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Table of Contents:
How to get to La Spezia from Genoa
How to get to La Spezia from Milan
How to get to Cinque Terre from La Spezia
When to travel to La Spezia
La Spezia is considered to be a large city in the Ligurian Riviera. There is a seaport, a large ferry crossing (you can get to Sardinia and Corsica), and a train station connecting the province of La Spezia with other cities. In addition, tourists can quickly reach the Cinque Terre National Park, a desirable tourist destination for travelers, from La Spezia.
After some research, I decided to put together information I have previously found out and create a complete guide on how to organize a holiday in La Spezia. I figured out how to get to the town, where to stay & what to see there. I really hope this detailed information will help you plan your trip to La Spezia.
As I found out La Spezia can be visited all year round, but the “high” tourist season in the region is considered to be the period from June until October when the sea is warm enough to swim and the weather is sunny and windless. The period from November until April can be a bit rainy and suits more for indoor activities.
How to get to La Spezia
Where do you fly into to get to La Spezia? To get to La Spezia, you first need to fly into one of the major cities located nearby. It could be Milan or Genoa. Flights to Milan or Genoa are the most convenient and fastest ways to get to the Liguria region. You can check the current flight timetable via specialized online services such as Aviasales and other similar ones. I often use this online service as it helps me to compare different flight options and choose the optimal one. Then, by land transport, which is well developed in Italy, you can reach any resort town on the Ligurian shore, including La Spezia.
How to get to La Spezia from Genoa
According to my map research, the distance between Genoa and La Spezia is 100 km. They are connected with the #A12/E80 road route. You can get from one city to another by train, by taxi or by rented car.
By train: Direct high-speed and regional trains operate between Genoa and La Spezia throughout the day. Еhe travel time by high-speed train is about 50 minutes; the travel time by regional train is 1 hour 20 minutes. Trains start running at 5 am and then run every hour. The last train departs at 11 pm. Trains in Genoa depart from Brignoli Train Station. You can check the current train timetable and purchase tickets in advance at the Raileurope booking service. I use Raileurope pretty often when planning my own trips. It has a convenient search with a lot of additional filters to sort the results, for example, by duration of a trip, number of changes, prices, departure and arrival points, etc.
By taxi: You can also get from Genoa to La Spezia by taxi. The travel time is 1 hour 35 minutes. You can order a taxi directly at the airport at the information desk, or in advance via the different online services such as Kiwitaxi and other similar ones. In my point of view, it is an especially useful option when tourists arrive at night when public transport does not operate.
By rented car: Some travellers prefer to hire a car to explore the Ligurian shore. Car rental points can be found either at the Genoa city center or at the airport. To hire a car, you need to have a passport, a driver`s license and a bank card. You can also book a car in advance via the different international services such as Discover Cars, Economybookings and some others. Based on my experience, both online services are good. I would recommend comparing them to find out the best available options. Genoa and La Spezia are connected with # A12/E80 motorway. The travel time is about 1 hour 45 minutes (see on the map).
How to get to La Spezia from Milan
The distance between La Spezia and Milan is about 225 km. They are connected with the #A1 highway. You can get to the resort town by train, by taxi or by rented car.
By train: There are both direct trains and trains with a change in Genoa between Milan and La Spezia. The travel time is about 3 hours on high-speed trains or about 4 hours on regional ones. Trains run from Milan Central Station every hour during the day. You can check the current train timetable and purchase tickets in advance at the Raileurope booking service. To my mind, Raileurope is a very convenient planner for organizing upcoming trips around Italy.
By taxi: You can also get directly from Milan airport to La Spezia by taxi. The travel time is about 3 hours one way. You can order a taxi directly at the airport at the information desk, or in advance via the different online services such as Kiwitaxi and others. As I found out, Kiwitaxi has a lot of positive reviews, so I can definitely recommend it. For sure, there are a lot of other taxi services available at the airport.
By rented car: Another travel option is to rent a car in Milan to explore the Ligurian shore. There are a lot of car rental points in Milan, be it the city area or the airport. To rent a car, you need to have a passport, a driver`s license and a bank card. A car can be booked in advance via various online services such as Discover Cars, Economybookings, etc. Milan and La Spezia are connected with #A1 motorway. The travel time is approximately 3 hours (see on the map).
How to get to Cinque Terre from La Spezia
The favorite destination for tourist trips from La Spezia is the Cinque Terre, since the distance separating them is very small, and there are a lot of ways to get there. These can be trains, taxis or boats (during summer time).
By train: By train you can reach any of the towns of Cinque Terre in half an hour. Regional trains run between La Spezia and the Cinque Terre, starting at 4 a.m. and then every half an hour. By train from La Spezia, you can reach all 5 towns of Cinque Terre, including Monterosso, Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Corniglia. You can check the current train timetable and purchase tickets in advance at the Raileurope booking service. It is one of the online services which I totally recommend as it is very convenient for searching the railway connections.
