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Florence or Istanbul?

Florence and Istanbul side by side: recommended length, best time, daily budget, highlights and which one suits whom.

The tiled dome of the Duomo in Florence

Italy

Florence

A city you can walk. A museum does not have to take the whole day.

Country
Italy
Recommended length
2 days
Best time
May and September
Daily budget
110–170 €
Language
Italian
Currency
Euro (€)

Highlights

  • One museum, a long walk
  • An Oltrarno afternoon
  • A shared table in the evening

Neighbourhoods

  • Oltrarno — Around Santo Spirito is the right address for the evening.
  • Santa Croce — A breath away from the Duomo crowds, with a simpler walk home at night.

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Galata Tower and the rooftops in Istanbul

Turkey

Istanbul

Choose one shore. Greet the other.

Country
Turkey
Recommended length
3–4 days
Best time
April–June, September
Daily budget
70–130 €
Language
Turkish
Currency
Turkish Lira

Highlights

  • The Galata slope in the morning
  • Dinner on one shore
  • The ferry for the crossing, not the view

Neighbourhoods

  • Karaköy and Cihangir — Walkable on the day you land, with an evening that runs long.
  • Sultanahmet — Close for a morning monument. At night it goes quiet early.
  • Kadıköy — The market, the bazaar, and a more grounded evening.

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Which one for whom?

Why Florence?

The Duomo is your compass. Florence itself slows down across the river, among the workshops.

Florence looks small, and the day disappears, because every corner calls you through another door. Choose one museum and leave the rest for the next trip.

Why Istanbul?

The historic peninsula is a morning. Set the evening on the far shore, and the city stops being a list.

In Istanbul, a good group does not join three districts in one day. A monument in the morning, a market at noon, dinner in another neighborhood. Traffic is the invisible clause in that plan.

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More tools

01Do I need a visa?Where Turkish passport holders go visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an e-visa.Open →02Budget calculatorPick days, people and pace; see the group total and the per-person figure.Open →03When to goA month-by-month calendar. Which month for which country, which country for which month.Open →05Trip routesRoutes the editors built day by day, with length, pace and an estimated budget.Open →