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Honeymoon & first trip to Italy

Hello, I'm planning on visiting Italy for 2 weeks in September or October on my honeymoon. It's out first time there so of course want to see it all. I know that's impossible, so looking for suggestions. We'd like to go to Rome to the colosseum, Vatican. Is that possible in a day or two? We'd like to spend more time in Tuscany. Other places we'd like to go, Venice, Florence, cinque terre, Naples and Amalfi coast. Is that too ambitious? If not, is it best to take the train or rent a car or both? I've always said I want to eat my way through Italy, so suggestions for places to eat in each city/town would be great. And of course, great wine! We would love to take a cooking class too. Thanks, I know it's a lot..lol

Posted by
7209 posts

Of course you want to see it all...doesn't everybody? You can make your itinerary a bit more do-able if you'll fly INTO one city - like Venice, and OUT of another city like Naples. That eliminates a lot of backtracking.

If you're going to the Amalfi Coast then why not axe the Cinque Terre? It's an OK destination but definitely not of the the "must sees" in Italy.

Yes you can do Colloseum and Vatican on the same day.

Big cities on your destination like Venice, Rome, Florence, Naples are all connected very easily by high speed trains...so you'll only need a car if you actually want to see Tuscany.

Posted by
15677 posts

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, Mimi!

Is your wish list too ambitious? Unfortunately, yes. Rome, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, the CT, Venice, Florence (which is the capitol of Tuscany) + other locations in Tuscany is just much too much in 14 days. You'd expend more time in transport between locations, packing, unpacking, checking in and out hotels, etc. than sightseeing. You'll end up exhausted from running from one place to the next, and frustrated with trying to work with a very, very tight itinerary.

I'd pick no more than 4 locations, and think about a day trip or two from a couple of those bases.

Rome: IMHO it take two days to do the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine (all three are on the same ticket) and the Vatican (museums and basilica) in Rome, and there's much, much more to that city than just those attractions.

Take the trains: they're the most convenient method of transport from city-to-city - especially for a first-timer - and eliminate a host of issues that come with car rental. The one exception where a vehicle can be a bonus is for exploring the Tuscan countryside (but not Florence) but there are also any number of small towns in the region which can be reached by rail, and can't be driven into anyway (mostly pedestrianized).

Posted by
32505 posts

Congratulations on picking Valentine's Day to plan your Honeymoon!! I hope you are both together just dreaming of how special it will be....

Yeah, I'm afraid it is too much...

It might be worth seeing which honeymoon you both want most; do you want to see all the historic buildings and museums of Italy, or do you want to hunker down in a couple of romantic locations and honeymoon with wine, views, special food and cooking classes and each other's company, maybe in a villa in Tuscany and a place in Venice.

That is really two completely different honeymoons, each of which could easily take that two weeks. I don't think you can do them both.

Neither is right, neither is wrong, of course.

I agree that trying to do Cinque Terre at one end of the country, and a bit difficult to get to, and Amalfi Coast, at the other end of the country and even more difficult to get to is not practical in such a short time.

You say you want to go and do it all, but then wine food and classes come into it. What do you really want? What does he want?

Remember, you will always come back. Once hooked it is very hard to not get caught...

I've been to Italy every year for a decade and not scratched the surface.

BTW - other than a Tuscan Villa, I find it hard to imagine anywhere more romantic than a few days in Venice.

Posted by
8565 posts

Congratulations. You will LOVE Italy. Might I suggest, for your first visit ( you'll go back I promise) that you not rush things. In keeping with a more leisurely pace I'd use public transport and use their train system for the first part of your visit. Start in Rome (3 days), train to Florence ( 2days), then to Venice
( 3 days), then back to Milan, ( 2 days). Rent a car and drive back towards Rome for your flight home, stopping along the way. Enroute stay at my friend's well appointed and charming small home outside San Casciano dei Bagni. http://www.casalaginestra.com/. Then drop your car off in Chiusi and take the train back to Rome. Happy travels. Ciao.

Posted by
1149 posts

My 2 cents:

Fly to Venice 3 nights
Fast train to Florence 3 nights
Fast train to Rome 4 nights
Fast train to Naples, stay Sorrento 4 nights (visit Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano, Capri)
Fly out of Naples

14 nights, 4 city stays of reasonable duration to allow exploration of city or surrounding areas, reasonable train rides in between. You can add or subtract a day to adjust to your taste.

Posted by
32171 posts

mimi,

First of all, congratulations!

I definitely agree with the others that seeing all those places in a very short 14 day time far is far too ambitious. Does that time include your two flight days? Where are you flying from?

My suggestion would be to limit your trip to the area north of Rome this time, as that covers all the typical locations that most people consider when they think of Italy.

Perhaps something along these lines would work.....

  • Fly inbound Venice - 2 nights
  • Train to Florence - 4 nights (with possible day trips to Siena or Lucca, or day tours to wineries in other parts of Bella Toscana)
  • Trains to Cinque Terre - 3 nights (you'll need to decide which of the five towns you want to stay in - you may be ready for a slower pace by then, and this will provide you with an opportunity to not only enjoy the area and of course some great Pesto or seafood meals, but also "recharge your batteries" for the grand finale).
  • Trains to Rome - 4 nights (with possible day trips to the beautiful Umbrian hill town of Orvieto or perhaps even to Pompeii)

IMO, the Amalfi Coast and the area south of Rome is best left for another visit, when you have time to see it at a more relaxed pace. The transportation in the south is not as well developed as in the north, so it takes longer to get around.

