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

Should you visit Nantes or La Spezia?

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

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Nantes or La Spezia, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Nantes

Nantes is a beautiful, vibrant, and welcoming city. The beauty of this spot is also one of the main reasons why visitors come. Visitors also love the food, shopping, and museums.

La Spezia

La Spezia is a lively, convenient, and cultural town. It's also popular because of the food, beaches, and shopping.

Nantes and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Nantes or La Spezia?

Travelers will usually find more to do in Nantes than La Spezia, as it is bigger with more sights, attractions, and activities for visitors. Nantes is more popular for its museums, food, nightlife, shopping, and impressive beauty, while La Spezia is known for its beaches. La Spezia is more touristy than Nantes and is known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. Nantes is popular for its castles and historical landmarks, local wine, and beautiful parks and gardens. It is also home to The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany.

How is Nantes different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Nantes 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 Nantes. The city is filled with historical monuments, particularly in the Bouffay District. Highlights include Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, Château des Ducs de Bretagne, and the Musée d'Arts de Nantes.

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

Nantes 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 Nantes, as it has many local or world renowned restaurants to choose from. The region lends itself to unique flavors with a great mix of seafood from the Atlantic, freshwater fish from the Loire, and dairy from the surrounding countryside. The region is also famous for its wine. Local dishes that you should try include Filet de Sandre au Beurre Blanc (fresh fish in butter sauce), Crepes Bretonnes (breakfast crepes), and Le Canard Nantais (duck with Muscadet 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 Nantes or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

Nantes is a very popular place for nightlife and partying. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its evening party scene.

Nantes has a large number of nightlife venues. The large student population heavily influences the nightlife scene. You'll find a young vibe with a lot of bars and clubs to choose from, particularly around Île de Nantes.

La Spezia has an active nightlife scene for those who seek it out. 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 Nantes or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for the beach. However, Nantes 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.

Nantes is not a beach destination.

Is Nantes or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

Nantes and La Spezia both have good historical old towns that attract visitors.

Nantes has an old town worth visiting. The city's old town is in the Bouffay District and it is filled with half-timbered houses and a maze of streets and shops.

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.

Is the Shopping Better in Nantes or La Spezia?

Nantes is a very popular place for its shopping opportunities. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its shopping areas.

Nantes is well-known for its shopping. There are impressive shopping streets, boutique stores, and grand shopping malls. Make sure you check out Rue Crébillon, Passage Pommeraye, and the shops around the Bouffay District. Talensac Market is also a historical covered market that you can explore.

Many visitors go to La Spezia to go shopping. There's a morning market at Piazza del Mercato as well as many clothing and souvenir shops around town.

Is Nantes or La Spezia Better for Families?

Nantes is a very popular place for its kid-friendly activities. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its family-friendly activities.

Because of its large number of kid-friendly activities, Nantes is very family-friendly. It's filled with gardens, museums, and theme parks, making it a great combination of fascinating activities for adults and kids alike. Some of the top kid-friendly activities include a visit to Machine of the Isle of Nantes (both a theme park and a museum), seeing a show at Le Lieu Unique, or experiencing Naudières Park (a smaller theme park). Kids will also enjoy seeing Goulaine Castle or wandering around Jardin Extraordinaire or the Botanical Gardens.

You'll find plenty of kid-friendly things to do in La Spezia. 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 Nantes or La Spezia Better for Couples?

Nantes and La Spezia are both great to visit as a couple.

Nantes makes for a fun place to visit for a couple. There is a mix of both natural and historical beauty. Couples can enjoy a nice meal, stroll through one of the many parks and gardens, or even spend the day at the spa.

Couples visit La Spezia frequently as it offers plenty of romantic activities. It makes a nice base for visiting nearby sights if the more popular Cinque Terre area is too overwhelming.

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

La Spezia is a very popular place for backpackers and budget travelers. However, Nantes is lacking in good options for backpackers.

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

Nantes is a challenging destination for budget travelers and backpackers due to the higher prices. There aren't as many hostels as you would expect in the area, so finding an affordable and social place to stay may be a bit challenging.

Is Nantes or La Spezia Better for Students?

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

Plenty of students visit Nantes. There's a decent sized student population and the city has a welcoming atmosphere. It's also easy to get around with public transportation.

La Spezia is not popular with students.

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

Nantes is a very popular place for times when you don't have a car. Also, La Spezia is not quite as popular, but is fairly good for its public transit.

Nantes has some very good public transit options. There are both trams and buses throughout the city that are operated by TAN (Transport de l'Agglomeration Nantaise).

You'll find some public transit in La Spezia, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. Buses, trains, and ferry boats offer the main forms of transportation in the area.

Is Nantes or La Spezia a more walkable city?

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

Nantes is a very walkable destination. The city is very walkable. Both locals and tourists alike choose to walk in Nantes.

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.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Nantes?

How long in Nantes or La Spezia?

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

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

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

Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in Nantes than La Spezia 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 Nantes.

One day in Nantes or La Spezia?

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

Many travelers enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the destination of La Spezia. But since there are so many activities, you'll likely want to spend more than one day exploring.

A weekend in Nantes or La Spezia?

You'll find museums and nightlife around the beautiful destination of Nantes. 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.

La Spezia is a great place to explore. It is common to spend a weekend here. With all of its activities, you can easily fill a weekend here. Your budget might influence how long you stay.

Five days in Nantes or La Spezia?

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

It's hard to know how much time to spend in La Spezia. Five days may feel like too much time unless you plan to do a lot of relaxing. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

A week in Nantes or La Spezia?

Nantes 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.

Travelers enjoy the food and shopping when visiting the lively destination of La Spezia. This town offers a variety of activities to choose from. Most people find that one week is more than enough time to see everything.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in France, The Best One Week (7-Day) 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 Nantes and La Spezia, we can see that La Spezia is more expensive. And not only is Nantes much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Nantes would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Nantes 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 Nantes.

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

Which is Bigger, Nantes or La Spezia?

Nantes has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of La Spezia. When comparing the sizes of Nantes 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.