I think there are Venice people and there are Florence people, and you won't know which you are until you've visited both cities. But just two days in a place isn't much time to even get your bearings. Florence is my favorite city in Italy, and I haven't warmed up to Venice even after multiple stays totaling a month or more.

From the sounds of your plans for Florence, I'm not sure why you're going there at all (unless you think you never, ever, in your entire life will return to Italy). Why not just go to Siena for 2 nights and then continue on to Padova or Venice. Save Florence for another trip when you can also see more of Tuscany and perhaps some of Umbria.

Hello!
I have been in Venice last year and for me 2 full days it's ok. In fact, I visited in 1 full day so another day is too much but it's ok. !! Have a nice trip !!

Depends on what you mean by 'enough'. I think your itinerary is pretty good in terms of balance. My best suggestion would be to double (or triple) your total time but you probably can't do that. So given the total length of your trip I think you have it right. I would not skip the day trip to Siena.

You sound like rather slow travelers - a lot of people think that is a good thing, I'm not trying to insult you, just comment on amount of sightseeing time. Spending time in an apartment (which you mention a few times) is absolutely fine, but on a short trip like yours, and with wanting to 'see' a lot, it wouldn't be the best use of time if it were me. I'd just book a well located hotel, drop the bags and get out. Just a thought. But if you are worried about having "enough" time it might be something to consider. And BTW, most people find the best way to deal with jet lag is to get outside and moving (walking around) not sitting in an apartment.

I did a trip to Italy last spring with a friend who had never been before. We did Venice, Florence and Rome in a week and had a great time. I'd been to all those places multiple times but it was still fun to whizz through them and my friend loved it. Here's my trip report which describes how much you can see in a short time. https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...march-1290060/

Also, Padua is a great city. If your friends would agree to it I'd suggest they take you on a walking tour of the city rather than just visiting them in their place.

isabel, thanks for that answer.

I dont think we are slow travellers, in the last years we've amde a lot of trips with our kids. this time we will be without them so we will have a different pace. I think it will be faster but we also have to take in account the heat in july. We've read everywhere that it can be really too much in that time of year so we have to allows us rest time if needed.

An appartment is just because most of the time it's less expensive than an hotel. We dont plan to stay for many hours there.

You said our time is fine..which option A ) 5n Rome 4n Florence and 3n Venice or B) 5n Rome 3n Florence and 4n Venice ?

Maybe I dont understand weel but are you saying that Venice is not for you ? That you dont really like this place ?

And about Florence, we want to go there, but since it's more compact than Rome we guess we can allow less time for it. also we dont want to see every museum in the city so less time needed we guess.

Of course we would love to have one month to see those 3 places, but 12 nights is what we got this time.

When you say about Florence "we want to go there", why?

Everyone reacts differently to places. I love Venice and have little interest in Florence. I love Lisbon and don't care for Madrid. Other people have exactly the opposite opinion and that is fine. It is not a matter of "right" or "wrong": it is a matter of individual, subjective, response. If we all loved the same places they would be even more crowded. You won't know whether you love Venice until you get there, and posters here certainly can't tell you. We can tell you there is plenty to do and see once you are there.

For knowing if we would love Florence or not we have to go there first ! I like the pictures i've seen, i like the renaissance history (even without being a big art fan), the food seems good and....that's all for now !

How could any cultured individual with any curiosity of Italy possess "little interest in Florence?" The things some people say openly on the internet.

Yes! It's more than enough. Venice is a very compact city and two full days is a lot of time to see the major sights. However, that's based on how I travel. I like to see a lot of things in a short amount of time and don't allocate much time for relaxing. I would spend the days sightseeing and the nights just walking around the city and enjoying yourself.

I personally liked your first itinerary better (with more time in Florence). But I love museums and history and Florence has that in spades. Even if you don't want to spend that time all in Florence, there are great day trips like Siena or San Gimignano that you could do with Florence as a base.

It all depends on how you travel but I think your first itinerary had more than enough time for everything!

