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September Honeymoon - Germany and Italy

Posted by on

Hello all! We're planning a trip to Europe for our honeymoon mid-September and hoping for some itinerary advice. It is my fiance's first time to Europe, while I have only traveled to the Netherlands. We're planning on going around 10-12 days. We would like to hit some of Italy and Germany. From my research and friend's advice, we talked about flying into/out of Munich or Venice, probably an open jaw flight.

From Venice, we'd think about staying in Florence for several days and maybe taking a day trip or two from there (Tuscany, Cinque Terre, etc.). With Munich, we'll be traveling around the start of Oktoberfest. We aren't sure if we should be in town for that or go right before to try and miss the crowds, but still get the Hofbrauhaus experience. Also, what could be some good day trips from there or would it better to stay outside of Munich to cut costs?

We're open to other itinerary suggestions, but my fiance does not like to fly so we will be sticking with trains to do all of our major travel once in Europe. Thanks in advance!

Posted by
8129 posts

Seems easier to navigate by train if you start by flying into Florence as this will give you a base if you want to go over to Cinque Terre. Then taking the train to Venice for your stay and and then taking the train to Munich where you fly out.
Or reverse it Fly into Munich out of Florence
Here is a google map so you can see how this works
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Florence,+Italy/Cinque+Terre,+Localit%C3%A0+Serra+Mereti,+19015+Levanto+SP,+Italy/Florence,+Italy/Venice,+Italy/Munich,+Germany/@45.92776,10.967866,6z/data=!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x132a56a680d2d6ad:0x93d57917efc72a03!2m2!1d11.2558136!2d43.7695604!1m5!1m1!1s0x12d4edd04439fecd:0xfa8c05b678c72fc6!2m2!1d9.6248469!2d44.1741344!1m5!1m1!1s0x132a56a680d2d6ad:0x93d57917efc72a03!2m2!1d11.2558136!2d43.7695604!1m5!1m1!1s0x477eb1daf1d63d89:0x7ba3c6f0bd92102f!2m2!1d12.3155151!2d45.4408474!1m5!1m1!1s0x479e75f9a38c5fd9:0x10cb84a7db1987d!2m2!1d11.5819806!2d48.1351253!3e0?hl=en-US

Posted by
15773 posts

I would start in Venice for two reasons. Most important, Venice is a great place to get over jetlag and catch up on sleep (you won't get that much on an overnight flight), wandering the back canals, riding the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal, and just soaking up the atmosphere. It's slower and quieter than other places - just go 5-10 minutes away from the central tourist areas like Rialto Bridge and San Marco. The other reason is that most transatlantic flights leave Venice early in the morning and it's a long and/or expensive trip out to the airport. Also, I think Venice is very romantic - nice way to start a honeymoon.

Make a "test plan" now, because you are likely to be disappointed in how little time you'll actually have to sightsee and enjoy. 10-12 days is not a long trip. First of all, do you mean 10-12 nights in Europe or are you including 2 days of travel there and back? Flying open-jaw will often mean at least one plane change in one direction, maybe more, depending on the airline and where you live. Most people are not anywhere near full speed on their first day, and by the time you get through the airport and check in to your hotel, 1/2 the day may be gone anyway. Figure that 2 nights in a city means one full day, 3 nights = 2 days. . . Most of us will tell you that staying outside a city to cut costs is only worth it for a long stay. When you've only got a few days in a place, you don't want to spend hours commuting.

Phil posted this thread about an overnight train from Venice to Munich.

Posted by
8102 posts

Do not even think of going to Munich during the Oktoberfest. Hotels are very hard to find and some people book hotels 50 -100 miles away and take the train into the city for the fest.

Most of the fest is mid to late September.

I lived in Augsburg, Germany for four years and love Germany, but consider sticking with Italy for a short trip of 10-12 days.
You could hit Venice, Florence and Rome as well as side trips to Sienna, Cinque Terre and Pisa.

There is a high speed train that runs from Venice to Rome.

Posted by
12313 posts

Germany is beautiful in September. Oktoberfest starts on Sept. 16th, which is good if you want to see it. If so, it might be best to stay in Salzburg and train to the fest. There are closer places to stay but Salzburg is great for a honeymoon too. If you're iffy on Oktoberfest, I'd suggest skipping it, you can always go another time. If it's a top attraction for you, go.

I like October better for Italy because the weather gets nicer. I agree, however, with the earlier recommendation of Venice, Florence, Rome. It's a tighter itinerary for your trip and you don't have enough time to add a lot of extra travel. The three main cities are great visits and will make a nice honeymoon.

I'd probably skip Cinque Terra. It's nice for a break from a longer vacation but not especially wonderful on its own merits. If you want a side trip from Florence, I'd suggest a Tuscan hill town (Volterra, Montepulciano, Montalcino, etc.). I like Siena and San Gimignano too but I'm not sure either would be right for your trip. Orvietto, further south in Umbria, is right on the way to Rome and has a lot to offer.

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