Honeymoon trip to Europe <3

As there must be some reason why you have this order of destinations, I'm not commenting on that.

There have been several posts here lately indicating that the CT can be miserably overcrowded with day trippers from cruise ships. That is one more reason - besides the lengthy travel time to get there - to consider omitting it. Instead of the coast, would you consider 3 nights at one of the Italian lakes? The Amalfi coast may be an option, if you can rearrange the itinerary thusly: Paris > Venice > Santorini > Naples/AC > Rome.

Meridiana and Vueling appear to have flights between Santorini and various Italian airports. You may find an easier route there to/from Italy than a 5 a.m. out of Venice (particularly difficult airport to reach).

hi! thanks for your response. I have a few friends who say they did enjoy their trip to CT more than Florence and definitely more than Venice so I figured it must be awesome. It is a pain to get there though!

The reason why I ordered the trip this way is because the shortest flight at 2.5 hours is from Venice to Santorini. Also From Santorini to Rome is another 2hr nonstop flight. This was to avoid losing too much time at the airport and layovers etc :).

I am definitely open to visiting Amalfi Coast as a day trip even after renting a car in Rome or staying there as well. I just have to fly home from Rome as I believe it is the cheapest and shortest flight to LAX I believe.

Where would you say I should allocate my extra time if I cut out CT? I can stay longer in Paris even a week and venice 3. Or I can extend my stay in Greece and Rome :)

Instead of overcrowded and overrated Cinque Terre, you can put in elegant Turin (Torino) between Paris and Venice. The high-speed TGV brings you there directly from Paris (Gare de Lyon) in some 5,5 hours, from city centre to city centre, leaving and arriving at civilised hours, in all comfort, and without all the unpleasantness of modern-day flying. (Timetables and booking on www.sncf.com/en/passengers.)
From Turin to Venice is another 4,5 hours by train, directly or with an easy change in Milan. (Timetables and booking on www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en.)
Alternatively having a longer stay in Venice wouldn't be amiss. It is worth more than the two nights you've given it. In the unlikely event you get bored, Padua (Padova) and Vicenza make good daytrips by frequent trains from the Santa Lucia station.
Getting at the airport on time for a 5 AM flight worries me.

Some random thoughts......
Slow down, don't move too fast, you got to make the romance last.
First time Europe travels, make plans with the belief you will return to Europe (doing so will help reduce the stress of striving to do too much on your first trip).
You will encounter "glitches" (even the most seasoned travelers do), how you handle the "glitches" will impact your lasting memories of the journey.
Three weeks on the road is a long time for anyone, take the following to heart:
Pack "lite". Being a luggage mule severely dampens travel enjoyment. Plan on washing clothes. Practice packing and then "lugging". Everything you need can be purchased in Europe. Do buy some clothes while on your jouney as our best travel momentos have been wearing the clothes upon returning home and recalling the memory of the purchase. Seriously, of all I write, packing "lite" will have the most impact.
You will need to take a break from each other, seriously. Allow some time to wander off by yourself and allow some space to destress. Travel is stressful, especially for first timers. Let your spouse know it is okay to have some solo time.
Night trains suck. Repeat that comment, click your shoes and find another mode of transportation.
Your are providing your luggage seven times to get lost. You will spend a lot of time: packing, unpacking, checking into hotels, catching cabs to and from hotels and modes of transport, waiting in airports, clearing security and all the associated little things which can distract from trip enjoymenr and add stress EVERYTIME YOU MOVE FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER. People do it all the time, successfully, but is this what you want while on your honeymoon?
Thought: delete one destination (my vote would be CT) London, Paris, Venice, Santorini, Rome is an excellent trip. (Personal taste: substitute Barcelona for Venice and you will add a wonderfully different cultural experience to your journey).
Use these message boards (and others like Tripadvisor) to really take deep dives into learning how to best experience each of your destinations.
Finally, always take the time to slow down, hold hands, sit at outdoor cafes and watch humanity flow by you. Enjoy!

There are some good suggestions here. If you still want to go to CT, I suggest you fly to Pisa from Paris then take a train to whichever town you have chosen. Stay 4-5 nights and relax! I think you should choose between CT and Venice if you want a somewhat leisurely honeymoon. Nobody seems to have anything good to say about night trains. If you leave Venice for Santorini, you will probably find that there is an all-night boat (like the Vaporetto) to the Marco Polo Airport. Otherwise, there are taxis (also a boat, of course!). If I were making the choice between CT and Venice, I would go to Venice. You can kick back in Santorini.

