Crowds in Venice & Florence in May?

I took my 21 BOE tour in May. Italy was quite crowded! I can't compare the crowds to June/August, but will say that especially in Venice during the afternoon/early evening hours it was wall to wall people and the canals were thick. That being said, if you go out in the mornings and later in the evening, it was quite nice. The crowded didn't detract from enjoying the experience. I'll be in Venice and Monterosso again next late September and am curious as to how similar or different it will be from my last trip.
Lisa

June and July are crowded months in Florence, not so much in August.
However during August museums such as the offices and the Accademia Boboli gardens will be closed most Sunday's during the Month of August.

Hi, I was in both cities three years ago in May. They were both very crowded. I think the only time to avoid crowds in Italy anymore is to go in the Winter.

I have been in both cities in May. Florence is very crowded during the day BUT if you're staying in the city the crowds tend to go away in the late afternoon. Florence in the evening is divine. If you're planning to do any sightseeing in Florence, consider booking a local tour guide or advance tickets at the very elast.

Venice was crowded as well, but much like Florence the rush of tourists tends to depart in the late afternoon leaving the city to locals and tourists who are staying in Venice itself. Venice after dark was a completely different experience and far more relaxing than the daytime version.

Now having said this, my trips have always been in LATE May, after the 15th. I can't speak for the first half of the month.

I've been to Venice in mid-October, don't remember many crowds except on the vaporetto and around San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. Since then I've been to Venice twice in February for the first week of Carnevale, arguably the most crowded time of year but once I was a 5 minute walk away from the Grand Canal, it didn't seem crowded.

A couple years ago, I spent two days in Florence in early May, after Bologna and before Assisi and Orvieto. I was amazed at the crowds of tourists so early in the season. Here's a photo I took from the Ponte Vecchio around 3 p.m. on Saturday to give you an idea. (hope the link works, I'm still getting used to the website). There were very few tourists in the other cities.

We've been to Florence around the 3rd week in May, and there were pockets that were very busy and others which were not. Ponte Vecchio was a bad one (Chani's snap is what we experienced) but honestly, that thing is far more picturesque when not ON it so I got great shots from less congested viewpoints. The Bargello and San Marco weren't really crowded at all, a few of the churches were more lightly visited than others, and we loved walking about after dark when a chunk of the tourists were gone or otherwise occupied.

The Uffizi and Accademia were very busy but that was to be expected. Let's just say that we didn't feel so overrun that we'd wished we'd gone during a different season?

To be accurate, I took the photo while on the crowded Ponte Vecchio and you're seeing the main (wide) street connecting the bridge with the heart of the historic center, the Duomo.

I have a shot from approximately the same place with a similar amount of heads!