How to split up 5 days for Italy (Rome and Venice)

With only 5 days (or is it nights?) I would not split the stay. Spend it all in Rome. I would actually spend 4 days in Rome and add a day to Paris. Adding a third city, and a losing a big chunk of two days for travel between each city, within a span of 8 days seriously limits your time IN each city.

Assuming you actually have 8 nights after leaving Budapest:

Fly Budapest to Rome for 4 nights
Fly Rome to Paris for 4 nights
Fly home

Agree with travel4fun

Pick One- Venice or Rome 4 nights
Add a night to Paris

Hotel due Torri is just right if you choose Rome

If you choose Venice consider Hotel Ala. Perfectly located, easy access SM Giglio vaporetto stop (also an alilaguna stop), steps to door- no bridges, steps or canals. Close to San Marco yet in a quiet campo. Get a length of stay vaporetto pass.
If you fly out of Venice to Paris be sure you figure out your transportation to airport- don't book a flight too early in the am.

I love both Rome and Venice. Also loved Budapest. And well Paris!
Budapest, Paris and Rome are all quite large very busy cities. Venice is a bit more laid back- for that reason alone I'd say skip Rome this time, chill in Venice between those 2 big cities.

ETA

flying into Rome from Budapest.

Oh- missed this. Is this flight booked? If so- Rome it is. 4 nights. Add a night to Paris - are other flights all booked?

Is the rest of the trip at the same frantic pace?

I suspect most folks would say Rome requires more time than Venice, but it depends what you want to do.

Have you ever traveled with a child this young? If not I think you are unduly optimistic about how much ground you can cover in a short time. Generally, teething begins at about 6 months. You may have an unhappy camper on your hands to make dashing about even more challenging

If you are set on 5 nights in Italy and Rome and Venice are the locales then my vote is 3 nights Rome. 2 nights for Venice

Good luck!

My $0.02

3 nights Rome, 2 nights Venice. It will be a little hectic but you can do it. Plan on coming back and spending more time in Rome, though. Don’t forget to throw your coins in the Trevi Fountain.

I have to agree that skipping Venice and adding more time to Rome and Paris would be preferable. Leave Venice for another trip. You can do a day trip from Rome to get a flavor of something else.

If you do this, I hope you fly into one of those cities and out of the other-it is at least 4 hours by train between the two, so even flying open jaw you will spend the better part of one of those days traveling between the two. And traveling with a child requires additional energy. Your itinerary would exhaust me.

As much as I love Venice, and I do which causes me to return as often as I can, I'd do as the others say and skip Venice this time, spend the lot minus one day in Rome and add a day to Paris.

Hi Crystal -
Your other post stated this:

We are staying 2 nights in Rome and 2 nights in Venice and will travel
with our baby who will be 7 months old.

At the end of that thread you said:

Now I am trying to see if we can extend Rome to 3 days from 2 days.

I'm guessing you mean 3 NIGHTS, which is a different animal than 3 days. I'm guessing you're including your arrival day in Rome so 3 nights only gives you 2 full days plus a partial. You'll have 1 full day for Venice plus a partial, as you'll kill at least 1/2 a day in the transfer process.

Rome is MUCH bigger than Venice so that's where the bulk of your time should go....unless you're not all that interested in what Rome has to offer. But while a 3 nights Rome/2 nights Venice scenario isn't impossible, in the high season crowds, in the heat, with an infant, I'd just stay in Rome. As you don't have any idea at this point how well or not your particular child is going to travel, that would allow you some flex should he/she have fussy periods requiring some down time.

Due to VERY heavy crowds, I'll also advise against taking your infant to the Vatican Museums unless you book an early-entrance tour.