Coming from the perspective of someone who honeymooned in Europe myself, I would suggest cutting either the CT or Venice and adding time to your other destinations. If you keep Venice, it definitely deserves an additional night. London, Paris, and Rome all have some fantastic day trips that will make you feel like you're in a whole other world. You wouldn't get bored. You've already done a nice job with allocating a reasonable amount of days to destinations...it just happens that the longer your trip, the easier it is to burn out. You won't regret a slower pace, you'll truly see more that way. Enjoy your destinations and each other, you will have a wonderful time!

We haven't been to the CT for several years so we've not experienced the invasion of the cruise ship folks. It is a great place, but, if it has become as bad as some say, I'd delete it and add those three nights to Venice (2) and perhaps London(1). Some will say that it too long for Venice, but there are several day trips you can do from there such a Murano / Burano, Verona, and Padua. Same for London with regard to day trips to Bath, Greenwich, Cambridge. Otherwise it appears to be a good allocation of the time available. Best wishes for the wedding and honeymoon.

wow I am so grateful for the responses from you experienced travelers! I should have done this sooner :). My mind was spinning with that to do.

The reason why my Venice stay was 2 nights was because I can only leave from Venice to Santoroni via Volotea airline because they offer a direct flight 2 hr 25 mins (roughly $142 per person) on these dates
May 28
May 31
June 2
If I did not choose to fly these dates the flights become horrible long 6 hrs + 1 stop - 20 something hrs and ticket prices triple.
Originally we have included Swiss Alps as a stop for 2 days to do the Tram and see Lucerne. I decided to cut it out as I figured 2 days here and 2 days here would mean too much moving/ packing. I definitely want to maximize my time in Europe and have taken into consideration that most posts on forums say not to OVERpack the schedule as you spend more time seeing airports/trains than Europe itself.

London (4 nights) May 17-21 (Harry potter tour on day 18 or 19 :) will be included I forgot to mention)

Cutting out CT means I have 3 days to distribute to Paris/ Venice or even Rome for day trips.

OR

As someone said I can do 2-3 Barcelona, Swiss alps, Amsterdam or Florence (I have heard Florence we can just day trip over there IF we decide to from Rome :) )

Do you think 4 nights in Santorini is enough to see some main sites / enjoy things without feeling too rushed?

For Rome we have considered a trip to Amalfi coast, Tuscany, etc. :) those are always options!

From the bottom of my very- stressed bride- be - heart i thank you all for kindly responding! Really helps me worry a little less!

I forgot to ask how expensive the night boat is from Venice to Marco Polo Airport as I have heard it can be extremely pricey but can't find an estimate on google...

Four nights in Santorini should be sufficient. If you eliminate the CT you should be able to add time to Venice. It is a magical place and really deserves more than two nights.

if we were to keep CT....

Would it make more sense to take a day from Rome, making my stay 4 days. Is that enough time in Rome?

Then I can stay
6 nights in Paris
3 nights CT
3 nights Venice then make the 5 am flight to Marco Polo Airport for Santorini :D

I calculate total travel time to be about 5 hours to get from Paris to CT and 5-6 hrs to get from CT to venice.

So you are willing to add 10 to 11 hours traveling to get to ct?

I would if it is worth it! But since I would be going near the end of May I am hearing the tourist crowd is getting overwhelming much like a Disneyland like experience in the California.

I am wondering if it would be a big mistake to make it all the way there and go from there to Venice only to be pushing through crowds. Forgive me as I have not travel in Europe before and must of my research is in this forum and my some friends who have traveled in the off season. I am sure everyone's experience is different because of the seasons they go. I estimate arrival time after flying to Pisa + train would about about 11-12 noon on our first day to CT and leaving in the AM May 29 to Venice.

panda,

A few thoughts and questions regarding your plans.....

