If you had 7 or 8 days to spend in either Rome or Florence, which would you choose? Some places get tiresome after 3 days, and others don't.

My wife and I like museums, history, and good food. No interest in bars or clubs. We don't like the kind of traveling where you sleep in 10 cities in 10 days.

What are your interests?

Florence is very heavy on Renaissance art. It is everywhere: churches, museums, etc. The Renaissance is a huge focus of architecture as well. If that is not a big interest, then skip. There is more to Florence than the art, but it is a big part of it.

Rome: a mix of ancient history and art. Ancient Rome & Colosseum, Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel (also Renaissance but a big one) & St. Peter's...

This is baseline to both. There is way more to both cities than I mentioned.

If you have 8 days on the ground, you could probably do both if you wanted to. Rome has more than enough to keep you busy the entire time. Florence you could also do some day trips to other Tuscan towns.

In the end, only you can decide! Perhaps get some good guidebooks and compare and contrast for your interests.

I have been to Florence a couple of times. My wife has not. I have not been to Rome.

Renaissance art is a must. The Colosseum and Forum sound like fun. No interest in the Vatican except for the museum.

I was concerned that Rome might be so congested with our fellow tourists, we would get tired of it fast.

Travel Nerd has sketched out some key differences between the two. I personally would always choose Rome--and Renaissance art history is an interest of mine. But Rome is the Eternal City!

I was concerned that Rome might be so congested with our fellow tourists, we would get tired of it fast.

Both Florence and Rome are very busy with your fellow tourists. If you have a full week and no mobility problems, you might choose a place to stay that's a bit outside of the center for a more relaxed experience.

Depending on when you go, they BOTH may feel this way.

When is your trip?

Yeah, I think Rome is it. I would love to see Florence again, but I don't know about spending a week there.

I really hate extremely short visits. When my wife and I started traveling together, she wanted to cram as much as possible into every trip, but after doing it my way, she agrees with me.

Thanks for the input.

I don't know if we're going at all. We have a visa appointment for Switzerland, and if they let my wife in, we will be traveling in early September. We were originally shooting for about 8 days in Switzerland, for reasons too boring to go into, but now we are thinking we should extend the trip and visit one more country.

Florence has more easy day trip possibilities such as Siena, Pisa even Bologna etc. I think both will be heavy with tourists unless you are going in sometime like February.

For reference, both will be very crowded and busy early September. "High season" for much of Italy is through October. Crowds thin in November, but pick up in the Holidays. And then pick up again in Spring, usually April.

I guess you have to suffer a little if you want to see these two cities.

If you're staying in Rome, you can easily do a day trip to Florence. Of course, you won't see everything, but you can get a good taste of it without changing hotels.

So -- are you still thinking about Rome and/or Florence? Or are you thinking about a different country? I'm confused!

I'm sure you realize that Switzerland is an incredibly diverse country that could easily keep you occupied for a month or two....

If you worry about congestion, you will experience much more in small, very popular Florence.

I think, given all you have mentioned, Rome would work well. With a week's visit, you will have time to visit some of the places tourists don't frequent as much. You can also take advantage of visiting some of the more popular sights early in the morning or later in the evening when the crowds have thinned a bit. You might consider a busy day trip or an overnight in Florence so your wife has a chance to see some of that fascinating city.

Both Rome and Florence have a lot of tourists, but to me Florence feels much more crowded, because they're crammed into a smaller area. My daughter and I spent some time in Rome a few years ago; we've both been there many times so we weren't planning on visiting any of the iconic sights. With the exception of Trevi Fountain, which she wanted to see for old times' sake. (She had studied in Rome.)

The entire time we were there, it was almost as if we had the place to ourselves, except for the visit to the Trevi Fountain. You could hear the buzz from several streets away. It was almost impossible to get near the fountain.

Here are some hints to avoid the crowds. A lot of the tourists are day trippers or cruise passengers, so you can cut down on congestion by avoiding the hours they would be in Rome.

Visit the Vatican Museums on a Friday or Saturday evening, when they're much less crowded.

Visit Trevi Fountain very early in the morning. Visit Piazza Navona in the evening, after dinner.

The Colosseum opens at 8:30. Try to get there by that time.

The Pantheon opens at 9. Try to be there then.

For the rest of your visit, here are places and things that are not usually overwhelmed by tourists.

Renaissance art:
Barberini Gallery of Modern Art (from late middle ages to early modern times, mostly Renaissance)
Corsini Gallery (sister of the Barberini, one ticket for both)
Villa Farnese (Renaissance Villa, with frescoes, some by Raphael) across from Corsini Gallery in Trastevere
Palazzo Doria Pamphili (Renaissance palazzo), near Trevi Fountain.

Ancient art, mostly sculpture
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
Capitoline Museums
Museum on Palatine Hill (this, and Roman Forum, are on same ticket as Colosseum)

Archaeological sites:
Baths of Caracalla
Ostia Antica (bigger than Pompeii)
Via Appia Antica, ancient road with various archaeological sites along the way, also three catacombs.

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Welcome, William_Baroo. I agree with everything bvlenci wrote about Rome. My DH took the bus and tram to get around. The Vatican Museum is incredible...the two times we were there tour groups went first.

We met a guy who took a day tour to Florence from Rome...said it was a long day but a good one. His daughter wanted to see David.

Looking forward to reading what you do.

To echo what has already been said, the congestion in Florence can be intense. It's the combination of the amount of people all trying to get to the same place. The same amount of people in Rome disperse more.

I forgot to say that you could take a day trip to Florence, but TDudette made up for my negligence. On a day trip you could easily see the following uncrowded gems:

The Basilica of Santa Maria Nuova, full of gems of Renaissance art, including a vast fresco by the workshop where Michelangelo was a young apprentice.

The Bargello Museum, sister to the Uffizi, but much less overwhelmed by tourists

The Piazza del Duomo. The interior of the Duomo isn't as impressive as the exterior. I would normally recommend entering the Baptistery, but it's undergoing extensive work, so you can't see the splendid golden mosaics of the cupola.

The Piazza della Signoria, where you can see an excellent full-size replica of Michelangelo's David, and other sculptures. I wouldn't try to see the original David on a day trip. You need a reservation, which interferes with your other plans. In an interview with the New Yorker, the director of the museum said that the vast majority of visitors wouldn't be able to see the difference between the original and the copy.

A walk along the Arno, where you can see the Ponte Vecchio from the riverbank. I wouldn't try to cross it; it's like the Tokyo metro at rush hour.

William Baroo, Another vote for Rome as your base. Have spent considerable time in both Rome and Venice, and Rome is just so much more vibrant and expansive. I could wander there forever. Also, some wonderful day trip opportunities if you are so inclined.

Because of the difficulty of getting visas for green card holders, we were not able to travel this summer. We will be in Rome for 6 full days in September, however.

Given that we will have a reasonably lengthy stay, the Florence trip sounds good. I had no idea Rome and Florence were only 90 minutes apart by train. Thanks for all the help.