Is 4-5 extra hours in Florence worth a more expensive flight?

Nonstop can also be more money before you even figure in the train costs, but could be an option. Of course, then you have to make sure your flight out is late enough in the day or go to Rome the night before or fly out from a different city.

Given the options, I'd go with the cheaper ticket and just stay in the airport. What you have time to see in Paris won't be worth the stress of missing your flight and throwing your schedule out of whack.

If it were me, I would spend $100 to get to Florence in the AM. My trips are usually two weeks or less and a half a day is a lot to me. Don't worry about running out of things to do, you'll have more time to relax and have lunch or stroll around the city.

Second question first. CDG is a big and busy airport and with under 5 hours, I don't think you will want to run the risk of leaving the airport.

Is Florence worth an extra $100? I would say it depends on several factors. 1) What airline? I would pay $100 extra to fly on KLM over US Airways for instance. Stopover cities could also determine this. Some people would pay extra to avoid CDG or Heathrow.

2) List out what you want to do/see in Florence. Is 2 full days plus an afternoon enough to cover everything, or would your schedule be easier with another half a day?

3) Your personal travel style/fatigue levels. Would you handle jetlag better if you arrive first thing in the morning and walk around during the day? Or do you prefer getting there in the afternoon, checking into your hotel and being able to go to bed sooner?

There is a mix of airlines available. Air France, Air France/Delta, US Airways/Bmi, US Airways/Lufthansa. The Bmi and Lufthansa ones are for the short in Europe connections. Besides the CDG connection, most seem to be connecting in Frankfurt.

No. Here's why:

For us $200 pretty much covers a full day of being a tourist. We would not spend that amount of money for a half day.

Lots of folks wind up not spending as much time in Florence as they initially thought they would. With a bit of timing luck, you can jam it all in in one day -- two's plenty.

Regarding Paris: You'd be lucky to get into town and hour and a half after scheduled arrival at CDG. Figure two hours to get back, find gate, clear security, etc. With one hour, you could pop above ground right at Notre Dame, scurry through it, and be a nervous wreck about getting back to the airport the whole time.

Hi Corey,

Have you considered the US Air Non stop from Philly to Rome?

BTW, I was born in Montgomery Hospital!

Hello! We decided not to visit Rome this trip as time is tight, and we don't have enough to do it justice

The express train would get you to Florence in about 1 hour 40 minutes. Non stop is always less stressful and less time consuming. Just sayin' ......