• On the London to Paris route, I assume you're planning on taking the EuroStar? If you haven't researched that yet, have a look at the Man In Seat 61 website for information.
• Were you going to buy a Paris Museum Pass for sightseeing there? Paris will be busy at that time of year, and the pass will minimize your time waiting in queues.
• If you don't have them already, I'd suggest packing along copies of at least the Pocket London, Pocket Paris and Pocket Rome guidebooks (or their full sized equivalents). Those will help you plan sightseeing, hotels and touring efficiently.
• Paris to Cinque Terre - the best option for travel on that route would be a budget flight. Have a look at easyJet from Orly to Pisa. Be sure to read their Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage rules. The train trip from Pisa to the C.T. is very straight forward. There's a flight on 27 May departing at 13:50, arriving at 15:30. That's a good time as you should be in your C.T. hotel by supper time.
• Cinque Terre - which of the five towns were you planning to stay in? There's been a lot of chatter here on the forum lately about the "overcrowding" in that area. My suggestion would be not to blow that out of proportion. While it can be crowded at times, there are ways to mitigate the crowd problems during the daytime. You'll probably find the evenings are wonderful, with a very relaxed ambiance. In choosing which town to stay in, I'd probably avoid Vernazza and look at either Monterosso or Manarola. If your budget can stand a "splurge", you might consider La Torretta in Manarola. It's a perfect choice for Luna di Miele but it may be too late to get a booking there. I can suggest other locations in Monterosso, but you will need to get something booked SOON!
• Cinque Terre to Venice - that trip will take about 5 hours, likely with two changes at Pisa Centrale and Florence, but it's not a difficult trip.
• Rome to Florence - with more time, I'd have suggested spending a few days in Florence. However a day trip from Rome is certainly possible as the trip via high speed train is only about 90 minutes each way.

When travelling via trains and other public transit in Italy, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. If you need more information, post another note. You'll also need to be clear on the names of the stations you'll be using in each location, as most cities have more than one.

Congratulations!

@ latemypanda....It is primarily a matter of priorities. If you feel that another 10 hours on the train is worth the destination, do it. I would and have done that, riding ten hours including waiting time and 2 transfers to get to the destination, which was Gdansk....seemed like it would take forever going to the edge of the world. I know... very subjective here. That was from Berlin. If I were go to Gdansk now, I'd take the 10 + hour train from Vienna, which is direct. If you feel CT is worth it, take the ten hour ride.

There are some people who love the CT and have found ways to avoid the crowds and enjoy it. I think these are people who began visiting before it was very popular and are now returning and familiar with it. For someone who has never been to Italy, it is a coin-toss if you will enjoy it or not. You may be very lucky and be there when there are few other visitors (pretty unlikely in late May), you may find ways to enjoy it in spite of unpleasant crowding, or you may be very sorry to be stuck there.

I have yet to visit a town in Italy that I didn't enjoy. Wherever you choose to go, you will find lots to do, see and enjoy.

If you decide to eliminate the CT stop, I would definitely add a night to Venice, probably one to London (because you arrive jetlagged, your first day or two you won't be completely up to speed), and probably one to Paris (because it's my favorite city). FWIW, I think Paris and Venice are the two most romantic cities in Europe.

I don't think you can fit in the Amalfi coast before Venice and if you can't change your Santorini flights to those 3 nights in after instead of before Venice, you'll use up too much travel time to make it worthwhile.

If you can take the night train (or fly) from Paris to Milan, you could spend 2-3 nights at Lake Como (or Garda or Maggiore) before Venice. I haven't been to any of the Italian lakes, but it could be a nice break after the big cities of London and Paris.

We were in CT and Venice long ago (2008) and the crowds were minimal in CT but quite crowded in Venice. I have friends that just came back from both and felt that both were like Disneyland and didn't like either one, especially CT. They loved the quiet of Lake Como and stayed in Varenna (which is also very beautiful and small- not over crowded)

I enjoyed CT, and loved Venice! It is very romantic! But, I do think you have to arrive with the attitude that it is crazy, be prepared for it and then deal with it. In Venice it is easy to leave the crowds. Just visit the "sites" morning or evening and during the day walk the side streets away from the crowds, take the vaporetto to Burano and Murano where the crowds are fewer. Take a gondola ride late at night when it is quiet except for music playing down the small canals. I think if you have a good attitude you will be fine wherever you go. It can be stressful and overwhelming to travel, especially in a foreign country. But, it will be magical and romantic!!

I think whatever you decide will be just fine. It is hard to chose when you have never been there, but all the places on your list are wonderful (been to all of them except Santorini). My advice is to take time to just be there. You have made a good plan of number of nights for your stops, but still it is busy with cities. So, in Paris, drink some wine on the edge of the Seine, hang out, go to a park, and mix the "sites" with just being there and soak it in. Plan one or two sites a day, then hang out, people watch, enjoy a wonderful dinner, and don't take the day to day too fast.

You will LOVE it!! Congratulations!

Hi Susan

May I ask what month your friends went to CT and Venice ?

Thanks for your reply!

