Greece or Italy

[userofthiswebsite]

Going away with a couple of female friends mid July but we can't decide where.
Thinking about possibly Athens or Florence. We have been to Rome previously.

Any thoughts on this or recommendations?
The trip is for a week so would need to be 'enough' to entertain for that long.

Any advice/tips/suggestions etc gratefully recieved.

I'd go to Florence if it's a holiday with my girl friends and Greece if with my partner. Don't know if this is any help... can't say any exact reasons why 😳🙄

Athens has its attractions but I think a couple of days would cover it. There is the option of some local island hopping though. There are lots of islands quite close to Athens and would add a new dimension to your holiday, combining city break with more peaceful island experience/ beach. Also outlying suburbs of Athens for beach life.
I’ve never been to Florence so can’t comment on that but I’m sure someone will come along and do so.

We went to Athens in April for a week. We had 3 full days in Athens which was enough time to see all the attractions fully. We then had one day trip wine tasting in the peleponnese and then 2 days on aegina (a nearby island). We had a fantastic time - however it will be HOT in July!

Masses to see and go in Florence but it is horrifically busy( much more so than Rome ime).
Naples has a lot to offer; great atmospheric city and loads of easy day trips; Capri, Pompeii, beach resorts etc.
If you go to Florence make sure that your accommodation is a haven with somewhere to relax and ideally some water nearby.you won't run out of interest there.
How about Seville?

Yikes

Got a 3 day weekend in Barcelona in Aug so prefer to do non-Spain :-)

If you've stayed in Florence, are there any hotels you recommend particularly?

Sorry , no. We've taken potluck and although I've nobad memories they were not memorable either.

Agree about a hotel being a "haven" in Florence. The city has loads of mopeds and is "very" noisy.

How about Lisbon? We spent a week there and found plenty to see and do. You can get a train up to Sintra on one of the days. You can also get a train to Cascais on the coast.

I'd stay somewhere like Lucca and see lots of places within the week - wouldn't stay in Florence, too expensive and crowded. It's very accessible from Lucca by train.

I wouldn't go to either Athens or Florence in July - too hot and sticky and while there is plenty to do in Florence there isn't enough to keep you occupied for a week in Athens. We had two full days there and that was enough to see the main sights. The city is ugly too, so once you've done the historic things it's nice to leave!

I'd choose a city with a beach nearby, if I were you. Malaga is very different to Barcelona, or Lisbon, Nice, etc. All have plenty going on and you could relax on the beach too.

Agree with Florence over Athens. Athens is the only place I've been to in Europe where I felt unsafe (and I was with my boyfriend).

I prefer Greece firstly mayde Spain after that.