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

Should you visit Avignon or La Spezia?

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

Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Avignon 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.

Avignon

Avignon is a quaint, charming, and scenic town. You'll find plenty of local activities in this small town. Visitors also love the shopping, museums, and food.

La Spezia

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

Avignon and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Avignon or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in Avignon. Although Avignon and La Spezia are both popular with visitors, Avignon has more sights, activities, and attractions for travelers. Avignon is more popular for its museums, food, historical sights, and small town charm, while La Spezia is known for its nightlife and beaches. Avignon is popular for its architectural beauty and historical importance. It is also home to Palais des Papes. La Spezia is popular for being the gateway to Cinque Terre.

How is Avignon different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Avignon 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 Avignon are world-renowned. The town is filled with historical landmarks such as Palais des Papes, Pont Saint Bénézet, Musée du Petit Palais, and Basilique Métropolitaine Notre-Dame des Doms.

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

Avignon 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 Avignon, as it has many local or world renowned restaurants to choose from. For such a small town you'll find many great eateries where you can sample French cuisine. You'll find bakeries, patisseries, restaurants, chocolatiers, and cafes to try. Cooking classes are also a popular activity in town.

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.

Is Avignon or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

La Spezia is a good destination for its evening party scene. However, Avignon is lacking in good options for nightlife.

With a handful of venues, visitors can find a fairly lively vibe in La Spezia. 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.

Avignon is generally a quiet destination but there are options around. There's a limited nightlife scene but the bars you'll find are usually centered around Place de lHorloge, Place du Palais, Rue Carnot, and Place des Corps-Saints.

Is Avignon or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a good destination for the beach. However, Avignon 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.

Avignon is not a beach destination.

Is Avignon or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

Avignon 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.

Avignon has a world-famous historical area. The walled medieval old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it's filled with history.

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.

Is the Shopping Better in Avignon or La Spezia?

Shoppers can find a variety of good stores in both Avignon and La Spezia.

Avignon has a variety of shopping areas worth visiting. There are several shopping streets in town like Rue de la Republique, Rue Joseph-Vernet, and Rue St Agricol.

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.

Is Avignon or La Spezia Better for Families?

Both Avignon and La Spezia are good family-friendly destinations.

Avignon is a family-friendly town. Families can enjoy cooking classes, boat tours, and exploring the old town together.

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.

Is Avignon or La Spezia Better for Couples?

Avignon and La Spezia both excellent destinations for a couple.

Avignon makes for a fun place to visit for a couple. Filled with history, couples can enjoy strolling through the old town or dinner on amazing French food.

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.

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

La Spezia is a very popular place for backpackers and budget travelers. Also, Avignon is not quite as popular, but is fairly good 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.

Plenty of budget travelers visit Avignon. You'll find a few affordable hotels, but hostels are a little bit more difficult to come by.

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

Visitors will find good public transit in both Avignon and La Spezia.

Avignon has some public transit options. There are city buses as well as tourist shuttles around town.

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.

Is Avignon or La Spezia a more walkable city?

Avignon is very popular for its high level of walkability. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its ease of walking around.

It's very easy to get around on foot in Avignon. There's almost no traffic in the city center so it's easy to explore on foot.

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.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Avignon?

How long in Avignon or La Spezia?

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

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

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

Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in La Spezia than Avignon 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 Avignon or La Spezia?

Even though Avignon is a small town, it has plenty of activities to choose from. Visiting the old town is also a must. One day is a great amount of time to relax and see the many things that Avignon 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 Avignon or La Spezia?

Avignon is a small town where visitors enjoy the museums and food. The old town is one of the main draws for visitors. 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 Avignon or La Spezia?

Avignon is a small town, so it's a great destination if you're short on time. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision. Exploring the old town is a popular activity. 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 Avignon or La Spezia?

Avignon is a popular choice for travelers. Make sure you visit the old town while you're here. 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 10-Day Tours in France, The Best One Week (7-Day) 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 Avignon and La Spezia, we can see that Avignon is more expensive. And not only is La Spezia much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to La Spezia would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in La Spezia 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 Avignon would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Avignon than you might in La Spezia.

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

Which is Bigger, Avignon or La Spezia?

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