Advice for honeymoon mid-late September (Cinque Terre, Rome, Venice, Florence)

First of all, congratulations! I would suggest ending your trip in Rome; you will have more flight options, and it'll probably be a little cheaper than flying out of Florence. If you can avoid a really early departure, your trip to the airport will be a little more peaceful.

Your instinct that you will be paying more for lodging in Venice is accurate. Definitely stay in Venice, not in Mestre. Also, 2 nights in Venice really only provides a little over a day to explore. That's not much time, and it would be nice if you could get another day. Depending on your interests, you might want to take a day away from Florence or Rome.

The RS guidebooks are good way of identifying neighborhoods to stay in and lodging. I also find the websites Eurocheapo and booking.com to be really useful.

You should go from Rome to Florence to Venice, for two reasons (in addition to what Sherry said):

1) This is a direct line, while Rome to Venice to Florence is backtracking, so it will use more time and money on the train, but for no added advantage.

2) Delta has a nonstop flight from Venice to JFK, which as an added bonus does not leave nearly as early as the flights involving connections. There is no nonstop flight from the US to Florence.

I agree that Rick Steves Italy will be the best single source of information, but of course you should look at other books as well.

Congratulations. The amount of days in each place is about right. You already got feedback on flights and best cities for bookends. It can be difficult to get out of Venice early in the morning to fly home so I would avoid Venice as a departure city. One of my favorite places to sleep is in Monterosso in the Cinque Terre instead of Vernazza. Both of those towns are my 2 favorites so you can't go wrong. Saying that I would check out Hotel Villa Steno in Monterosso. Most rooms have great views or I would request a balcony/patio. Venice will be your most expensive stop but when in Venice I would definitely take a gondola ride in the evening right before sunset. Also, enjoy a fancy overpriced drink in St. Marks square listening to the orchestras. Its worth it as a splurge.

To clarify my earlier reply: when Jenn said that flights leave from VCE early in the morning and it's hard to get there at that hour, I agree. But there are two nonstops from VCE to the US: on Delta from VCE to JFK, and on USAirways from VCE to PHL. These flights do not leave so early (right now, the flight to JFK leaves VCE at 1:10 PM, and the flight to PHL leaves at 11:35 AM). Therefore, if you can use one of these, leaving from Venice to the US is not hard.

Since the OP's username has "nyc" in it, I assumed she could use the JFK-bound Delta flight. But you know what they say about assumptions...

carolyn,

First of all, congratulations! A few thoughts and questions......

• As you're travelling in mid-late September, I'm assuming you've already bought your air tickets so the question of which airport to depart from isn't an issue. I'd suggest leaving your Itinerary as-is, as it's workable.
• Have you included your two flight days in the planning? Also, where are you travelling from?
• You could certainly stay in Vernazza, but for travel in September it would be a good idea to get some accommodations booked SOON (that applies to your other locations as well). Many of the lodgings in Vernazza don't provide breakfast, so you'll have to budget for that as well. That time-of-year is the "fall shoulder season" and I've found that it can still be busy in Europe! If you can't find anything in Vernazza, I'd suggest trying Monterosso as it's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other amenities and also the best beaches (IMO it would be perfect for a honeymoon).
• Your arrival day in Italy will be a long and tiring day, but the C.T. is a perfect location to recover from jet lag.
• Are you clear on the route from Rome to Pompeii?
• I'd suggest packing along a copy of the Italy Guidebook, as it will be an excellent resource to help plan your touring in the most efficient way.
• Have you travelled in Italy before? There are some potentially expensive "caveats" regarding use of public transit. If you need more information, post another note.

A few thoughts on your questions.....

1. Although your Itinerary involves a bit of backtracking, it looks reasonable.
2. Check the Guidebook for suggestions on lodgings in the C.T. and the other cities you're visiting. I could suggest a fantastic hotel in Monterosso, although it's a bit on the "high end" of the price scale and at this late date it's doubtful you'd be able to get a booking. You could certainly try, but you might have to increase your budget slightly. Favourite neighborhoods in Rome and Florence - I usually prefer to stay in the Termini station area in Rome, as it's so darn convenient for transportation. The same is true in Florence, as I usually like to stay within easy walking distance from Firenze SMN station. I don't use apartments, so can't provide any information on those.
3. US$ 200 is only about €147, so it might be an idea to increase your budget a bit. That's still "high season" in many parts of Italy, so room prices will be higher. For a honeymoon, I'd probably use the C.T. for the "splurge" location. The larger cities have far greater choice in accommodations, so it will be easier to find rooms in both the price range and location you prefer.

Buon Viaggio!

Went to Venice and Rome last summer, and am going to Cinque Terre this summer. We stayed at the Hotel Flora in Venice - I really loved it. Quaint, family run, great breakfast included. Sort of hard to find, but EVERYTHING is hard to find in Venice! Couldn't get Wifi in the room, had to go to the lobby, but for me I really couldn't have cared less about that. Other than that, big bathroom, comfy beds, cute courtyard, like I said - great.

Liked where we stayed in Rome, but not enough to recommend it, it was just average.

We are staying La Mala in Vernazza this summer, so I don't know if it'll be great, but the photos sure look amazing, and I've looked at lots of Trip Advisor reviews and people seem to have loved their stay there. It's expensive, 220 euros a night, but I found that to be kind of average for that area. It includes breakfast, but not at the hotel actually! Apparently you get vouchers to eat at restaurants for breakfast in nearby restaurants. Kind of fun I thought.

I would do more time in Venice taking away from Florence. We did 2 nights in Florence and saw the top 10-15 things to do (depending on which list you use) with extra time for shopping. You have to book Uffizi and Accademia (David) ahead of time if you want to see them. Everything is very close together so if you're organized you can see a lot quickly. I'd stay in the center where everything is. Also, Uffizi in currently under renovation so you won't see everything.

As for leisurely strolls...Venice was much better in my experience. You can get lost and enjoy the little streets and canals of Venice without people breathing down your back. In our experience Florence was very crowded everywhere and very hot/humid. Times Square on NYE on a frying pan...We missed the Venice breeze. Add the romantic dinners on the water and evening gondola rides...

Venice - stay close to San Marco square if you want to avoid walking far to center but don't mind crowds, close to a vaporetto (water bus) stop if you have a lot of luggage or far from both if you want to get away from it all.

We did apartments/B&Bs everywhere - they were most valuable in Venice and Cinque Terre, where just being there, having coffee, doing nothing is part of the experience. Florence and Rome are more running around to see everything so it's more convenience of location.

Lastly, Vernazza is absolutely gorgeous and it seems everyone stays there...partially due to Rick Steve's books I'm sure :). So it seems to be the most expensive of the five. You can splurge there if you want or stay in the other towns - it seems impossible to find a non gorgeous place in Cinque Terre.