Probably best known for being the gateway to the Cinque Terre, La Spezia actually has plenty of charm itself: the same pastel-coloured architecture hugging a dramatic coastline that includes a beautiful sweep of bay, bright blue seas, and backed by the purple-haze of Mediterranean hills. It’s also home to Italy’s largest naval base, which, probably puts quite a lot of people off. However, if you’re not put off, the best places to stay in La Spezia offer a much more affordable place to stay on the Cinque Terre coastline, and the gorgeous Ligurian coast generally, but with same quality of hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs.

La Spezia’s train station makes it easy to get to, but it’s also the first stop on the railway that passes through the pedestrianised towns of the Cinque Terre, so it’s the only route in unless you’re planning to walk. This means it can be busy with visitors, but what many of them miss is La Spezia’s quintessentially Italian Old Town, with its winding, cobbled streets, and marble-fronted, 15th century basilica. Above the town centre is a 13th century castle, and just below it is a palm-lined waterfront. La Spezia also has a number of excellent museums and art galleries.

The best places to stay in La Spezia are also perennially popular with walkers starting off on the Cinque Terre trail, and some of our picks are just outside town, on the hillsides overlooking the town, and the towns to come. These are stunning properties to escape to and relax, but our recommendations are also ideal as bases for exploring further into Liguria: to Genoa, Portofino or Rapallo, for starters.

The Best Places to Stay in La Spezia

For an Opulent Villa

• Resort Villa Ito is a wonderfully characterful villa turned guesthouse, the sort of place with great lion statues in the gardens, oil paintings on the walls, and an impressive collection of antiques. Its six rooms and suites are all unique, this is much more like staying as a guest of a well-off family friend, and the communal areas are welcoming, yet grand. The pool and garden are equally charming, and they offer a very civilised cold breakfast buffet daily. Some of the suites are suitable for families, but they ask that children are over 10, what with all those impressive antiques…

For the Views

• With just 12 rooms, Le Ville Relais is a small simple hotel, our Gurus love it for its spectacular views of La Spezia and the Gulf of the Poets. The view from the infinity pool and terrace is really something. Each of the rooms is individually decorated in a range of soft hues, furnished with antiques and comfortable details. The restaurant serves regional classics and has a well-stocked wine cellar, and there’s a terrace for enjoying sundowners with a view.

For a Central Location

• The Benso Rooms are eight rooms in a 19th century townhouse in central La Spezia. All of the rooms are light and airy, with French doors, or large windows, and our favourites have private balconies too. Expect simple, city-style decor and a chic bar. Breakfast is included, and you’re well located for La Spezia’s many restaurants, and the public gardens. An easy choice for families too.
• The Via Chiodo Luxury Rooms offer a similar set up: a converted 19th century townhouse in the centre of La Spezia, divided into nine guest rooms and suites. In the case of the Via Chiodo, more of the building’s original features have been retained — there are a few frescoes dotted amongst the new parquet and wood-panelled walls. Expect lots of white, and white marble too. There’s no restaurant, but there’s a bar on the ground floor, and you’re within a short stroll of a myriad of choices. Perfect for visitors who want to feel more like residents than tourists.

For a private apartment or villa

• If you’d prefer to stay in an apartment or private villa we recommend you visit our online partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• Depending on where you start out, Pisa International Airport, Florence Airport, Genoa Airport, and Milan’s Linate Airport and Bergamo Airport are all convenient airports for La Spezia. Pisa is about an hour away by car; Florence Airport is about an hour and a half by road, or about three hours away by train; Genoa Airport is similar; and Milan’s airports are about two an a quarter hours away by road, or almost five by rail. Once you’ve arrived in La Spezia you can catch the Cinque Terre Express, which stops at all five towns of the Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore.
• If you plan to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner Rentalcars.
• If La Spezia is your primary destination you might want to plan your trip to coincide with festival of San Giuseppe, held in March, when the naval base is opened up to the public, and the city overflows with markets and impromptu parties. If you’re visiting the Cinque Terre more generally, it’s no longer the under-explored treasure it was 40-odd years ago, and summers here are now quite busy, on the trails, on the train and in the towns. Many visitors are only here for the day, so if you opt for one of the hotels we’ve recommended within the towns you can expect quieter evenings. But if you’re planning a trip in July or August you should steel yourself for crowds. May and June are quieter, as are September and October, but the long, warm hours of sunshine are still very appealing, so it’s definitely worth booking in advance. 

Still not sure?

• You could expand your search to include all our Guru’s recommendations for the best places to stay in Liguria
• Or narrow it down to the best places to stay in the Cinque Terre region
• Or try the best places to stay in Portofino, or Rapallo just along the coast?
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.