Home › Compare › Rome or Venice
Rome or Venice? An honest comparison
The short answer
Pick Rome if you want the most history per day, better food at fair prices and a real working city. Pick Venice for a short, romantic stay in a car-free city on water, accepting higher costs (about €220 a day mid-range against €172 in Rome) and day-tripper crowds.
Rome: suits first-timers, families and history lovers who want ancient sites, great pasta and a full week.
Venice: suits couples and photographers who want two or three days of canals, early mornings and quiet lagoon islands.
Side by side
| Rome | Venice | |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-range day* | €172 | €220 |
| Budget day* | €88 | €117 |
| Value for money | ●●●●●About €172 a day mid-range, cheaper outside the centre. | ●●●●●About €220 a day mid-range; the costliest Italian city for visitors. |
| Crowds (5 = calm) | ●●●●●Colosseum, Vatican and Trevi are crowded most of the year. | ●●●●●San Marco and Rialto overflow with day-trippers and cruise visitors. |
| Food | ●●●●●Carbonara, cacio e pepe and supplì at fair prices everywhere. | ●●●●●Good cicchetti bars, but many tourist menus near San Marco. |
| Nightlife | ●●●●●Trastevere, Monti and Testaccio stay busy late. | ●●●●●Quiet after dinner; Cannaregio and Campo Santa Margherita have some bars. |
| Family-friendly | ●●●●●Gladiator sites and gelato win kids over; heat and distances tire them. | ●●●●●Boats delight children, but bridges and steps are hard with strollers. |
| Getting around | ●●●●●Walkable centre, limited metro, slow buses. | ●●●●●Walking and vaporetto only; easy to get lost, many steps. |
| Best months | Sep, Oct | Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct |
| Warmest / coolest | Jul 34°C / Jan 12°C | Jul 29°C / Jan 8°C |
| Known for | Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica, perfect pasta | Gondolas on Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's Basilica, Murano glassblowers |
* Per person per day with two sharing a room: bed, food, sights and local transport, from our Rome and Venice day-cost tables (approximate 2026 prices; other currencies converted at recent rates). Ratings are our editorial judgement.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Rome if…
- you want ancient Rome, the Vatican and Renaissance art in one place.
- you care about eating well without paying tourist prices.
- you have five days or more.
- you want nightlife and a city that lives for itself.
Pick Venice if…
- you are on a honeymoon or romantic break.
- you want a city with no cars and no traffic noise.
- you only have two or three days.
- you like getting up early to photograph empty canals.
Weather month by month
| Month | Rome high / rainy days | Venice high / rainy days |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12°C · 11 | 8°C · 8 |
| Feb | 15°C · 6 | 9°C · 3 |
| Mar | 16°C · 8 | 13°C · 4 |
| Apr | 19°C · 11 | 15°C · 9 |
| May | 24°C · 12 | 21°C · 13 |
| Jun | 30°C · 6 | 26°C · 6 |
| Jul | 34°C · 3 | 29°C · 9 |
| Aug | 32°C · 6 | 28°C · 8 |
| Sep | 28°C · 7 | 25°C · 8 |
| Oct | 24°C · 9 | 20°C · 6 |
| Nov | 18°C · 16 | 13°C · 12 |
| Dec | 14°C · 10 | 9°C · 8 |
Average daily high and number of rainy days. Copernicus ERA5, 2021–2023.
What you will eat
Rome
Carbonara · Cacio e pepe · Supplì · Roman pizza by the slice · Jewish-style artichoke · Oxtail stew
Where: Testaccio Market, Campo de' Fiori, Mercato Trionfale (Prati), Jewish Ghetto
Venice
Venetian bar snacks · Creamed salt cod · Sweet-sour sardines · Cuttlefish in its ink · Thick pasta with anchovy sauce · Venetian-style liver
Where: Rialto Market (Pescheria and Erberia), Cannaregio (Fondamenta della Misericordia and Ormesini), Campo Santa Margherita (Dorsoduro), Around the Rialto market (San Polo)
Doing both in one trip
7 days: 4 in Rome + 3 in Venice
Start in Rome while you have energy for the big sights, then slow down in Venice at the end.
Getting between them: High-speed train, about 3 h 45 to 4 h from Roma Termini to Venezia Santa Lucia, which is on the Grand Canal. Distance about 394 km as the crow flies. Check current timetables.
- Day 1: Colosseum, Forum and Palatine
- Day 2: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's
- Day 3: Pantheon, Trevi, Campo de' Fiori, evening in Trastevere
- Day 4: Testaccio Market and a free morning
- Day 5: Train to Venice, Grand Canal by vaporetto
- Day 6: St Mark's, Doge's Palace, Rialto Market early
- Day 7: Murano and Burano, or Cannaregio and Dorsoduro on foot
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Common questions
Is Rome or Venice cheaper?
Rome. Our mid-range estimate is about €172 per person per day in Rome against about €220 in Venice. Venice hotels cost more, a single vaporetto ticket is expensive unless you buy a multi-day pass, and day-trippers on some peak days must pay an access fee. Eating cicchetti at bars in Cannaregio keeps Venice costs down.
How many days do I need in Venice?
Two or three full days are enough for most visitors: one for San Marco and the Rialto, one for Dorsoduro and Cannaregio, and one for the lagoon islands. Staying overnight matters more than the number of days, because Venice is far calmer in the early morning and evening after day-trippers leave.
When is the best time to visit?
September and October are the best months for both cities: warm, less humid and a bit calmer than summer. Rome in July can reach about 34°C. Venice is milder in summer, around 29°C, but crowded; late autumn brings occasional high water, now largely controlled by the flood barriers. Winter is quiet and cold in Venice, around 8°C.
Can I visit Venice as a day trip from Rome?
It is possible but not worth it. The high-speed train takes about 3 h 45 to 4 h each way, leaving only a few hours on the ground in the busiest part of the day. If Venice matters to you, stay at least one night. Florence, about 1 h 30 by train from Rome, is a far better day trip.