Planning honeymoon in Europe October 2021

Congratulations

No one knows what the Covid situation will be like in October but we can guess what may happen when the schools return in September and unvaccinated children start mixing indoors. Infection numbers are more likely to rise than fall.

The advice from most of us based in Europe is to limit yourselves to just visiting one country, which will significantly reduce the chances of your trip being derailed due to Covid. Requirements as to testing, vaccination and quarantine can change with less than 48 hours notice. Flights are also cancelled at short notice.

You might get lucky with Greece in late October, but you could also get torrential rain. If you want beach weather, the only place I head for (almost) guaranteed good weather would be the Canary Islands. You may get lucky with southern Spain or Portugal…. I have given up holidaying in mainland Europe at this time of year due to the uncertainties over the weather.

Reflecting the above, I would stick to the U.K. - Scotland, Northumberland for rugged coastlines, castles and great walking, Durham and York for historical places and end in London.

You might want to consider Crete as it ticks most of your boxes, except for the dense urban experience; but you can spend a couple of days in Athens for that experience. Crete offers great beaches and friends who lived there were still swimming in October. I was there early to mid October and temps were in the high 20C range. The various gorges on the island offer interesting hikes, interesting ruins -Knossos and Phaestos for example. Varying styles of architecture - Venetian, Ottoman, stunning scenery, great food, wineries, a long and varied history. Is there any reason you have to fly back to the States from London? Athens offers direct flights to the States so you could book an open jaw ticket flying into London and out of Athens. You could do a week in Crete and spend a couple of days in Athens before heading home. The Rough Guide to Crete is an excellent source of information for Crete and lots of people on this forum can help with recommendations for things to do, hotels etc.

There’s often quite a difference in much of Europe between early October and late October/ early November weather wise. Things will change, but Greece and France are currently on the U.K.’s amber list for Covid.

Post by _____0295 above reported to webmaster.

N Furst, I'll echo what Jennifer said:

The advice from most of us based in Europe is to limit yourselves to
just visiting one country, which will significantly reduce the chances
of your trip being derailed due to Covid. Requirements as to testing,
vaccination and quarantine can change with less than 48 hours notice.
Flights are also cancelled at short notice.

You want your honeymoon to be relaxing and reasonably stress free, right? The less moving from country-to-country right now, the better; for all the reasons listed above. The flight situation, especially, has been sort of ugly, and with the virus numbers continuing to rise, new mandates could make country-jumping laborious to possibly impossible with little notice.

Please read the last three weeks of posts here on the Forum. Currently, if you go from the UK to Italy, you are subject to a five-day quarantine, for example. Each country has different rules for crossing borders regarding covid testing and any required quarantines.
I agree, stay with one country to simplify.
Also, have you checked the rules for non-residents marrying in a foreign county? Often it's easier to marry in the US, and just have a "ceremony" in the foreign country.
Good luck and congrats- this Forum is a good place to start your research!

Normally I would have different advice--for example, why should it matter so much what your fiance has been to the major sites if you wish to see Italian cities? And there is a lot more to Greece than swimming on islands. But the fact is, this fall is probably not the year for a multi-country trip with covid restrictions changing often. I have not been to Edinburgh yet, but I saw it on a tv show recently and noted how beautiful it was. I have been to London and Ireland in the fall, and it felt very romantic to me, as the weather was quite beautiful even when misty/cool. Ten days is not a lot to work with if wanting to hopscotch anyway, so I would at least consider seeing the cities of Scotland interspersed with some of its beautiful countryside. Congrats and best wishes!

"I think we are looking for a trip that has a good mixture of: off the beaten path treasures, places with stunning natural beauty, obviously romantic in essence. But we also want to see some grand european cities, explore some dense urban cityscapes, admir beautiful architecture, and do some regular tourist activities (museums, guided tours ect..)
We love wine/whiskey tasting, hiking, sailing, cooking/food, golfing, most outdoor activities, opera/ shows, shopping, and of course art and architecture. Lastly, we would like to explore and immerse ourselves in the local cultures of wherever we are ... definitely not looking for an American bubble experience."

Please put the England forum to work for you and create a post asking for their help in crafting a honeymoon experience based upon your described journey. I suspect the caring expertise of these folks will exceed your expectations.

Taking a deep dive into England will reduce travel stress, maximize honeymoon potential enjoyment and leave you craving for more travel enjoyment.

Congrats and may you be blessed with peace and tranquility throughout your lives.