My husband and I are traveling next Fall. We will be in Siena for 5 nights with a car. Then off to Florence and Venice. With 7 nights to split btwn Florence and Venice, which city do you feel deserves the extra night? We could take a night away from Siena, but we felt since there are so many hill towns to visit with our car, we do not want to rush! Thanks.

Venice is my favorite city in Italy! I'm going to Florence in May and based on my research and sights to see, I would say do 4 days in Florence and 3 in Venice. In Florence there are so many museums and I believe you can spend house in the Uffizi and other places; in Venice, it's more of visiting the highlights and just wandering the whole area. I would say you should decide on what you'd like to do: do you want a place with many museums and churces or a place with several sights to see and lots of walking, wandering and getting lost (the best part of Venice!). I'll be in Florence in May and would be happy to report back later. Again, Venice is my favorite!!! But I am looking forward to the many sights to see in Florence.

Monica
http://www.luvtotravel.homestead.com/home.html

i have just returned from both cities....we had a full week in venice and thought that was a great luxuary...we had 4 days in florence...we thought it adequate...most people have 2-3 days in venice and about the same in florence...there is so much more to venice that i think it deserves the extra time....is is alos much more complicated to get around in venice making your timing much longer...

Hi Jenna,

I used to live in northern Italy and I'd have to say that Venice (Venezia) and Florence (Firenze) are my two favorite cities. Of the two, I would take the extra day in Venice. It is more expensive, but, as someone else said, you can spend lots of time wandering through the streets. There are tons of great shops and a boat trip to one of the islands for more shopping is fun.
My husband and I met in Italy (in Vicenza) and went back a few years ago for our fifteenth anniversary. We spent a week in Tuscany, staying in BandB's throughout, but also travelled north. We absolutely loved the hill towns and would love to go back and just spend all of our time there. If this is your first trip, however, you have to see Florence and Venice!
Have a great trip!!

I'd split it 4 Florence, 3 Venice.

I think Venice is probably the most unusual city I've ever seen-could not get enough of it. Florence nowhere near held my attention.
Shadow

I would tend to agree with adding the extra day to Venice...although here is another suggestion, why not stop somewhere for 1 night in between to break up the trip?

I think I would decide on which city to give the extra night to based upon your interests. If you like museums, you could easily use the time in Florence. If you're not a big museum hopper but love to stroll, then I would choose Venice.

Hi Jenna,

Both have enough to keep you busy for 4 nights.

I would spend the extra night in Florence.

You might find the Florence part of my trip report helpful.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Venice = 4
Florence = 3

Actually, a case could be made for:
Siena = 4
Venice = 4
Florence = 4

Enjoy.

We currently are lucky enough to be living in Italy and up until a month ago I called Florence (Firenze) my favourite city. But then we went to Venezia. Spend the extra day there...

NO QUESTION- FLorence. Venice is amazing, and so fun to see, but it is horridly touristy, and unless you want to spend every day looking at masks and glass, then use the extra day for Florence. There is so much more to see in Florence. You need to see Venice, but really Florence is much more varied.

I'd spend more time in Venice, especially if you'll have spent 5 days in Siena.

Venice is not just about seeing this site or that one -- it's far more an amazing sense of being in a magical place, unlike any other on the planet.

After you're there for a while, you realize something is very different, but you're not sure what it is. Then you realize that you're in the middle of a thriving city, but there's not a whisper of a truck or a car.

Now the main places in Venice are touristy, but after you're there for a day and have checked off San Marco and the Rialto bridge, you can just explore on your own and you'll find the real Venice -- an amazing network of places to stroll and enjoy. When you feel like an escape, a bus ride (and the bus is a boat, of course) to the Lido or to one of the islands is a joy.

(And to the people who say that Venice is touristy: just what would you call Florence!!!)

I'd spend 2 days in Florence, 5 in Venice.

Either way, you can't go wrong. But I think it depends, as an earlier poster has said, what your interests are. Do you prefer to spend time exploring major museums and world sites (I'm thinking the Duomo) and into shopping? Then spend the extra time in Florence. If the idea of strolling through the more romantic ambience of Venice, with no traffic and less focus on specific sites (though there are plenty to see), then go to Venice.

In fact, my initial response was to spend the extra day in Florence, but the more I think about it, after 5 days exploring Siena and the hill towns, Venice will be a much better contrast and more relaxing visit. Florence is wonderful-- it's got the greatest concentration of the art museums and sights, but it's also an urban city and exhausting to stroll around. You'll have had plenty of art and churches and urban experiences by the time you are ready to go to Venice, so now I say, spring for the extra day in Venice.

Well, we seem to have reached a consensus: Either Florence or Venice.

Tough choice but I hope I have the solution. Stay four nights in Florence and three in Venice but take one of your Florence days and take the one hour train trip to Pisa. So it is 3-3-1, so to say. However you choose, I envy you nonetheless.

I love this--I bet you do too Jenna.
You came looking for resolution and are ending up with more confusion. Let me add to it. I would do 5-2-5.

I do love it! All of your messages have been helpful! (and a little confusing ) I think we will spend the extra day in Venice since we enjoy strolling and will probably have had our fill of museums by then. We will do 5 nights in Siena, 3 nights in Florence and 4 nights in Venice. Thank you all for your opinions!