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

Should you visit Le Mans or La Spezia?

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 Le Mans and La Spezia can help you decide which place is right for you.

Le Mans

Le Mans is a historic, quaint, and small town. This is a charming small with plenty of activities, too. Visitors also love the nightlife and museums.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a convenient, cultural, and lively town. Other reasons to visit include shopping, nightlife, and food.

Le Mans and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Le Mans or La Spezia?

Visitors will generally find more to do in La Spezia than Le Mans. While Le Mans is larger than La Spezia, La Spezia has more sights, attractions, and activities for tourists. La Spezia is very popular for its food, beaches, historical sights, and shopping, while Le Mans attracts visitors for its museums and small town charm. La Spezia is more touristy than Le Mans and is known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. It is also well known for The Maritime Museum. Le Mans is famous for being the location of the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is one of the world's greatest sports-car races.

How is Le Mans different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

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

Le Mans offers a variety of museums and landmarks to choose from. It's most famous as the location of the 24 hour car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and on some days it's possible to visit the race track which has a museum with simulators and other activities. Around town you'll find museums and activities affiliated with the racing culture, and there's also a cathedral as well as several nice museums relating to the automotive industry among other things.

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 Le Mans or La Spezia? Which Destination has the Best Restaurants?

La Spezia is great for its local flavors and cuisine. However, Le Mans is not a good destination for its local cuisine and restaurants.

The food selection at local restaurants is excellent in La Spezia. 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.

You'll find the standard options when it comes to food in Le Mans. It's not known for its food scene, but there is one dish in particular that you should try. The local specialty is les rillettes de porc, which is a pork paté.

Is Le Mans or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

The vibe at night is nice in both Le Mans and La Spezia.

If you're looking for night time activities Le Mans has a few options to choose from. You'll find bars and clubs in the city center around Saint-Nicolas Quarter, rue des Ponts-neufs, Place de la Sirène and around the Republic Square.

There's a variety of activities in the evening 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 Le Mans or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is very good for its beaches. However, Le Mans is not a beach destination.

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.

Le Mans is not a beach destination.

Is Le Mans or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

La Spezia is very good for its historic old town. However, Le Mans does not have a historic old town.

La Spezia is a good destination for visiting its old town. The old town runs between the streets of Corso Cavour and Via Prione and is best explored on foot.

Le Mans does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Le Mans or La Spezia?

La Spezia is very good for shopping. However, Le Mans is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

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.

Le Mans is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Is Le Mans or La Spezia Better for Families?

You'll find nice kid-friendly activities in either Le Mans or La Spezia.

Le Mans offers lots of family activities. Make sure you visit on a day when Le Mans Karting International and the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum is open to visitors. Families can ride on high speed go-carts and train like professionals with special game simulators. This is a popular destination for adults and kids alike. The town also has indoor play areas, waterparks, and beautiful parks to explore.

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.

Is Le Mans or La Spezia Better for Couples?

La Spezia is great for romance. Also, Le Mans is not as popular, but is still a nice town for its romantic activities.

La Spezia is a great town if you're traveling as a couple. It makes a nice base for visiting nearby sights if the more popular Cinque Terre area is too overwhelming.

Le Mans makes for a fun place to visit for a couple. It's a small town, but racing enthusiasts will enjoy a visit to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum.

Is Le Mans or La Spezia Better for Backpackers and Budget Travelers?

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

La Spezia is very popular with the backpacker crowd. It's more affordable than the nearby towns in Cinque Terre, but they're still easily accessible from town.

It's common for backpackers to visit Le Mans. While there aren't many hostels specifically designed for backpackers, it is possible to find affordable accommodation at most times.

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

Le Mans and La Spezia both offer nice public transit to get you around.

While Le Mans offers some public transit options, it might not be your first choice. There is a tram service around town that provides access to many places including the race track via the T1 line (Antarès-Stade Marie Marvingt and exit at the East Entrance).

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

Is Le Mans or La Spezia a more walkable city?

La Spezia is great for its walkability. Also, Le Mans is not as popular, but is still a nice town 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.

Le Mans is a somewhat walkable place. Parts of the town are walkable.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Le Mans?

How long in Le Mans or La Spezia?

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

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

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

You'll find museums and nightlife around the historic destination of Le Mans. 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 Le Mans or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and museums when visiting the small town of Le Mans. 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 Le Mans or La Spezia?

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

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

Which is Bigger, Le Mans or La Spezia?

Le Mans has a larger population, and is about 58% larger than the population of La Spezia. When comparing the sizes of Le Mans 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.