Where to stay in La Spezia — pick the right hotel, book in 3 clicks
La Spezia is the gateway to Cinque Terre, a port town on the Golfo dei Poeti (Gulf of Poets) in the Liguria region that travellers use as a base for visiting the five villages, thanks to its abundant and better-value accommodation. It has a shady seaside promenade, a fresh market, and delicious Ligurian seafood, and it's close to lovely villages like Portovenere and Lerici, which legendary poets once wrote about.
Why stay in La Spezia
Base for Cinque Terre
The best location for visiting the five villages; the Cinque Terre Express train departs from here every 15-30 minutes.
Portovenere village
A seaside World Heritage village with a clifftop church and colourful houses, as beautiful as Cinque Terre but less crowded.
The bayside promenade
The palm-lined Passeggiata Morin along the bay, the locals' favourite spot for an evening stroll.
Seafood and fresh markets
The Mercato Civico and fresh Ligurian seafood restaurants; sample the local pesto and mussels.
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Local dishes to try in La Spezia
- 1🌿
Pesto alla Genovese
The original basil pesto sauce of Liguria, wonderfully fragrant over pasta or spread on bread.
📍 Ligurian food - 2🦪
Muscoli ripieni
Mussels stuffed with meat and herbs and baked in tomato sauce, a standout dish of the La Spezia gulf.
📍 Seafood - 3🫓
Farinata
A thin, crisp chickpea-flour pancake baked in a wood oven, a classic Ligurian snack.
📍 Street food - 4🍝
Mesciua
A traditional La Spezia soup of mixed beans and grains, simple sailors' fare but filling.
📍 La Spezia food - 5🍷
Ligurian wine
Crisp, refreshing white Vermentino and Cinque Terre DOC wines from the seaside terraced vineyards.
📍 Drinks
- 1🏰
Portovenere
A seaside World Heritage village with a clifftop church, colourful houses, and Byron's Grotto, reachable by boat.
📍 Outside town - 2⚓
Gulf of Poets
A lovely bay where the English poets Byron and Shelley once stayed, ringed by beautiful coastal villages.
📍 Along the bay - 3🏛️
Museo Amedeo Lia
A museum of medieval and Renaissance art with a superb collection of paintings.
📍 City center - 4🏖️
Lerici
A seaside village with a medieval castle and a small beach, peaceful and set across the bay.
📍 Outside town - 5🚶
Passeggiata Morin
A palm-lined promenade along the bay, a spot for strolling and watching the yachts in the evening.
📍 Along the bay - 6⛪
Santa Maria Assunta
An old Ligurian-style church in the city center, the starting point for exploring the old town.
📍 City center
Things to do in La Spezia
Day tours, attraction tickets and travel essentials for La Spezia — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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3 La Spezia hotels our team picked for you
Selected from real reviews — one per budget tier, each with a score and instant 3-site price comparison
★ 8.7Upper-midHotel NH La Spezia
#1 Closest to the station · 4-star NH chain
★ 8.7Value
★ 8.6ValueHotel Genova La Spezia
#3 family-run 3-star · 100 m from the station
โรงแรมแนะนำทั้งหมดในLa Spezia
ครบทุกระดับงบ — คัดจากคะแนนรีวิวจริง พร้อมเทียบราคา 3 เว็บ
Hotel Diana La Spezia
#6 budget 3-star · near the ferry harbour
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🚆 Getting around La Spezia
La Spezia Centrale station
The main station connecting the Cinque Terre Express to the five villages, plus trains to Pisa, Genoa, and Florence.
Boat to Portovenere
Boats from the La Spezia harbour to Portovenere and the Cinque Terre villages during the tourist season.
Walking around town
The city center and the bayside promenade are within walking distance, compact and easy to explore in a few hours.
Bus to Portovenere
Local buses connect the town with Portovenere and Lerici along a beautiful coastline.
Where to go next near La Spezia
RomeThe Italian capital that holds the ruins of ancient Roman civilisation, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City all in one city.
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VeniceA floating city in a labyrinth of canals and 400 bridges. Take a gondola ride past ancient palaces along the Grand Canal.
See this city's guide →
FlorenceThe capital of Tuscany and birthplace of the Renaissance, home to the David statue and the red cathedral dome.
See this city's guide →
MilanItaly's capital of fashion and design, home to the marble Duomo cathedral and Leonardo's The Last Supper.
See this city's guide →Frequently asked — where to stay in La Spezia
Why stay in La Spezia rather than in the Cinque Terre villages?+
La Spezia has more accommodation and better value than the small villages with limited rooms, and it's just 5 minutes by train from the first village, making it a convenient and economical base.
Is there anything to see in La Spezia itself?+
Besides being a base, it has a lovely bayside promenade, the Museo Amedeo Lia, a fresh market, and it's the boat departure point for Portovenere, a World Heritage village every bit as beautiful as Cinque Terre.
How do you get to Cinque Terre from La Spezia?+
Take the Cinque Terre Express from La Spezia Centrale station, departing every 15-30 minutes, reaching Riomaggiore (the first village) in about 5 minutes. We recommend a Cinque Terre Card for unlimited rides.
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