Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre - Honeymoon

It's not an easy choice, since both are nice places to visit.

A total of just 3 nights on the Amalfi Coast is however a short time. 3 nights is just 2 full days, and getting in and out of the Amalfi Coast coming from Rome is time consuming. You need at least a full day for the Amalfi coast (Positano and Amalfi at a minimum), another full day for an excursion to Capri, then you need some time for Pompeii, Sorrento, Naples, and even the other islands (Procida, Ischia). That area can easily keep you busy for a week.

The Cinque Terre are very pretty, and three nights would be sufficient, since don't have a lot to offer other than idyllic fishermen's villages and hiking along the coastal vineyards. The Cinque Terre are also more accessible by rail from Rome than the Amalfi coast (the latter requires a bus, since there is no rail along the Amalfi coast).

Moral of the story, if I were in your shoes, I would choose the Amalfi Coast if I had at least 4 nights, but I would probably choose the Cinque Terre if all I had is 2 or 3 nights.

If you decide on the Cinque Terre it doesn't matter if you do a counterclockwise loop (Rome>Florence>Cinque Terre>Rome) or if you do it the opposite way (Rome>Cinque Terre>Florence>Rome).

Hi Melanie,

Time is the most important factor you should consider. Naturally, cost is important, but you can use a credit card for more money if push comes to shove, but you can't get more time.

With that said, if this were my trip and my honeymoon, I would use something like the following itinerary:

Fly into Florence (if possible) and immediately take train to the Cinque Terre and stay 3 nights.
This will allow you to unwind, get over jet lag, and get used to a softer Italy - as your other destinations are going to be hectic.
A couple of months ago my wife and I flew in to Rome and took the train directly to Vernazza, CT (I had made the reservations many months in advance and didn't know at the time that we could have done an open-jaw flight, but to change the reservations would have been cost prohibitive or I definitely would have flown into Florence and out of Rome) Atlanta to CT all at once was a LOT of traveling, but I'm really glad we pushed through and got it out of the way.

Day 4 morning: Take train back to Florence for 3 nights (Be sure to get the firenze card, it is well worth its price as it covers admission for almost everything and you won't wait in lines (saving time). This is back-tracking, but you won't mind after you've chilled in the CT.

Day 7 morning: Take train to Rome, stay 3 nights.

Day 10: Fly out of Rome

2 alternate plans would be to fly in to Milan and go directly to CT, then Florence, then Rome. Or, Fly in to Florence, stay there three nights, then train to CT, then train to Rome. But for me, I would REALLY want to be in the CT on the first few days of my honeymoon. It's so romantic and relaxing. Best to go before you get the knots in your neck from wrestling with Florence and Rome. Just my humble opinion.

As for the Amalfi Coast, we didn't like it nearly as much as CT. We felt we needed to watch our belongings more closely (like was necessary in Rome). Whereas in the Cinque Terre, we were totally relaxed and felt safe everywhere we went. Remember, the farther south you go the more charged it becomes. It's true for the hustle-n-bustle, rapid fire lifestyle, but unfortunately it's also true for crime.

Another vote for Cinque Terre. Both are lovely, but given your time restraint, I would choose CT. It's your honeymoon, you should be enjoying yourself and relaxing, not spending a lot of time on a train travelling. Go to Amalfi next time. Congratulations!

Melanie,

First of all, congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!

Regarding your questions.....

Yes, this topic has been discussed here on the forum many times, and most of the group have definite opinions on each of those locations. Strictly from a logistical point-of-view, the Cinque Terre would make more sense with your Itinerary as it's easier to get to and transportation is very simple. The Amalfi Coast tends to be more posh and "glitzy" (and transportation is not always as easy) while the Cinque Terre is more informal and relaxing, a place where you can either sightsee, hike or just enjoy the occasion (and also a great place to enjoy Pesto in the area where it was invented). There are similarly strong opinions about which of the five Cinque Terre towns to stay in (my personal preference is Monterosso, but I'll offer another suggestion below).

Just to clarify a couple of points, you there are no flights that specifically go to the Cinque Terre. It's an easy hop from Florence and not all that far, so a flight would be ludicrous. Similarly, flights from Florence to Rome wouldn't be prudent as it's only a 90 minute trip via high speed train.

I'm assuming this is your first trip to Italy, and if so I would highly recommend buying and packing along a copy of the RS Italy 2016 guidebook as soon as it's available, as it will be a tremendously valuable resource in planning your trip and helping things to go smoothly.

Here are a couple of possibilities for you to consider.....

Option 1:
- Flight to Florence; 3 nights
- Train to Cinque Terre (whichever town you want); 3 nights
- Train to Rome; 3-4 nights

Option 2:
- Flight to Rome; train to Naples; private car to Sorrento; 3 nights
- Train to Florence; 3 nights
- Train to Rome: 3-4 nights

There are numerous other options possible with the places you want to visit. Which locations and order to choose will likely come down to the easiest and cheapest flights that you can find. I'm not overly familiar with flight options from Pittsburgh but I'm sure one of the others in the group will be able to provide some good suggestions.

If you decide to stay in the Cinque Terre and your budget will allow, I would highly recommend La Torretta as it's a perfect place to celebrate Luna di Miele (but not cheap). If you have room for a splurge in one location, this would be it. If you want hotel suggestions for Monterosso, post another note. One other point to mention is that Monterosso has the best beaches of the five towns.

One final but important suggestion to mention about accommodations in the Cinque Terre - BOOK EARLY! Once your dates are finalized, book as soon as possible! Note that many places are closed between Dec. - Feb. so you may not get an immediate reply.

Good luck with your planning!

Roberto makes the case for Cinque Terre extremely well, and you won't find argument from me with anything he says. My only thought might be the option to squeeze in a 'one nighter' in Lucca, either coming or going to CT. However, given it will be your honeymoon, I think that 3 nights of leisure in one spot would be preferred.
It leaves the Amalfi Coast and Venice as locations for future anniversary trips !!

Just throwin' this out for your consideration.

In the past month or so, more than one person has reported that the Cinque Terre were very crowded with tourists, even well into October and not as charming as when Rick first discovered them. That may be your experience too since the area is small and, as everyone has noted, easier to get to than the Amalfi Coast.

I fell in love with Sorrento - in February, in the rain, but I agree it's too far for the short time you have.

Soooo, I would consider other alternatives. If you want water, how about one of the lakes? I haven't been to any yet, but I've read lots of glowing trip reports. (Maybe Como, if you fly into Milan) Venice is the most romantic place I can think of and a perfect place to start a trip to Italy, if you can fly in there. It has lots of water!

If you forgo the water, Assisi and/or Orvieto is a good route between Florence and Rome. How about Rome first, then Florence, then 3 nights split between Assisi and Orvieto (1/2 or 2/1) and train from Orvieto to Termini to Fiumicino. Both towns are quieter than the big cities, with beautiful vistas of the Umbrian hillsides. Added bonus - cheaper lodging.