Rome Vs Venice : Which One Should You Choose?

Rome vs Venice… If you could pick one which one would you choose? It’s a hard question if you haven’t been to either city before and for most first time travelers, both the cities feature on their bucket lists. I faced this too and luckily for me, I had the time to put both the cities on my itinerary. Not everyone has that option because of time constraints.

Both Rome and Venice are very different cities, very different vibes and both have a variety of different things to do. Once we visited both the cities we both knew which one we preferred the most. I’m not going to tell you about that up front because I would like you to choose for yourself. Which is why, we will weigh the pros and cons of each city side by side.

I find this important because everyone has a different style of traveling, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Plus what appeals to me may not appeal to you. Looking at the different aspects of the cities will help you make a better decision for yourself and also help avoid the fear of missing out.

Anyways, let’s take a look at Rome vs Venice and see what it has to offer.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Read my disclaimer for further information.

Rome vs Venice: Transport

There are different facets that you should consider when you talk about transport. I’m going to cover this in sections. We will look at the airports and public transport.

Airports

Full disclosure here. I did not use the airports when getting into Rome and Italy. We did our research and since we had time we chose to drive from the Netherlands. It worked out cheaper and was more flexible for us.

Rome: Rome has the biggest and busiest airport in the country which should not come as a surprise. It is well connected withing Europe and with other countries. It also has frequent flights to other cities in Italy which makes it super convenient.

Venice: The airport in Venice is smaller and while it has a number of flights coming in, you may need a connection to reach this airport. Generally speaking there is great connectivity within Europe, but if it is your first destination if you are flying in from outside Europe, it gets a little harder.

Which is better: Rome vs Venice? In this case, I would say that Rome is definitely more convenient but check first because it is location dependent.

Public Transport

This one is a doozy because its really like comparing apples and oranges. Venice does not have roadways but it does have public transport as far as the waterways are concerned. Rome on the other hand has roads that connect everywhere. Lots of traffic and lots of traffic jams.

Rome: Rome has a great public transport system that includes buses, trains, trams and a metro. These can get expensive but you have day passes that offset the cost. This makes getting around Rome really easy. I will add that the traffic does pose hurdles so your bus could get stuck in it which then results in delays.

Rome Vs Venice: Sights In The City

Let’s be real. Most of us place Rome and Venice on our itinerary because of the sights in the city. These cities hold a wealth of culture and uniqueness that you don’t find in other parts of the world. It is also why people head to them day after day. So which city would you choose just for the sights.

Rome

Rome is Rome. It is the center of the Roman empire with major historical monuments like the Colosseum in its heart. If you read my post on whether Rome is worth visiting, you will probably know that the city absolutely captured my heart despite the crowds and the costs.

The thing about Rome is that the city is HUGE and it has a lot of interesting museums, churches, basilicas, cathedrals and monuments to explore. Everything comes with its own cost. Which is why you need to plan and see what you can fit within your budget.

Venice

Venice does not have quite as much to see as Rome in terms of historical sites and museums but it has enough to keep you busy. The main center of Venice itself will occupy a whole day. This includes the St Marks Basilica and the Doge Palace. There are numerous smaller museums and historical sites that are scattered through the city. You can easily visit these too.

What you should know is that the costs rack up pretty much like in Rome. So weigh things about and see what you would like to do.

That being said, people don’t visit Venice just for the museums and the architecture. If we are being real, everyone will tell you that they are in Venice to see the canals. That’s what made Venice famous. Me… I wanted that too but I was disappointed.

The canals were pretty stinky, the crowds bustled around a lot and the vibe was meh. When I look back at the photographs, I think about how pretty some of them look but I remember feeling very disappointed while being there.

Rome Vs Venice For The Sights: If you are measuring up the architecture and the museums and the culture, both cities have their pros. I personally prefer Rome but that’s me. If you want Venice for the canals and the photographs go for it but know that it isn’t as sweet smelling as you would think it is.

Rome Vs Venice: The Expenses

Both Rome and Venice are very expensive cities. Rome however can offer some pretty good budget options if you plan better. Venice on the other hand is just plain old costly for everything. First off getting to Venice can be expensive. Note that I said can because it really depends on how and where you are traveling from. Rome has plenty of options when it comes to getting to the city. It is also easier to snag a cheaper flight.

Rome is huge and you can pick accommodation on the outskirts and travel in. Venice on the other hand is much harder when figuring out accommodation. More so if you are traveling with a family. We choose to stay outside Venice and travel in. Now that also adds to travel time. Doable though and not totally insane.

