Is La Spezia Worth the Visit?
Beyond Cinque Terre
La Spezia is a pretty underrated city in my opinion, only known as the gateway to Cinque Terre. And while it is exactly that, there is so much more to do and explore in the beautiful La Spezia.
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How to get to La Spezia?
La Spezia doesn’t have an airport, but the closest are Pisa (a little over an hour away) and Genoa (around 2 hours).
From any city in Italy, you can reach La Spezia using Trenitalia. The Italian train system is well connected and pretty extensive.
Additionally, there are buses that go from Italy or the surrounding European countries to La Spezia (Itabus or Flixbus).
Where to stay in La Spezia?
La Spezia is often known as the perfect place to stay for exploring Cinque Terre, with an express train link to the five towns. Check my full guide for accommodation in La Spezia out here.
Best hostels and hotels in La Spezia:
🛏️ COSTELLO – super high-quality hostel, close to the train station
🏬Novecento Boutique Hotel La Spezia –beautiful rooms, decent prices, great location
🏩Lina Suites & Rooms – stunning property, right by the main station
Activities to check out in La Spezia:
Is La Spezia Worth Visiting?
My Experience of La Spezia
When we arrived in La Spezia in the afternoon, ready for our Cinque Terre trip the next day, I wasn’t expecting much of the city. When you look online, it says there isn’t a whole lot to do and it’s an industrial port city more than anything.
And while both of those statements are technically true, I was really positively surprised by La Spezia.
The Marina is super pretty, with lots of yachts and sailboats, the city itself if full of winding, cobblestoned streets with local shops full of great deals and the food is amazing!
They also seem to have a ton of festivals in summer, so when I was there, they had live music in one place and a MUSSEL festival by the promenade. I had the best mussel pasta of my life there for 8€!
So all in all, I found La Spezia a beautiful city with the typical Italian charm but less of the chaos and over-tourism that you see in many other places. It felt authentic and you saw lots of locals come out to eat too.
If you’re staying there for Cinque Terre, I would advise to plan at least half a day for exploring La Spezia!
Things to do in La Spezia
Here are some of the top things to do in La Spezia, though my favourite was just wandering and getting lost in the winding streets of the city and finding local gems around every corner:
- Explore the winding streets of Old Town
- Visit Castello di San Giorgio (on a small hill overlooking the medieval town, dates back to the 14th cent, 6€ to enter museum)
- Try some local food at the market or one of the many Ligurian restaurants (like Antica Osteria Dei Camalli)
- Check out one of the festivals (your hotel will be able to tell you what’s on)
- check-out the nearby beaches of Lerici or Portovenere
- Stroll along Costantino Morin Promenade and enjoy the seaside views with mountains in the background
- Check out the Thaon di Revel Bridge
- Wonder at the Naval Technical Museum La Spezia (just 5€)
- Go on a boat cruise:
Why stay in La Spezia and not Cinque Terre?
While staying in one of the five villages is truly magical, as you get to experience early mornings and late evenings without the touristy crowds and really enjoy the beauty of Cinque Terre, it also comes at a steep price.
So while one night in Cinque Terre may be magical, I have spoken to travellers who quickly found it exhausting as a base. It’s always busy, even supermarkets are expensive and everything feels like a touristy front.
La Spezia is a much more “real” Italian city. They have a market, affordable restaurants and locals going about their day.
Though the biggest selling point may be the difference in accommodation prices, where La Spezia is usually cheaper by a mile. I also found the train card super easy to use, trains go every 20-minutes and just take a few minutes between the five towns.
The only downside was getting back in the evening, where the trains were a little irregular and delayed.
Overall, staying in La Spezia will give you a more budget-friendly and true Italian experience.
Though if within budget, I’d try to plan one night in one of thee five villages to make the most of the evening. Bonus points if you can leave your big luggage in your La Spezia hotel for that night though, dragging it through the Cinque Terre towns is a nightmare.
Hi, I'm Bell
I’m a solo traveller, writer and designer. I created my blog to share the many different ways to travel the world. Learn more about me here!
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