Also asked for France: "I have a river cruise starting and ending in Paris late-September. The cruise doesn't show much of Paris.
I will have an additional 7 days to be divided between Paris and Florence. Any suggestions as to how much time to spend in each city will be appreciated."
Hi -
Paris is much bigger than Florence so I'd give that one a bit more. Maybe 4 days Paris and 3 days Florence?
Florence is all about Renaissance art and architecture. Other than that, it's a pleasant city that's much too crowded with tourists. I could easily spend 3-4 days enjoying the museums and churches. But if that doesn't turn you on, then you can see the highlights in one full day; maybe a day trip to Siena.
Paris is my favorite city. With a full week, you'd still have to pick and choose. Besides the wonderful art collections, there are other interesting museums, beautiful parks, churches, so much more.
If it's just Florence, 3 nights (2 days) are adequate and the rest to Paris. Anything less than 3 nights it's not worth the trouble to travel all the way from Paris. If you want to add the French countryside or the Tuscan countryside, then choose either one.
I'd recommend reading the guidebooks, as it is all a matter of personal taste. For me personally, Paris was my favorite place in the whole world, whereas the 1.5 days I spent in Florence felt like enough for me, and I didn't particularly care for it. On the other hand, one of my good friends says Florence was her favorite place in all of Italy. So in the end, it is a matter of researching what's in both cities and seeing what you are most interested in. It also depends on whether you are going to try to use Florence as a base for doing day trips into Tuscany, in which case you'd need extra days there. Overall, if it is strictly Paris and Florence that you're visiting, and you are equally interested in both places, the deciding factor would probably be size - Paris is a much larger city with much more to see. You can see the main museum in Florence in a couple of hours, but the Louvre in Paris could easily take you all day (or many days, if you wanted), so you'll need more time in Paris.
