A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Aegina vs. La Spezia for Attractions, Food, Nightlife, and Couples

Should you visit Aegina or La Spezia?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Aegina or La Spezia? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Aegina

Aegina is a vibrant, fun, and active island. This is a charming small with plenty of activities, too. Visitors also love the food, beaches, and shopping.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a lively, convenient, and cultural town. Other popular activities here include beaches, shopping, and nightlife.

Aegina and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Aegina or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in La Spezia. Although Aegina and La Spezia are both popular with visitors, La Spezia has more sights, activities, and attractions for travelers. La Spezia is more popular for its food and historical sights, while Aegina is known for its museums, nightlife, and small town charm. Aegina is popular for its local pistachio nuts, its nice seaside setting, and its easy access from Athens. La Spezia is popular for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. It is also home to The Maritime Museum.

How is Aegina different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

Let's take a look at the differences and similarities between La Spezia and Aegina. Then, you can decide for yourself which place is better for your next trip.

Are the Museums and Historical Sights Better in Aegina or La Spezia?

Aegina is a very popular place for its museums and history. However, La Spezia is lacking in good options for its museums and landmarks.

Visitors can fill many days exploring the museums and attractions around Aegina. There are several temples on the island such as the Temple of Athena Aphaia and the Temple of Apollo. There's also and Archeological Museum that is nice to visit.

La Spezia offers a handful of options for museums and historical sights. The highlight of the area is the surrounding natural beauty, but in town you can visit the Maritime Museum, The castle of San Giorgio, and The Amedeo Lia Art Museum.

Is the Food Better in Aegina or La Spezia? Which Destination has the Best Restaurants?

La Spezia is a great destination for its restaurant scene. Also, Aegina is still popular, but not quite as popular for its local flavors and cuisine.

Dining out in La Spezia is an experience not to be missed. The town has many local flavors that incorporate seafood and other local ingredients. Focaccia is popular, as is Farinata, which is a chickpea flour pancake. Anchovies and mussels are also common ingredients.

There are plenty of up and coming restaurants around Aegina. There's a vibrant restaurant scene that includes traditional eateries serving seafood and refreshing ice cream shops where you can cool off with a scoop of your favorite flavor.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

Aegina is a very popular place for nightlife and partying. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its evening party scene.

Aegina has a large number of nightlife venues. There's a great nightlife scene on the island. Most of the dance clubs are found in Agia Marina and you'll find more relaxing lounges around Aegina Town and other villages on the island.

La Spezia has an active nightlife scene for those who seek it out. You'll find more bars and clubs around town than you do in the smaller nearby towns. Some people head into La Spezia for the evening to grab a drink and socialize.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

For a relaxing beach holiday, both Aegina and La Spezia are good choices.

Aegina is a good option for a beach vacation. While most of the beaches are small and crowded, they do offer a number of tourist facilities such as nearby bars and restaurants, as well as hotels. The most popular beaches on the island are Souvala and Agia Marina.

Many people head to La Spezia to enjoy the beach. The beaches in the area tend to be rocky and pebbly. For the best beaches, head out of town to nearby areas.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

La Spezia is a popular place for its historic old town charm. However, Aegina does not have a historic old town.

La Spezia offers a nice historic old town area. The old town runs between the streets of Corso Cavour and Via Prione and is best explored on foot.

Aegina does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Aegina or La Spezia?

Shopping is a popular activity in both La Spezia and Aegina.

Many visitors go to Aegina to go shopping. You'll find the standard souvenir shops around town where you can buy trinkets or other items you may have forgotten.

Plenty of visitors enjoy shopping while in La Spezia. There's a morning market at Piazza del Mercato as well as many clothing and souvenir shops around town.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for Families?

Kids will enjoy a visit to either Aegina or La Spezia.

You'll find plenty of kid-friendly things to do in Aegina. Kids will enjoy the ferry ride from Athens as well as the pirate stories they'll hear throughout their trip. There are places that the whole family can swim and great restaurants with kid-friendly food.

La Spezia offers lots of family activities. Visitors often use La Spezia as a base for visiting nearby Cinque Terre. The surrounding region has many kid-friendly activities like hiking, swimming, and beaches.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for Couples?

