We stayed at the Hotel Firenze e Continentale for three nights in the summer of 2012. Key to our decision on where to stay in La Spezia was proximity to the train station – not only were we arriving off the back of a long train journey (and would be embarking on another once we left), but we also wanted to make the journey to the Cinque Terre as hassle free as possible so we could minimise the time spent getting around and maximise the both the time spent on the trail.

Hotel Firenze e Continentale is a winner in this respect, and I imagine most people dropping in on La Spezia do so with the intention of visiting the Cinque Terre, so its quite an important box to tick. Hotel Firenze is literally 50m or so from the station. Despite this proximity, the hotel is set a little way down a hill and manages to miss the bulk of the noise from the railway – perfect.

In terms of the hotel itself, Hotel Firenze is simple – but nice. The bed was comfortable enough, and the bathroom was small but clean. The TV is tiny, but then you’re not there to watch TV, are you? Breakfast was really well done – great, fresh food served in a nice setting on the top floor. The breakfast room also has a balcony with a fantastic view over one of the quieter parts of La Spezia and the service was brilliant. All in all a really nice, simple stay.

The lift is tiny (only fits two average sized people at a time), which is a bit of a nightmare when it comes to checking in and checking out. You’re restricted to heading up/down one person with one bag at a time. Every so often some idiot will try to squeeze in more luggage than the lift can handle, and the whole thing will shut down. This happened on the day we checked out and meant we had to carry a fair few extremely heavy suitcases and bags down via the stairwell from the top floor one by one, which took about four journeys up and down. My advice – try and get a room on the first couple of floors just in case.

Wi-fi is available for free in the foyer and at an extra cost in the rooms.

We had four nights here and it was very convenient to the train to the cinque terre towns which were beautiful. Breakfast was ok and staff were very helpful and friendly, the bathrooms were small but hey how long are you in the bathroom? Overall we were satisfied with this hotel.

Excellent for a 3 star hotel. Across the street from the train station for the Cinque Terre. Very nice breakfast room and breakfast. Friendly and accommodating front desk. Small, but clean room. The best place to stay a day trip to the Cinque Terre

We chose this hotel, as we're are any travelers before us did - because of it's location right across the road from the La Spezia train station - the gateway to La Cinque Terre.
Staff were super friendly and helpful, and our room spacious and clean.
Breakfast was a feast and it's location on the top floor with a balcony was great.
The walk along La Cinque Terre coast put our fitness levels to the test on a hot day, and so a nice hotel close to the station at the end of the day was just we needed!