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

Should you visit Auxerre or La Spezia?

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

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Auxerre and La Spezia can help you decide which place is right for you.

Auxerre

Auxerre is a under-rated, undiscovered, and authentic town. This is a charming small with plenty of activities, too. Visitors also love the food and museums.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a lively, convenient, and cultural town. It's also popular because of the shopping, nightlife, and food.

Auxerre and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Auxerre or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in La Spezia. Although Auxerre 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, nightlife, beaches, historical sights, and shopping, while Auxerre is known for its museums and small town charm. La Spezia is more touristy than Auxerre and is known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. It is also home to The Maritime Museum. Auxerre is popular for its food, wine, and art history.

How is Auxerre different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Auxerre is a good destination for its museums and history. However, La Spezia is lacking in good options for its museums and landmarks.

Auxerre offers a variety of museums and landmarks to choose from. Although the town is often overlooked by tourists, there are many nice cathedrals and churches around town.

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 Auxerre or La Spezia? Which Destination has the Best Restaurants?

La Spezia is great for its local flavors and cuisine. Also, Auxerre is not as popular, but is still a nice town for its local cuisine and restaurants.

La Spezia has a number of nationally recognized food spots and restaurants. 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.

Auxerre offers number of good local restaurants to choose from. The town is a the heart of the wine industry, so you'll find many great restaurants where you can enjoy local food and wine.

Is Auxerre or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

La Spezia is very good for its evening party scene. However, Auxerre is not a good destination for nightlife.

If you're looking for night time activities La Spezia has a few options to choose from. 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.

Most people don't head to Auxerre specifically for the nightlife scene, but you can find a few options. It has a quiet nightlife with some nice bars and pubs.

Is Auxerre or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is very good for the beach. However, Auxerre is not a beach destination.

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.

Auxerre is not a beach destination.

Is Auxerre or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

La Spezia is very good for its historic old town charm. However, Auxerre does not have a historic old town.

La Spezia has an old town worth visiting. The old town runs between the streets of Corso Cavour and Via Prione and is best explored on foot.

Auxerre does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Auxerre or La Spezia?

La Spezia is very good for its shopping areas. However, Auxerre is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

La Spezia has a variety of shopping areas worth visiting. There's a morning market at Piazza del Mercato as well as many clothing and souvenir shops around town.

Auxerre is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Is Auxerre or La Spezia Better for Families?

You'll find good kid-friendly activities in either Auxerre or La Spezia.

Auxerre offers lots of family activities. There's the Zoo de La Fleche and the Aquarium de Touraine. You can also wander through Musee de l'Avallon or des Plantes.

La Spezia is a family-friendly place to visit. 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 Auxerre or La Spezia Better for Couples?

La Spezia is great for couples. Also, Auxerre is not as popular, but is still a nice town 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.

Auxerre is a nice destination for couples. There are many great eateries as well nice architecture and, of course, excellent wine.

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

La Spezia is great for backpackers and budget travelers. However, Auxerre is not a good destination for backpackers.

Plenty of budget travelers and backpackers visit La Spezia. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

Auxerre is a challenging destination for budget travelers and backpackers due to the higher prices. It's not a popular stop off on the backpacker circuit, but you will find some affordable accommodation options.

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

Auxerre and La Spezia both offer good public transit to get you around.

While Auxerre offers some public transit options, it might not be your first choice. There are buses around town.

La Spezia has a few public transit options. Buses, trains, and ferry boats offer the main forms of transportation in the area.

Is Auxerre or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is great for its ease of walking around. Also, Auxerre is not as popular, but is still a nice town 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.

Auxerre is somewhat walkable. The center is walkable but it is a bit more difficult to navigate than some nearby towns.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Auxerre?

How long in Auxerre or La Spezia?

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

Families should spend more time in La Spezia than Auxerre. 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 Auxerre. 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 Auxerre 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 Auxerre or La Spezia?

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

In La Spezia, you'll find shopping and nightlife. This town offers something for everyone. One day is usually not enough time for a trip here as there is plenty to do.

A weekend in Auxerre or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and food around the under-rated destination of Auxerre. This is a popular place to visit for a weekend.A weekend should give you a good understanding of everything this town has to offer. This town offers a variety of activities to choose from.

In La Spezia, you'll find nightlife and food. The length of your trip often depends on your style of travel. A weekend here is typical. A weekend is a great amount of time to relax and see the many things that La Spezia has to offer.

Five days in Auxerre or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the food and museums when visiting the authentic town of Auxerre. 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.

La Spezia is a great place to explore. Five days is more than enough time to enjoy everything. Take some day trips to nearby places to fill the extra days. Anyone can find something fun to do here.

A week in Auxerre or La Spezia?

Auxerre 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.

It's hard to know how much time to spend in La Spezia. Many people enjoy the shopping and nightlife when visiting La Spezia. One week may feel like too much time unless you plan to do a lot of relaxing.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in France, The Best 2-Week Tours in France, 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 Auxerre and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Auxerre much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Auxerre would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Auxerre 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 Auxerre.

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

Which is Bigger, Auxerre or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 2 times larger than the population of Auxerre. When comparing the sizes of Auxerre 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.