Paris vs Rome: which should you visit?

Not opinion — measurement. Month-by-month weather under disclosed thresholds, the currency picture at a dated central-bank rate, verified venue depth, and the live events calendar. Every number on this page carries its source.

The Champs-Élysées stretching from the Arc de Triomphe toward La Défense at blue hour, rooftops glowing under a pink-streaked Paris sky
Paris
A golden sunset bathes Rome's terracotta rooftops and baroque domes, the Tiber's bends glimmering as the Eternal City fades into a warm, hazy horizon
Rome

The verdict, computed

Choose Paris for:

  • Weather: Paris leads in Jun–Sep and Nov.
  • Food scene: 16,280 catalogued food & drink venues vs 6,633.
  • Live events: 25,150 listed in the next ~120 days vs 21.

Choose Rome for:

  • Weather: Rome leads in Oct and Dec–May.
  • Value: price levels around 74% of US levels vs 84% for Paris (country-level, World Bank PPP).

When each city wins

Measured weather favors Paris in Jun–Sep and Nov and Rome in Oct and Dec–May.

City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Paris Paris in Jan: a shoulder month — 7° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Feb: a shoulder month — 10° highs, 9 rain days. Paris in Mar: good — 13° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Apr: good — 16° highs, 10 rain days. Paris in May: ideal — 19° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Jun: ideal — 24° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Jul: ideal — 25° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Aug: ideal — 25° highs, 10 rain days. Paris in Sep: ideal — 22° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Oct: good — 18° highs, 13 rain days. Paris in Nov: a shoulder month — 11° highs, 11 rain days. Paris in Dec: a shoulder month — 9° highs, 11 rain days.
Month winner Jan: Rome wins — Both mixed; Rome has 10 rain days to Paris's 13. Feb: Rome wins — Rome is good to Paris's mixed. Mar: Rome wins — Both good; Rome has 10 rain days to Paris's 13. Apr: Rome wins — Rome is ideal to Paris's good. May: Rome wins — Both ideal; Rome has 12 rain days to Paris's 13. Jun: Paris wins — Paris is ideal to Rome's good. Jul: Paris wins — Paris is ideal to Rome's mixed. Aug: Paris wins — Paris is ideal to Rome's good. Sep: Paris wins — Paris is ideal to Rome's good. Oct: Rome wins — Rome is ideal to Paris's good. Nov: Paris wins — Both mixed; Paris has 11 rain days to Rome's 12. Dec: Rome wins — Rome is good to Paris's mixed.
Rome Rome in Jan: a shoulder month — 13° highs, 10 rain days. Rome in Feb: good — 15° highs, 7 rain days. Rome in Mar: good — 17° highs, 10 rain days. Rome in Apr: ideal — 19° highs, 10 rain days. Rome in May: ideal — 24° highs, 12 rain days. Rome in Jun: good — 31° highs, 5 rain days. Rome in Jul: a shoulder month — 34° highs, 3 rain days. Rome in Aug: good — 33° highs, 7 rain days. Rome in Sep: good — 28° highs, 8 rain days. Rome in Oct: ideal — 23° highs, 10 rain days. Rome in Nov: a shoulder month — 18° highs, 12 rain days. Rome in Dec: good — 14° highs, 9 rain days.

Weather: Open-Meteo multi-year normals; bands per the disclosed best-months thresholds. Winner per month = better band, then fewer rain days, then highs nearer 23.5 °C.

Your money, measured

One currency: the euro

Paris and Rome share the same currency (the euro), so exchange-rate moves can't favor one over the other.

The shared currency's year

The euro is essentially flat against the US dollar over the past year — no currency tailwind either way.

