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

Should you visit Calais or La Spezia?

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

Should I visit Calais or La Spezia? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Calais

Calais is a undiscovered, coastal, and authentic city. It's a large city, so you'll find plenty of things to do around town. Visitors also love the food, beaches, and shopping.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a lively, convenient, and cultural town. Other popular activities here include beaches, shopping, and nightlife.

Calais and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Calais or La Spezia?

Travelers will generally find more things to do in Calais than La Spezia. While La Spezia is larger than Calais, Calais has more sights and attractions for tourists. Calais is more popular for its museums and big city activities, while La Spezia is known for its food and historical sights. La Spezia is more touristy than Calais and is popular for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. Calais is popular for being a gateway for travelers to France. It is also home to The Town Hall.

How is Calais different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

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

Calais offers a variety of museums and landmarks to choose from. It's a port city with a few good museums and landmarks to see. Check out the Town Hall, Burghers of Calais, La Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode, and Musée de la Guerre de Calais, as well as the Calais Lighthouse.

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

La Spezia is well known for its restaurant scene. Also, Calais is still popular, but not quite as popular for its local flavors and 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.

There are plenty of up and coming restaurants around Calais. The region is known for its mackerel, andouillette sausage, and endive and ham gratin. If you're passing through, this is also a good place to stock up on wine and cheese.

Is Calais or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

Party-goers will find similar levels of energy in Calais and La Spezia.

Calais has an active nightlife scene for those who seek it out. You'll find bars and pubs around town as well as a few clubs. Places range from trendy and high end to local dive bars.

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 Calais or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

For a relaxing beach holiday, both Calais and La Spezia are good choices.

Calais is a good option for a beach vacation. There are some sandy beaches near town that have nice stretches of sand and plenty of sand dunes. Many locals enjoy sunbathing at the beaches.

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.

Is Calais or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

La Spezia is a popular place for its historic old town charm. However, Calais does not have a historic old town.

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.

Calais does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Calais or La Spezia?

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

Many visitors go to Calais to go shopping. Many visitors stock up on wine and cheese when they're passing through. It's common to head straight to Auchan or Carrefour to stock up on some items.

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.

Is Calais or La Spezia Better for Families?

Kids will enjoy a visit to either Calais or La Spezia.

You'll find plenty of kid-friendly things to do in Calais. There's the Nausicaa Aquarium, the Museum of the Atlantic Wall, and the Second World War Museum. There are also beaches and parks to explore as well as some nice playgrounds.

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 Calais or La Spezia Better for Couples?

La Spezia is well known for couples. Also, Calais is still popular, but not quite as popular for romance.

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.

Calais is a nice destination for couples. Couples can picnic with wine and cheese or eat their way through the town's great restaurants. There are also some nice beaches where people enjoy sunbathing or relaxing.

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

La Spezia is well known for backpackers. However, Calais is not particularly known for backpackers and budget travelers.

La Spezia is a very popular town for backpackers and budget travelers. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

Calais is a challenging destination for budget travelers and backpackers due to the higher prices. This part of France is often overlooked by tourists so you won't find many backpackers or hostels in the area. It does offer a glimpse into an authentic side of France.

Is Calais 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 Calais and La Spezia.

You'll find some public transit in Calais, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. The city has 13 bus lines that run through town and into the surrounding areas. If you're arriving by ferry from the UK, there are shuttle buses that connect the ferry terminal to the train station.

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 Calais or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is well known for its ease of walking around. Also, Calais is still popular, but not quite as popular 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.

Calais is somewhat walkable. Parts of the town are more walkable than others.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Calais?

How long in Calais or La Spezia?

Visitors can find plenty of fun things to do in both Calais and La Spezia. In our opinion, La Spezia has more to see and do, so we recommend spending more time in La Spezia than Calais. In general, 1-3 days is a good amount of time for Calais, and 2-3 days is enough time in La Spezia.

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

You'll find shopping and museums around the city of Calais. One day is a great amount of time to relax and see the many things that Calais has to offer. 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 Calais or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and nightlife around the undiscovered destination of Calais. 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 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 Calais or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the coastal city of Calais. 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.

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 Calais or La Spezia?

Calais 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.

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

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

Which is Bigger, Calais or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 23% larger than the population of Calais. When comparing the sizes of Calais 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.