Honeymoon/First Trip to Italy - Destination Advice Needed!

Well, I think your Venice option is the best. There isn't a more romantic city in the world in which to spend a honeymoon. Congratulations by the way.

Geneva isn't bad either. My wife and I flew into Geneva, spent a couple of days and then drove through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy. Fun stuff. But that doesn't put you anywhere you want to be unless it is a lake, like Lake Como or Maggiore.

Nope, I would train straight to Venice from Geneva, spend four nights and head back to Geneva. Cinque Terre is a great place but Venice is better. It will be hot in July, no matter where you go.

have fun

Option 1 is TOO much running around

I have not been to France so have no way to comment on Option 3, but it looks to minimize unnecessary travel and CT is a nice bit of natural Italy....

I think Option 2 is excellent way to truly enjoy Venice and if the mood moves you to do a day trip. If you do a day trip to Florence, think about making it an over-nighter.

There is plenty to do in Rome, without going to a museum everyday.

With the limited time you have, I suggest picking one place for a base and seeing what day trip(s) you might want to do.

Given that you only have one week, I think option 2, staying in Venice, with day trips is best. I personally love Cinque Terre, and could spend several days there, but most people here get bored in CT after a couple of days. Venice has much more to do, and Florence is a great option for art and architecture.
Congratulations and enjoy your trip!

Thanks for all the input so far! I think I can safely say we have eliminated option 1 because it involves too many travel days.

After looking at logistics, I realized another option would be to spend 5 days along the Amalfi Coast and then fly Naples ---> Geneva and spend 2 days in Annecy, France before leaving. Would everyone still recommend Venice (option 2) with this new option now in the mix?

Also, in regard to Venice... I know summer is a particularly busy and tourist-packed time (as it is in most of Italy). Are we going to feel like we never get away from the giant crowds if we are in Venice most of the trip? Are the crowds more manageable if you're wandering the side streets or is it going to be really bad everywhere?

Thanks!

OK, back again. Apparently you are worried Venice will be too busy. Might be but I think it depends on where you stay and where you visit. But then, the Amalfi Coast won't be tourist free either. The Amalfi Coast is similar to 5 Terre but the beaches are rock instead of sand. We spent a week in Positano and did quite a lot, more than we would have in 5 Terre. Day trips to Amalfi, Sorrento, Capri, and Revello. Transport can be a challenge and it will be busy.

So, pick your poison. It's Italy, anywhere is good.

Once you get off the main tourist spots in Venice you will lose the crowds. Many people come in off cruise ships so they have limited time and don't wander off the beaten path. It will be less busy in the mornings and evenings because people will be back on the cruise ship.

Murano/Burano/Torcello can all be done in a single day trip. Another day trip option would be Verona which is about 1.5 hours away, a little closer than Florence. If you plan on taking multiple day trips by train, I would consider staying in a location in Venice that is closer to the train station as it can take some time to get around Venice.

With only one week, you could do:

Venice and Florence - for the art and romance. And maybe a day trip by train to Lucca if you desired.

Venice and Lake Como - the lake region is phenomenally beautiful and not as far as the Amalfi Coast or even Cinque Terre

Your original option # 2 is still the best in my opinion. Venice in the early morning and late afternoon / evening before the day trippers arrive and after they leave is a great place. Just a five to seven minute walk off the beaten path will eliminate being in the most crowded areas.

I agree with Venice and day trips. You can skip the crowds like the others have said. Visit the main sites early before the crowds show up. When the crowds arrive, step a block or two off the main tourist areas the crowd melts away.

Well Venice it is! Thank you for all the responses - I really really appreciate it. We may try to sneak a quick 2 day, 1 night trip to Florence in, and also visit Murano and Burano. July can't come soon enough!

Venice in July. Ugh......Hot, humid, mosquitos and crowded! No thank you.

I like your Amalfi Coast option. There or Lake Como would be my number one honeymoon options. You could fly to Milan then head to Bellagio and then still do the Lake Annecy segment of the trip. But if it was me, I would head straight to Ravello and spend the entire time there.

Not trying to be overly critical, but flying into Geneva if you want to go to Italy does not sound like the best choice. I am not too keen on the idea of Italy in July, it will be miserably hot. (But it sounds as if you are set on it). Canals in Venice may be very smelly in July, but based upon you preferences option 2 could be a winner. Rome was uncomfortably hot when I was there in late October 2016. Staying in Venice for a week will eat up your savings from flying into Geneva very quickly. Don't get fixated on Cinque Terre, it was nice when my wife and visited in 2007 but not so nice I would go there instead of Venice, Florence, or Rome. Flying into Geneva you might actually have a nicer time in Annecy and Chamonix, which might be slightly less overrun with tourists that time of year. Lyon is also accessible from Geneva. I have always heard that Geneva itself is somewhat boring but I am sure it has something to offer. In Switzerland Bern and Lausanne seem much more appealing to me. I have not been to Switzerland at all, but have researched it a bit.

I support the Venice option, but I suggest you divide it. Start with 3 days on the Lido (or perhaps somewhere on the beach between Lido di Jesolo and Punta Sabbioni) to relax on the beach; then the rest of the time in Venice proper. I suggest you stay east of San Marco to avoid most of the crowds. Visit the center in the morning and the evening. Spend the middle of the days in Murano, Burano (my favorite), etc.

Visit San Marco in the evening after dinner to enjoy the music. Sit down for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine - but check the prices first.

See http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/ for more advice.

I loved Venice, but 2 nights was plenty for us. If you don't want to run around and just have a week, I'd do the following options.

1. 2 nights Venice and the rest Rome or Florence.

2. 4 nights Rome or Florence, the rest on Amalfi Coast.

I also agree in July the canals in Venice might smell and lots of mosquitos, so plan on that. We would have been terribly bored spending too much time there, but that's subjective.

I'll be the dissenter on the Amalfi as it's a long way from Geneva/Venice with only a week in total to spend. IMHO, it would make more sense to do that one in combination with Rome on another trip, unless you scrapped Venice/Florence and substituted Rome and the Amalfi on this one instead?

Absolutely a possibility: fly from Geneva to Naples and train to the coast. Train back to Rome for a few days and fly to Geneva and home from there.

But if Venice is #1 on your list, even with the heat (it'll be hot in all of the Italian destinations on the wish list) I'd go for just hunkering down there taking day trips. Even if taking a fair amount of those, it won't feel as 'busy' as having to pack up and settle into a different destination. It also allows for greater flexibility to shuffle your activities by what you feel (or not) like doing on any given day.

That said, you could go directly to Florence from Geneva on the 4th, spend the nights of the 4th -6th, and head to Venice on the morning of the 7th. That would give you 2 full days in Florence and 4.5 in Venice. Or do it the other way round and go to Venice first. You could cut Florence down to just two nights but as it would be either your first destination after a long flight or the last before a long one home, I think 3 nights/2 full days will allow you more relaxed wander time. It's also a very different city than Venice so you'd get a look at another piece of Italy.

What about something like ....

July
04. Arrive Geneva. Catch a Milan train* to Stresa on Lake Maggiore (2N)
06. Train via Milan to Verona (2N)
08. Train to Venice (3N)
11. Fly** to Geneva (1N)
12. Depart Geneva

*EC 39
Dep 13:39 GENEVE (Switzerland)
Arr 16:38 STRESA (Italy)

**Easyjet EZY3325
Departs Venice 15:20
Arrives Geneva 16:35