Rome vs Florence: 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.

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
white and brown concrete dome building during daytime
Florence

The verdict, computed

Choose Rome for:

  • Weather: Rome leads in Sep–Jun.
  • Sightseeing depth: 663 catalogued attractions vs 489.
  • Food scene: 6,633 catalogued food & drink venues vs 1,919.

Choose Florence for:

  • Weather: Florence leads in Jul–Aug.
  • Live events: 90 listed in the next ~120 days vs 25.

When each city wins

Measured weather favors Rome in Sep–Jun and Florence in Jul–Aug.

City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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.
Month winner Jan: Rome wins; Both mixed; Rome has 10 rain days to Florence's 11. Feb: Rome wins; Both good; Rome has 7 rain days to Florence's 9. Mar: Rome wins; Both good with 10 rain days; Rome's 17° highs sit closer to the 23.5 °C comfort midpoint. Apr: Rome wins; Rome is ideal to Florence's good. May: Rome wins; Rome is ideal to Florence's good. Jun: Rome wins; Both good; Rome has 5 rain days to Florence's 6. Jul: Florence wins; Florence is good to Rome's mixed. Aug: Florence wins; Both good with 7 rain days; Florence's 33° highs sit closer to the 23.5 °C comfort midpoint. Sep: Rome wins; Rome is good to Florence's mixed. Oct: Rome wins; Rome is ideal to Florence's good. Nov: Rome wins; Both mixed with 12 rain days; Rome's 18° highs sit closer to the 23.5 °C comfort midpoint. Dec: Rome wins; Rome is good to Florence's mixed.
Florence Florence in Jan: a shoulder month; 11° highs, 11 rain days. Florence in Feb: good; 13° highs, 9 rain days. Florence in Mar: good; 16° highs, 10 rain days. Florence in Apr: good; 19° highs, 11 rain days. Florence in May: good; 23° highs, 13 rain days. Florence in Jun: good; 30° highs, 6 rain days. Florence in Jul: good; 33° highs, 5 rain days. Florence in Aug: good; 33° highs, 7 rain days. Florence in Sep: a shoulder month; 27° highs, 10 rain days. Florence in Oct: good; 22° highs, 10 rain days. Florence in Nov: a shoulder month; 16° highs, 12 rain days. Florence in Dec: a shoulder month; 12° highs, 14 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. Every rule on this page is set out in how we compare cities.

Your money, measured

One currency: the euro

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

The shared currency's year

The euro has weakened 2.9% against the US dollar over the past year — your money goes further in both cities right now.

euro
100 10394euro: 100.0 on 18 Sept 2025euro: 99.3 on 25 Sept 2025euro: 99.5 on 2 Oct 2025euro: 98.3 on 9 Oct 2025euro: 98.6 on 16 Oct 2025euro: 98.1 on 23 Oct 2025euro: 97.7 on 30 Oct 2025euro: 97.6 on 6 Nov 2025euro: 98.3 on 13 Nov 2025euro: 97.4 on 20 Nov 2025euro: 98.0 on 27 Nov 2025euro: 98.7 on 4 Dec 2025euro: 99.1 on 11 Dec 2025euro: 99.2 on 18 Dec 2025euro: 99.6 on 29 Dec 2025euro: 98.7 on 5 Jan 2026euro: 98.9 on 12 Jan 2026euro: 98.4 on 19 Jan 2026euro: 100.2 on 26 Jan 2026euro: 100.2 on 2 Feb 2026euro: 100.6 on 9 Feb 2026euro: 100.3 on 16 Feb 2026euro: 99.7 on 23 Feb 2026euro: 99.0 on 2 Mar 2026euro: 97.8 on 9 Mar 2026euro: 97.1 on 16 Mar 2026euro: 98.1 on 23 Mar 2026euro: 97.2 on 30 Mar 2026euro: 97.8 on 7 Apr 2026euro: 99.8 on 14 Apr 2026euro: 99.6 on 21 Apr 2026euro: 98.8 on 28 Apr 2026euro: 98.9 on 5 May 2026euro: 99.3 on 12 May 2026euro: 98.3 on 19 May 2026euro: 98.4 on 26 May 2026euro: 98.6 on 2 Jun 2026euro: 97.9 on 9 Jun 2026euro: 98.1 on 16 Jun 2026euro: 96.4 on 23 Jun 2026euro: 96.4 on 30 Jun 2026euro: 96.7 on 7 Jul 2026euro: 96.5 on 14 Jul 2026euro: 96.6 on 21 Jul 2026euro: 96.2 on 28 Jul 2026euro: 97.4 on 4 Aug 2026euro: 97.7 on 11 Aug 2026euro: 98.0 on 18 Aug 2026euro: 98.7 on 25 Aug 2026euro: 98.1 on 1 Sept 2026euro: 98.3 on 8 Sept 2026euro: 97.6 on 15 Sept 2026euro: 97.2 on 17 Sept 2026euro 97.2
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 2026-09-17.