Personally, I would drop CT and Santorini - both far too overrun with visitors and cruise ships these days. I am currently on holiday in Venice and dread to think how busy it will be peak season, but it is unique, so it's worth putting up with the crowds, but you need to add a night at least. You lose at least half a day every time you move on and after the stress of the wedding, you need some relaxation time, so slow your pace a little and see more.

Instead of Santorini, why not go to Hvar in Croatia instead? Much easier to get to from Italy and more the genuine article compared with Santorini. Better food too and romantic. If you are going to go all the way to Santorini, you need at least a week there to make it worthwhile. It doesn't really fit with the rest of your itinerary.

It's your honeymoon, so don't pack light as has been suggested - you don't want the hassle of trying to sort out washing as you go. It's going to be difficult to pack light anyway to cover the different climates that you are going to encounter.

I forgot to ask but for London is there anywhere you recommend we stay at?

I was thinking South Keningston area possibly the Hotel Indigo near Earls Court. The only thing is I plan to only go to one museum and spend the rest of my time sightseeing and exploring. Also a half day for Harry Potter tour. Soho was another option.

iatemypanda,

I just wanted to say congratulations :) My husband and I will be honeymooning all throughout Europe this summer as well, and I think your itinerary sounds absolutely amazing. Best wishes for a beautiful wedding and safe travels!

-Alex

"What month did your friends go to CT and Venice?"

They flew to Venice the third week of Sept 2015- then on to Lake Como (Varenna) then onto CT stayed in Vernazza and then to Tuscany area- then flew home from Florence. Their trip was 2 weeks long. This was their first trip to Europe.

I thought I was helping them plan a quiet trip, but little did I know things had changed since I'd been there, or so it seems. Part of the problem may be that they were just not expecting crowds. They loved Varenna! It was by far their favorite. You could always add Varenna and drop CT. It is very beautiful!

I'd suggest you watch several you tube videos of places to get a feel for what it all looks like from a non-TV production view. The bottom line is that it will be crowded everywhere! Just expect it, get off he beaten path, and take things slowly and easily. You will LOVE it! Don't overthink it, just go with your heart and don't worry about it. You will find places you love more than others, but you never know until you go.....and you'll fall in love with Europe!

I'd start getting accommodations booked as soon as you know your plan. The great places book up and you are leaving soon!

thank you all for your congratulations and best wishes :)!!

Regarding Varenna how do people normally get there from ? I have having a hard time trying to figure out how to make it there from Paris lol or from wherever is most convenient.

I am willing to cut out CT for Varenna now that i think of the Rick Steves guide book he has a couple of "honeymoon" locations he steers people to and away from the touristy places.

I hope the food is equally as food!

I also saw Colmar in France but it is very difficult to travel there unless you have a car....

OR there is Portofino ???

panda,

Regarding your most recent questions.....

Getting to Varenna is VERY easy. You'll first need to get to Milano Centrale, and then transfer to the Regionale. The station is officially called Varenna-Esino. The trip is 1H:03M. The trip from Paris Gare de Lyon to Milano Centrale is as short as about 8 hours, with one change at Torino Porta Susa.

No need to skip the Cinque Terre. If you have the time, you can visit both and have double the enjoyment.

The food is generally good in all parts of Italy. I'm especially partial to the Cinque Terre because of the Pesto (which is the area where it was invented). It always seems to taste better there than anywhere else.

Visiting Colmar is also VERY easy and it's not necessary to have a car. I've managed fine when travelling by rail.

Your logistics seem a little muddled. Finish in Santorini and find a connection home from there. Perhaps an Athens overnight for the Parthenon?

London (4 nights) May 17-21
Paris (5 nights) May 21- 26
fly to
Venice (3 nights) May 26 - May 29
Cinque Terre (3 nights) May 29 - June 1
Rome (5 nights) June 1 - June 6
fly to (Vueling Airlines VY3314, departs 08:40 FCO Rome Fiumicino , arrives 11:55 JTR Santorini Thira)
Santorini (4 nights) June 6 - June 10

in looking at the flight that are direct (2 hr 15 min from )Rome - Thira on June 5 they are all at 10:10pm arrival at 1am cutting Santorini down to 3 days and giving Rome 5. :(

Regarding going home from Athens - LAX on June 10 all fights are 24+ hours :( (some have 8 hour layovers)

I think the best/ shortest/cheapest places to fly from Europe to LAX would be Milan or Rome (18hours with a short layover of 2 hrs) from what I have researched. Does anyone have suggestions for this?

....basically all flights from Thira / Athens to LAX are terrible...lucky me!

@ken Where do you think it would be a good time to stick Colmar in the schedule? Would that be after Paris?

