One week of holiday. One city properly, or two cities for three days each?

For a one-week holiday, one city for the week is the stronger choice because it minimizes hidden travel costs and turns the saved time into depth. Staying put avoids packing, check-in/check-out, intercity transit, and re-orientation; splitting the week across two cities effectively leaves only about 2-2.5 usable days in each, which tends to produce a rushed, highlight-focused trip and can create fatigue or tourist burnout that undermines the restorative purpose of a holiday. By contrast, settling into one neighborhood allows a comfortable pace, genuine rest, and a more durable, coherent sense of place, so the traveler comes home actually knowing one city rather than merely passing through two. This also fits the framing of doing one city properly, and it gives a clear, decisive recommendation instead of restating the tradeoff. The two-city option has real appeal for travelers who prize novelty, contrast, or have already visited one of the cities, and it is honest about both visits being quick; however, its main advantage is variety, while three days per city rarely delivers the same satisfaction as depth. Therefore, unless novelty is a stronger priority than depth, one city for the week is the better default.