While I haven’t been to Venice and have been to Paris, I know the first one is much more “my kind of city” (the only part of Paris I like is Montmartre)… but I understand “ripe” doesn’t begin to describe her aroma in hot weather. In fact, I refrained from visiting Venice when I was working nearby because it was July, heeding the advice of my Italian coworkers; my American coworkers understandably didn’t skip it and they all came back saying “beautiful but UGH the Italians were right about the smell!”
This.
BUT go at a quiet time of year e.g. Autumn or Winter. It’s cold but it’s less crowded and won’t be smelly. Do NOT eat anywhere near St Marks. Stay for a few days. Explore the whole city. Pick restaurants and hotel/ accommodation with care to avoid the overly touristy stuff. Go to a concert, take it easy, stroll all around the quiet areas.
You can go to Paris at any time of year and it’s a great city with loads to do but, like others have said, it’s a big city with all of the noise and bustle of a big city.
Venice is incredibly romantic because it is a one-off and it is compact, the pace is slow and it’s also very quiet (i.e. no traffic noise). It’s like stepping back in time.