Would 2 nights in CT be sufficient? or is that too silly? Rick Steves allocated 2 nights. Then Venice can be 3 nights and that works out.

panda,

Yes, Colmar would be good after Paris. There are some direct (no changes) trains each day, and a good choice would be a departure from Paris Est at 10:55, arriving Colmar at 13:50 (time 2H:55M, reservations compulsory). That train is TGV, which travels at up to 300 km/h.

Unfortunately, fitting Colmar into the mix will make the ongoing journey to the Cinque Terre (or other locations) somewhat longer. Travel from Colmar to Monterosso will take a full travel day (about 9 hours with 4 changes). I've done that in the past on several occasions, but I usually try to avoid rails trips longer than about 8 hours.

One alternative to the long train ride would be to travel by train from Colmar to Basel-Mulhouse airport / BSL, which is about 1H:15M from Colmar. From there take a 1H:20M flight to Pisa. easyJet operates on that route but not every day, so careful planning would be required. The trip from Pisa Centrale to Monterosso (for example) is about 1H:10M if you can connect with a direct train.

If I were in the same situation, I'd probably just endure and allow adequate time for the long train ride, as I detest the usual airport "dog & pony show". I'm comfortable with making four changes on the trains, but as this is your first time in Europe you'd have to do some "homework" and get up to speed on that quickly.

if CT stays in the plan would 2 nights there be adequate? I don't have the need to visit all 5 villages. Maybe 2 or 3 max. Not sure if its worth it then. But that would allow Venice to have 3 days. The flight to Pisa is cheap and the train from Pisa to CT is like you said 1 hr 11 mins. The only long part would be the CT- Venice travel of 5-6 hours.

Someone suggested to me Veranno which, if I fly into Milan, an hour away. I am just worried it might not have enough things to do there as I know very little about it and not many forums mention it.

If you can change your date a bit there is a Norwegian flight from Athens to Lax with just one stop in Oslo. They leave only on Sundays and the price is $473.00 per person for June 12. There are many restrictions but I've heard they are good. I will use them the next time we fly.

ugh how unfortunate no other flights are sooner. I work as a Registered Nurse and I am taking 4 weeks off work. I figured I wouldnt want to push it and take any longer plus time to recover from jetlag. that was a good suggestion though!

I think two nights in the CT is fine. Just remember it will be only one full day. Yes, you are taking a lot of time in getting there, but if it is a place you really want to see it then you can. Just start early and train from village to village to village. Spend an hour or more wandering each one and move to the next. They are all very close by, maybe a 5 min train ride, go explore, shop have a drink and move on. I think you could see them all in one day. Maybe arrival day see the village you are staying in and then do a hike. Have dinner right on the edge of the ocean. Maybe a quick trip like that will be all you need.

In Varenna there really isn't that much to do. You can take a ferry across to Bellagio and Managio, and explore there. Walk along the lake, sit and have a meal or take a private cooking class. Maybe there is kayaking or boating, not sure. It is a low key area. RS does have Varenna in his guidebooks. Maybe that is a good sign that other forums don't discuss Varenna!

Susan, I did check the flights from Paris to Pisa and the earliest is 6 am arriving to Pisa 7:40am OR 1pm arriving at 2:45pm. If I do the earliest one + coffee+ redbull I can make it with a 1 hour 11 min train ride to CT. Roughly that would be 9:30-10am arrival. That gives me almost a full day on the May 26 and May 27. May 28 I would take a train from CT to venice about 4-6 hours. Hopefully catch an early one to get into Venice as early as noon or so (plus travel time from train to airbnb to check in?). Then I will have May 28, 29, and 30. May 31st is my flight to Santorini at 5am. Might have to stay one night nearby the airport if it is too hectic to travel from St Marks over to Marco Polo Airport. Off I am to Santorini for 4 days.

I do wonder since it's the end of May, if all I do will be pushing and shoving my way around Venice and CT but it is to be expected.

Otherwise I would simply a day to Paris and stay in Venice for 4 days. I don't think Varenna is worth the trip for me because I still have to go to Venice which is a 4 hr train ride.

What day trips do people usually do from Venice that I worthwhile to make up for the loss of CT?

There are several day trips you can do from Venice such as Murano / Burano, Verona, and Padua

If it were me, I'd forget CT. Yes, the villages are beautiful on the cliffs/hillsides and all, but you will likely be getting a bit tired after already spending a lot of time in London and Paris. Plus, you are from LA, so being around the ocean isn't a new experience- yes, it isn't the same as Italy! To get up early and rush there just doesn't sound that pleasant for a honeymoon. But, this is your trip. If it sounds fine to leave that early, then do it. Just remember, you have to check out, get transport to the airport, then check in and wait, then fly. You will have to get up super early!

