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

Should you visit Versailles or La Spezia?

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

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Versailles 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.

Versailles

Versailles is a ornate, opulent, and historic palace. It's considered by many to be an absolutely beautiful destination, too. Visitors also love the museums.

La Spezia

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

Versailles and La Spezia: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Versailles or La Spezia?

Tourists will generally find more to do in La Spezia. Although Versailles and La Spezia are about the same size, La Spezia has more sights, activities, and attractions for travelers. La Spezia is very popular for its food, nightlife, beaches, historical sights, and shopping, while Versailles attracts visitors for its museums and impressive beauty. Versailles is more touristy than La Spezia and is known for its long running history and its grand architecture. La Spezia is famous for being the gateway to Cinque Terre. It is also well known for The Maritime Museum.

How is Versailles different from La Spezia?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

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

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

Versailles is very popular for its museums and history. However, La Spezia is lacking in good options for its museums and landmarks.

The museums and tourist attractions in Versailles are world-renowned. The palace is filled with history and impressive items relating to the royal family. Within and near the palace you should make sure you see the Gardens of Versailles, Grand Trianon, the Hall of Mirrors, and the Royal Opera of Versailles.

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

La Spezia is a great town for its local flavors and cuisine. However, Versailles is not known 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 Versailles. There are a couple of restaurants and cafes on the grounds.

Is Versailles or La Spezia Better for Nightlife?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for nightlife. However, Versailles is not a destination with noteworthy nightlife.

If you're looking for night time activities La Spezia has a few options to choose from. 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.

Versailles is not a destination with noteworthy nightlife.

Is Versailles or La Spezia Better for Beaches?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for its beaches. However, Versailles 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.

Versailles is not a beach destination.

Is Versailles or La Spezia Better for its Old Town?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for its historic old town. However, Versailles 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.

Versailles does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Versailles or La Spezia?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for shopping. However, Versailles 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.

Versailles is not a noteworthy shopping destination.

Is Versailles or La Spezia Better for Families?

La Spezia is a nice place to visit for its kid-friendly activities. However, Versailles is not known 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.

Versailles does not offer many kid-friendly activities. While there are those unicorn children who fall in love with the grand setting, for most kids, a visit to Versailles can make for make for a long and draining day.

Is Versailles or La Spezia Better for Couples?

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

Versailles is a great palace if you're traveling as a couple. It's opulence, grandeur, and history make this a wonderful place to explore as a couple. There are gardens and other unique settings that make Versailles very romantic.

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 Versailles or La Spezia Better for Backpackers and Budget Travelers?

La Spezia is a great town for backpackers and budget travelers. However, Versailles is not a backpacker-friendly destination.

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.

Versailles is not a backpacker-friendly destination.

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

Versailles 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.

Versailles has some very good public transit options. There are SNCF trains that travel from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles Chantiers train station and additional trains that travel between Gare Saint Lazare and Versailles Rive Droite.

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 Versailles or La Spezia a more walkable city?

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

Versailles is very walkable. It's approximately a 20 minute walk from the Versailles Chantiers train station to the entrance to the palace. Versailles Rive Droite is slightly closer.

La Spezia is a very walkable palace. 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 Versailles Worth Visiting? and Is La Spezia Worth Visiting?.

Should I spend more time in La Spezia or Versailles?

How long in Versailles or La Spezia?

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

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

You'll find museums around the palace of Versailles. One day is a great amount of time to relax and see the many things that Versailles has to offer. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

With shopping and nightlife around the lively town of La Spezia, 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 Versailles or La Spezia?

You'll find museums around the opulent destination of Versailles. This is a popular place to visit for a weekend.A weekend should give you a good understanding of everything this palace has to offer. This palace offers a variety of activities to choose from.

With nightlife and food around the destination of La Spezia, there's plenty to do. It offers something for everyone. Many people spend a weekend here. In a weekend, you should have a good grasp of this town.

Five days in Versailles or La Spezia?

Travelers enjoy the museums when visiting the historic palace of Versailles. The length of your ideal trip is an individual decision. Most people head to the area for the museums. Five days is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare.

La Spezia, a popular town, is full of activities for travelers. Most people find that five days is more than enough time to see everything. Your budget might influence how long you stay.

A week in Versailles or La Spezia?

Versailles 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.

La Spezia is a popular place that is full of things to see and experience. One week is plenty of time to see everything, even with extra days to spare. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Sightseeing Tours in France, The Best Vineyard & Wine 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 Versailles and La Spezia, we can see that Versailles is more expensive. And not only is La Spezia much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to La Spezia would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in La Spezia 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 Versailles would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Versailles than you might in La Spezia.

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

Which is Bigger, Versailles or La Spezia?

La Spezia has a larger population, and is about 7% larger than the population of Versailles. When comparing the sizes of Versailles 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.