Honeymoon in Northern Italy in May

Check out the Val Gardena. We were there in June. Absolutely stunning and so many outdoor activities. Go to the website valgardena.it. All your information about the area you need to know. This forum turned me on to that area. Plus we went to Varenna on Lake Como and Venice. It was an awesome trip. Private message me if you want more information. Have fun with planning. We stayed in the town of Selva in the Val Gardena. Did the whole trip without a car. We flew in and out of Venice. American Airlines has a flight that leaves at noon. Planning to return next summer 😎

From my origin Milan is often much cheaper to fly to than Venice or Pisa, but it may be different for you. The usual guidance is to avoid flying home from Venice, because if you must make a connection in Europe before heading back across the Atlantic, you will have a very, very early departure from Venice. That means a painfully early wake-up call and probably costly transportation to the airport.

The places you list will certainly fill your time, perhaps over-fill it. You'll want to get up into the mountains above Bolzano, which is a very attractive city but down in the valley. It takes a good bit of time to deal with buses followed by lifts. If you want to be reasonably sure of having time for hiking, I'd suggest at least 3 nights in the Dolomites, which buys you a bit of insurance against bad weather.

The Cinque Terre are also somewhat time-consuming to get to. Whether both the Dolomites and the Cinque Terre can be squeezed into your trip (which is really 9 days not counting the initial jetlagged arrival day) will depend on how much you want to see in Tuscany and the number of days you want in Venice. You didn't mention a particular interest in art, so you may find that one day for Florence proper is OK if it means you can get to all the other places on your list.

If it were my trip, I'd definitely drop at least one of your proposed destinations to avoid spending so much time on trains/buses and checking in and out of hotels. You'll see more if you aren't running around so much.

Ten nights means only nine days and the first day you may be jet lagged and not really up to par. My suggestion is split the time between Venice and Florence. Both are wonderful places to spend a honeymoon. After the stress associated with most weddings, you will probably need to throttle back, take it easy, and enjoy rather than have more stress from rushing hither, thither, and yon. Another reason for favoring only two stops is that it almost always takes longer to go from one place to another than planned. It's not just the travel time itself, there is also the time spent checking out, getting to the train station, getting to the new hotel, checking in and such. Normally you will lose one half to three quarters of a day just moving. Consider flying into Venice and out of Florence if possible. Love long and prosper.

You are on the right track by incorporating what you love into your trip. Not everyone has to see the big three on their first (or even 10th) visit. You can absolutely enjoy hiking and nature and even get a little culture in there too, but I am afraid your list is far too long for 10 nights. One thing that helps me is to stick to one region--look at just what you could do between Venice and Bolzano and see if that clarifies things for you. Alternatively, Florence, rural Tuscany, and the CT could make a great trip within that time frame. However, I often recommend looking at alternatives to CT because of the crowds.
Looking at flights also helps focus a trip for me. I always go in late May, and it is a great time, but I am less familiar with the mountains. I have made excellent use of Italy's natural areas and parks (most have good websites that help in planning also).
Congrats!

I agree with the first poster...the Val Gardena = scenic vistas!! There are few views in the world that can match the mountains of the Dolomites. Bolzano is barely in the mountains...you are better off staying in Val Gardena. Ortisei is a great base since you can stay in town (or a nearby village) and take the gondola up to the Seiser Alm...hands-down the most gorgeous place in the Alps IMHO. I was just there two weeks ago and have been many times. Keep going back.
If you're looking for a great place to stay then consider these two places...
1) Uhrerhof Deur - just outside of Ortisei in Bulla. One of the best truly alpine inns I've ever stayed in. 17 rooms, run by a family that knows how to run an inn, great spa, amazing food (get 1/2 board so you get both lunch and dinner), charming and relaxing...super romantic!
2) Adler Mountain Lodge - hiked past it two weeks ago and it is now on my list! Crazy beautiful with views to die for...even from the pool.
A nice circle route is Venice...Verona...Dolomites/Ortisei...Lake Bled/Ljubljana...Venice. Just a thought!
I'm not sure where you're flying from but from LAX - my home airport - Venice is often a cheap option.

Wow...thanks everyone for the info! We certainly have so much more to consider now.
Richard, I think Val Gardena, Lake Como & Venice may be exactly what we wind up doing! Any suggestions on where specifically to stay in Varenna?

Anita, I'm pretty sure we NEED to stay at Uhrerhof Deur! My only question about that is whether it's doable by train or if we need a car? We clearly need to be able to get around and see the surrounding areas, so if a car makes sense we'll do that, but if a train is just as easy, we'll stick to that.
One more question...from Boston it is nearly half the price to fly into Milan rather than Venice. Do you think that will complicate things too much or is it well worth the $1000 savings?

We so appreciate everyone's input!!

If that ends up as your itinerary (lakes, mountains, Venice), and flying open jaw Milan-Venice costs that much more, then Milan round-trip should work just fine. You could go directly upon arrival to the Lakes, then rent a car for mountains (if needed), then drop the car in Venice, spend a few days and return to Milan to fly out.

I'm pretty sure we NEED to stay at Uhrerhof Deur! My only question about that is whether it's doable by train or if we need a car? We clearly need to be able to get around and see the surrounding areas, so if a car makes sense we'll do that, but if a train is just as easy, we'll stick to that.

I recommend a train to Bolzano, then have a private taxi service pick you up and take you to this hotel in Bulla, if you choose it, or any other hotel you choose in the Val Gardena. We use Taxi Ivan instead of the bus. So much less hassle! Just tell him your needs using his online form. Or let the hotel arrange it.

While actually there, your hotel will give you a pass good for all the buses in the valley. There is a little shuttle to/from Bulla and an extensive network to take you to the lifts and towns, so no car is necessary. In fact, the Val Gardena Active association encourages car-free travel and they try to make it easy.

Thanks to all for the advice! Here's how we changed our trip (now 11 nights):

Fly into Milan, train to Varenna
3 nights in Varenna, train to Bolzano, and then either taxi or car rental to Ortisei
5 nights in Ortisei, drive or train to Venice
2 nights in Venice, train to Milan
1 night near Milan for morning flight

We're flying in/out of Milan because it is 1/2 the cost of Venice. We're still torn about whether to rent a car for Dolomites, but my big concern is now whether anything will be open in Ortisei in late May??
I've looked at several hotels that don't open until June. And I just read an earlier post saying that lifts aren't open until June. Is it worth going that time of year (May 25 -30)? We were so excited for that portion of the trip, but don't want to be just stuck inside the whole time!

Thank you again!

I haven't been to the Dolomites in May so can't help there. If you decide not to get a rental car, you really don't need to go to the expense of a taxi all the way from Bolzano. There are frequent buses. The local tourist office can probably provide a very handy brochure that includes train, bus and lift schedules for the area. Very, very helpful for visiting other villages and getting to the starting points for hikes.