euro
100 10596euro: 100.0 on 4 Aug 2025euro: 100.5 on 11 Aug 2025euro: 100.9 on 18 Aug 2025euro: 101.1 on 25 Aug 2025euro: 101.3 on 1 Sept 2025euro: 101.4 on 8 Sept 2025euro: 101.7 on 15 Sept 2025euro: 101.9 on 22 Sept 2025euro: 101.4 on 29 Sept 2025euro: 101.0 on 6 Oct 2025euro: 100.0 on 13 Oct 2025euro: 100.8 on 20 Oct 2025euro: 100.7 on 27 Oct 2025euro: 99.6 on 3 Nov 2025euro: 100.0 on 10 Nov 2025euro: 100.2 on 17 Nov 2025euro: 99.8 on 24 Nov 2025euro: 100.7 on 1 Dec 2025euro: 100.8 on 8 Dec 2025euro: 101.6 on 15 Dec 2025euro: 101.6 on 22 Dec 2025euro: 101.7 on 29 Dec 2025euro: 100.9 on 5 Jan 2026euro: 101.1 on 12 Jan 2026euro: 100.6 on 19 Jan 2026euro: 102.3 on 26 Jan 2026euro: 102.4 on 2 Feb 2026euro: 102.8 on 9 Feb 2026euro: 102.5 on 16 Feb 2026euro: 101.9 on 23 Feb 2026euro: 101.2 on 2 Mar 2026euro: 99.9 on 9 Mar 2026euro: 99.3 on 16 Mar 2026euro: 100.3 on 23 Mar 2026euro: 99.3 on 30 Mar 2026euro: 99.9 on 7 Apr 2026euro: 102.0 on 14 Apr 2026euro: 101.8 on 21 Apr 2026euro: 101.0 on 28 Apr 2026euro: 101.0 on 5 May 2026euro: 101.5 on 12 May 2026euro: 100.5 on 19 May 2026euro: 100.6 on 26 May 2026euro: 100.7 on 2 Jun 2026euro: 100.1 on 9 Jun 2026euro: 100.3 on 16 Jun 2026euro: 98.5 on 23 Jun 2026euro: 98.5 on 30 Jun 2026euro: 98.9 on 7 Jul 2026euro: 98.6 on 14 Jul 2026euro: 98.7 on 21 Jul 2026euro: 98.3 on 28 Jul 2026euro: 99.7 on 3 Aug 2026euro 99.7
Currency value against the US dollar, indexed to 100 one year ago — above 100 means the currency strengthened (your dollars buy less). Source: European Central Bank reference rates, as of 2026-08-03.

Price levels (country-wide indicator)

Price levels in France run about 84% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.2× further than at home.

Price levels in Italy run about 74% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.3× further than at home.

Editorial daily-cost estimates

City Budget Mid-range Luxury
Paris $59 $176 $470
Rome $65 $180 $500

Editorial estimates in USD per person per day, quoted from our editor-signed Paris budget guide and Rome budget guide — not a measurement. Model a full trip in the cost comparison tool.

Depth of things to do

Attractions & sights
Attractions & sights: Paris 684, Rome 663 in our verified catalog.
Food & drink venues
Food & drink venues: Paris 16,280, Rome 6,633 in our verified catalog.
Museums
Museums: Paris 120, Rome 50 in our verified catalog.
Parks & gardens
Parks & gardens: Paris 49, Rome 10 in our verified catalog.

Paris's catalog is led by Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame de Paris.

Rome's catalog is led by Vatican City, Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica.

Counts from the TTDI verified venue catalog (every venue carries an external identity source). Catalog density partly reflects source coverage per city.

Things to do in Paris → Things to do in Rome →

What's actually on

Paris has 25,150 ticketed events listed over the next ~120 days to Rome's 21 — 1197.6× the live calendar.

Next up in Paris

  • 4 Aug LES JARDINS MUSICAUX 2026 JARDINS DU CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES
  • 4 Aug AQUARIUM DE PARIS - AQUARIUM DE PARIS - HAUTE SAISON AQUARIUM DE PARIS
  • 4 Aug CITE DES ENFANTS 2-6 ANS CITE DES SCIENCES ET DE L'INDUSTRIE
This week in Paris →

Next up in Rome

  • 31 Aug WILCO - A Tour With Wilco | Roma Summer Fest 2026 Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone
  • 2 Sept Hermanos Gutiérrez Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone
  • 4 Sept KRS-One Hacienda
This week in Rome →

From the live events feed we sync daily — listings exist only where measured coverage does.

Side by side

Distance apart
1,107 km
Time zones
Same clock
City population
2,161,000 vs 2,873,000
Local language
French vs Italian
Currency
Both use the euro

Or visit both

1,107 km apart, and plenty of trips pair them. One search covers the connection:

Paris to Rome
Mode Fare from Fastest
Train from £71.86 10 h 11 min
Bus from £65.00 20 h 20 min
Flight Most booked from £55.48 1 h 55 min
Rome to Paris
Mode Fare from Fastest
Train from £80.53 10 h 14 min
Bus from £65.00 20 h 35 min
Flight Most booked from £31.30 2 h 5 min

Lowest fares as observed on Omio in August 2025. Live prices vary.

Compare trains, buses & flights Paris ⇄ Rome on Omio →

Book the connection

One search across trains, buses & flights — live times and prices for Paris ⇄ Rome.

Answered from the data

Which is better to visit right now, in August?

Paris, on measured weather: Paris is ideal to Rome's good.

Which is cheaper, Paris or Rome?

World Bank PPP (country-level, not city prices) puts Rome's country at ~74% of US price levels and Paris's at ~84% — an edge to Rome before you factor in season and neighborhood.

When should I pick Paris over Rome?

Jun–Sep and Nov — measured weather favors Paris then.

When should I pick Rome over Paris?

Oct and Dec–May — measured weather favors Rome then.

Which has more to do?

In our verified catalog, Paris lists 684 attractions and 16,280 food & drink venues; Rome lists 663 and 6,633. Paris also has the larger live-events calendar (25,150 vs 21 listed).

Go deeper

Paris

Rome