La Spezia is a peculiar city on the sea, as a matter of fact, it is surrounded by the water.
Nevertheless, if you are planning to grab some rays, just lying on a beach, it might seem a little tricky because you need to move away from the port area to reach the shores you are looking for.

In this article we want to recommend some interesting shore excursions from La Spezia port!

Portovenere

There is no room for mistakes! If you talk with the locals the first place they will recommend is Portovenere, an absolute must-see! It’s an enchanted village with an incredible view.

Your shore excursion from La Spezia port will be a piece of cake! You will easily find the ferry terminal in the main street of the harbor, called “passeggiata Morin”. Here you can get a ferry to reach the village of Portovenere. Once there take your time to have a look around the little town and let yourself to be amazed!

Then, you have two options depending on your personal taste. If you prefer the sand, you should choose one of the beaches you’ll have on your right (getting off from the boat), otherwise if you go to the other side, towards the church you can join the locals on the rocks!
It’s way easier than it looks because you’ll find some boarding ladder to get into the water for a swim.

Palmaria Island

If you are keen on a wilder experience, the place to go is the little Island in front of Portovenere called Palmaria Island.

You can once again start your shore excursion from La Spezia port where the ferry terminal is. When on the ferry, don’t forget to enjoy the trip and pay attention to the sea, if you are lucky enough you can see some dolphins!
On the island there is just a bar and a restaurant so be prepared. If you like hiking, this is the perfect place to be! You can choose between an easy hiking trail known as “the ring” and a more demanding one, which is great for the view.

However, the hiking part is optional, so if you are looking for some relax with no effort you are still in the right place! There are two main shores here called “Terrizzo” and “Pozzale” where you can lay down and sunbath.

If you have the chance and if you like swimming, it might be nice to be here (or in Portovenere) during the so called “piscina naturale” (“natural swimming pool”). It happens twice every summer, first in July and then again in August, an unmissable event for all the local people! No boats allowed for the day in the area between Portovenere and the Palmaria Island, so you are free to swim from a side to the other, having fun with some inflatables floating in the water like huge slides, air mattress and so on…

Cinque Terre

Of course since you are here you shouldn’t miss the oppurtunity to visit the Cinque Terre, probably the most famous place around here. If you are in the port area, this time you need to move from there and reach the train station which is not that far away. From where you are, look for the main street of the city “via Prione”, and walk for about ten minutes, then you will be at the main station where you can get a train and reach the Cinque Terre.

If you are looking for a bigger place with some sand and a nice view, then Monterosso is your land. However, every little village has its own. Vernazza is probably the best compromise because there are both sandy beach and rocks, and it’s also quite entertaining! From there you can rent a kayak or a little motorboat and explore the village from the sea. Manarola and Riomaggiore are also very nice, probably the favorites by the locals, but they are quite smaller than the one in Monterosso.

San Terenzo and Lerici

Finally, one other great shore excursion from La Spezia port is the one to San Terenzo and Lerici.
You can easily find a taxi boat from the promenade called passeggiata Morin and get there! It’s a very nice place, with several shores between two amazing castles.

Hopefully, you will be now able to pick your favorite shore to visit!

La Spezia city center

If you decide to stay in La Spezia, or when you come back in the town, there are many things to do and you can end your day with a food experience! Book a tour on our website and you will eat some great local food, how the locals do!