A Travel Price Comparison for Italy La Spezia vs. Bergamo for Food, Couples, Backpackers, and Attractions

Should you visit La Spezia or Bergamo?

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 La Spezia and Bergamo. 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.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a cultural, lively, and convenient town. And you can't forget about the nightlife, food, and beaches.

Bergamo

Bergamo is a historical, fascinating, and beautiful city. It's a beautiful place to visit, too. Visitors also love the food, shopping, and museums.

La Spezia and Bergamo: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in La Spezia or Bergamo?

Travelers will generally find more things to do in La Spezia than Bergamo. While Bergamo is larger than La Spezia, La Spezia has more sights and attractions for tourists. La Spezia is better known for its beaches, while Bergamo is more popular for its museums and impressive beauty. La Spezia is more touristy than Bergamo and is popular for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. Also, La Spezia is famous for The Maritime Museum. Bergamo is well known for its historical buildings and beautiful squares.

How is La Spezia different from Bergamo?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

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

Bergamo offers a variety of museums and landmarks to choose from. There are historical buildings as well as fascinating museums that are worth checking out. Highlights include the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Colleoni Chapel, the Accademia Carrara, and the Cathedral of Sant'Alessandro.

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

Both La Spezia and Bergamo offer great 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.

Dining out in Bergamo is an experience not to be missed. You'll find traditional restaurants around town that serve the local specialties, many of which have their roots in peasant dishes. The flavors are humble but high quality and the food is fresh and masterfully prepared.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo Better for Nightlife?

The notable nightlife scene is relatively similar in La Spezia and Bergamo.

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.

Bergamo has an active nightlife scene for those who seek it out. Despite not being high on the itinerary of many travelers, the city has a great nightlife scene that includes many local bars and clubs. You can enjoy a local brew or sip some Italian wine while you enjoy the atmosphere of the old town.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for the beache. However, Bergamo is not a beach destination.

La Spezia has a beach worth visiting. The beaches in the area tend to be rocky and pebbly. For the best beaches, head out of town to nearby areas.

Bergamo is not a beach destination.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo Better for its Old Town?

Visitors enjoy the notable old town areas in both La Spezia and Bergamo.

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.

Bergamo offers a nice historic old town area. Since the old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the town has become more popular with visitors. Still, you can enjoy the authentic and less touristy vibe of this beautiful city.

Is the Shopping Better in La Spezia or Bergamo?

Shoppers can find a variety of notable stores in both La Spezia and Bergamo.

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.

Many visitors go to Bergamo to go shopping. There are a number of shopping areas around town including shopping malls and shopping streets. You'll find most of the major brands as well as some interesting boutique shops.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo Better for Families?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for its family-friendly activities. However, Bergamo is a mediocre city for its kid-friendly activities.

La Spezia is a family-friendly place to visit. 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.

Bergamo is not always a place people visit with their families. It's a beautiful city that is filled with history, and for kids there are pedestrian streets to explore and great Italian food. There's also the Museo di Scienze Naturali, which is worth checking out.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo Better for Couples?

La Spezia is notable for its romantic activities. Also, Bergamo is not as famous, but is still a good city to visit for couples.

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.

Bergamo is a good town for couples to visit. Couples will appreciate the beautiful architecture and impressive squares. There are also great restaurants and pedestrian streets that are fun to wander through.

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

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

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

Bergamo is a good town to visit for backpackers. While it's not the most popular backpacker city in Italy, it does have a couple of hostels and guesthouses that offer affordable rates and a young vibe.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo Better for Students?

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

Plenty of students visit Bergamo. The university attracts international students and the city makes a great base for learning and exploring.

La Spezia is not popular with students.

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

Visitors will find notable public transit in both La Spezia and Bergamo.

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

You'll find some public transit in Bergamo, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. There are buses around town as well as two funiculars, one connecting Città Bassa with the Città Alta and the other connecting Città Alta to San Vigilio.

Is La Spezia or Bergamo a more walkable city?

La Spezia and Bergamo are great when it comes to walkability.

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.

Bergamo is a very walkable destination. There are many pedestrian streets and the best way to explore the city is on foot.

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

Should I spend more time in Bergamo or La Spezia?

How long in La Spezia or Bergamo?

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

Families should spend more time in La Spezia than Bergamo. 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 Bergamo. You'll find plenty of romantic sights and fun activities in La Spezia that are great for a weekend getaway or a longer couple's trip.

Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in La Spezia than Bergamo 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 La Spezia or Bergamo?

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.

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

A weekend in La Spezia or Bergamo?

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.

You'll find museums and nightlife around the under-rated destination of Bergamo. 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.

Five days in La Spezia or Bergamo?

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.

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the beautiful city of Bergamo. 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.

A week in La Spezia or Bergamo?

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.

Bergamo 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.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Italy, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Italy, The Best Historical Tours in Italy, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Italy.

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between La Spezia and Bergamo, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Bergamo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Bergamo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Bergamo 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 Bergamo.

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

Which is Bigger, La Spezia or Bergamo?

Bergamo has a larger population, and is about 24% larger than the population of La Spezia. When comparing the sizes of La Spezia and Bergamo, 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.