Located in the north-western part of Italy, La Spezia is a town of 100,000 inhabitants just south of the Cinque Terre National Park. Given the region’s high tourist profile, it’s essential to know where to stay in La Spezia.
Choosing the right accommodation and its location can have a significant impact on your enjoyment of the region. By taking into account the area’s liveliness, places of interest and available accommodation, this article will help you determine where best to stay in La Spezia
Main information
Before going into the description of the areas to target when selecting accommodation in La Spezia, here are the essentials to know about tourism.
Our favorite places to stay
First of all, if you’re in a hurry, here are our favorite places to stay in La Spezia:
- $ this guesthouse in the heart of the historic center.
- $$ this hotel, in a rather central location close to the train station.
- $$$ this upscale establishment, in the heart of the port. It’s one of the best places to stay in La Spezia, budget permitting.
Map of different areas to stay in La Spezia
We’re now sharing the map on which you can find all our recommendations for hotels and apartments where to stay in La Spezia. This map will also enable you to locate the various geographical areas we’ll cover in this guide.
We’ve used the following color code: green for budget hotels, blue for mid-range hotels and red for luxury hotels.
La Spezia accommodation essentials
Here’s some information to help you get to know the city a little better:
Places to stay in La Spezia
Let’s get to the heart of the matter with a review of the main areas where we recommend staying in La Spezia.
Staying in Centro Storico
The Centro Storico, or historic center, is the best place to stay in La Spezia. It's here that the city's liveliest activity is to be found, in terms of the number of restaurants, cafés, shops and places of interest. It's also the district with the largest and most interesting range of accommodation. These are mainly hotels and bed & breakfasts.
In Centro Storico, the main sites of interest are as follows:
- Castello San Giorgio(St. George's Castle ), a 14th-century monument with a museum and magnificent views
- Center d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (CAMeC), a museum featuring 20th-century exhibitions of modern art
- Museo Civico Amedeo Lia, featuring works by Italian artists from the Middle Ages to the 18th century
- Take a stroll through the typical streets of the historic center, to get a feel for the city's atmosphere
Staying in the Centro Storico is therefore the best option for both visiting La Spezia and continuing your stay in the region, particularly in the nearby Cinque Terre National Park. In fact, the historic center lies between the main railway station to the north and the port to the south. Trains and boats are easily accessible from this area.
€
Very well-placedB&B. Elegantly decorated and well-equipped accommodation. Excellent value for money.
€€
Hotel in the heart of downtown. Comfortable, modern rooms. Very attractive rates. Bar and private parking.
€€
Chambre d'hôte offering pleasant, well-equipped accommodation. Restful, colorful interior decor.
Accommodation around the port of La Spezia
The port and its direct surroundings also represent a very interesting area in which to stay in La Spezia. Even if this district is less lively than the center, its direct proximity to the latter makes it an important alternative for accommodation in the city.
You can visit the following sites of interest in this area:
- Marina, a pleasant place to stroll and from which you can take a boat to visit the region
- Naval Technical Museum(Museo Tecnico Navale), where you'll find a wealth of marine-themed exhibits
- Parc Salvador Allende, a green space delimiting the port area from the historic center
Accommodation in this area consists mainly of mid-range and luxury hotels.
€€
Hotel located near the port. Comfortable, renovated rooms. Terrace, bar and private parking available.
€€
Mid-rangehotel establishment. Modern, well-equipped rooms. Fitness center, restaurant and bar.
€€€
Hotel boat located inside the harbor. Well-equipped cabin with sitting area, bathroom and kitchenette. One or more cabins available.
Staying in the station area
Deciding to stay in the area around La Spezia's main railway station can also be interesting. This is especially true if you're traveling by train during your stay in the region.
From La Spezia station, you can catch a train to Cinque Terre, which is just a few minutes away. You can also travel to Genoa, Pisa, Florence and Rome from here.
There aren't really any sites of interest to see in this area. It's also less busy than the center, which is only a 10-minute walk away. However, there are plenty of places to stay in the area. Mostly hotels.
€€
This hotel offers great value for money. It has a bar, spacious rooms that can accommodate up to 4 people and optional private parking.
€€
This establishment offers excellent value for money. It features a bar, spacious rooms for up to 4 people and private parking at an additional cost.
€€
Close to the train station and with parking facilities, this classic urban hotel offers good value for money for accommodation close to the Cinque Terre.
Accommodation in Portovenere
Located 12 km south of La Spezia's Centro Storico, Portovenere is also an essential alternative during a stay in the region. Deciding to stay here can be an interesting choice if you decide to go to Cinque Terre by boat, for example. From Portovenere, you can take a 30-45 minute ferry to the villages of Manarola and Riomaggiore. Boats to La Spezia also take 30 minutes.
Portovenere is home to several sites of interest. The most important of these are Château Doria, Lord Byron's Cove, and the churches of Saint Laurent and Saint Peter. The accommodation on offer in this district is quite extensive. These are mainly bed & breakfasts and mid-range and luxury hotels.
€€
Bed and breakfast in the hills above Portovenere. Accommodation with balcony or terrace. Relaxing setting and beautiful view of the sea.
€€€
Luxury hotel complex located on the seafront inside an ancient 17th-century monastery. Spacious, modern rooms. Spa, restaurant, bar and private parking.
Summary
Choosing the right accommodation and location is essential when staying in La Spezia. After all, La Spezia is essentially a stopover town on a road trip around Italy, or for visiting the Cinque Terre. The Centro Storico area is the best place to stay, to make the most of your stay. The port and railway station areas are also interesting alternatives. Last but not least, you can also opt for accommodation further south, in Portovenere.
Given the region’s strong tourist appeal, it’s advisable to book your accommodation in La Spezia as early as possible. You’ll then have a wider range of choices, with more attractive prices. This is especially true if you plan to visit between April and October