Porto Mirabello marina
Cadimare fishing village
Marola bay
Tellaro village anchorage
Seno di Panigaglia inlet
Tour the Museo Tecnico Navale, one of Italy’s oldest naval museums
Browse the Thursday market on Via Garibaldi
Visit Castello di San Giorgio’s archaeological museum
See contemporary art at CAMEC
Stroll the palm-lined Passeggiata Morin
Castello di San Giorgio
Museo Tecnico Navale
Piazza Cavour market halls
Palazzina delle Arti
Chiesa di Nostra Signora della Neve
May through September gives the most settled weather and the warmest water for exploring the gulf and the nearby Cinque Terre, with June and September offering a good balance of sunshine and lighter crowds ashore. August is the busiest month locally, since much of Italy holidays then, so berths and restaurant tables are worth booking well ahead.
Pisa International Airport (PSA), around 90km south, and Genoa Cristoforo Colombo (GOA), a similar distance northwest, are the closest options with regular European connections, each roughly ninety minutes from the marina by car. La Spezia’s own Centrale railway station also sits on the main Genoa-Pisa line, making a rail transfer from either airport city an easy alternative.
Porto Mirabello, right in the city, offers the most sheltered deep-water berths, while the fishing hamlets of Cadimare and Marola further into the gulf give a quieter, more local alternative just a short tender ride away. For something further afield within the same protected bay, Tellaro’s tiny rock-set harbour on the gulf’s eastern shore is worth the detour.
Three to four days lets you combine the city itself with day trips to the Cinque Terre and Portovenere without feeling rushed, since all three lie within an hour or two by sea. Guests short on time can still cover the highlights in two days, prioritising one full day for the Cinque Terre villages and a half-day each for the city and Portovenere.
The Palio del Golfo, a rowing regatta first held in 1925, brings crews from around a dozen towns and hamlets across the gulf to race on the first Sunday of August, with Porto Venere winning the 101st edition in 2026. It’s a lively, local affair best watched from the water, and worth planning around if you want an authentic slice of gulf tradition rather than a purely scenic stop.
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