August 08 Honeymoon- Cinque Terra or Lake Como?

It's the worst month to go, re the crowds--but what are you gonna do, that's when you're getting married. Both locations will be really crowded then.

We were in both places in July of this past summer and found the Cinque Terre crowded but Lake Como wonderfully uncrowded. We stayed in Varenna at Lake Como and enjoyed many quiet moments just to ourselves...and our 13 year old. Romantic huh? In the Cinque Terre we stayed in Vernazza and loved it but it was quite crowded.

My vote...Lake Como. You might even run into George Clooney!

If you are looking for the least crowded place, Lake Como would be a better choice. The Cinque Terre is packed with tourists. I loved the Cinque Terre the first time that I visited it in the early 90s. However, when I was there last year I was disappointed at how crowded it had become. This is one of the downsides of Rick Steves popularity. It is still a lovely place, but you won't have a moment to yourself.

No question for a honeymoon its Lake Como espec Varenna.

We'll be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this summer, and we're going to Como. We'll be there at the end of June, so if you like, I can email you when we return and tell you how it was?

I'll make this pitch:

The Northern Italian lakes are centuries old resort areas. They have hotels and restaurants to cater to your most romantic hopes. You can choose from orchestras on the patio to idyllic boat rides on a sun dappled lake. If you love Maxfield Parrish paintings, go there.

The Cinque Terre is beautiful but as you find it. The romanticism comes from the scenery. The restaurants and hotels have sprouted only in the last 20 years or so, due to Rick's advocacy. So you'll find "typical" dishes.

I spent 2 glorious days in Cinque Terre in September of this year. We (my best friend and I) stayed in Manarola. I love Cinque Terre, but it was pretty crowded, so I'd imagine that August would be even more crowded.

I've never been to Como, but I would suggest going there. Cinque Terre was a perfect fit for me, but I wasn't on my honeymoon, either!

No matter what, spending your honeymoon in Italy will be amazing - enjoy!

Good luck and congratulations!

For a Honeymoon trip I recommend go to Lake Maggiore. It is more romantic than Lake Como. The best town for overnight accomodation is at the west side of Lake Maggiore, north of Stressa, near the border of Switzerland. Busses go between that town and Stressa. I forget the name of the town. I will look for the name of that town, and post it here, later today.

I've been to both places recently and also to Cinque Terre a number of years ago. I agree that CT is MUCH more crowded now than before, but if you like to hike and be mobile, CT would be better than Lake Como. If you want to take boat trips, enjoy scenery and generally just hang around a beautiful place, go to Lake Como. And if you do, try to book the Luna de Miele (honeymoon) special mentioned in Rick's book (can't remember the name of the restaurant). We ate dinner there one night and the food and view were terrific. Although we couldn't get the honeymoon special (already booked out), we thought the dinner was magnificent. Also, if you're at Lake Como you can take the train to Switzerland for a little scenic variety if you want. Cinque Terre is also beautiful but full of tourists with walking/hiking agendas.

Hello again, Andrea. I recommend go to the west side of Lake Maggiore to the town Cannobio. Its tourist office is on the internet : www.connoblio.net
An inexpensive hotel there is Antica Stallera : www.anticastallera.com And other hotels there are more luxurious. A good restaurant there is Lo Scalo located at the lakefront opposite the ferry port. It is expensive. Lower prices are at Osteria La Streccia. Read about Cannobio and Stressa and Lake Maggiore in the Lonely Planet book on ITALY, and The ROUGH guide to ITALY.