In Rome you can walk if you want to get from place to place. You can do that in Venice too but know that sometimes you will have to walk a lot to get to your destination if you don’t want to take the Gondola. Luckily the gondolas aren’t always expensive.

If you want to head to the islands, you will find that the ferries are much more expensive. That’s generally where everyone wants to head to when they see the crowds.

Rome vs Venice for expenses: I’m going to go with Rome on this one.

Food Scene

Let’s talk about the food scene in both Rome and Venice. Afterall a part of why people visit Italy is because of the Italian food. Now I’ve had some really amazing culinary experiences in Rome and some in Venice but Rome won out on this too. I think this is largely because it is such a metropolitan city and people from all over the country live here. This makes it easier to get authentic Italian cuisine with specialties from all over the country here.

What you need to really understand here is that Italian cuisine varies depending on the location you are in. There are some very typical dishes that are made in Venice and you should try these here. Most of the Venetian food menus include seafood. So if you are fan of fresh seafood then this will definitely appeal to your senses.

Rome on the other hand offered some of the best pasta dishes I have had in the country. Simple ingredients but packed with so much flavor. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Venice vs Rome for the food: This is a hard one. I can’t choose. I will say this though, there are more budget (and good) options in Rome. In Venice everything comes with a cost. I know that I’m quibbling about costs a lot but it did eat into a budget significantly. So I would rather prepare you for the fact.

Rome Vs Venice: Day Trips

Is Italy worth visiting? Weighing the pros and cons.

I always try to see if the cities can be used as a base for day trips in the area. This helps me maximize my trip and see something beyond the cities. Let’s take a look at Venice vs Rome and see how each of them fare.

Rome: Rome has plenty of options when it comes to day trips. It is also well connected which means that it is easy to head out on these. The most common day trip is the Vatican which is a whole new country (even though it is small). Almost everybody who visits Rome for the first time will stop to see the Vatican. It is after all one of the reasons that Rome is famous.

You can also easily head to the beach from Rome which is a nice break in scenery. There are other great day trips from Rome and if you don’t want to organize them yourself, you can also pick one of these tours.

Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, and Sorrento Day Trip
Tuscany & Montepulciano
Florence & Pisa

Venice: While there are great day trips that you can check out when staying in Venice, I would actually advise swapping things around and making Venice the day trip. Why? Well it would save you a ton on accommodation alone. The cities around Venice are cheaper. That being said, if you do make Venice your base, there are a ton of great places you can visit.

These are a couple of excursions and tours that can be prebooked online.

Rome Vs Venice: Safety

I think that both Venice and Rome are on the same par as far as safety in concerned. I did not feel unsafe at any point of time in both cities. It is noteworthy that pickpocketing and bag snatching is an issue in both places so please be conscious about your valuables.

The Nightlife

If you are on the look out for the nightlife then Rome is the clear winner here. There are lots of great places to head out to enjoy the music and the night vibe. Let’s not forget about the food. Rome is active till the wee hours of the morning and I’m not sure if it ever sleeps. The best part about the city is that I found that kids were welcomed everywhere so we got to have some fun too.

Rome Vs Venice: The Comparison

Sometimes it helps to see everything in one place which is why I thought that it would be nice to run a tabular comparison here. Let’s see where both the cities rank in different areas.

Safety	Both
Food	Rome
Transport	Rome
Architecture	Both
Historical structures	Both but I prefer Rome
Views	Venice
Museums	Rome
Day Trips	Rome
The Coast and Islands	Venice
Accessibility	Rome

Now let’s take a look at how these cities appeal to different types of travellers.

Families	Rome
Couples	Both
History Lovers	Rome
Foodies	Rome
Budget Travel	Rome
Luxury Travel	Both (Many prefer Venice)
Off Season Travel	Rome (Venice floods often)
First Time In Italy	Both
If you have just one day	Venice
Long stay (3 or more days)	Rome

Okay so as you can see, I’ve poured my heart out into comparing both the cities. In my eyes when it comes to Rome vs Venice the clear winner is Rome. I’ve been to both during the same trip and I know that while for some Venice is worth visiting, for me it was just a once off. I won’t be going back a second time.

The part gets everyone when it comes to Venice is the fear of missing out. Everyone sees it in movies, reads about in books and people talk about how unique it is. They aren’t wrong. It is unique but the burden of tourism makes it less interesting than Rome.

Rome on the other hand despite the chaos had so much to offer, was accessible, great food, amazing museums, easy to visit and so much more. Despite the crowds and costs, Rome would be a place that I visit again.