We are traveling through Italy in September. Two of the places on the list are Rome & Florence. We are having a hard time deciding whether to spend three days in Rome & two in Florence or two days in Rome & three in Florence. If we had the extra day in Rome, I'm thinking we could do a day trip to Tivoli. Any recommendations on where to spend our extra day?
Posted by
St. Louis, MO
251 posts
I would definitely do three days in Rome and two days in Florence. There are more things to see in Rome and they are more spread out, whereas the museums, piazzas, etc. are all in a central location in Florence. It's a little easier to get around Florence and very doable to see the highlights in two days. I did three days in Rome last summer and thought it wasn't enough, but I did all the highlights in three days. The train from Rome to Florence is about 90 minutes.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Spend your 3 days in Rome and I hope they are 3 full days, that you are spending 4 nights. You could go to Tivoli, but really there is so much to see and do in Rome, keep your options open. A general first-timer itinerary might be as Rick Steves suggests on this very site. Note the first day includes time to actually tour the Colosseum and Forum, which along with the Palatine Hill takes 3-4 hours.
On the third day if the Galleria Borghese does not thrill you, consider seeing the Church of San Clemente, the excellent and unique Palazzo Valentini Domus Romane (reservations required), climb the Aventine Hill or the Gianicolo for the views, or just wander. Ascending the Vittorio Emanuele Monument offers a great view, too.
Posted by
Boston, MA
1832 posts
Rome and if you only have 3 nights there, do not do a day trip. Rome has more than enough to keep you very busy for 3 nights!
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16764 posts
Echoing the above: 3 days in Rome and skip the day trip. You'll barely touch all that it has to offer in that small amount of time.
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
My opinion is the same as the others, spend the extra day in Rome, stay in the city, fill your days, then wander and relax In the evenings. As I have often said, when in doubt, have a gelato.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16240 posts
It will depend primarily on your personal interest. If you are a lover of Renaissance or Medieval art, then you might want to spend more time in Florence, otherwise Rome should take the extra day, since it' s bigger and with a lot of ancient Roman history.
However there is also the possibility that you might be interested in visiting some Tuscan town (for example Siena and/or San Gimignano, or the Chianti hills, if you love wine). In this latter case you might give the extra day to Florence and utilize the extra time for a day trip out to the surrounding Tuscan area.