Honeymoon in Italy-itinerary suggestions wanted!-Rome, CT, Sorrento

Kathy, First of all, congratulations! Regarding your travel plans, have you booked your flights yet? If not, I'd suggest using open-jaw flights, inbound to Milan and outbound Rome. I'd arrange the trip along these lines: > Arrive Milan - train to the Cinque Terre. This will be a bit of a long day after an international flight, but is certainly feasible. The trip from Milano Centrale to Monterosso is 2H:55M. This would be an ideal place to recover from jet lag! > Train to Rome. There's a direct train from La Spezia to Rome, so that's an easy trip. > Train to Naples and then Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Reverse that route for the trip back to Rome for your flight home. Spending the last night in Rome would probably be advisable. Alternatively, you could go directly from the C.T. to Sorrento and leave Rome for the grand finale. However, you'll need to allow the better part of a day for travel to Sorrento if you choose that option. I can suggest Hotels, but would highly recommend that you buy a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook, in either paper or E-book format. The paper version is available now. One point to note, especially with the Cinque Terre but also the other locations. I would strongly suggest that you book your Hotels VERY early. If you do want suggestions for Hotels, post another note. Happy travels!

Kathy What a great way to spend your honeymoon! I like PPs suggestions. I would also strongly consider open jaw, into Milan and out of Naples instead of Rome. The trip back to Rome incurs considerable time and you have to leave Sorrento a day early to get to Rome airport in time for your flight. Naple's airport can be reached by regular bus from the main Sorrento bus stop. Non stop I think. Naples connects with many major Europe international airports so that you do not add any additional connections to your trip. Have a wonderful time.
Bobbie

This is one of the few itinerary posts that isn't crazy. Three locations in two weeks will make for a great trip. I'd end in Rome.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!! I looked into open jaw tickets and well, it's about $800 more than round trip into Rome. With the cost of the wedding (ugh!!...even with keeping it small and low key, it's pretty darn expensive), I don't think I can justify the added expense. So...I'm actually thinking of scrapping Cinque Terre for a couple of reasons: 1) Distance - kind of out of the way from Rome/Sorrento and really would prefer to spend time chilling on a beach/in a cafe than on a train; and 2)Reviews - it seems as though it's a location people either love or hate...and frankly, there seems to be a lot of folks who really hated it! Was thinking of replacing Cinque Terre with Florence/Sienna. PLEASE let me know your thoughts/opinions...If Cinque Terre is a MUST see, then I'll spend the time getting there...if you think Florence and Sienna are better alternatives, then I'll probably go with that. HELP!!! (and this is a surprise honeymoon...my fiance has no idea where we are going, so I want to make it fantastic!! Thanks in advance for all of your assistance)

Kathy, Regarding the open-jaw tickets, don't forget to factor in the time and cost of returning to your starting point. I've found that even if they are a bit more expensive, using open-jaw tickets usually provides at least one more day of sightseeing time, and when all things are considered the cost is not that much different. Regarding the Cinque Terre, I'm definitely in the category as someone that loves the area. I was just there a few weeks ago, and even with the crowds it was absolutely one of the highlights of my trip. Whether to keep it on your list depends on what type of "experience" you're looking for at the beginning of your trip. One alternative would be to spend a few days in Varenna on Lago di Como. It's only about an hour from Milan and a perfect location for Luna di Miele and will be a great location to get over jet lag and begin your trip to Italy. If Clooney hasn't sold his Villa yet, perhaps he'll invite you for lunch? Visiting Florence and Siena would also be good, but again that will depend on your sightseeing preferences. You may enjoy reading This. Good luck with your planning!

Kathy, I'm one who didn't like the crowds in CT but liked the scenery so I think (very personally) its a good move. Open jaws should be about the same price. There are others here who do it regularly who can help you. Do not do it as 2 one way tickets, use multi-city.

For "open jaw" be sure that you're choosing "Multiple cities" and not two one-way tickets. That's a common mistake to make and could account for the much higher prices you're seeing. As for your itinerary, have you looked at a map of Italy? You've picked three points that are really spread out. Getting to CT from Rome, for example, would take quite some time. And maybe it's just me, but if I were doing my honeymoon in Italy I would HAVE to include Venice. Rome to Venice is an easy high-speed train trip. (Strangely enough, there are a few people who come to this website that think it's unacceptable to offer alternatives. We'll see if we get any responses like that below.) And FWIW, the CT and Sorrento will give you somewhat similar experiences to each other. Personally I would pick Sorrento over the CT which has gotten so crowded lately. As for what to do in those places, do get a copy of the RS Italy book at least. It will be the smartest money you spend on your vacation. Happy travels. (And congratulations.)

Hi Kathy, My husband and I just got back in September from a trip to Italy for our first anniversary. We did 2 weeks, and ended up spending 3 nights in Venice, 2 in CT, 2 in Lucca (Tuscany), 2 in Florence, and 5 in Rome (and we day tripped to Pompeii/Naples). Depending on what your interests are, we much prefered Venice, CT and Rome. Venice is amazing for romance, and it's such a unique place- we loved it and felt it was a great way to begin our trip. The CT is gorgeous. We did a boat tour and swam in the Mediterranean.... ahhh love. And Rome, is Rome. I'm happy we ended there- as it's intense, but there is so much history! We didn't much like Florence- but we are more "ruin" than "artsy" people. We probably wouldn't go back, but the shopping was great! If I were to plan our honeymoon, I'd probably go with Venice, CT and Rome.... maybe a villa is Tuscany. GL!