La Spezia is a great destination for couples. Also, Aegina is still popular, but not quite as popular for romance.

Couples visit La Spezia frequently as it offers plenty of romantic activities. It makes a nice base for visiting nearby sights if the more popular Cinque Terre area is too overwhelming.

Aegina is a nice destination for couples. Couples will appreciate the beauty and great restaurants that this beautiful island offers. It's a charming day trip from Athens that is filled with impressive historical sights and a nice atmosphere.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for Backpackers and Budget Travelers?

La Spezia is a great destination for backpackers. Also, Aegina is still popular, but not quite as popular for backpackers and budget travelers.

La Spezia is a very popular town for backpackers and budget travelers. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

Aegina is popular with backpackers and budget travelers. Like most visitors, backpackers can hop on a ferry in Athens and visit the island as a day trip. It makes a nice excursion with many affordable restaurants and fun activities.

Is Aegina or La Spezia Better for Public Transit? Which Is Easier to Get Around Without a Car?

You'll find somewhat comparable public transit options in both Aegina and La Spezia.

You'll find some public transit in Aegina, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. You'll find the central bus station in Aegina Town and there you can catch buses that travel around the island.

While La Spezia offers some public transit options, it might not be your first choice. Buses, trains, and ferry boats offer the main forms of transportation in the area.

Is Aegina or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is a great destination for its ease of walking around. Also, Aegina is still popular, but not quite as popular for its walkability.

La Spezia is a very walkable destination. The town is easy to walk around and you'll find a pedestrian-only area downhill from the train station.

Aegina is somewhat walkable. The town is walkable, but to explore elsewhere on the island, it's easiest to have your own vehicle.

For even more information, also check out Is Aegina Worth Visiting? and Is La Spezia Worth Visiting?.

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Aegina?

How long in Aegina or La Spezia?

Visitors can find plenty of fun things to do in both Aegina and La Spezia. With generally more activities and things to do, visitors tend to spend more time in La Spezia than in Aegina. Usually, 1-2 days is a good amount of time for Aegina, and 2-3 days is enough time in La Spezia.

Families should spend more time in La Spezia than Aegina. Because of the many family-friendly attractions and fun things to do for kids in La Spezia, it's a great place to visit with the whole family.

Couples should spend more time in La Spezia than Aegina. You'll find plenty of romantic sights and fun activities in La Spezia that are perfect for a weekend getaway or a longer couple's trip.

Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in La Spezia than Aegina if your budget allows for it. With a larger number of budget-friendly sights, good nightlife, and active things to do, anyone traveling on a budget would have a good time in La Spezia.

One day in Aegina or La Spezia?

You'll find shopping and museums around the island of Aegina. One day is a great amount of time to relax and see the many things that Aegina has to offer. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

Many travelers enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the destination of La Spezia. But since there are so many activities, you'll likely want to spend more than one day exploring.

A weekend in Aegina or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and nightlife around the vibrant destination of Aegina. This is a popular place to visit for a weekend.A weekend should give you a good understanding of everything this island has to offer. This island offers a variety of activities to choose from.

La Spezia is a great place to explore. It is common to spend a weekend here. With all of its activities, you can easily fill a weekend here. Your budget might influence how long you stay.

Five days in Aegina or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the vibrant island of Aegina. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision. Five days is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare.

It's hard to know how much time to spend in La Spezia. Five days may feel like too much time unless you plan to do a lot of relaxing. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

A week in Aegina or La Spezia?

Aegina is a popular choice for travelers. One week is usually plenty of time to spend here with extra days to spare. With this much time, visitors often visit nearby destinations or take day trips. It will give you the chance to have new experiences.

Travelers enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the convenient destination of La Spezia. This town offers a variety of activities to choose from. Most people find that one week is more than enough time to see everything.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Honeymoon Tours in Greece, The Best Luxury Tours to Greece, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Italy, and The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Italy.

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Aegina and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Aegina much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Aegina would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Aegina and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in La Spezia would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in La Spezia than you might in Aegina.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Aegina Expensive? and Is La Spezia Expensive?.

Which is Bigger, Aegina or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 10 times larger than the population of Aegina. When comparing the sizes of Aegina and La Spezia, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.