There are plenty of day trips that you could enjoy from Venice, so I don't think 4 nights is too much. It would simplify things. As mentioned: Padua, Vicenza, Verona- done by train plus Murano and Burano that you do by boat from Venice.

Would you consider driving a car in the countryside? You could take a train to Tours (about 1 hour from Paris) rent a car and spend three nights in the countryside of the Loire Valley seeing the Chateaux. Then train back to Paris. It is easy to do, and it would give you a different feel of France. Just an idea.

panda,

In reading through this thread, I get the impression the Itinerary plans are getting overly complicated by all the possible extra stops that you're considering. My suggestion would be to go back to the original plan that you posted and do some fine-tuning on that, as that's probably the most reasonable solution. Considering the occasion, having a more "relaxed pace" would probably be best. I can suggest an Itinerary if you're interested.

I'm sure there will be some debate on this, but I wouldn't suggest adding time to Venice, especially if you're on a budget. I find Venice to be somewhat on the "expensive" side compared to other locations in Italy. I was back there again in September and didn't find it to be a totally "enjoyable" experience. However, it's definitely worth a short visit as it's so unique.

I may have missed this, but which airline were you planning to use on the trip from Venice to Santorini?

The obvious solution would be to drop Santorini in favour of 4 days on the Amalfi Coast and fly home from Rome.

Dear Ken,

We are flying Volotea.

Only one that's direct 2.5 hrs on certain select dates.

panda,

Thanks for the info on your flight. That's a dreadful time of the morning to be travelling (although I have done that in the past when it fit the circumstances). Did you ever get an answer to your question on how to get to the Venice airport for a flight at 05:30?

I haven't had a great answer that solved my problem as the water boat I am sure is very expensive. I thought of staying In a hotel next to the airport.

If anyone is familiar with London...would South Keningston be good place to stay? Or in Soho where the action is (maybe noisy?)

You might get better info on where to stay in London if you post on the England thread. I think you'll get lots of help from there.

panda,

For your trip from Venice to the airport, there are a couple of choices. As you've noted the Water Taxi will be very expensive, however the Water Bus operated by Alilaguna will be much less expensive (but will take longer). Here are some comments on the choices....

• Alilaguna - this probably won't be a good choice as the first run of the day (Blue Line) departs San Marco at 03:50, arriving at the airport at 05:09. That will be too late to check-in, get through security and connect with your 05:30 flight departure.
• Airport Shuttle Bus - this departs from Piazzale Roma, which is on the Venice side of the long causeway from the mainland. The first departure appears to be at 04:50, with the trip taking about 20 minutes. This appears to be your best option. Here's the schedule.....

http://www.atvo.it/allegati/linee/linea_35_dal_25.10.2015_al_26.03.20166490.pdf

I believe you can buy advance tickets online on their website.....

http://www.atvo.it/index.php?lingua=en&area=menustandard&idpadre=23&idmenu=35

If you don't wish to purchase online, the above link shows where you can purchase tickets in Venice.

Buon Viaggio!

For point 6, I suggest you to stay in Florence downtown 3 nights are enough to visit the city. I had a good experience in renting an apartment with www.florenceapartmentsrentals.com alternative you can find some nice hotel with booking.com

Enjoy your trip!

For paris, is the Lourve a good central location to be at :)

panda,

I'm not clear on your last question? Do you mean is the Louvre area a good place to stay in Paris?

Here on the forum, you'll find that everyone has definite favourites in terms of which part of Paris to stay. In my case, I prefer the Rue Cler area in the 7th district, which is close to the Eiffel Tower and also has good Metro access to get anywhere in the city. Hopefully some of the "Paris experts" on the forum will spot this question and provide you with some alternatives.

One further comment on your question about getting to the airport in Venice for an early flight. Ask the staff at your hotel about that when you check-in, as I'm sure they will know the best options. If I'm going to use a Shuttle to the airport, in some cities I ask the front desk staff to arrange that on the day prior to travel. That's always worked well for me in Paris and other cities.

Ops! Yes that what I meant :)

we will stay in Paris for 5 days, and train from London to Paris.

I was recommended the lourve by my girlfriend but I was thinking i would be visiting the lourve museum once but not sure how central and great of a location it is to make it my home base.

