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

Should you visit Dijon or La Spezia?

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

Should I visit Dijon 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.

Dijon

Dijon is a culinary, relaxing, and historical city. It's a large city, so you'll find plenty of things to do around town. It's a beautiful place to visit, too. Visitors also love the food, shopping, and museums.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a convenient, cultural, and lively town. It's also known for nightlife, food, and beaches.

Dijon and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Dijon or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in Dijon than La Spezia. It is bigger and it has more sights, attractions, and activities for travelers. Dijon is very popular for its museums, food, big city activities, and impressive beauty, while La Spezia attracts visitors for its beaches and historical sights. Dijon is famous for its cuisine, wine, and nearby vineyards. It is also well known for The Ducal Palace. La Spezia is famous for being the gateway to Cinque Terre.

How is Dijon different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Dijon 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 Dijon. This historic city is filled with sights worth checking. Palais des Ducs and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne, and Eglise Notre-Dame are among the favorites.

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

Dijon 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 Dijon, as it has many local or world renowned restaurants to choose from. It is one of the top foodie destinations in France, and you'll find amazing local markets, award winning restaurants, and world class cuisine. Make sure you check out Les Halles Market to try local flavors. In addition to its famous mustard, the city is also popular for gingerbread, truffles, escargot, and, of course, wine.

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 Dijon or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

Evening events are nice in both Dijon and La Spezia.

There's a variety of activities in the evening in Dijon. While it's not a active as the larger European cities, there's still an fun nightlife scene that is driven mostly by the large student population.

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.

Is Dijon or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a popular place for its beaches. However, Dijon is not a beach destination.

La Spezia is a good option for a beach vacation. The beaches in the area tend to be rocky and pebbly. For the best beaches, head out of town to nearby areas.

Dijon is not a beach destination.

Is Dijon or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

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

Many visitors go to La Spezia to see the historical old town. The old town runs between the streets of Corso Cavour and Via Prione and is best explored on foot.

Dijon does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Dijon or La Spezia?

Both Dijon and La Spezia are nice shopping destinations.

Dijon is a great destination for shopping. For the best shopping in town, head to the main shopping street - Rue de la Liberté. It's lined with everything from clothing stores to wine shops and larger department stores. You'll even be able to pick up some of the famed mustard while you're in town.

Shopping is a popular activity when visiting La Spezia. There's a morning market at Piazza del Mercato as well as many clothing and souvenir shops around town.

Is Dijon or La Spezia Better for Families?

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

Dijon is a family-friendly place to visit. Kids will enjoy the open space that the city offers. There are parks where they can run around, like The Parc de la Colombieres which has a carousel and a ropes course. There are also many museums including two favorites for young ones - Musee de la Vie Bourguignonne and Musee d'Histoire Naturelle.

La Spezia is a family-friendly city. 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 Dijon or La Spezia Better for Couples?

With fun activities for couples, both Dijon and La Spezia make for a superb place to visit.

Dijon is a very popular place to visit for couples. Art, palaces, gardens, and fine wine make it a perfect couple's getaway. There is some of the best food in France, as well as a welcoming culture and many beautiful sights to explore.

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.

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

La Spezia is notable for backpackers. Also, Dijon is not as famous, but is still a good city to visit for backpackers and budget travelers.

Backpackers come from all over to visit La Spezia. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

Dijon is popular with backpackers and budget travelers. It's a beautiful city with a touristy vibe, so you'll likely meet other travelers while you're in town.

Is Dijon or La Spezia Better for Students?

Dijon is a good destination for its student-friendly activities. However, La Spezia is not popular with students.

Plenty of students visit Dijon. While it's quieter than the bigger cities, you'll find a young vibe and enough of a nightlife scene to keep it interesting.

La Spezia is not popular with students.

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

Both Dijon and La Spezia offer nice public transit options.

Dijon has a few public transit options. Tram and buses offer access to many parts of the city.

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

Is Dijon or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is notable for its walkability. Also, Dijon is not as famous, but is still a good city to visit 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.

Dijon is a somewhat walkable place. Most of the inner city is walkable.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Dijon?

How long in Dijon or La Spezia?

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

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

You'll find shopping and museums around the city of Dijon. 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.

In La Spezia, many people enjoy the nightlife and food that this cultural destination offers. This town offers a variety of activities to choose from. Since there is so much to do in the area, one day is probably not enough for all of it.

A weekend in Dijon or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and nightlife around the cultural destination of Dijon. 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.

It's hard to know how much time to spend in La Spezia. For many, it makes a great getaway for a weekend. This would be the perfect place to spend a weekend, as it has just the right amount of activities. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision.

Five days in Dijon or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the relaxing city of Dijon. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision. Most people head to the area for the food. Five days is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare.

La Spezia is a fun place to experience. Travelers enjoy the shopping and nightlife when visiting the destination of La Spezia. Most people find that five days is more than enough time to see everything.

A week in Dijon or La Spezia?

Dijon 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.

You'll find nightlife and food around the convenient destination of La Spezia. Take your pick from the many activities offered here. One week is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to France, The Best Hiking & Trekking 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 Dijon and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Dijon much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Dijon would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Dijon 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 Dijon.

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

Which is Bigger, Dijon or La Spezia?

Dijon has a larger population, and is about 64% larger than the population of La Spezia. When comparing the sizes of Dijon 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.