Whatever you choose, the details can be worked out once you've decided on where you want to visit. Using trains (especially the high speed trains) is the quickest and most efficient method to get from one place to another. However, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of with trains and other public transit in Italy, so you'll need to be aware of those (rental cars also have potentially expensive "caveats").

I'd highly recommend having a look at the RS Italy 2016 guidebook, as there's an enormous amount of information there that will help your trip go smoothly. That includes hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, transportation, etc. For example, some Museums are closed one day per week, and the guidebook includes details like that, as well as admission costs and suggestions on ways to beat the huge queues that are typical at some locations.

If this is your first trip to Europe, having a look at Europe Through The Back Door would also be a good idea. If you haven't visited Europe before, you'll need to give some thought to things like Plug Adaptors, charging electronic gadgets, Money Belts, notifying all your banks prior to travel, etc.

Posted by
2 posts

This is great info, thanks! Unfortunately my fiancé is traveling for work so we aren't together on Valentine's Day. That's ok, we'll have many more. A romantic, views, food and wine honeymoon sounds good to me. So a villa in Tuscany sounds wonderful!! The only request he had was seeing the colosseum. I figured whe in Rome you have to see the Vatican. If it weren't for him, I might skip Rome. So taking that info into consideration, do all the previous suggestions stay the same? i didn't know about cinque terre until I started researching. It sounded quiet, pretty and relaxing. Should we skip it though? We will be flying out of Boston, haven't booked flights yet. I will definitely read the guidebook. I have traveled in Europe before. Never used a money belt. I'm assuming pick pockets are more abundant in the cities?

Posted by
32171 posts

mimi,

You can encounter pickpockets anywhere, but especially in the larger cities.

I wouldn't skip the Cinque Terre, for the reasons I mentioned previously. The towns can be crowded during the day time due to cruise ship groups, but I still think it's worth a visit. I always stay in Monterosso as it's the largest town and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities, as well as the best beaches.

I'd suggest using open-jaw flights, for example inbound Venice and outbound Rome. You'll have to check the prices for that from Boston.

Posted by
4724 posts

Best wishes for the upcoming wedding. But considering the stress involved in most weddings, you really want rest, relaxation, and enjoyment on your honeymoon -- not unnecessary stress caused by trying to do it all / see it all on one trip. Suggest you fly into Venice, go to Florence, the Cinque Terre, and finish up in Rome. Going south of Rome will really be too much. The amount of time you spend in each place should be about evenly split between the cities. Just food for thought.

Posted by
7175 posts

We'd like to go to Rome - the Colosseum, Vatican. Is that possible in a day or two? We'd like to spend more time in Tuscany. Other places we'd like to go - Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Naples and Amalfi Coast. Is that too ambitious?

I would recommend ...
3 nights for Venice - with one day for San Marco and the Doge's Palace
4 nights for Florence (for Tuscany) - with one day to Siena, and another to the Tuscan countryside (Chianti ??)
4 nights for Sorrento (for Amalfi Coast) - with days to Capri, Positano, Pompeii + Naples
3 nights for Rome - with one day for St Peters and the Vatican

Posted by
15560 posts

First of all, October is better than September and mid-to late October at that. While you might see a little rain then, it's more likely to be warm and sunny, and not nearly as hot as September can be. The later you go, the fewer the crowds and prices on airfare and lodgings often drop a little. I think the fall colors are likely to begin in October - Tuscany should be lovely then.

Venice is the best place to start a trip. It's quiet, even when it's busy, and it's very easy to walk 5 minutes from the crowds and find yourselves alone on a romantic back canal. You can ride the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal, and watch the city slip by. Spend 3 nights, give yourselves time to absorb the atmosphere and get over the jetlag.

If you can fly out of Naples, that's better if you decide to go to the Amalfi coast. If you fly out of Rome, then you can either go from Florence to Naples/Sorrento or to the CT before ending your trip in Rome. People on the Forum are pretty much divided into those that love the CT and encourage people to visit, and those that think it's overrated and in recent years much too crowded to be enjoyable. I don't think anyone will tell you that it will be quiet and relaxing. It used to be off the beaten track but now it's a major cruise port stop.

From what you've written, I suggest you skip both the AC and the CT. Between Venice and Florence, you could spend a couple nights in charming Verona. Or base in Bologna - it's not a big tourist destination but it's the culinary capital of Italy. It's well connected by train, so you can easily day trip to small towns: Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna (incredibly beautiful, well-preserved 5th-6th century Byzantine churches and mosaics).

Florence is all about Renaissance art and architecture, especially sculpture. If you love it, you'll want 3 full days there. If not, you can see the highlights in a day. Then stay in Siena or rent a car and stay in an agriturismo to see more of Tuscany, maybe even a couple of days in Umbria (Orvieto) before ending in Rome.