~14 day European Honeymoon Help

Rome will be very crowded Easter weekend, and many places may be closed Easter Sunday and Monday. We were in Venice last year before Easter, and on Good Friday the schools must have been closed, because everything was packed with people!

We've done the RS VFR tour, and it's a great trip, but it does take a lot of energy, which is indicated. If you're coming right off a hectic wedding week and are already exhausted, plan some R&R first. There are early morning tours [to get into venues before the crowds] and late dinners, [because that's the Italian way.]

We were also in Salzburg at Easter the year before, and it was glorious! Even tho not religious, we found the two-hour Mass at the Cathedral an unbelievable experience: the church bells, art, the chorus, the orchestra! Shops were closed Easter Sunday and Monday, but not the Fortress or beer garden.

On the same trip, we were in Prague, which had wonderful Easter markets, and also visited Cesky Krumlov, Halstatt, and Vienna- just a thought for an alternative route!

We found the weather at that time of year to vary between spring and winter, with each day. We did miss the gardens in bloom, but had a great trip!

Safe travels!

We did the RS VFR trip on our honeymoon as we wanted something easy without a lot of planning on our part. It was SO Perfect. Tons of free time. When the tour ended in Rome, we headed to Sorrento for another 4 days and LOVED it. Did a day trip to the Amalfi Coast with a company RS recommended and a day trip to Herculaneum (we loved it better than Pompeii, less crowded, one of the BEST pizza shops in the town and the RS book walked you right how to tour it on your own. Never rented a car. We returned to Florence and did 2 day trips with WalkAboutFlorence into Tuscany. I wouldn't change a thing. I just wonder about the weather for you in March/Apr? We also love the Sicily tour. Have you considered a River Cruise? Even easier.

Are you open to flying out of O'Hare? If you're willing to go that extra distance, you can save quite a bit on airfare. I priced out an open jaw itinerary for Chicago - London for 3/28 and Rome - Chicago for 4/13 and saw some prices under $500 per person round trip, including a direct on your way out.

If not, I saw fares out of Indy at around $860 per person, which is honestly pretty good for us. Better deals do come around, but when you have set dates, it's harder to take advantage of them.

Amy,

Flying out of O'Hare could be possible. However, we would have to park at the airport then (instead of leaving cars at a relatives in the other locations). So that would add ~$250 or so to the total. Definitely something I will look into! Thanks for the idea.

chinalake67,

Thanks for sharing your story! It is good to hear positive reviews from someone who was in such a similar situation! When you talk about the RS book, are you talking about the one that is provided as part of the VFR package? That could be helpful if we could use that to help us find a good way to spend our last few extra days after the tour has ended.

Pat,

Thankfully (for the sake of our sanity), our honeymoon is NOT right after our wedding. So, while we definitely want to have some time to relax, we should be well rested and ready to go! Also, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't have another opportunity for a VERY LONG time to visit Europe, so we will want to make the best out of it while we can. We haven't really looked that much into Czech Rep/Austria area. I will have to do some research on those cities and see what we think. Thanks for the alternate route!

The book is the RS Italy book - it is amazing and we learned so much about Herculaneum thru that book, how to take the train there, it walks you thru the site. RS has a tour company with day trips to the Amalfi coast - sharedtours.com

Look into a River Cruise too - they are one of our favorite ways to see Europe, then you could do another week on your own before or after the cruise. We take one every other year.

You overlooked the most beautiful city in Europe, so I cant help you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nd9DuDGCz0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vApAmydLjjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOjh8WyKbq8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYtH4Co3gbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOHcCkt1t2c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O_zre2iT94
https://youtu.be/QGJuMBdaqIw

hey hey joe
do you have any park ride and sleep available? we would go night before, spend night in hotel, free shuttle to airport, pick up car when we return (SFO).
maybe check groupon if they have a special, even for lounge access. found a 2 for 1 at oakland airport and CDG returning. worth checking.
aloha
GO NINERS!!!

Congratulations on your marriage and how wonderful to be planning a honeymoon!

I second everyone has said that Rome will be extremely busy during any religious holidays. You don't mention your budget but you do say you are looking for "great deals" : start looking at accommodation ASAP because it will become increasingly expensive as you wait to book.

All of these places sound wonderful but I would also consider the relative expense of your trip. It might be more fun to go somewhere that doesn't cost a fortune and will allow you to enjoy the nicer things on your honeymoon. Also, personally I would not travel so much between the big cities since there will be little opportunity to explore the countryside if you are looking for scenic hikes (I don't mean the suburban countryside - not the same, sorrynotsorry).

Personally I would pick maybe one country (max 2) and figure out what you want to see there and plan around that. What are your partner's and your own specific interests/desires? That will give us a better idea of what you are looking for!

1. You are on a honeymoon, therefore, you don't want to waste a lot of time traveling. Suggest picking one country, or at most two.
2. Italy and Great Britain are my favorite countries, but you have been to those countries. What about Paris and then enjoying the countryside of Normandy or the Loire Valley. Paris would be very romantic.

Although I like Normandy and Brittany a lot, they would not be my choice for outdoor, non-urban experiences in March/April. They are cooler/wetter than the rest of France even in mid-summer, which is why I like to visit them then.

So many great ideas and things to look into! Thanks for all the help. Here are some of my thoughts so far:

River Cruises - Looked into these and I don't think they are for us. I think we are interested in a more "full immersion" where we eat/sleep/live in the areas that we are traveling to.

Budapest - Haven't looked into it much but just started looking at a few of your videos. Thanks! I do like what I see, but I am worried about planning a trip to a region I know much less about. I am sure it's doable, but I guess my thoughts are that it will be "easier" to plan out trips/itinerary if I stick to a region I know a bit better and is maybe more "popular"? Could be wrong on that. Maybe I just need more convincing to get over my mental block.

Park/Sleep/Fly - shouldn't need this, thought a good idea to keep in mind for future. We have family/friends who can help us getting to the airport and back. I will check GroupOn and see if any good deals show up. Thanks!

Budget - We are hoping to spend a MAX of 9,000. However, coming in (a lot) under budget would be great ... there are plenty of projects to throw money at around the house!

Interests - Her: hiking, scenery, exercise, new experiences Me: history, culture, sport, learning Both: food/cooking, camping, biking

1/2 Country Idea: I am coming around to this idea. I guess it comes down to what country best suits our interests and that probably needs to account for the weather in early April. I do not think I want to go to Spain so let's rule that out. I don't think I'd want to spend the whole 2 weeks in the UK -- would be nice to spend at least part (or all) of the time somewhere that is a little more different from home. I see there are some conflicting ideas about how good France/UK would be this time of year. Does anyone else have any input or ideas about these 2 countries? Or perhaps other places that would be good for us?

Thanks again so much for all your help!

Budapest .....but I am worried about planning a trip to a region I
know much less about. I am sure it's doable, but I guess my thoughts
are that it will be "easier" to plan out trips/itinerary if I stick to
a region I know a bit better and is maybe more "popular"?

Prague, Vienna, Budapest is a pretty simple and well established independent tour. Two weeks, 16 days, is just about right. Rent an AirBnb in each, just a tad out of the heart of the tourist district Three very romantic cities well suited to beautiful walks

Just a note on using O'Hare. Instead of $250 for parking, you might find a cheap rental car for a day (twice).