Honeymoon in Italy, please roast my itinerary

I am trying to fit too much into our trip,

True statement.

Amalfi coast is the wrong direction from everywhere else you are going, making it the logical deletion.

Are air tickets already purchased? If not flying into Venice and out from Rome is logistically much easier/simpler

Day trip to Dolomites & Lake

Unless all you plan to do is drive by, pick one or the other.

Do you already have lodging booked, I hope? Folks here are reporting lodging is very expensive and in short supply in Europe this year.
Definitely skip the CT, and the Dolomites, as you're moving too much. You have 11 nights in the ground, and even four cities in that amount of time is pushing it. You're going to need a slow down day. You said you wanted to kick back and relax- when???
Congrats on the engagement.

I would not bother to go to Venice for one day. I love the city, but if you're there for just one day you'll probably be surrounded by mobs of other people the entire time, because you won't have time to see anything except the same stuff all the day trippers are looking at.

The Dolomites are not a good choice in late April. Most places shut down for a break after Easter until mid-May. They are not a reasonable daytrip from Venice even when in season. And the only lake that would be easy to reach for a daytrip from Venice would be Lago do Garda at the south end, by train via Verona.

But you will be spending a lot of trains, and I suggest you take that whole day and explore Venice—-maybe a boat ride to Murano, Burano, or Torcello.

Hello- welcome to the forum! Congrats.

You have 11 nights. You are trying to fit too much in.
Assuming your flights are booked?

Pick 3 locations.
Rome-Amalfi-Venice
Or
Rome-Florence-Venice

Evening train to “Amalfi Coast” from Rome? Not sure about that. It’s a trek with changes-usually takes half a day.
Do you have lodging booked on AC? Where?

Dolomites and Lakes are not a day trip from Venice.
CT as a day trip not worth the trouble.

You itinerary now:
Rome 2
Amalfi 4
Florence 3
Venice 2- gives you barely half a day- with a too long day trip next day

If you are indeed flying out of Venice- give Venice the time it deserves. At least 3 nights (which equals 2.5 days- or less depending where you are coming from) There is no where else like it. No need to day trip.
Do you have plans to get to VCE for your departure flight?

Rome should get 3 nights minimum. You will return.

You’ve given Amalfi Coast 4 nights, so assuming that’s priority?

Rome 3 nights
AC 5 nights
Venice 3 nights

Train, etc to wherever you are staying on AC. 5 nights- could split 3/2
Make sure you have all that transportation figured out.

We flew into Rome- 3 nights, then split our time between Sorrento, Amalfi, Ravello and Salerno-9 nights. Took fast train from Salerno to Venice. About 6 hours. Picnic on the train. We were celebrating our 40th anniversary. Had been to Rome & Venice previously.
We loved our time in Sorrento, Amalfi etc but it is a bit of a pain getting to and from.

Do you have any interest in Pompeii or Paestum?
Sorrento, Amalfi and Salerno are all good bases. Ferries should be running, but always weather dependent.

Going from Rome to Florence to Venice is definitely easier- less transportation hassle/expense and a lot less time in transit.
Every time you change locations you lose at least a half day. With only 11 nights, time is precious.

You could do these 4 locations- some great photo opportunities.

Rome 3 nights
Train to Orvieto 2 nights
Train to Florence 3 nights
Train to Venice 3 nights

Super easy.

Skip the Amalfi Coast and Capri. The Amalfi Coast is a couple of hundred miles south of Rome. Remember that every time you move you lose a day.

Spend your time in Rome, Florence & Venice on an 11 day trip.

I’ve never been to Italy, but I HAVE had a wedding, and here’s the thing no one ever talks about - you (and especially the bride, if you are a stereotypical heterosexual couple, like we are) are going to be EXHAUSTED after the wedding. Are you leaving straight from the wedding, or the next day? Or is there a break? If you’re going from one to the other, then I would really urge you to scale back on this trip. Limit it to three or maybe even two destinations. I had grand plans for my honeymoon, but my husband’s work schedule only allowed a few nights at a nearby beach. I was disappointed til we got there - and all I wanted to do was relax! Focus on each other for the honeymoon. As said above, you will return to Italy, likely more refreshed and ready to travel to the max (unless you have kids - but no one scare the newly-weds about kids!).

Congratulations and have a wonderful trip!

While the common advice by many here is to just stick with VFR on a first visit with limited time....Given the amount of time you've already allocated to the AC, it seems to be important to you. So keep it. But ditch the CT and Dolomites/lake idea. Florence and Venice both deserve more time, and as mentioned, depending on where you will be on the AC, just getting to Florence could take the better part of that day. Tell us where you are staying on the AC and we can help with the most efficient travel to and from.

I think you probably picked the Amalfi coast for a reason--as long as you can get accommodations, no reason to not go there. But I would want at least three full days to make the travel time worthwhile.
Omit Dolomites/lakes for sure. I'd also omit one of the big three, as I just can't see packing all three in when you want relaxation and hiking. Come back for an anniversary trip, congrats!