:) I know everyone has favorites!

The Louvre is very central. If you are staying nearby, you can walk to many places, on the Right Bank, or take the Line 1 metro. It's a short walk across the Seine to the Left Bank with all its wonders.

panda,

Paris has an excellent Metro system, so I'm not too concerned about being in a "central" area. I can easily get from Rue Cler to the Louvre via the Metro and a short walk, so staying a bit farther from the centre has never been a concern. Are you planning to stay in hotels or hostels?

Thinking about here

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2073167

Just my opinion . . .

Location is great. I can't tell what floor it's on. Is there an elevator? The high, small windows make me think it might not be well-lit in daytime, especially if the large see-in window in the bedroom is covered by the drapes. It looks tiny. Assume there's no AC. If you get very warm weather, it may not be comfortable for sleeping. For €160/night (added in the cleaning fee), you could probably get a nice hotel room, maybe even with breakfast and AC. Certainly with maid service.

hi all!

I was just wanting to update that we are planning to cut out CT because the 6am early flight to Pisa and train to CT and then a 5 hr train to Venice afterwards would surely not be an enjoyable experience!

Since this is the plan, would anyone comment on how I should allocate my extra days to Paris and Venice?

Or should I just try for something else that is travel friendly, someone suggested Barcelona before....

I figured I could also just stay in Paris for 6 or 7 days and Venice 3 or 4 days and do day trips as suggested.

Annecy and Boudeaux seemed like a good choice but it is quite a distance away.

Florence or Tuscany is another option. etc

:) LOVE to hear back before I secure my bookings!

Hey Panda (and I have to ask - why did you eat it?).

Paris is my favorite city , Venice is my second favorite, and I think they are both very romantic, in different ways. In other words I'm not at all objective. I would add at least one night to Venice so you have 2 full days there.

If you fly from Paris to Venice, what time/date would your flight be? Other options (if there are reasonable flight options) would be to fly into Verona on Transavia France, into Florence on Vueling, or Bologna on EasyJet or Vueling. You could easily spend 1-2 nights in any of them and then take a high-speed train to Venice. Florence is farthest and takes 2 hours. All of them have lots to offer. Having been to all those places, my recommendation is to choose the most convenient flight from Paris. Otherwise you'll go crazy trying to compare their relative merits.

are you recommending to stay in florence rather than do a day trip to Florence :)?

I was interested in Verona as it was a pretty place and easier to get to than CT but I did read it can be boring ?? (not much to do there?) This I am not sure as I was just comparing CT vs Verona on google to try to pick between the two.

Verona isn't boring to us because of the history. There is more than enough to keep one busy for a day trip from Venice. Do some research using several guide books and perhaps a google search and see what you think. Padua also makes a good day trip.

I wouldn't say Verona is boring at all. We ended up spending 4 nights there, planning to do some day trips but then my daughter got sick and we didn't want to leave her alone while we ventured that far away. So, we ended up spending a lot of time in Verona. It didn't get boring but we were ready to move on by the end of 4 days. There are beautiful churches (almost museums themselves), walk along the river, see a play in the colosseum, and just wander around. We enjoyed it! We probably saw 3 weddings in progress, and that was fun!

Just a cute story: we were trying to get food to go to take to our daughter, and no one around had a to go menu nor did they seem to understand what we were wanting. We finally went to a deli style place and they guy spoke English. We explained that we needed food for our daughter and he just said, " I take care of it" and he made us the most amazing sandwiches with soft brie cheese. He saw us the next day and asked if we like the sandwiches and my husband being a distance away from him, gave him the American "OK" signal enthusiastically. He then gave us back a huge smile and a big "OK" signal back. Later we learned that signal means "ass hole" in Italian!

We found the people very, very nice. We had to get food to take to our daughter many times and the people were very helpful and someone even went to the pharmacy with us to help us get her medication.

Like any city, even though it is small, get out of the main drag onto the side streets to enjoy a more local experience.

Google Verona Card - it includes nearly all the sights in Verona. I found it had a very nice vibe in the evenings and the Arena is a wow in the late afternoon sun.

Whether you spend much or any time in any of the towns I named depends on the timing of your flight from Paris and your inclination. Florence is certainly worth 1-2 nights. Bologna is too. Or you could take a bus from the Bologna airport straight to Ferrara and spend 1-2 nights there. Or Verona. Italy is your oyster :-)

a little update for all you helpful travelers!

