All of your destinations are known for magnificent art, museums, churches and the like. Does this not appeal?
Maybe a Fodors guidebook would help.

Thanks for your reply.

Yes this is most definitely appealing. Slightly overwhelmed by the magnitude of choice though! Can you recommend any must sees especially as I will only have a short amount of time in each city.

Check out Couchsurfing.com! I use the site to meet locals and other travellers in the cities that I visit. Just recently came back from Spain and had the most amazing time hanging out with Couchsurfers in Seville, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Pamplona (travelled solo, female, 30yrs old)

Cheers jomagpie. That's a great suggestion. I am going to check it out now.

The hostel experience is usually a good one in those cities. My daughter enjoyed it a great deal, and met some fun people in every case.

Some recommendations for places to soak up atmosphere and people watch (you can choose from among museums/sites from Fodor's destination guide or book):

Rome - The park outside the Borghese. Lots of shady places to sit and chill out during the daytime. Evenings - there are some fun gelato places and/or outdoor cafes around the Pantheon.

Florence: San Miniato chapel and cemetary overlooking Florence. This is the postcard view you will want to experience. The cemetary is beautiful. Take the bus to/from this place and enjoy the views of daily life seen from the window

Venice - we found it more fun to sit and enjoy a drink or gelato in the smaller piazzas vs. San Marco (also less costly) People watching is amazing. You will wonder why anyone worries about "what to wear" because you will see EVERYTHING.

Paris - My favorite park for a picnic and people watching is Place des Vosges in the Marais. pair it with a visit to the free Carnavalet museum (which gives you an amazing education on the history of Paris). We also enjoy the Tuilleries, in the shade of the geometrically trimmed plane trees. Look for the boules court near the Musee des Arts Decoratifs (actually a wing of the Louvre with separate entrance).

Thanks uhoh_busted

Your suggestions are exactly the type of thing I am looking for. Can't wait to sip coffee and people watch.

Am I correct in assuming that you'd leave Venice on August 23 to get to Paris? And go home from Paris on August 26? If so, and assuming your hostel reservations are changeable, I'd really suggest taking a Florence day and adding it to Paris. I'm not even a huge Paris fan, but there's SO much to do and see there, and it will take awhile for you to get there on the 23rd. Traveling between your Italian cities will take about 3-4 hours, but getting to Paris is just more involved.

As far as feeling safe, I'm a single 31-year-old woman and would feel fine walking around the touristy parts of Paris, Venice and Rome in the evenings. (It's been way too long since I've been to Florence for me to comment on it, but my guess is that you'd be fine there too.) Generally I like to stay in busier areas so there are people around. Have a good idea of where you're going, don't stop in the street to look at a map, that sort of thing, and I wouldn't expect any safety issues.

You might check out some of the trip reports here to get ideas of what you want to do. You've picked some of the most popular destinations around here, so there are tons to choose from. I find that those help me figure out what sounds interesting, how much time I want to spend doing something, that sort of thing. In Rome I really loved the Galleria Borghese; the museums in Paris are really fantastic, and I'm not always a museum lover. I enjoyed the Pompidou and the Orsay most; the Rodin museum was closed when I was there in March, but I wish I'd seen it. You might also check out Paris Walks - they're €12 walking tours in English of different neighborhoods. It was a great way for me to be a little social on a mostly solo trip.

I hope you are aware that it will be beastly hot in Italy. Rome and Florence, especially. So I would look for nice cool chirches, museums with a/c, etc. to take refuge in. Because of the heat, I would also agree that you can take a day from Florence and apply it to Paris.

If you want to get out of Rome for a cooler place, take a day trip to Tivoli and see the amazing fountains in the garden at Villa d'Este. In Florence, escape by bus up into Fiesole (fee-ay-zo-lay) for wonderful views, ruins, and lunch.

Here's some photos of the fountains at Villa d'Este.
http://www.italiannotebook.com/places/villa-deste-night/

Check out Elizabeth Minchilli's food app Eat Rome...it is really great. (I haven't used the one for Florence, but it is called tada...Eat Florence.)

In Paris, consider an evening concert at Ste Chapelle.
http://www.classictic.com/en/Special/Concerts-in-La-Sainte-Chapelle

I love Luxembourg Gardens for a picnic and the park behind Notre Dame is a great place to enjoy the famous Berthillon ice cream or Amorino gelato.

I have not been able to fit this in, but wine tastings at O Chateau come highly recommended.

Enjoy your trip. I love Paris and am headed to Rome for the first time in 44 days! (am planning to hit Villa d'Est in the evening, so charnees link is right on the money for me).

Hi everyone. Thanks for your replies. I am even more excited about my trip now!

@jent103 I've booked my train ride from Venice to Paris. I had originally intended to take the sleeper train between the two cities but it was all booked out. So as a result I've had to take the trip during the day which I know cuts in to my time away. However, I thought it might be nice to see the Italian / French countryside. i really like your suggestion about the walking tours. i will definitely check that out.

@charnees After the "summer" we've had so far in the UK, I can tell you that beastly hot sounds amaazing! Joking aside, I like your suggestions for a day trip from Rome or Florence. Beautiful pictures by the way.

@denisea Thanks for your Paris suggestions. I think the concert sounds wonderful and also I am always up for ice cream!! Hoave a wonderful time in Rome.

I should also say that I will be in Paris from 23 - 26 August. Typo!

Hi

Free walking tour: http://www.romefreewalkingtour.com/

Free entry: Pantheon

Free: Visit Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, Campo di Fiori, the charming Trastevere area, St. Peters, Janiculum Hill, Castel San Angelo (free to view outside) but entry fee.

Cheap bus tour: http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/rome-historic-bus-tour-for-less-than-1.html

Art Deco: Visit Galleria Alberto Sordi, Piazza Colonna (cnr of via Tritone and via Del Corso). Beautiful art deco small shopping centre.

Thanks @worldinabag. i will definitely be getting on the cheap bus tour