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

Should you visit Caen 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 Caen 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.

Caen

Caen is a park-filled, important, and historic city. It's a large city, so you'll find plenty of things to do around town. Visitors also love the food, museums, and nightlife.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a convenient, cultural, and lively town. Other reasons to visit include food, beaches, and shopping.

Caen and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Caen or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in Caen than La Spezia. It is bigger and it has more sights, attractions, and activities for travelers. Caen is very popular for its museums and big city activities, while La Spezia attracts visitors for its beaches, historical sights, and shopping. La Spezia is more touristy than Caen and is known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. Caen is famous for its role in World War II and its memorials and historical buildings. It is also well known for Pegasus Bridge.

How is Caen different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Caen 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 Caen. There are many monuments around town commemorating the city's long history. You'll want to see Château de Caen, Pegasus Bridge, Mémorial de Caen, Musée de Normandie, and Musée des beaux-arts de Caen.

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

There are opportunities to sample the local cuisine at excellent restaurants in both Caen and La Spezia.

The food selection at local restaurants is excellent in Caen. There's a market that's at its best on Sundays where you'll find fresh produce and other local ingredients. There are also Michelin starred restaurants, seafood restaurants, and other traditional dishes. Head to the Vaugueux Quarter for traditional dishes.

Eating is part of the travel experience when you visit La Spezia. 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 Caen or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

The nice nightlife scene is relatively similar in Caen and La Spezia.

With a handful of venues, visitors can find a fairly lively vibe in Caen. The nightlife scene stays active thanks to the 30,000 students living in town. Head to the Rue Ecuyère for a pub crawl or hit up any of the other bars around town.

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 Caen or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a good destination for its beaches. However, Caen 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.

Caen is not a beach destination.

Is Caen or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

La Spezia is a good destination for its historic old town. However, Caen does not have a historic old town.

La Spezia is a good destination for visiting its old town. The old town runs between the streets of Corso Cavour and Via Prione and is best explored on foot.

Caen does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Caen or La Spezia?

La Spezia is a good destination for shopping. However, Caen is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

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.

Caen is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Is Caen or La Spezia Better for Families?

Both Caen and La Spezia are nice family-friendly destinations.

Caen is a family-friendly city. There are museums, parks, monasteries, and castles that kids and adults alike with enjoy visiting.

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 Caen or La Spezia Better for Couples?

La Spezia is a very popular place for romance. Also, Caen is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its romantic activities.

La Spezia makes for a fun place to visit for a couple. It makes a nice base for visiting nearby sights if the more popular Cinque Terre area is too overwhelming.

Caen makes for a fun place to visit for a couple. Couples that are fascinated by history will enjoy a visit to this town in Normandy. There are also abbeys, castles and parks.

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

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

La Spezia is very popular with the backpacker crowd. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

Plenty of budget travelers visit Caen. You'll find more apartments and bed and breakfasts than hostels in town, but backpackers still make their way here.

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

Caen 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.

Caen has some very good public transit options. There are buses and trams that travel throughout the city.

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 Caen or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is a very popular place for its walkability. Also, Caen is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its high level of walkability.

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.

Caen is a somewhat walkable place. The city center is best explored on foot.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Caen?

How long in Caen or La Spezia?

Visitors can find plenty of fun things to do in both Caen and La Spezia. In our opinion, La Spezia has more to see and do, so we recommend spending more time in La Spezia than Caen. However, 2-3 days is a good amount of time to spend in either destination.

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

You'll find food and museums around the city of Caen. 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.

Visitors enjoy the shopping and nightlife when visiting the destination of La Spezia. Take your pick from the many activities offered here. With so much to do, one day is probably not enough time to see everything.

A weekend in Caen or La Spezia?

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

La Spezia is a fun place to experience. If you have a weekend, this is a great place to go. A weekend is often enough time to do most activities. The entire region has so many activities, and you'll want time to do everything.

Five days in Caen or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the historic city of Caen. 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.

You'll find food and shopping around the cultural destination of La Spezia. This town offers something for everyone. Five days is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare.

A week in Caen or La Spezia?

Caen 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.

The lively town of La Spezia offers shopping and nightlife. The length of your trip often depends on your style of travel. 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.

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 Caen and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Caen much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Caen would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Caen 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 Caen.

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

Which is Bigger, Caen or La Spezia?

Caen has a larger population, and is about 21% larger than the population of La Spezia. When comparing the sizes of Caen 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.