Venice vs Rome — which is better?
Overall, Rome is better if you love history, touring museums and seeing iconic tourist attractions. Venice is better if you prefer relaxing while on vacation, spending your travel days by water, and seeing unique and colorful architecture.
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Visit Rome if you:
- Want to see historical landmarks like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.
- Have never been to Italy before.
- Are looking for the cheapest city between Venice vs Rome.
- Don’t mind a busy trip itinerary.
- Don’t mind crowds.
Visit Venice if you:
- Prefer a slow-paced travel itinerary.
- Love boats and being near water.
- Have dreamt of taking a traditional Venetian gondola ride.
- Want to see colorful buildings, and landmarks like St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace.
- Have a little extra money to splurge.
Is it cheaper to stay in Venice or Rome?
It is much cheaper to stay in Rome than Venice. Hotels are cheaper in Rome than Venice. Additionally, Venice usually requires more transportation to get to, which is an additional trip cost.
According to Budget Your Trip, on average, hotels in Rome cost $99 per night, depending on seasonality and availability.
In Venice, on average, hotels cost $136 per night, again, depending on seasonality and availability.
Our favorite hotel in Rome was C-Hotels Fiume, which cost us $342.12 USD for three nights ($114.04 per night) in September. In Venice, our favorite hotel was Hotel Antico Doge, which cost us $216.69 for one night in June — nearly twice the price as our hotel in Rome.
Furthermore, you’ll likely fly into Rome from your departure country, not Venice.
This means, it will take an additional leg of travel to get to Venice (by car, train or plane), which is an added cost.
Should you visit Rome or Venice first?
When visiting Italy, you should visit Rome first before Venice.
As alluded to earlier, because Rome is the biggest city in Italy, you’ll likely fly into Rome from your departure country. It will take an additional leg of travel to get to Venice, so it is less of a logistical headache to get acclimated to the new time zone in Rome for a few days prior to heading to Venice.
Furthermore, Rome requires a bit more energy than Venice. You’ll be hopping from attraction to attraction basically all day every day in Rome.
Whereas, in Venice, you have the chance to be a bit more relaxed. From gondola rides and the fact that there are fewer attractions in general, Venice is much more laid back than Rome.
Typically, it’s best to put relaxation on the tail end of your trip so that you can fully rest without the stress of a busy upcoming trip itinerary.
Is Rome or Venice more romantic?
Venice is more romantic than Rome thanks to Venice’s fewer crowds, quieter neighborhoods, better food, better street views and gondola rides.
Although parts of Venice, such as St. Mark’s Square, are crowded, Venice is overall much less crowded than Rome. It is much easier to find a quiet nook in Venice than in Rome.
The quietest neighborhoods in Venice are Castello and Cannaregio.
My husband and I also stayed at Hotel Tre Archi in Cannaregio, right on a quiet part of the Grand Canal, and loved it. The included breakfast was great. The lobby was beautiful. Our room was romantic. Just ask for an extra blanket at check-in if you get cold at night.
Furthermore, no experience in Rome can top the inherent romantic quality of a Venice gondola ride.
A Venice gondola ride will cost you between 80 to 100 euro (depending on the time of day — daytime is cheaper than nighttime) for a 30 minute ride for two people. The rides are worth every penny.
Shopping In Venice Vs Rome
If you’re looking for the best shopping scene, Rome has better shopping better than Venice.
As the capital city, Rome caters to more than 4.3 million locals. This means Rome has the best variety of shopping malls, especially compared to Venice.
The best luxury shopping in Rome is at the base of the Spanish Steps next to the Piazza di Spagna. Here, you’ll find luxury brands like Dior, Prada, Gucci, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and more.
Venice, on the other hand, is home to fewer locals, which means there are fewer shopping malls. However, there are shops on just about every street where you can by genuine Italian leather goods, boutique clothing and more.
Venice Vs Rome Reddit
Still can’t decide between Rome vs Venice? Maybe these quotes will help.
Here are several Reddit quotes that favor Rome over Venice.
- “I would recommend Rome a million times over Venice; Venice is ‘fake Italy.’ Every morning tens of thousands of tourists flood off the cruise liners and swamp the city. The food is overpriced and very few locals live there anymore. It’s hot, humid and smelly. Venice is something I’d recommend for the uniqueness, but only if you’ve already seen a lot of what Italy has to offer.” -JayAreW
- “I was disappointed with Venice. Rome is a way better city. BUT… Rome would be hard to truly enjoy as a day trip. Venice would make a good day trip because there’s not all that much to do and see.” -littledogblackdog
On the contrary, here are a few Reddit quotes that favor Venice over Rome.
- “You can see the essentials of Venice in a day. Rome, less so.” -Saelie
- “You will not be able to see all of Rome in a day. Save that for a trip when you can dedicate more time to it. I absolutely adored Venice, but would highly recommend Florence as well.” -alue42
- “I mean, I’d vote neither because it just feels too hectic to me, but out of the two, Venice is easily the better day trippable option compared to Rome. If you plan well, you can at least see the main island and perhaps even Murano and Burano.” -mug3n
For me, personally, I was disappointed with Rome, and I absolutely fell in love with Venice.
I could have easily spent an entire week in Venice. Whereas, three days in Rome was plenty for me.
When my parents visited Venice, though, they agreed more with the above quotes in terms of being disappointed with Venice.
Clearly, the Venice vs Rome debate ultimately comes down to personal preference as a traveler. So, hopefully this guide was helpful in determining which Italian city is best for you and your preferences.
Which city will you visit, Venice or Rome? Let me know in the reply section below!
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