In the summer, you can get to the Cinque Terre from La Spezia by water, on special excursion boats. The only disadvantage of such a trip is that you will not be able to visit one of the towns of the Cinque Terre called Corniglia due to its remoteness from the sea shore. But by boat from La Spezia, you can also get to another picturesque town on the shore called Portovenere, which is not included in the Cinque Terre National Park.
Where to stay in La Spezia
I did some research and I can say that tourists can find a lot of different accommodation options to stay here. La Spezia has a fairly developed hotel infrastructure. If necessary, you can find accommodation in hotels of any star category, as well as in guest houses, apartments, and bed and breakfast hotels. In general, there are a lot of options to stay in for a couple of days or even more.
CDH Hotel La Spezia 4* is located within walking distance from La Spezia Train Station. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Paid private parking is also provided, but reservation is required. As online booking services provide tourists reviews, I discovered that the hotel has single, double and triple rooms;
Hotel Ghironi 4* is located near the highway connecting La Spezia with other towns in the region and is perfect for those tourists who use cars to get around. Free private parking is available at the hotel and reservation is not required. The Cinque Terre National Park is 10 km away;
NH La Spezia 4* is located near the Old Town and within walking distance to the sea harbor. The train station is a 20-minute walk away (you can also take the city bus). The hotel has its own restaurant and luggage storage. Wi-Fi is provided free of charge. Paid public parking is available nearby;
Hotel Firenze e Continentale 3* is within walking distance from the train station. The city center is a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Wi-Fi is available free of charge in the hotel lobby. Paid public parking is provided nearby, but reservation is required.
What to see in La Spezia
La Spezia is one of the major cities in the Ligurian Riviera. The city has a lot of attractions. La Spezia is also a “gateway” to other famous Ligurian resorts. In La Spezia, several major historical monuments have been preserved, as well as numerous Art Nouveau villas, which are open to visitors. La Spezia cannot boast of a beach holiday, since there is a large seaport here, but there are plenty of sea promenades for walking.
La Spezia is famous for its preserved historical sites, picturesque sea promenade, villas of famous people, as well as wonderful views of the Gulf of Poets.
One of the most treasured landmarks here is the Castello San Giorgio, a 12th-century castle overlooking La Spezia on a hilltop. Over the years, the fortress was rebuilt more than once; now the Museum of Archeology of La Spezia is located here. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth going up here, even if you don’t plan to visit the museum, since there is a beautiful garden around the fortress, with a panoramic view of the Gulf.
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is considered to be the very first cathedral of La Spezia, and its facades surprisingly resemble Genoese buildings of the same period of time. The construction of the church dates back to the 13th century, making it one of the oldest surviving buildings in La Spezia. To my mind, it is worth going inside the church, as there is a large number of art objects, including icons, sculptures, engravings and statues. Other religious buildings in the city include the Church of San Augustino, the Church of the Sacred Heart, the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and other sites.
Several villas that once belonged to noble Italian families have also been preserved in the city. Thus, the elegant Villa Marmori, decorated in a floral style, was once the residence of the famous Marmori family. The construction of the villa dates back to the beginning of the 20th century; now a music academy is located inside the building. Notable elements of Villa Marmori are the richly decorated stucco, stained glass and frescoes.
The building of Villa Crozza, another noble family in Italy, now houses the city archive. Once this building was almost the richest and most elegant house in La Spezia. It is not surprising that the building is often called a palazzo, i.e. palace. On the upper floors of Villa Crozza there is an art gallery with quite rare and interesting works of art by Ligurian artists.
Beaches of La Spezia
There are no beaches suitable for swimming in La Spezia, since there is a seaport here, the second largest in Liguria, after the Genoese port. However, you can find good beaches suitable for swimming within a radius of 10 km from La Spezia. Sandy beaches can be found, for example, in Lerici, while pebble beaches can be found in Portovenere.
If La Spezia is not the most suitable city for swimming, then La Spezia is definitely suitable for romantic walks along the seashore, since the city is located on the shores of the Gulf of La Spezia, which is sometimes also called the Gulf of Poets. In my point of view, it is very picturesque. The Gulf has the shape of a crescent, and a pedestrian promenade is built along it so that residents and guests of the city can enjoy the sea views at any time!
Take a note! When going on a trip to Italy, do not forget to take out travel insurance, which is useful for receiving a tourist visa and for solving emerging medical problems when travelling in another country. You can purchase insurance via online services, for example, via EKTA and others. You can choose from different modes, including quiet, active or extreme rest.
Photo above the article: Anja Leidel
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Julia is an experienced traveller, BA in International Relations and Languages and true lover of planning trips in advance. Learn more about the author…