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

Should you visit Urbino or La Spezia?

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

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Urbino and La Spezia can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Urbino

Urbino is a authentic, laid back, and historic town. 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 shopping, nightlife, and food.

Urbino and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Urbino or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in La Spezia. Although Urbino and La Spezia are both popular with visitors, La Spezia has more sights, activities, and attractions for travelers. La Spezia is more popular for its beaches, while Urbino is known for its museums and impressive beauty. La Spezia is more touristy than Urbino and is known for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. It is also home to The Maritime Museum. Urbino is popular for its Renaissance walls, historic center, and authentic atmosphere.

How is Urbino different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

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

Urbino offers a variety of museums and landmarks to choose from. At the heart of the city are its historical sights. The cathedral is worth a visit, as is The Ducal Palace, but for most visitors, simply soaking up the town's atmosphere is the best experience.

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

Picking the best cuisine and restaurants between Urbino and La Spezia can be difficult as they are each very good in their own way.

Urbino has a number of nationally recognized food spots and restaurants. The city's history has influenced its cuisine. Traditional foods include cornbread, truffles, and meat sausage. While these options aren't as common today, you can still find them if you seek them out.

With its innovative style combined with traditional elements, La Spezia makes for a great culinary experience. 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 Urbino or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

The vibe at night is good in both Urbino and La Spezia.

If you're looking for night time activities Urbino has a few options to choose from. Because of the large student population, there are usually some fun activities going on at night. You'll find some good bars around town that are fun to hang out at.

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 Urbino or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a town with good options for the beach. However, Urbino is not a beach destination.

Plenty of visitors enjoy relaxing on the beach in La Spezia. The beaches in the area tend to be rocky and pebbly. For the best beaches, head out of town to nearby areas.

Urbino is not a beach destination.

Is Urbino or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

Both Urbino and La Spezia have good historic old towns worth visiting.

Urbino has an old town worth visiting. The historic center feels a bit undiscovered by Italian standards. There are stone houses and the town is built on a steep hill, giving it a beautiful setting.

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 Urbino or La Spezia?

If you're looking to go shopping, Urbino and La Spezia both offer plenty of good spots.

Urbino has a variety of shopping areas worth visiting. You'll find galleries, book shops, and jewelry stores around town that are fun to pop into.

La Spezia is a great destination for shopping. There's a morning market at Piazza del Mercato as well as many clothing and souvenir shops around town.

Is Urbino or La Spezia Better for Families?

La Spezia is a town with good options for its kid-friendly activities. However, Urbino 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.

Urbino is not the most family-friendly destination. The city is filled with history and architecture, which may be lost on the kids. There are the classic Italian restaurants which is a favorite among kids and adults alike.

Is Urbino or La Spezia Better for Couples?

Both Urbino and La Spezia are very good destinations for a couple's getaway.

Urbino is a great town if you're traveling as a couple. This walled city is fun to explore and can make for a great romantic stop. The city is walled and has many historical buildings which couples will enjoy learning about together.

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 Urbino or La Spezia Better for Backpackers and Budget Travelers?

La Spezia is great for backpackers and budget travelers. However, Urbino is not a good destination 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.

Urbino is a challenging destination for budget travelers and backpackers due to the higher prices. It's not well known by backpackers and there are a very limited number of hostels in the area.

Is Urbino or La Spezia Better for Students?

Urbino is a very popular place for its student-friendly activities. However, La Spezia is not popular with students.

Many students visit Urbino. The student population is a large part of this small city. University students are usually happy and enjoy many activities and outings into the surrounding area.

La Spezia is not popular with students.

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

La Spezia is a town with good options for times when you don't have a car. However, Urbino is not a good destination for its public transit.

While La Spezia offers some public transit options, it might not be your first choice. Buses, trains, and ferry boats offer the main forms of transportation in the area.

Public transit is generally limited in Urbino. The town is accessible by bus but not by train.

Is Urbino or La Spezia a more walkable city?

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

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

Urbino is somewhat walkable. Many parts of the city are easy to explore on foot.

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

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Urbino?

How long in Urbino or La Spezia?

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

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

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

You'll find museums and nightlife around the historic destination of Urbino. 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.

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 Urbino or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the nightlife and food when visiting the authentic town of Urbino. 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.

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 Urbino or La Spezia?

Urbino 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 2-Week Tours in Italy, The Best Bicycle Tours in Italy, Tours for Outdoor and Nature Lovers in Italy, and The Best Coach Bus Tours in Italy.

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

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

Which is Bigger, Urbino or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 6 times larger than the population of Urbino. When comparing the sizes of Urbino 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.