Where can you visit from La Spezia?

On my last cruise on the P&O Oceana I had visited many of the ports already, but this was one which I hadn’t visited before, so I decided to do some research before sailing to decide where to go.

I found that there were so many options, and this would be a port where even if you visited it about 5 times you could see somewhere new each time!  Here are some of your options:

Stay in La Spezia!

La Spezia is a beautiful city which, unlike many other port cities, has a charm to it which makes it an excellent option for a day off the ship without venturing too far.  From disembarking the ship, you walk straight out past all the beautiful boats and yachts in the marina.  There were stalls and places to eat and drink by the marina, so this was a lovely place to just sit and watch the world go by.  If you would like to see more, you can venture up the hill top to St George’s castle houses which contain artefacts from the middle ages in its archaeological museum!  There are also many art galleries and Museums including the Technical Naval museum to explore.  I found there were also plenty of shops in walking distance of the port too so a wonderful place for some retail therapy.  We came back here after our day out and enjoyed sitting by the marina in what felt like a festival atmosphere with a drink in hand!

Take the train to Cinque Terre

This was how I spent my day.  We walked through La Spezia to the train station which took about 20 minutes.  At the train station there was a tourist office with a specific area for information and to buy a Cinque Terre train card.  We purchased a guide book and were given a map and advise on the train line to take.  From here we could just hop on and off at the 5 villages.  There is a tour from the ship which does similar with some offering a ferry (weather permitting) and some of our fellow passenger took the tour, but we decided it would be easy enough on our own!  We loved hopping on and off the train which only took about 10 minutes to get to the villages from La Spezia. Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage site and known for its beauty.  We witnessed the beautiful multi-coloured buildings in Riomaggiore, enjoyed a cappuccino by the water in beautiful Vernazza and walked along the beach front in Monterosso.  There are some lovely bars and restaurants with amazing viewpoints, so I enjoyed a sangria with a beautiful sea view!  The smallest village is Vernazza and we were advised to go there first as it can get very crowded!

Get a tour to Florence and Pisa

There were organised tours from the ship to take passengers to Florence, Pisa or both in the same day.  These had varied amounts of guided touring and free time so there is an excursion suitable for everyone!  Pisa is also possible if you want to travel alone on the train but Florence may be a bit far to do independently unless you have a very long day in port.  Pisa is most famously known for the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  I have visited this from another cruise where I docked up in Livorno and it is well worth seeing and Pisa is a lovely pretty town with lovely restaurants to sit outside of and enjoy a pizza and a glass of wine!  Florence is one place I haven’t visited yet, so this will be next on my list to visit from a cruise.  It is the capital city of the Tuscany region and is renowned for its beautiful collection of Renaissance art and architecture.  There are many beautiful cathedrals, galleries and bell towers to visit in this beautiful city!

Lucca

There were tours available which take passengers to Lucca.  This is also possible however to visit independently by train.  This is another very historical town with many attractions such as the Piazza of San Michele, the Basilica of San Frediano and Guinigi Tower.  The old town is set within walls which makes it a beautiful setting to explore.

Other passengers who had been to all these places mentioned getting a bus or train to other areas of the Tuscany region so there really is always so much to explore from La Spezia.  This is was one of my favourite ports for this reason and I will be happy to return again and again to try out a new shore experience from this wonderful port!