Best Day Trips from La Spezia

Many of the best things to see and do in La Spezia won't take you long. This is due to the fact that the town is relatively small and it is actually its proximity to other important sites in this part of northern Italy that makes it a tourist destination. Therefore, you cannot miss the best excursions from this city to the nearest communities.

I invite you to continue reading this publication, as I have compiled several alternatives that stand out among the existing offer for the quality of the tour they offer, as well as for the places they will take you to. Thanks to this information you will be able to make a much more appropriate decision on how you want to spend your time and money when it comes to leaving La Spezia for other parts of Liguria and Northern Italy.

The Cinque Terre National Park is one of the main reasons why tourists come to La Spezia. La Spezia has a cruise port as well as a train station which makes it easy for people coming from different parts of Italy to explore the villages along this cliff-lined coastline at their leisure.

And considering that this is such a unique area from a historical and architectural point of view, it is easy to understand that a private excursion to this site is one of the best investments you can make. This type of tour is usually accompanied by a specialist in the history of the region who is characterised by his friendliness.

Sometimes the transfers between each village in Cinque Terre are by boat, while in other cases they are by train. Either way, the experience of visiting Vernazza along with Riomaggiore and the other villages in this area is something that is reserved exclusively for a single family group. This means that throughout each stop the guide will be available only for you and your family

. Please note that meals and drinks are not included in the price of the activity, although when lunch is required there will be a range of alternatives depending on the village you are in. All train and boat tickets are included in the cost of these excursions and there is usually no meeting point, but pick-up and drop-off is directly at your accommodation.

Details of interest

• Price: Adults usually pay around 340 euros per person, while children between the ages of 4 and 11 usually pay around 70 euros.
• Duration: The duration of the ride is usually around seven to eight hours in total.
• Means of transport: different means of transport such as trains, taxis or boats will be used throughout the tour.
• Advantages of this option: being able to enjoy a guide who is exclusively for a single group of people is a good way of not missing any important details of Cinque Terre.
• Disadvantages of this option: it is definitely an expensive alternative that may be a bit unaffordable for those who have financial constraints on their trip.

The Cinque Terre national park can also be explored from a completely different approach and, for this reason, another of the best excursions to do from La Spezia are those that involve a hiking route through this natural region. This type of experience usually starts at a meeting point inside the port of La Spezia and from there, there is a short train ride to the station located in Manarola.

At this point the hiking part of the excursion begins, as all participants will hike through the mountain trails to reach Corniglia. All this in a descent that will always be accompanied by a guide who will tell important details about the historical importance of this region and about the fauna and flora that compose it.

The next step of this excursion is to walk through this village and then take a break just before lunch. From there, the group heads back to another train station that will take all the participants to Vernazza from where they will be able to admire the wonderful landscape that characterises the cliffs full of colourful houses representative of the architecture of this part of Italy.

Riomaggiore is usually the last stop, after which the train will take you back to the city of La Spezia so that you can arrive in time for your cruise or go to your accommodation.

Interesting details

• Price: The going rate for an experience like this is usually around 60 euros per person. This includes train tickets, but does not include the cost of lunch.
• Duration: The usual duration of such an excursion is also usually seven to eight hours. However, the times are always timed so that people can return in time for the rest of their activities.
• Means of transport: The train is usually the only means of transport while hiking is the other main feature of the excursion.
• Advantages of this option: This is a much cheaper alternative and is especially favourable during the spring and summer season.
• Disadvantages of this option: the idea of walking for a couple of hours along mountain routes can be difficult for older people.

Florence is one of the most important tourist destinations in Italy and at the same time one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Pisa is also quite close to this other city in the region of Tuscany, which is right next to Liguria, where La Spezia is located.

So an excursion to these two places with a departure from La Spezia is something you shouldn't miss. Even more so knowing that it is an opportunity to see such marvels of western architecture as the Florence Cathedral, the Ponte Vecchio, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Central Market of Florence and the Cathedral of Pisa.

The transfers for the trip are usually included in the price which also includes the payment of the guide who is a specialist in the history of both sites. Depending on the time of year, you may travel by coach or bus and you should be aware that the price of the service does not include entry to any monuments beyond the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In addition, free Wi-Fi is usually available on the buses and the tour escort is English-speaking only.