Thank you guys for all your advise, I really appreciate it. I had a feeling I was trying to squeeze too much in.

To answer a couple questions, flights are booked but we still do not have accommodations or sure exactly where we will stay in each city. I know we need to get on this ASAP which is why I am trying to figure out locations, but I am open to moving things around.

I am not 100% set on going to the Amalfi Coast, just figured there was more to do there but sounds like it will take a lot of time from everything else. So a couple follow up questions.

Let's say we scratch AC and replace it with CT, I think this would cut travel time a lot by staying in the region correct? Is 1 night/2days enough time there?

One thing that we really wanted to get to at least see was Lake Como and the Dolomites. I'm not sure if it's reasonable to try and squeeze that in somehow? I think we would rather see the mountains and spend less time in say Venice. But, I had heard the weather in Lake Como might be chilly in April.

One more thing I was exploring was the option of renting a car in one city, and dropping it off in another city. Maybe renting in Florence, driviing through Dolomites, and dropping off in Venice? Not sure if this is crazy.

If you are set on including Rome, Florence, and Venice, then I would choose just one natural area to include--giving it ample time even if at the expense of Rome, Florence, or Venice. It takes months to see everything anyway, so no rule you have to tour them all exhaustively.
I find the Amalfi Coast easier to get to the Cinque Terre, once you look at the actual train times (and taking the ferry for the last leg of the trip is part of the experience). So, perhaps play around on the Trenitalia website to see what kind of travel time you are looking at--it is several hours on a train no matter how you slice it. Driving does not solve it because parking is very scarce there. Count in nights because two nights would give you one full day--two partial days/one night may not be sufficient because you have those long train rides on either end.
It sounds like the Dolomites is the place you would like to prioritize, so maybe flesh that part out.
Definitely look at accommodations to determine if there is still availability for Amalfi area--but don't rule out the other villages.

We mostly just want to kick back relax, and see some really cool things.

Suggest you limit yourselves to Rome, Florence, and Venice. Discounting the first day due to jet lag, possible late arrival, not being able to check in to hotel until the afternoon, and discounting the departure day, you only have ten full days on the ground. That's about the same amount of time the Steves' tour allots for those cities. You will want memories of good food, good wine, new sights, and relaxing. You don't want just blurred memories of train rides and stations, taxi rides, and checking in and out of hotels. In addition, after the stress associated with the wedding, you will probably need to slow down and take it easy. Don't mean to rain on your parade, just offering food for thought. Love long and prosper!

If you cut out AC, then you would probably want 2 nights in CT, because of time needed just getting there on the first day. April is still early for Lake Como, and IMO too early for the Dolomites. As for driving, it would be almost as time consuming as taking the train. Consider the estimated times: ( driving time only, not including pick up, getting gas, stopping en route, traffic snarls, finding parking etc). Florence to Lake Como- 370 km and a bit under 4 hours. Lake Como to Bolzano- 290 km and over 3 hours. Bolzano to Venice-267 km and 2 1/2 hours. Plus you need to be in Venice the night before you fly home. And you need to have an International Driver's Permit for each driver, be aware of the Italian road rules, and be prepared to buy ALL the car rental insurance, just in case.

You're thinking of doing 6 different places ( each separated by hours of travel) in only 10 days. It's way too much. You need to scale back.

Please please listen to everyone. I know you want to do everything in Italy but it's a big place and you probably will return. I'd cut out Venice if you are only there for 1 day, all you will see is crowds and even Venice is not fun with crowds everywhere on narrow streets.

Please listen to Allison Hopefully you will have some downtime before the honeymoon but if it's right after the wedding, you WILL be exhausted not to mention flying overnight. I'd pick three places and relax and enjoy your time. Don't make it the Amazing Race.

If you are talking about not having accommodations for next month?! Not to worry you but a lot of the better hotels are selling out for next month or all that is left is the top-tier rooms. I wouldn't wait to book accommodations for Rome and Florence.

Thanks again everyone, I am listening, I appreciate you guys letting me bounce these ideas around.

Here would be my adjusted timeline, i still feel its a little compressed, It may have been better if I bought my return flight out of Florence and skipped Venice but it's too late now. Am I still cutting us short or doing too much with this timeline? I would like one more day in Venice but I don't want to take any away from the rest.

4/17 - Arrive in Rome 8AM, check into hotel, settle and rest
4/18 - Explore Rome
4/19 - Explore Rome
4/20 - Train to Florence 7:25AM-8:57AM, day to settle and rest
4/21 - Explore Florence
4/22 - Explore Florence
4/23 - Train La Spezia (morning 2.5hrs) settle and rest
4/24 - Explore CT
4/25 - Explore CT
4/26 - Train to Venice, settle and rest
4/27 - Explore Venice
4/28 - Depart Venice in AM

That looks much better.

I know you wanted to see mountains, but late April is just the wrong time for the Dolomites, and in any case they are not a daytrip from Venice.