Price levels (country-wide indicator)

Price levels in Italy run about 74% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.4× further than at home.

Price levels in Italy run about 74% of US levels (World Bank PPP, 2025) — a dollar stretches roughly 1.4× further than at home.

Editorial daily-cost estimates

City Budget Mid-range Luxury
Rome $65 $175 $500
Florence $65 $170 $450

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

Depth of things to do

Attractions & sights
Attractions & sights: Rome 663, Florence 489 in our verified catalog.
Food & drink venues
Food & drink venues: Rome 6,633, Florence 1,919 in our verified catalog.
Museums
Museums: Rome 50, Florence 98 in our verified catalog.
Parks & gardens
Parks & gardens: Rome 10, Florence 4 in our verified catalog.

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

Florence's catalog is led by Uffizi Gallery, Florence Cathedral, Palazzo Pitti.

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 Rome → Things to do in Florence →

What's actually on

Florence has 90 ticketed events listed over the next ~120 days to Rome's 25 — 3.6× the live calendar.

Next up in Rome

  • 18 Sept Vincent Tondo in concerto | MOVIMENTO 9 - concerto-film interattivo di Antoine-G. Tondo Caffè Letterario
  • 18 Sept CONWAY THE MACHINE | LIVE SHOWCASE Casilino Sky Park
  • 3 Oct MATTEO LANE | WE GOTTA CATCH UP! Teatro Orione
This week in Rome →

Next up in Florence

  • 18 Sept Visita Collezione Arte Ambientale e Giardini Storici Collezione Gori - Fattoria di Celle
  • 19 Sept Visita Collezione Arte Ambientale e Giardini Storici Collezione Gori - Fattoria di Celle
  • 19 Sept Visita della Poesia Collezione Gori - Fattoria di Celle
This week in Florence →

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

Side by side

Distance apart
231 km
Time zones
Same clock
City population
2,873,000 vs 383,000
Local language
Italian vs Italian
Currency
Both use the euro

Or visit both

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

Rome to Florence
Mode Fare from Fastest
Train from £13.78 1 h 32 min
Bus Most booked from £5.17 3 h 15 min
Flight from £66.61 55 min
Florence to Rome
Mode Fare from Fastest
Train from £13.78 1 h 26 min
Bus Most booked from £5.17 3 h 5 min
Flight from £54.31 50 min

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

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

Book the connection

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

Answered from the data

Which is better to visit right now, in September?

Rome, on measured weather: Rome is good to Florence's mixed.

Which is cheaper, Rome or Florence?

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

When should I pick Rome over Florence?

Sep–Jun — measured weather favors Rome then.

When should I pick Florence over Rome?

Jul–Aug — measured weather favors Florence then.

Which has more to do?

In our verified catalog, Rome lists 663 attractions and 6,633 food & drink venues; Florence lists 489 and 1,919. Florence also has the larger live-events calendar (90 vs 25 listed).

Go deeper

Rome

Florence