A Travel Price Comparison for United States of America Greenville vs. Virginia Beach for Families, Nightlife, Couples, and Food

Should you visit Greenville or Virginia Beach?

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

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Greenville and Virginia Beach can help you decide which place is right for you.

Greenville

Greenville is a welcoming, hospitable, and southern city. Visitors also love the shopping, museums, and nightlife.

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is a fun-filled, relaxing, and bustling coastal city. It offers plenty of beauty for visitors. It's also popular because of the nightlife and beaches.

Greenville and Virginia Beach: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Visitors will generally find more to do in Greenville than Virginia Beach. While Virginia Beach is larger than Greenville, Greenville has more sights, attractions, and activities for tourists. Greenville is more popular for its museums and shopping, while Virginia Beach is known for its resorts, beaches, and impressive beauty. Virginia Beach is more touristy than Greenville and is known for its fun boardwalk, many seafood restaurants, and classic beach town vibe. Greenville is popular for its outdoor spaces and its growing arts scene. It is also home to Falls Park on the Reedy.

How is Greenville different from Virginia Beach?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

Are the Museums and Historical Sights Better in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Greenville is a nice place to visit for its historical sights. However, Virginia Beach does not have museums and landmarks.

Greenville offers a variety of museums and landmarks to choose from. Museums focus on art, history, and science. Notable museums in town include the Greenville County Museum of Art, the Upcountry History Museum, and the Sigal Music Museum.

Virginia Beach does not have museums and landmarks.

Is the Food Better in Greenville or Virginia Beach? Which Destination has the Best Restaurants?

Dining out at restaurants in both Greenville and Virginia Beach can be an enjoyable experience.

Greenville may not make the list for most foodies, but you'll find what you need while you're in town. The food scene is growing and the farm-to-table movement is apparent here, but the city is still often overlooked by foodies in the area.

Virginia Beach offers some easy restaurants to choose from. Seafood is plentiful around town and there are all-you-can-eat buffets as well as high end, waterfront seafood restaurants. Make sure you try the She Crab Soup, soft shell crabs, and oysters.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Nightlife?

If the nightlife is your priority, you'll find good options in both Greenville and Virginia Beach.

If you're looking for night time activities Greenville has a few options to choose from. Bars, breweries, and low key clubs are what drive the city's nightlife scene. There are both piano bars and live music venues that often lean towards the local country classics.

There's a variety of activities in the evening in Virginia Beach. While it's a family-friendly beach, there's still a great nightlife scene with many bars and clubs in the area. Popular places to hang out at night include Omega Bar, Peabody's Nightclub, and Sky Bar.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Resorts?

Virginia Beach is very good for its luxury resorts. However, Greenville is not a resort destination.

Virginia Beach has a few great resort options. Some of the best resorts in the area include the Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club, the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, and The Founders Inn and Spa.

Greenville is not a resort destination.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Beaches?

Virginia Beach is very good for the beach. However, Greenville is not a beach destination.

Many people head to Virginia Beach to enjoy the beach. The beaches are long and sandy, but they can get crowded during the summer months. The waves are just the right size for playing in the surf and the water temperature is usually warm enough to swim well into the fall months.

Greenville is not a beach destination.

Is the Shopping Better in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Greenville is a nice place to visit for its shopping opportunities. However, Virginia Beach is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Shopping is a popular activity when visiting Greenville. You'll find upscale shopping in the city's downtown and sprawling shopping malls in other neighborhoods. There are plenty of name brand stores where you can pick up the latest style.

Virginia Beach is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Families?

Virginia Beach is a great coastal city for its kid-friendly activities. Also, Greenville is not as popular, but is still a nice city for its family-friendly activities.

You'll find plenty of family-friendly things to do in Virginia Beach. This is a popular family-friendly beach with a nice boardwalk, a fun waterpark, aquarium, and nice beaches. It attracts families in the area for its long beaches and fun atmosphere. Most restaurants have kid's menus and there are ice cream shops and minigolf around.