That’s a good plan!
It gives you just the bare minimum for each location, a little taste of each.
Remember 3 nights is really just 2.5 days in a location.

Rome 3
Florence 3
CT 3
Venice 2

All easy train trips. The CT to Venice route will take the longest so get going early.

I don’t think I’d stay in La Spezia- maybe look at Monterossa?
You need to see what sort of lodging is available in CT and get booking that and all others ASAP
booking.com is a good place to start.

Venice could use another night- I guess the only place to take that from would be CT- but your time is already so short everywhere so I’d just leave it as is. If you like Venice, you will return.
Or- if you are not really into Renaissance art you could get away with just 2 nights in Florence- you will get there in the am- not jet lagged- so have almost 2 full days.
Rome 3
Florence 2
CT 3
Venice 3

Agree, much better. Don't stay in La Spezia, it's a port city. Look at accommodations in the five villages or the adjacent towns of Levanto or Portovenere.

Thanks again, you guys rock!

I think I have given up on the Dolomites, it was the initial reason I set my departure from Venice, but I don't think it will be worth it, as I was imagining beautiful GREEN hills with the mountains in the background.

I wasn't planning to stay in La Spezia, but heard it's best to take the train there, then ferry's to the small towns, is this correct?

I've got to be honest, we are interested in seeing some of the art and historic buildings but it is not the focus of our trip. Our main focus for going to Florence is for the landscape/scenery and food, am I making the right decision or should I visit other cities in the Tuscany? Don't get me wrong, we will see the art and museums, would like to visit a castle as well, but we wont spend our whole trip in museums.

Thanks again!

should I visit other cities in the Tuscany?

No- I'd stay in Florence. Most other hill towns require a car and/or more time to get there- which you don't have.

Sketch out a 2 day plan for Florence, you might find 2 days enough and can give that night to Venice. There is no rule that says you have to spend all your time in the museums in Florence! Our last trip there we didn't go into any ( but we had done in past trips). There are some smaller/lesser visited museums you might enjoy more than the Uffizi for example.
You will need to book your timed entry to Uffizi, Accademia, etc. The smaller ones you won't have to.

I looked at your updated schedule, looks good. I am of the mindset do what you want, if seeing the Amalfi Coast is important to you then do it. We homebased in Sorrento and explored for two days from there. But I agree, pick Cinque Terre or Amalfi Coast, both are fabulous but have a totally different Vibe. We plan on returning to The Amalfi Coast and NOT on Cinque Terre.
You have "rest" on your schedule, you can rest at home! Especially getting in at 8AM, my goodness you have the rest of the day to get at it!!! This is the time to explore, eat, see what you can get into. We always think there may be a second trip to see other things, but sometimes life gets in the way and you don't get that second chance.
Looks like you settled on Cinque Terre, you really only need two nights there and I would stay in one of the villages, not La Spezia, so you can experience the town at night and with a short stay you want to be in the middle of it all, we like Monterosso. A hotel suggestion is Hotel Villa Steno.
For Florence if you want to see more of Tuscany there is a really good tour company called Walkabout Florece that offers a "Best of Tuscany" all day tour with lunch at an Organic Winery/farm, just a really fun day and they will take you to Pisa also on the tour.
When looking at train times consider your Hotel check out time and the next Hotel check in Time, so leaving one place at 11:00pm (check out time) with a train at 12:30 will get you to the next place just about check in time. We always like to grab some snacks for the train and we really do get good rest on the train, ready to hit the ground running on arrival.

You could do rural Tuscany instead of Florence, but not both.

Based on your last plan, you basically you have 11 nights spent in the following fashion:

Rome: 3 nights (April 17, 18, 19)
Florence: 3 nights (April 20, 21, 22)
Cinque Terre: 3 nights (April 23, 24, 25)
Venice: 2 nights (April 26, 27)
fly back on Apr 28.

The plan is not bad, but, personally, considering is April and weather in April in Italy is always an unknown (not cold, but unsettled and possibly rainy), I would take a night away from the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is pretty much a waste if it rains and the trails might be likely closed if it is rainy (or if it has been rainy a few days earlier). I would give a night extra to Venice. Also because the last night in Venice is not going to be a long one. More likely than not, on the morning of the 28 of April you will need to get up at Zero Dark Thirty, because reaching the airport (in the mainland) from the City (in the middle of the Lagoon) takes time, due to having to deal with boats.

Okay new Hotel recommendation if you decide to stay in Monterosso for your Cinque Terre stay, Hotel Margherita and I checked your dates and they have availability, and they offer a wonderful breakfast. We walked from the train to the hotel and boy was it beautiful.

You could do rural Tuscany instead of Florence, but not both.

Or you could do Florence and rural Tuscany but would have to skip CT.
As mentioned earlier- the best way to see rural Tuscany is with a car and driving in Italy is easy enough but you have to do your homework! I think it's best saved for your NEXT trip to Italy.