Interesting details

• Price: this type of tour usually costs around 90 euros per person.
• Duration: a tour like this usually lasts a minimum of nine hours, although it may take up to 10 hours depending on the traffic along the way.
• Means of transport: usually by bus, but it is also possible to take a minibus if there is low demand from other participants.
• Advantages of this option: this is a very convenient fare for a trip with these characteristics. Even more so knowing that it includes the accompaniment of a guide.
• Disadvantages of this option: having to pay separately for entrance to some of Florence's monuments and attractions may be unappealing to some people.

You can also get to know the city of Pisa on a private tour and, best of all, this type of experience also gives you the opportunity to get to know Lucca. Lucca is its neighbouring community and is known within the Tuscan region for its thriving wine industry.

These types of excursions are usually of the same duration as those that also go to Florence. The difference is that in this case you have the opportunity to explore a little more of Pisa while also exploring the historic centre of Lucca, which is a city known within Italy for its walls built during the renaissance period.

The price of the tour usually includes the entrance fee to the monuments you will see in both Pisa and Lucca and the driver, who is also usually the tour guide, is another service that is included in the final price. The means of transport is usually a minivan, which is air-conditioned and has free Wi-Fi. In addition, the visit to the wine cellar, which usually takes place in La Spezia, is also included in the price of the activity.

The wine tasting is an activity with a separate price and the lunch, which is sometimes enjoyed in Lucca and sometimes in Pida, also has a separate price, although the choice of the restaurant is usually suggested by the guide because there are places with much more convenient services than others.

Interesting details

• Price: The price of a private tour is usually around 350 euros per person.
• Duration: the duration of these excursions also tends to be around eight or nine hours in total. This has to do with the fact that Lucca is much closer to Pisa than Florence.
• Means of transport: it is almost always a modern and comfortable minivan, although it is also possible that it is a minibus depending on the number of participants in the same family group.
• Advantages of this option: Lucca is a beautiful city that deserves to be toured and, the chance to visit an authentic Italian wine cellar is a must-see.
• Disadvantages of this option: the price is a bit unaffordable for some people and you have to take into account that lunch and wine tasting are priced separately.

There are different ways to book an excursion from La Spezia, but the best way is usually through an online purchase of the service. This has to do with the fact that through this method you can compare the prices offered by different companies and, at the same time, you can find out the opinions of other people who have already lived this particular experience.

In fact, an online booking is recommended for other tourist activities such as buying tickets for the Naval Technical Museum of La Spezia, which is one of the most visited sites in La Spezia.

The average duration of most excursions from La Spezia to any of the interesting places in the vicinity is about seven to nine hours. The reason for this is the simple factor that people want to see as much as possible of the places to visit and, with that amount of hours, you can cover a good part of the historic centre of Florence or the villages that make up the Cinque Terre region.

. Likewise, you should know that this activity takes up one of the days of your visit to this city. So, if you feel like you are missing out, you can join one of the best tours of La Spezia the next day. Even more so knowing that it only lasts about two to three hours and by mid-afternoon you could be leaving the city for your next Italian destination.

Exactly what you will see on these excursions depends directly on which one you choose. In the case of Cinque Terre you will find different villages on a rugged coast full of cliffs where the houses are quite colourful and have an artisan style very characteristic of the Italian countryside.

If you decide to participate in excursions that go to Florence, then it will be something very different. In this case, the trip will be to one of the most important cities in the country that is characterised by a very peculiar architectural identity full of great wonders of what was the Renaissance period on an artistic and intellectual level.

In Pisa something similar will happen, as it is a city that surprises all visitors by the majesty of its buildings. They are a consequence of having been one of the most important ports for the Italian prosperity that began to take place after the renaissance.

One of the first recommendations I can make if you are interested in participating in one of these excursions is that you go with the willingness to enjoy the experience. All the excursions are a unique opportunity, as you will visit very important places for the Italian society and for the tourism of this country.

Another recommendation I can make is that you should not focus too much on eating at the stops you have along these tours. Especially since that money could be spent on enjoying some of La Spezia' s best gastronomic tours when you return to the city. These will offer you a larger selection of food, as well as the accompaniment of a specialist in the culinary world who will explain the importance of each of the things you decide to try.

One of the first advantages of taking a guided tour is the fact that you will be accompanied by a specialist in the history of the places you will visit. This is an extremely convenient point for all the places you will visit, as it is not the same thing to appreciate the beauty as to be able to realise all the information that makes it a wonder of humanity.

Another aspect is that the logistical planning of the transfers is something you don't have to worry about. It also saves you money. Especially when you know that buying bus or train tickets at the last minute can be much more expensive than if you do it well in advance through an online booking of such services.