I think we have decided to cut CT out and proceed

London (4 nights) May 17-21
Paris (6 nights) May 21- 27 ( fly to Venice)
Venice (4 nights) May 27 - May 31
Santorini (4 nights) May 31- June 4 (fly to rome 2 hr nonstop)
Rome (5 nights) June 4-home (may do day trips like to Florence or Amalfi Coast

We just were not sure if we should take a day from Paris to do a trip over to Annecy or Colmar and then travel onwards to Venice from one of those eastern France locations?

I think your trip sounds perfect! It is a nice relaxed pace where you'll get a great feel for the city, it will be romantic, and a great honeymoon. I would keep it as is and forget other parts of France for this trip.

Wow, congratulations, it has been a long and exhausting journey to get to your final plan. I don't think your actual trip will be as difficult.
Whilst most people would not be keen on so much flying, it does allow you to cover some territory and enjoy a range of diverse destinations, all with great honeymoon qualities. Make sure you are on top of all of your flight details - checkin cut off times and baggage allowances (both cabin and hold).
I think a 90 minute train time from Rome to Florence means a day trip would be well worth it in your case. However, to allow for flexibility (in case of inclement weather) I wouldn't pre book this if I was you, just buy a ticket on the day. The station ticket kiosks in Italy are very easy to use - just make sure you get an early start to get the most from your day.
Have a great honeymoon.

For my Venice stay of 4 days does anyone recommend I maybe consider doing day trips from here. Maybe 1 or 2 . On May 30-31?

I am wondering because if 4 days in actually st marks is too long. I can make it 2-3 full days in st marks and check out and into Venice mainland (15 mins from airport) and do a day trip from there.

This will allow me to get to Marco Polo airport easily by taxi for my santorini flight may 31st 530am. Making it also easier to go from the mainland to any day trip location as I don't have to travel from st marks all the way to whatever destination we decide on.

I am not trying to make my schedule confusing :) but simply planning ahead for my Airbnb booking in st marks. It's always difficult to cancel after we change our plans as they take all my $$$ :(

Some consider it a day trip and others don't. Going out to the islands of Murano and Burano can use at least 3/4 of a day depending on how long you tarry at each. Verona is a solid all day trip as is Padua. Do some research using several guide books and google and see what you think.

With a 5.30am flight I would definitely stay at the airport for the evening of 30 May.
Here perhaps .... http://www.anniaparkhotel.it/
Store your luggage at your Venice hotel and transfer across in the early evening, giving you time for afternoon sightseeing in Venice.

hi helpful travelers :)

Things are coming along nicely! And most things are booked.

I just needed some helpful reminders so I can start booking tickets for things that usually sell out.

I will be booking for my Harry Potter tour soon.
Is there anything in Paris, Venice, Santorini, and Rome I need to book or hurry up or schedule?

I know there are all these museum passes as well. I am hoping for Paris to go to Versailles, Rouen, Fontainebleau, and Colmar is in the works but tickets are not for sale this far ahead.

If you are in Paris for 5, or maybe you changed it to 6 nights that will be closer to 4- 5 days, and you plan to leave Paris to see Versailles, Rouen, Fontainebleau, and maybe Colmar? There is a lot to see in Paris. You might want to limit the time you leave Paris. It is a beautiful, magical city and very romantic for a honeymoon.

Would it be more wise to keep Paris at 6 or even spend the 7th day in Colmar (?) and make Venice 3 nights may 28-31 leaving 31st in the early AM.

I get the impression Venice is small :). And it seemed doable in 3 days. Or maybe I am misinformed

@ latemypanda....Doing a day trip Paris to Fontainebleau you can decide on that at the spur of the moment or the day before to get the ticket. You're taking a regional train to Fontainebleau, no reservations are possible on the TER trains. . Of the places you listed above as possible excursions, the most feasible time wise are # 1 Versailles and #2 Fontainebleau. Choosing just between the two is a hard call.

It's basically a matter of priorities in that which are you most desperate in visiting based on your interests in history. If you're into Napoleon and that history, then it's Fontainebleau, where you can see the room and desk in which he signed his first abdication in April 1814, the court yard where he said farewell to the Guard, etc. There is also the Napoleonic Museum within walking distance from the chateau. If you're interested in Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, the Paris Peace Conference after WW1, etc, etc, then choose Versailles. Both Versailles and Fontainebleau have lovely gardens. Expect tons of people at Versailles, far fewer at Fountainebleau, at least the times I was there in the summer.

Three nights in Venice is perfect, I think.

Pre-purchased tickets for Rome: Scavi Tour and Borghese Gallery. If those interest you.