Today it remains not only one of Italy's busiest port towns, but also home to the country's largest naval base. As a stop on a Cinque Terre cruise, La Spezia is convenient, centrally located, and a little underrated.

Large cruise ships do not dock directly in any of the five villages of Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso) because the villages are built into steep cliffs with tiny, shallow harbors. Instead, the primary cruise port for the region is La Spezia, a large naval and commercial city located just to the east. Most major lines, including Royal Caribbean, MSC, and Celebrity, dock at the Molo Garibaldi pier in La Spezia. From there, passengers are typically shuttled to the cruise terminal, where they can easily catch a 10-to-20-minute train ride that stops at all five villages. Some smaller, luxury cruise ships or "boutique" lines may anchor offshore near Portovenere or Monterosso and use smaller tender boats to ferry passengers directly to the shore. However, for the vast majority of cruisers, La Spezia serves as the "gateway" to the UNESCO World Heritage site. Once at the port, travelers can also choose to take a ferry from the harbor, which offers a spectacular sea-level view of the colorful villages, providing a more scenic but slower alternative to the frequent rail service that runs through the coastal tunnels.