In July, Florence is going to be absolutely mobbed. And it's a very small city. Venice will be, too, but it's considerably bigger than Florence. And if you stay outside of the triangle created by connecting the dots of San Marco, Accademia & Rialto, then it will be not only bearable, but quite nice. The farther away from that triangle, the nicer it will be.

Italy is a large country, with many visit-worthy places. I have OD'ed on art (paintings and sculpture), most especially religious art, which seems to be most people's reason for visiting Florence (I much prefer decorative arts). Yes, the architecture would be worth seeing, but that is true of a lot of places in Italy. I would much rather go back to Sicily, or the Amalfi Coast, or the Lakes, or the Dolomites than visit a very over-crowded city whose main sights don't interest me. As I already posted, we all have different tastes and different interests, and that is a very good thing.

I would still cut a night from Rome and put it with Florence. I like Rome, but it's a big city and you're going in the summer when it will be quite warm if not hot. As for Florence, you might find you want to do a second day trip, say to San Gimignano as well as Siena. But really, at this point my own biases are showing. It's really just a coin flip, so whatever you feel works, will do. I'm not a huge fan of Venice, but even we spent three full days there (and never even got to Burano.)

Venice maybe does it for you, maybe it does not. Hard to tell before you go there. We have spent some months in Venice, discovering more each time we visit.
We’re back for a quick visit in May, ten days including the launch of a novel set in Venice. Then I’ll return for 2.5 weeks in late September for the Archi Biennale.

But Venice is not everyone’s cup of spritz.

Campari spritz or Aperol spritz?

Thin

There are many options above and all could work depending on the OP's interests. A few peripheral things though. If traveling from Florence to Siena, the bus is your best option since it is quick and leaves you in the center of town unlike the train that does not. Restaurants near St Mark are the ones to avoid. Dorsoduro has lots of small, not expensive restaurants where locals eat.

Of course everyone knows that a Spritz, however you take it, comes in a glass (un bicchiere).

Cappuccino or espresso comes in a cup (una tazza di caffè)

PS Happy 2018 Thin. You look so much better in former-Fodor's white than this god-awful grey-orange. :)

NYC , Happy New Year.
Thin, I’m a Campari kind of guy, my wife is an Aperol gal. Despite this Montague / Capulet scale conflict, we seem to enjoy each other’s company.

No, two days in Venice is not enough, but then again, neither is two weeks! I would take a day from Rome, rather than Florence, but that's just me.
I never fell in love with Rome as I did with other cities in Italy, such as Venice and Florence.

I have been to Florence twice. I enjoyed the second time much more than the first because my husband and I took a tour with Walks of Italy. We are normally are not tour people, but it was my husband's first time in Florence and our time was limited to 3 nights , 2 days. Our first full day, we took the Florence in a Day with David, Duomo, Uffizi and walking tour. Walks of Italy was great in that the group was small 6-10 people and they handed out headphones so you could easily hear what the tour guide was saying without fighting for a spot in front. Hearing all about the history of the Midici's and seeing their influence on the city helped us identify all kinds of things our next day when we were just wandering the city.

We also used them in Rome for a couple of tours that I would highly recommend, The Pristine Sistine which allows early access to the Sistine Chapel before it opens and also the Vatican tour. We were hooked, so we added the Skip the line Colosseum Tour which was so interesting. We were there in late March, so didn't face the crowds in either city that you will face in July. Being able to skip the entrance lines was wonderful and I would highly recommend the tours so that you can avoid spending lots of time just standing around in the heat. If you are renting an apartment in Rome, you should really check to make sure they have a/c.

Check out Elizabeth Minchilli for food recommendations. She has a blog and also a recent book out regarding where to eat in Italy. I used her app when we were there and never had a bad meal.

We are planning an Italy trip in November that I'm beginning to plan. We have not been to Venice yet, so would love to hear your thoughts after your return.

I've only been to Venice. Twice. Both times was 5 days as part of a larger trip. That hardly scratched the surface. So no, for me, two days is not enough, but I guess it's better than nothing. I fell in LOVE w/ Venice so for me I'd shave time off somewhere else to add to Venice.