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14 Day Honeymoon Italy in June, Please HELP, Coming Up!

My fiancé and I can't decide, we are very indecisive, and we want to do everything, but we know we need to limit it. I've been to Rome, Venice, Tuscany, and Florence. She's never been anywhere in Europe. We want the perfect balance of sightseeing, and relaxing...as it is a Honeymoon. We have about 16 days. I need help, as I keep going back and forth. I want to take her to Rome, Venice, Amalfi Coast....what would be a good itinerary for this...and can I add in Cinqe Terre or Florence, or too much for one or both?

Posted by
81 posts

Why don't you start out with Venice, then move down through Liguria (cinque terre) and then Tuscany, Rome, then you can take a few more days off on the Amalfi coast. I can help you planning it better, but I need you to be more precise, like when you're getting in and leaving. Consider you need 2 nights in Venice, 2 in cinque terre (remember it's changed a lot since there was heavy rain last year that ruined a lot, especially Vernazza which just reopened), 2 nights in Florence, 3/4 nights in Rome (I can give you a map of a bike tour I organized for my family last time we were there which we loved, you can see everything really easily). Then you can spend the rest of the time on the Amalfi coast relaxing.

Posted by
10177 posts

I like to consider how many nights I will spend in each place, not how many days. Remember that 2 nights equals only one full day. Also consider the time it takes to travel between locations. Not just the train time, but getting to the station, then getting from the next station to your hotel. You mentioned having both 16 days and 14 days. Which is it? Have you purchased your airline tickets? It is best to fly 'open jaw'. That is when you fly into one airport and out of another. With 2 weeks it would be doable to see Venice, Florence/Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi Coast. With already planning a coastal experience I wouldn't add the Cinque Terre in. Minimize your travel time and maximize your experiences.

Posted by
381 posts

It is alot for the amount of time. We had the same situation and finally decided we wouldn't try to do too much in one trip but plan to return. In our first trip we went to Rome, Florence and the Amalfi coast. We are going back in May to do Venice, Lake Como and Cinque Terre. I am very happy we did this. If you think you can make a second trip in the near future I would do what we did. I also liked in our first trip that we did the Amalfi coast last. it was a relaxing ending to the trip. Rome and Florence are more busy because there is so much to see. We like to stay in a place for serveral days and not move around all that much so I liked not doing half dozen places in one trip. But I would think you have a real tough choice. Rome and Florence are maginficient. Rome is my most favorite city in the world. But Lake Como is more of a honeymoon relaxing place from what I understand. Rome, Florece, venice and ending the trip with three days in Lake Como may not be a bad idea.

Posted by
32171 posts

Bryan, First of all, congratulations! Could you clarify a few points. First of all, have you booked flights yet? I'd suggest using open-jaw flights, inbound Venice and outbound Rome, however you could also depart from Naples if you can find flights to your area. Do you have 16-days total or is that strictly "touring time"? Keep in mind that you'll lose two days flying to and from Europe. Depending on your interests, you could perhaps stop for a day or so in Siena, on the way from Venice to Rome. Which city were you planning to stay in on the Amalfi Coast? If you haven't booked Hotels yet, it would be a good idea to get that done soon, as June isn't far away! Happy travels!

Posted by
11 posts

My tentative itinerary, please critique: Fly into Venice on June 1st 2012 Arrive June 2nd - Venice June 3rd - Venice June 4th - Train in the AM to Florence June 5th - Florence June 6th - Florence June 7th - Florence June 8th - Florence June 8th - Train to Rome June 9th - Rome June 10th - Rome June 11th - Rome June 12th - Train to Naples to explore Amalfi June 13th - Amalfi June 14th - Amalfi June 15th - Amalfi June 16th - Amalfi
June 17h - Fly back Home from Rome or, the other idea............. Fly into Rome for 4 days, go to Amalfi for 4 days, fly over to Spain and spend 7 days in San Sebastian, or Barcelona

Posted by
32171 posts

Bryan, Either the Italy-only or Italy & Spain options would be good. However, with such a short time frame I'd be leaning towards the Italy-only option, as the trip to Spain will require much of a full travel day. I definitely agree with the others that dropping one or two days in Florence would be good. If you do that, you'll still have 2.5 days there, and with careful planning that should be adequate (unless you're a huge fan of Renaissance art). You could use the extra days for a short visit to the Cinque Terre, Siena, Orvieto or other locations. I also agree with Chani that Sorrento would be a good "home base" for exploring the Amalfi Coast. From there you can take the boat to Capri, Bus to Positano, Ravello or Amalfi and of course Circumvesuviana to Pompeii and Herculaneum. There are some great Hotels and restaurants in Sorrento, and it's a beautiful city. Be sure to try the local Limoncello! Cheers!

Posted by
11247 posts

I like your last post of Venice to AMalfi Coast, thru Florence and Rome, but I think it is too much Florence and not enough in Venice and Rome. Steal two nights from Florence and add one each to Rome and Venice. The AC will be a nice way to end your trip, and Venice is perfect for starting out. Stay in Italy this trip. An added flight to Spain is just more stress, IMHO. In Venice, the trip to the islands is nice. Everyone goes to Murano, and I would suggest that too, but continue on to Burano and Torcello. There's a lovely restaurant on Torcello where you could have a relaxing lunch.

Posted by
15560 posts

I like your itinerary, but I would shorten the time in Florence and add it to Venice. Romantic Venice is a great place to start a trip, spend your first day just soaking up the atmosphere, getting over the jetlag, and relaxing after the long flight. Then another 2 days to explore and enjoy. Unless you are huge fans of Renaissance art, 2 full days in Florence is enough to see the highlights. Florence has great art, but not much atmosphere. Amalfi coast - so romantic. Consider ping the Cinque Terre in favor of the AC. I'm just thinking that it's a half-day of traveling to get there and the AC gives you somewhat the same experience: coastal towns, sea views, etc.