Venice or Florence for 1 extra night?

Depending on when you go, people-traffic in Venice can be challenging. But early mornings and late evenings are beautiful (daytrippers are gone). I would say 3 + 3, since jet lag may affect one or more people in your group; by beginning in Venice, you can take a vaporetto ride to orient yourselves on your first day and decide what you want to see (the Venice vaporetto pass was a bargain for me, 35 euro for 3 days and it paid for itself by the 2nd day). You can get the pass for 1, 2, 3 or more days.

There is no "right" answer, only personal preferences and experiences. Since you're arriving in Venice (I assume you mean from the US, jet lagged), and since you have no way of knowing in advance how you'll feel about each place, I'd do 3 and 3. But Florence lovers or Venice haters would disagree, and of course people with the opposite taste would say do 4 in Venice and 2 in Florence (or even just to skip Florence altogether).
Remember, if you don't like Venice proper, you can take day trips to Murano, Burano, Torcello, Padova, Verona, Vicenze, Treviso...And if you don't like Florence, you can take day trips to Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Bologna... So, I wouldn't worry about having "too much time" in either of these.

Harold is right. You can easily fill your days in either Veneto or Tuscany. Venice, murano, burano and torcello will definitely keep u busy for 2 days. Florence alone needs 2 days. With a third day you can add a day trip to the sorrounding Tuscan destinations.

Choices, choices :). Thank you for your input. Any advice - have never been, and this may be the only 3 generation trip we take, so want to make it special!

I would choose three and three. All of Venice is a work of art, and you can have a great time there just wandering around to explore. Our favorite thing in Florence is the Duomo, going up into the dome, but we like to climb stairs and get views. The bell tower is good too. The Accademia only takes an hour or so. We did Mott enjoy just wandering around in Florence very much because of the traffic. None of that in Venice!

Definitely 3 and 3. There's no place like Venice on the planet.

You guys are all getting me really excited to go! So, what would be your top 5 things to do in both places (Florence & Venice)?

My favorites: Venice: 1) Just walking around or taking vaporetto rides to no place in particular (a multi-day pass is well worth the money). 2) St. Mark's Basilica 3) Doge's Palace 4) Accademia 5) Dinner by a canal Florence: 1) Uffizi 2) Duomo/Bell Tower/Baptistry/Duomo Museum 3) Accademia 4) Piazza Michelangelo around sunset
5) Palazzo Vecchio

Awesome. And places to eat? Love hearing people's opinions on all this!

To James' options I'd add: For Venice: - Rialto Bridge (you'll have to walk to it anyway eventually). Make sure you're there in the morning when the fish market is open. - The islands of Murano (glass work) and Burano (lacework and outstanding bright color houses). Florence is my hometown where I grew up (and where I go yearly), therefore I may have biases. Nevertheless I'll tell you my 2 cents: I prefer the view from Forte Belvedere, rather than Piazzale Michelangelo. Although the Piazzale is a must. From Forte Belvedere you can access the Giardino di Boboli below it and walk to Palazzo Pitti. Santa Croce church and the Cappella de' Pazzi are a must. Above Piazzale Michelangelo, the Church of San Miniato is the most beautiful in Florence. If you have 2 full days (3 nights) you can do everything. My favorite cheap restaurant is "I'cche c'e' c'e'" in via de Magalotti, near the Uffizi between the Uffizi and Santa Croce. Typical Florentine fare. Vivoli gelato is not far either for an after lunch treat. Near the Central Market of San Lorenzo, there is "Palle d'Oro". Sabatino is good and cheap, near Porta San Frediano (a little out of the way though.
But there are so many in my mind, I'll have to think about it and write a separate post.

That would be great Roberto! And thank you everyone for your suggestions. Helping to make an exciting trip for us!!

Florence is my favorite city in the world! Piazza dela Signoria at night!
All of the fountains lit, and walk to the Piazza de la Republica, after enjoying a glass of wine in the first......night time brings out the musicians, acapella singers, I will never, ever forget it! Sorry, but Venice has nothing like this, but you must see Venice. You must also have a fantastic Florentine Bisteca in Florence! Roberto!! Who has the best Bisteca in Florence? P.S., welcome to this blog!

What's the best restaurant for Bistecca alla Fiorentina? There are 400,000 Florentines in Florence, all of which will recommend a different place. Probably "Il Latini" will be one of the most mentioned (Bill Clinton was there this week) together with Mamma Gina and also Za'Za'. But there are many more. I'm not too crazy about the Fiorentina. I'm not a big meat eater (at least not of meat of that size). But if you love a steak that weighs 3 pounds, is at least 2 inches tall (if placed sideways on the plate it must be able to stand) and is cooked very rare, then that's the dish for you.

We are not big meat eaters, either, but this is a special treat in
Florence. I'm not fond of either of the places you recommend, but, will keep doing research! Thank you so much for you reply.

Roberto - Still looking forward to your separate post on food :). Thanks for all your tips already!!

I went to Venice and Florence in April and only stayed two nights in both and I wish I had one more in Venice it was beautiful. Florence which we also loved but we saw everything in two days in Florence and had time for a winery tour in a small medieval village in Montefioralle in Chianti which was the highlight of our stay in Florence.

Venice is my fav...but agree with 3/3. My tip for Venice - stay in the city if you can. If you are an early riser (even if you aren't!) try and get up and get our before 7am. I forced (lol) my husband to get up at 6am, we were out by 6:30 (we always stay at a great place that's a 30sec walk to the vaporetto and close to everything)..took the vap to Rialto, got off, walked to St Marks Sq - well, wow. Only some locals and die-hards are out at that hour. The canal was empty of traffic, there were maybe 20 people (if that) on the Rialto (tho the graffiti covered shopfronts don't make for a pretty photo) and maybe 2-3 dozen people at ST Marks - the bridge facing the Bridge of Sighs...empty! (later to be covered by about 100 or more people)...my husband actually thanked me for dragging him out. Three trips to Venice - still my fav place anywhere. If you have an ipod or such, download Rick's walking tours - we used it in St Marks and in the square - really neat and helps to notice things you wouldn't otherwise. Also used his Accademia one in Florence.

In my opinion 2 days in Venice is not enough. But then neither is 3 in Florence. I guess in this situation I would go with 3 and 3.

Definitely 3 and 3. You will likely be exhausted the day you get to Venice, and will therefore have a few hours, at best, to go out and explore. I loved Venice and there is plenty to amuse you for several days. Florence I could take or leave (except for the shopping of course, which is fantastic). With 3 days in Florence, I'd even consider taking a day trip somewhere, possibly Siena (which is easy to get to via bus or train and doens't require a rental car). Or rent a car for a day and check out a smaller tuscan town.

Heidi, San Giorgio Maggiore!!! We didn't go there until our third or fourth trip, but we should have gone on the first trip. The church is on a small island just across from St. Marks and is only a five minute vaporetta ride away. The view from the top of the bell tower looking back at St. Marks and the Doge's Palace is really fantastic. For a canal side meal try Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci which is just a six or eight minute walk from St. Marks. For gelato check out La Boutique del Gelato near Campo Santa Maria Formos. Send me a pm if you need specific directions and or other info.
TC

I think 3 nights in Florence are enough, unless you're a big art buff.
The city is very compact.