Congrats Kathy! Especially in light of what has happened in the CT the last couple of days, I would skip it on this trip. I agree with the comment about including Venice - it is a magical romantic city that would be perfect for part of a honeymoon. Therefore, my suggestion would be: Day 1: Fly into Venice Days 2-4: Venice Day 5: travel to Sorrento Days 6-9: Sorrento and environs Day 10: travel to Rome Days 11-14: Rome
Fly home from Rome

"Especially in light of what has happened in the CT the last couple of days, I would skip it on this trip." I disagree! What has occurred in the C.T. in the last couple of days would not deter me from visiting that area. In the same situation, I'd wait a month or so and then re-assess the situation. The trains should be running in a day or so, and I imagine they'll have the damage cleaned up very quickly. I would want to support their tourist businesses especially in light of what has happened. The ultimate decision on which places to visit will likely depend on which destinations best fit with the overall plan for the OP.

we really loved Rome (5 days), Venice (5 days), Monterosso Al Mare in CT (4 days)....but did not care for Florence (5 days). We just got back a wk ago. We are so sad about the damage in CT. It remains to be seen whether visiting some of these places is possible in the near future. Hiking and visiting beach was great. I'm 61 and travelled w 27 yr old daughter. We loved ruins, art, and architecture, but were "museumed out" by time we went to Florence and thought it was too dirty and crowded. I would not go back. If you can find some smaller towns to visit, it is such a good respite from bigger cities. Took day trip to Siena and loved that. If you can afford one of those day tours for wine and food in the tuscan towns, there are sev. recommended in this blog you could check out.
Friends recently visited Positano and hiked around there too; they loved it. With so much time in each place, we wandered a lot off the beaten path...even huge Rome can feel like a village in places if you do that.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions! We have been to Venice and the Dolomites (for skiing) previously, so I'm looking for new adventures for this trip. I have to say that I'm leaning towards replacing Cinque Terre with Tuscany. I went from only using public transportation to deciding we'll rent a car for just our Tuscany excursion in hopes that we'll reduce transportation time and give us an opportunity to spread our wings and explore a bit more....if nothing else, it will give us some more flexibility So here's the latest itinerary: Fly into Rome Rome - 3 nights Sorrento - 5 nights Siena - 5 nights
Fly out of Florence (thanks for the open jaw suggestion!! - I finally figured it out!) I decided to reduce our stay in Rome since I'm really looking for some romance and relaxation...not crazy city madness! Not a big museum/art fan, so Florence is out. Love to walk around, enjoy leisure days and lots of good food and wine...so hopefully this new itinerary will give us all of that..and more! So now I'll pose a new question - Is Siena a good base to explore Tuscany a bit? Any better suggestions? And if you had to pick 2 must see towns, what would they be??? THANKS for everyone's help!!!! Any/all suggestions are much appreciated!

I had a similar impression of Rome from everything I read but found out it is all over blown. I loved Rome and can't wait to go back. There is a ton of romance there along with everything else. I'd make it your longest stop.

Kathy:
Your second itinerary is good, too. It is always hard to know how long to stay in a place. I like to lay out a basic plan of the sites I want to see, then plot them out day by day in a spreadsheet, noting when they are open and closed. Then I start rearranging until I have a day plan I can live with, leaving (usually) a couple of hours open in the afternoon for a rest. That "open" time also allows flexibility shoudl we discover something new to explore. I'd suggest you do this for your 3 planned locations; Then you can see if 3 days in Rome is enough, or if 5 in Sorrento is too many. Sorrento is a good base for seeing the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Naples, of course. As to Siena as a base, it is central, but it is more of a city than a town. It is hard to drive in, so be sure you select a hotel or B&B with parking that does not involve traversing a ZTL. We loved this B&B that had a parking spot for rent a 10 mnute walk away http://www.anticaresidenzacicogna.it We also loved the drive between Montalcino and Montepulciano, with a stop in Pienza. Makes a great day of Tuscan sightseeing. Tours By Roberto operates out of Siena and I highly recommend their tour in Chianti.

Kathy I too would do 4 nights in Rome

Kathy, How about fly in Naples (NAP) instead of Rome. You save one day and one way train tickets from Rome to Sorrento. From NAP, you can take the bus to Sorrento. Cost 10E, take 1:15.
Have a good trip!

kathy, congratulations! I would put the Amalfi Coast ahead of Cinque Terre, and add Florence/Siena instead. You can access beaches from the Amalfi Coast as well. The ride along the coast actually begins in Sorrento and you can do it in a day, or spend a night or two in Positano or Ravello. As for Florence and Siena, I think they are both romantic cities. In Florence, an evening walk along the Arno riverfront (in addition to the fabulous art museums), every piazza has great cafes for people-watching, and the side streets are filled with places to eat and shop without the main street price tags.

Kathy, In Vernazza, try: www.elisabettacarro.it Have a great trip!