pisa line and is the terminus of the line to Lucca and Florence, with regional trains towards Pisa, La Spezia, Lucca and Florence. From Pisa airport, the PisaMover shuttle runs to Pisa Centrale in about 5 minutes, where you change to a train for Viareggio.
- Parking
- On-street parking in Viareggio is mostly paid blue-line parking, run for the Comune by MoVer (Mobilità Versilia). Rates vary by zone; pay at the meters or with the MoVer app. The signs on site always apply.
Viareggio climate by month
| Month | Day | Night | Rain days (≥1 mm) | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11° | 5° | 13 | 143 mm |
| February | 12° | 6° | 11 | 144 mm |
| March | 14° | 7° | 12 | 135 mm |
| April | 17° | 10° | 12 | 124 mm |
| May | 20° | 14° | 15 | 154 mm |
| June | 25° | 18° | 8 | 73 mm |
| July | 27° | 21° | 6 | 40 mm |
| August | 28° | 21° | 7 | 74 mm |
| September | 24° | 17° | 12 | 158 mm |
| October | 20° | 14° | 13 | 232 mm |
| November | 15° | 9° | 15 | 218 mm |
| December | 12° | 6° | 14 | 179 mm |
Averages 2016–2025 from reanalysis data (Open-Meteo); a single year can differ a lot.
Questions visitors ask
When is the Viareggio Carnival?
The masked parades run on several days between late January and early March, including Shrove Tuesday. For 2027, Visit Tuscany lists 30 January and 4, 7, 9, 14 and 20 February.
How do I get from Pisa airport to Viareggio?
There is no direct train. Take the PisaMover shuttle from outside the terminal to Pisa Centrale (about 5 minutes), then a regional train on the Genoa–Pisa line to Viareggio.
Is there a free beach in Viareggio?
Yes. Most of the shore is taken by bathing establishments, but the Darsena beaches have free stretches, and the Lecciona, towards Torre del Lago, is a free beach inside a nature reserve.
Can you see the carnival floats outside carnival season?
Yes. The Museo del Carnevale in the Cittadella is open all year and shows a collection of historic floats in Hangar 16; booking is recommended.
Nearby
Researched from: it.wikipedia.org, it.wikipedia.org, it.wikipedia.org, visittuscany.com, visittuscany.com, museiprovincialucca.it · checked 2026-10-27.