Which place is cheaper, La Spezia or Athens?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Athens and La Spezia. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Athens is a ancient, vibrant, and energetic city. Travelers will also find plenty of sights and attractions here, as it's a big city that attracts lots of visitors. It's a beautiful place to visit, too. Visitors also love the food, shopping, and museums.
La Spezia is a lively, convenient, and cultural town. It's also popular because of the shopping, nightlife, and food.
Travelers will usually find more to do in Athens than La Spezia, as it is bigger with more sights, attractions, and activities for visitors. Athens is more popular for its museums, food, nightlife, historical sights, big city activities, and impressive beauty, while La Spezia is known for its beaches. Athens is popular for its ancient temples and landmarks as well as its influence as the birthplace of democracy. It is also home to The Acropolis. La Spezia is popular for being the gateway to Cinque Terre.
Let's take a look at the differences and similarities between La Spezia and Athens. Then, you can decide for yourself which place is better for your next trip.
Athens is very popular for its museums and history. However, La Spezia is lacking in good options for its museums and landmarks.
The museums and tourist attractions in Athens are world-renowned. As a historical capital of the world, this city has countless museums and archeological sites including the famous Acropolis, the National Archaeology Museum, and the Ancient Agora.
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.
Athens is very popular for its restaurants. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its restaurant scene.
Eat your way through Athens, as it has many local or world renowned restaurants to choose from. Make sure you try the souvlaki, moussaka, and dolmades at any of the many local restaurants throughout the city.
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.
Athens is very popular for nightlife and partying. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its evening party scene.
Athens is a party destination, and you'll find plenty of activity all night long. There are all-night dance clubs as well as local bars and chill live music venues.
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.
La Spezia is a good destination for the beach. However, Athens is not a beach destination.
La Spezia offers a nice beach destination. The beaches in the area tend to be rocky and pebbly. For the best beaches, head out of town to nearby areas.
Athens is not a beach destination.
Athens is very popular for its old town. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its historic old town charm.
Athens has a world-famous historical area. The city's "historic triangle" is between Syntagma, Omonia, and Monastiraki Squares. This area is also at the political and financial heart of the city.
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.
If you're looking to go shopping, Athens and La Spezia both offer plenty of good spots.
Athens has a variety of shopping areas worth visiting. Most neighborhoods have a shopping street but head to Ermou Street for some of the city's best shopping.
La Spezia is a great destination for shopping. There's a morning market at Piazza del Mercato as well as many clothing and souvenir shops around town.
Athens is a very popular place for its kid-friendly activities. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its family-friendly activities.
Because of its large number of kid-friendly activities, Athens is very family-friendly. With its rich history, beautiful outdoor activities, and kid-friendly food, Athens is a fun place to explore with the whole family.
You'll find plenty of kid-friendly things to do in La Spezia. 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.
La Spezia is great for couples. Also, Athens is not as popular, but is still a nice city for romance.
La Spezia is a great town if you're traveling as a couple. It makes a nice base for visiting nearby sights if the more popular Cinque Terre area is too overwhelming.
Athens is a nice destination for couples. The city is historical, fascinating, and romantic, making it a beautiful place to explore as a couple.
Athens is very popular for backpackers and budget travelers. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for backpackers.
With so many budget-friendly offerings, Athens is extremely popular for backpackers. The city has long been established as a backpackers destination with budget friendly food and plenty of hostels around town.
La Spezia is a very popular city for backpackers and budget travelers. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.
Athens is a very popular place for its student-friendly activities. However, La Spezia is not popular with students.
Many students visit Athens. International students will appreciate the rich history, archaeological ruins, and unique opportunities that are available here.
La Spezia is not popular with students.
Athens is a very popular place for times when you don't have a car. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its public transit.
Athens has some very good public transit options. The city's metro system has 3 lines that connect to bus, tram and commuter rail lines.
You'll find some public transit in La Spezia, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. Buses, trains, and ferry boats offer the main forms of transportation in the area.
Athens and La Spezia are excellent when it comes to walkability.
Athens is a very walkable destination. You'll find the city's most walkable area's in the historical heart, where there are many pedestrian only streets and shopping areas.
La Spezia is very walkable. The town is easy to walk around and you'll find a pedestrian-only area downhill from the train station.
For even more information, also check out Is Athens Worth Visiting? and Is La Spezia Worth Visiting?.
Visitors can find plenty of fun things to do in both Athens and La Spezia. With generally more activities and things to do, visitors tend to spend more time in Athens than in La Spezia. Usually, 3-7 days is a good amount of time for Athens, and 2-3 days is enough time in La Spezia.
Families should spend more time in Athens than La Spezia. Because of the many family-friendly attractions and fun things to do for kids in Athens, it's a great place to visit with the whole family.
Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in Athens than La Spezia 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 Athens.
People visit Athens because there is so much to do. Visiting the old town is also a must. Since there is so much to do in the area, one day is probably not enough for all of it. 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.
People visit Athens because there is so much to do. The old town is one of the main draws for visitors. A weekend is usually not enough time for a trip here as there is plenty to do. This city 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.
People visit Athens because there is so much to do. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision. If you have five days, this city makes for a great vacation. Exploring the old town is a popular activity. Five days should give you a good understanding of everything this city has to offer.
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.
Athens is a popular choice for travelers. One week here is typical. Make sure you visit the old town while you're here. While some people choose to spend more or less time in Athens, one week is sufficent for most. It will give you the chance to have new experiences.
Travelers enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the cultural 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 10-Day Tours in Greece, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Greece, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Italy, and The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Italy.
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Athens is €127, while the average daily cost in La Spezia is €198. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Athens and La Spezia in more detail.
Looking for a hotel in Athens or La Spezia? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Athens:
Also for Athens, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
Also for La Spezia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
Prices for flights to both La Spezia and Athens change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Athens:
For Athens, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
For La Spezia, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Athens.
For La Spezia, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Athens:
Also in La Spezia, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Athens and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Athens much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Athens would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Athens 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 Athens.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Athens Expensive? and Is La Spezia Expensive?.
Athens has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of La Spezia. When comparing the sizes of Athens 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.