Greenville is a family-friendly place to visit. There are many local families in town, so you'll find all kinds of kid-friendly activities to enjoy. Paris Mountain State Park is a popular place where everyone can run around. Falls Park on the Reedy River also has walking trails and is in the city's historic district. There's also a children's theater and plenty of playgrounds around town.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Couples?

Virginia Beach is very good for couples. However, Greenville is not known for romance.

Virginia Beach is a good coastal city for couples to visit. Couples will enjoy a nice escape to the beaches and boardwalk. There are many great seafood restaurants, some with waterfront settings. There's also a variety of activities ranging from many golf to dance clubs.

Greenville is not the best destination for a couple to visit. You can take the free trolley down Main Street and then enjoy a meal at one of the local restaurants.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Students?

Virginia Beach is very good for its student-friendly activities. However, Greenville is not known for students.

It's common for students to visit Virginia Beach. It's not as popular as more southern beach towns, but you'll still find students heading here for the spring break holidays.

Greenville is a decent spot for students. Furman University has a pretty campus and is a nice place to visit.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach Better for Public Transit? Which Is Easier to Get Around Without a Car?

Greenville is adequate for times when you don't have a car. However, Virginia Beach is not a good destination for its public transit.

Public transit is mostly limited in Greenville. There are free trolleys that make their way around the downtown neighborhoods.

Public transit is limited or non-existant in Virginia Beach. There is very limited public transit in the area so you'll need to have a car to get around.

Is Greenville or Virginia Beach a more walkable city?

Greenville and Virginia Beach are decent when it comes to walkability.

Greenville is generally not a very walkable city. The downtown area is surprisingly walkable, but like most cities in the area, you need a car to make the most of your visit.

Virginia Beach is generally not very walkable. Most people prefer to have a car but do note that parking can be a nightmare, particularly during the summer season.

For even more information, also check out Is Greenville Worth Visiting? and Is Virginia Beach Worth Visiting?.

Should I spend more time in Virginia Beach or Greenville?

How long in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Both Greenville and Virginia Beach have a number of activities to choose from. With generally more activities and things to do, visitors tend to spend more time in Virginia Beach than in Greenville. Usually, 1-2 days is a good amount of time for Greenville, and 5-7 days is enough time in Virginia Beach.

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

Couples should spend more time in Virginia Beach than Greenville. You'll find plenty of romantic sights and fun activities in Virginia Beach that are perfect for a weekend getaway or a longer couple's trip.

Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in Greenville than Virginia Beach 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 Greenville.

One day in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

In Greenville, you'll find nightlife and shopping. So, one day is just the right amount of time to spend here.

With nightlife around the fun-filled coastal city of Virginia Beach, there's plenty to do. Anyone can find something fun to do here. But since there are so many activities, you'll likely want to spend more than one day exploring.

A weekend in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Greenville is a great place to explore. It is common to spend a weekend here. Anyone can find something fun to do here. Because of this, a weekend is usually enough time for a trip here.

With nightlife around the destination of Virginia Beach, there's plenty to do. It offers something for everyone. With so much to do, a weekend is probably not enough time to see everything.

Five days in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

It's hard to know how much time to spend in Greenville. It offers something for everyone. Five days is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare.

Virginia Beach, a popular coastal city, is full of activities for travelers. This is a popular place to visit for five days. In five days, you should have a good grasp of this coastal city. Your budget might influence how long you stay.

A week in Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and shopping when visiting the city of Greenville. Your budget might influence how long you stay. 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.

Virginia Beach is a popular place that is full of things to see and experience. If you have one week, this coastal city makes for a great vacation. One week should give you a good understanding of everything this coastal city has to offer. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from New York City, The Best 2-Week Tours from New York City, The Best 2-Week Tours from Anchorage, and The Best 2-Week Tours from San Francisco.

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Greenville and Virginia Beach, we can see that Virginia Beach is more expensive. And not only is Greenville much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Greenville would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Greenville 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 Virginia Beach would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Virginia Beach than you might in Greenville.

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

Which is Bigger, Greenville or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Greenville. When comparing the sizes of Greenville and Virginia Beach, 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.