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

Should you visit Giverny or La Spezia?

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

Should I visit Giverny 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.

Giverny

Giverny is a serene, inspiring, and picturesque town. This is a charming small with plenty of activities, too. It's considered by many to be an absolutely beautiful destination, too. Visitors also love the food and museums.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a cultural, lively, and convenient town. Visitors also love the shopping, nightlife, and food.

Giverny and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Giverny or La Spezia?

Both La Spezia and Giverny have plenty of things to do for visitors. Both offer a variety of sights, activities, and attractions for tourists. Giverny is better known for its museums, small town charm, and impressive beauty, while La Spezia is more popular for its food, nightlife, beaches, historical sights, and shopping. Giverny is more touristy than La Spezia and is known for being the home and inspiration for Claude Monet. La Spezia is well known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre.

How is Giverny different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Giverny 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 Giverny. The town is most notable as the home of Claude Monet between 1883 and 1926. Highlights of a visit include visiting Jardin d'Eau (The Water Garden), The Normandy Garden, and Monet's House.

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

La Spezia is great for its local flavors and cuisine. Also, Giverny is not as popular, but is still a nice town for its local cuisine and restaurants.

La Spezia has a huge number of terrific restaurants. 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 many up and coming restaurants in the Giverny area. There are cozy cafes and charming restaurants in the town. If you visit as part of a tour, a restaurant stop may be included.

Is Giverny or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

La Spezia is a popular place for nightlife and partying. However, Giverny is not a destination with noteworthy nightlife.

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.

Giverny is not a destination with noteworthy nightlife.

Is Giverny or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a popular place for the beache. However, Giverny 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.

Giverny is not a beach destination.

Is Giverny or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

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

Plenty of visitors enjoy exploring the old town in La Spezia. The old town runs between the streets of Corso Cavour and Via Prione and is best explored on foot.

Giverny does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Giverny or La Spezia?

La Spezia is a popular place for its shopping opportunities. However, Giverny is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

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.

Giverny is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Is Giverny or La Spezia Better for Families?

La Spezia is a popular place for its kid-friendly activities. However, Giverny is not a good destination for its family-friendly activities.

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.

Giverny is not the most family-friendly destination. The gardens are stunning and the house is impressive, but it's best to prepare younger kids with some activities beforehand. Even the most art-minded children will appreciate a hands-on activity that helps bring the experience to life.

Is Giverny or La Spezia Better for Couples?

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

Giverny is a great town if you're traveling as a couple. The setting seeped in romance and the gardens bring art to life. On occasion you may even see a young couple get engaged during their visit.

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

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

La Spezia is great for backpackers and budget travelers. Also, Giverny is not as popular, but is still a nice town for backpackers.

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

Giverny is popular with backpackers and budget travelers. Many people, backpackers included, visit the town as a day trip from Paris. It's possible to visit by train and shuttle bus.

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

Giverny and La Spezia both offer notable public transit to get you around.

While Giverny offers some public transit options, it might not be your first choice. You can reach Giverny by train from Paris. You'll leave from the Gare Saint-Lazare train station in Paris and arrive in the town of Vernon. The trip is about 45 minutes. From there you can take a bus or taxi on to Giverny.

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

Is Giverny or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is great for its high level of walkability. Also, Giverny is not as popular, but is still a nice town for its ease of walking around.

La Spezia is a very walkable town. The town is easy to walk around and you'll find a pedestrian-only area downhill from the train station.

Giverny is a somewhat walkable town. Many people choose to walk between the town of Vernon and Giverny, both of which are worth visiting. They're separated by about 6 kilometers (3.5 miles).

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Giverny?

How long in Giverny or La Spezia?

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

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

You'll find food and museums around the town of Giverny. One day is a great amount of time to relax and see the many things that Giverny 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 Giverny or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and food around the inspiring destination of Giverny. 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 Giverny or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the food and museums when visiting the picturesque town of Giverny. 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.

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 Giverny or La Spezia?

Giverny 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.

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

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

Which is Bigger, Giverny or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 160 times larger than the population of Giverny. When comparing the sizes of Giverny 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.