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

Should you visit Beaune 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 Beaune 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.

Beaune

Beaune is a culinary, quaint, and vineyard-filled town. This is a charming small with plenty of activities, too. Visitors also love the food, shopping, and museums.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a cultural, lively, and convenient town. And you can't forget about the beaches, shopping, and nightlife.

Beaune and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Beaune or La Spezia?

Visitors will usually find more to do in Beaune than La Spezia, as it offers more sights, attractions, and activities. Beaune is better known for its museums, food, historical sights, and small town charm, while La Spezia is more popular for its beaches. Beaune is well known for its surrounding vineyards and world-renowned wines. Also, Beaune is famous for The Surrounding Vineyards. La Spezia is well known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre.

How is Beaune different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Beaune 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 Beaune. Top sights and museums around town include Hôtel-Dieu (a former hospital), Château de Savigny, and Château de la Rochepot.

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

Beaune 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 Beaune, as it has many local or world renowned restaurants to choose from. The restaurant scene is made up of small, narrow, local bistros that serve local dishes with regional ingredients. Many of the menus are focused on wine with the dishes designed specifically to compliment the wines. This is a tourist town, and you'll find many visitors come specifically to enjoy the French 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.

Is Beaune or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

It's hard to distinguish whether Beaune or La Spezia has a better nightlife scene.

Beaune has an active nightlife scene for those who seek it out. You'll find bars and pubs as well as many places to sip French wine and enjoy the evening.

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.

Is Beaune or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a good destination for the beache. However, Beaune 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.

Beaune is not a beach destination.

Is Beaune or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

Beaune 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.

Beaune has a world-famous historical area. The old town is walled and compact. It is centered around the medieval hospital complex and it is filled with cobblestone streets and shops.

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 Beaune or La Spezia?

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

Beaune offers some nice shopping areas. Boutiques, wine shops, and independent vendors are fun to explore in town.

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.

Is Beaune or La Spezia Better for Families?

Both Beaune and La Spezia are notable family-friendly destinations.

You'll find plenty of kid-friendly things to do in Beaune. The town has museums like Hospices de Beaune, Hotel-Dieu (a formal hospital), as well as vineyards that you can hike through. Many people enjoy taking a hot air balloon ride while they're in the region.

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 Beaune or La Spezia Better for Couples?

Beaune is very popular for its romantic activities. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for couples.

Beaune is fantastic couple's destination with fun and romantic activities. Couples will enjoy exploring vineyards, sipping French wine, and wandering through the charming old town. There are breathtaking hot air balloon rides and wonderful French restaurants that make for a romantic trip.

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 Beaune or La Spezia Better for Backpackers and Budget Travelers?

La Spezia is a great destination for backpackers. However, Beaune is a town with minimal options for backpackers and budget travelers.

La Spezia is a great town to visit for backpackers. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

Beaune is a challenging destination for budget travelers and backpackers due to the higher prices. It's a charming town, but it's not on many backpacker's itineraries. There are also a limited number of hostels to choose from.

Is Beaune 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 Beaune and La Spezia.

You'll find some public transit in Beaune, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. While you can walk around the historic center, it's possible to take a bus if you're traveling further.

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 Beaune or La Spezia a more walkable city?

Beaune 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 Beaune. It's a walkable town that's perfect for taking a stroll.

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 Beaune Worth Visiting? and Is La Spezia Worth Visiting?.

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Beaune?

How long in Beaune or La Spezia?

Visitors can find plenty of fun things to do in both Beaune and La Spezia. With generally more activities and things to do, visitors tend to spend more time in Beaune than in La Spezia. Usually, 2-4 days is a good amount of time for Beaune, and 2-3 days is enough time in La Spezia.

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

Couples should spend more time in Beaune than La Spezia. You'll find plenty of romantic sights and fun activities in Beaune 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 Beaune 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 Beaune or La Spezia?

You'll find shopping and museums around the town of Beaune. 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.

A weekend in Beaune or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and nightlife around the historic destination of Beaune. 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.

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 Beaune or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the culinary town of Beaune. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision. Exploring the old town is a popular activity. Most people head to the area for the food. 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 Beaune or La Spezia?

Beaune 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.

Travelers enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the lively 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 Vineyard & Wine Tours in France, The Best Food and Culinary 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 Beaune and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Beaune much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Beaune would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Beaune 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 Beaune.

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

Which is Bigger, Beaune or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Beaune. When comparing the sizes of Beaune 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.