European Honeymoon.

This is great :D

Ok so tomorrow is more research. Sucks that the driving bit has been cut out. Lets see how it goes. Anymore advice? I love this forum :D

Way too much planned, you are supposed to enjoy yourselves a bit on a honeymoon, not race off to 8 different places in about 10 days. Touring Rome in 1 day is next to impossible, what did you plan on seeing there? Then you have no time planned for seeing Florence, so why drive there? You have 1 day planned for touring Venice. Why Interlaken? What do you want to see there? You have 1 day planned for the Black Forest, what interests you in the 3 places you want to visit while there? How shall we pick for you where to spend your 1 day? So far, you about 6 places planned for 7 days.

Then on Day 8, you want to go to Austria. After that, how are you getting from Austria to Paris? Have you allowed time to get there? Have you pulled out any maps and planned a bit of a route to see how long it takes you to go to these wide flung places? What do you want to see in each of these cities, what are your interests?

My suggestion is to cut at least half of this whirlwind tour out, it looks like you just have 2 weeks, so pick two bases, such as Paris or Munich or Rome and make some day trips from there. Otherwise you will be spending all your time just going from place to place and not really seeing any of it.

This is a very rudimentary plan, which i need to elaborate. The total number of days i have, including travel time, is about 16 days. The reason i posted here is so that i could get interactive feedback about how much time i need in specific places. While i would love to drive, when it is necessary i dont mind taking a flight. As for why i want to visit a certain place, well theres no right answer for it :) between my fiance and myself, there are certain places we have heard of which seemed like they should be included.
Also, it doesnt need to be soemthing too detailed. For example your question about Rome. One day may definitely be too short and I should reconsider, but i wouldnt want to delve into it completely. Just get a feel of the place, see the major sights, and move on to the next leg.

That is what I mean. Rome has many major sites and there is no way I can pick for you, which ones you should go see. Perhaps you have always wanted to explore the Forum and the Colliseum and I tell you to go to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican. When I went to Paris, we did not go up in the Eiffel tower and we did not go to a single museum or art gallery, but we had a wonderful time. Others would be appalled that we did not do those "tourist" things.

Spend a bit of time here on the forum and read what other people liked in each of the cities you want to visit, buy some guide books, visit some other travel forums too for a well rounded search.

It is a relief to hear that you have sixteen days for what you outlined. I can't imagine that you'd be able to fit much more into what you got. I would either pick Interlaken or Zell am see, but not both. Go to Paris, but why two days at Euro Disney? Do it as a day trip from Paris. Also, consider taking the train from Rome to Florence and then to Venice. No need to drive. Extend the Italy leg of your trip to at least seven nights. Pick up your car in Venice to make the drive through the Alps (although with the February weather, this may be hazardous). Then end in Paris and I would even skip Euro Disney and move on to either London or Amsterdam.
Also, pick up lots of guidebooks and start reading to give you ideas. It is also a good suggestion to just read through some other itineraries posted on this site and others. Have fun!

Faraz, you and your bride to be need to set some priorities, then take from the top of the list rather than trying to do it all.

It's hard work, especially if you've never actually been to these places and perhaps don't know what you'll like. However, working out the trade-offs is much better done in advance, and will be the foundation for a truly memorable trip.

An option might be to focus more on Italy, spending several days each in Rome, Florence, and Venice with a few extra days for Tuscany. I’m not so sure about driving through the Alps in February, and while I love visiting the German-speaking countries, they don’t rise to the top when I envision a honeymoon trip. Perhaps you could fly directly to Paris from Venice (or night train). Paris itself is certainly worth several days, and there are great daytrips to do from there: Versailles or Chartres.

Faraz,

It sounds like you enjoy driving. However, for this trip you may be much better off traveling by train.

There is a steep fee for picking up a car in one country and dropping off in another. You definitely don't want to drive in Rome, if you drive in certain historical areas in Florence without a special permit you will be subject to a huge fine, you cannot take cars into Venice, and it's wise to avoid driving in Paris. Parking will be both expensive and hard to find everywhere you plan to go. While a car is an asset for seeing the countryside and visiting small towns, it's a hindrance in cities in Europe.

If you drive in Italy, be sure to get an International Driver Permit before you leave home. It's a translation of your driver license into eight languages and is required in Italy.

SLow down- now and on the trip! Give yourselves time to enjoy the places you want to see and each other. Try to have the attitude that you WILL GO
BACK. You can see some places and others later. Start in Rome and give yourselves at least 3-4 days there. Then train or drive to Florence- again 3-4 days. With 16 days, you should have no more than 3 or 4 destinations. Maybe try for just 2- that would allow you to relax, and give these marvelous places the attention they deserve. You won't even get to "do" them throughly with that amount of time. We have been to London more than 40 times (from 10 days on some trips to just 3 on others) and still have lots we want to see and do there. Maybe each of you could pick their absolute heart's desire to see and you could "do" those 2 locations.

Hi, congratulations on upcoming marriage.

A few points.

First, as wisely pointed out, driving in Feb ( winter) in the mountains is not a great idea.

Second,, I cannot support the idea Eurodisney is worth TWO days,, but Rome only one day and Paris only two.

My breakdown would be :

Rome- 3-4 days( I would spend 4 or 5 days there, so much to see, but its seems like you are in a rush?)

Florence-2 days ( personal opinion,, others would not agree)

Venice-2 days- it may be cool or rainy ,, so for me,, two days is more then enough, in the summer another day or two would be nice.

Paris- 5 days at least.( Day trip to Versailles)

As for Switzerland, Austria , Germany,, well, I don't know,, I have never gone in winter. I am sure the Alps are beautiful then though. I would take a train ride though, not drive. Good luck ,, and do not spend less then 2 days anywhere( but Disney,, I have been there , and one day is enough for me)

Faraz,

For a 16-day trip, this Itinerary is far too ambitious (IMHO). My first suggestion would be to try and find a copy of the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door (if there's one available in your area). February is only a few short months in the future, so there may not be time to order a copy from the U.S. (although may be possible if shipped via FedEx or UPS).

It will be easier to have a "general fun time" with a more relaxed Itinerary. Don't try to see everything in one visit. As Rick says "assume you will return".

Travel by train would be a FAR better idea, especially at that time of the year. Given your home location, driving in winter conditions might be a bit of a "challenge". Going by fast train will be far quicker and more efficient, and you won't have any worries about parking, fuel costs, tolls or ZTL tickets in places like Florence. Also, you'll need an International Driver's Permit to drive in Italy (you can be fined on the spot for failing to produce one if requested). This must be used in conjunction with your normal Driver's license.

I believe it will be necessary to drop at least a few of the destinations on your list. In planning an efficient route, you'll need to allow for adequate travel times between cities. I'd probably plan for no more than 6 cities with such a short time frame. Which 6 locations are most important to both of you?

I'd recommend spending more time in cities like Rome and Paris, as there's so much to see and do. AT LEAST 3-days in each would be good.

Regarding "places to go and things to do/see", you might try and find Europe Guidebooks in your area. If you could provide some further information on your interests and what you hope to see, I'm sure the group here can provide some suggestions.

It's been a long time since I had to think about a honeymoon, but from what I remember a more relaxing Itinerary is preferred!

Good luck with your planning!