Honeymoon Itinerary Advice

As you have been to Venice and Florence before, and presumably not to CT, go directly to CT.

It really looks like at least one too many places.

Even though you've both been to Venice, I'd suggest you devote more time to it than you now have planned. It is a great place to R & R after an overnight flight, and with all the stress that goes along with most weddings, you will probably want (and / or need) some time to just chill for a few days. Since you've both been to Florence, why not skip that and devote that time to the Cinque Terra which I'm inferring neither of you have seen. Then head on to Rome. You want memories of a wonderful honeymoon -- as opposed to blurry memories of train stations. Just one opinion. May you love long and prosper.

Two one-night stays to start the trip? And a long train ride day 2, which puts you in the CT late-ish. (Some places we've stayed there require arrival before 5:00 pm, which might be a consideration.)

Skip something!

Venice - 3 nights - decompress, unwind

Cinque Terre - 3 nights. Kind of a long trip from Venice to here and rather out-of-the-way for only one or two nights, so hang out.

Rome - 4 nights. There is a nice high-speed train from La Spezia to Rome.

Everybody raves about Orvieto, and it certainly is nice enough, but your time is limited. Put it on the "next trip" list.

Agree with Laurel. If you really want to see Orvieto, it is a short train ride, perfect day trip.

I like the idea of at least 2N in Venice (one full day). Then Florence and day-trip to Siena by bus. Then the CT (at least 2N), then Rome with a day-trip to Orvieto. That eliminates one hotel change and avoids the back-tracking from the CT to Florence.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Yeah I was afraid we were trying to cram in too much over the first few days, so agreed that something's got to give.

We didn't want to completely cut out Venice and Florence since we both love those cities, but we're OK with giving them maybe a day or so each if it means being able to do something else. I'm thinking we'll have to decide between whether we want to add in CT or Siena/Orvieto, but not both.

Between the two, I think the CT would be a little more hectic. If we spent two nights in Venice and two nights in Florence, then we'd be looking at just an overnight stay there--probably arrive in the morning, then leave for Rome the following afternoon. If we added an extra night, we'd prefer to take it from Venice, but that makes for a tough first couple of days.

Or, another idea is to stay longer in Florence and add in some day trips from there. I think we could pull off Siena for sure, plus maybe something else nearby. That way we don't have to pack up and move around so much. I don't see Orvieto being an attractive day trip from Florence, so we'd probably just stay there overnight on the way to Rome if we decide to go there.

Thoughts? Is the CT worth the extra trouble to see compared to Siena and such?

About Rome, we didn't want to cut it any shorter than five full days because she's never been there before and we'll be spending close to two full days at the Vatican. Our plan is to do the big touristy stuff in the mornings before it gets too crowded, then spend our afternoons relaxing and enjoying the city. One Vatican day is for the tours (we want to do the Scavi tour in addition to the usual stuff), then the Papal audience the other day, plus we have a friend in Seminary there we'd like to see.

Thanks again!

Nick

Way too many 1 night stays.
Is this a Honeymoon or the Amazing Race?

With the limited time you have , it is probably more efficient to exclude CT this trip. It will be there when you return for your 'x' Anniversary.

When we did the Wednesday Papal Audience it was special to see all the newlyweds dressed up in their wedding regalia and receiving a Papal Blessing.

Sure hope your wife's dress is not to 'foofy', so it is not a true pain to pack along.

Yeah, excluding CT seems to make the most sense. It won't be our last trip to Italy, so we'll have to make a point to visit next trip if we don't make it this time.

The Papal Blessing at the General Audience will definitely be the highlight of our trip! It's quite literally a once in a lifetime experience. Haha, yeah I hope so too! I know she picked it out with the Vatican in mind, but whether that means it's easy to pack remains to be seen. :-)

Orvieto is a day trip from Rome. Or put it on your list for next time - along with Assisi and the CT.

I agree that you have booked one too many stops, so here is my suggestion for you consideration. Stay 2 nights in Venice and get adjusted. (Schedule the CT for your next trip.) Spend the next 3 nights in Florence - reconnect with the city, make a day trip to Siena, maybe take a wine tour, have a splurge dinner. Spend 1 night and a full day in Orvieto. Orvieto is a smaller town than Siena and has a different vibe which you may find relaxing before your 5 days in Rome. Florence to Orvieto and Orvieto to Rome are relatively short trips by train. Arrive in Rome late afternoon, then spend your 4-5 days as planned. You will see some familiar sights, tour some new places, and move hotels only 3 times. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

Thanks for the feedback! I think we've settled on two nights in Venice, so that gives us three nights to play around with. We're debating on whether to stay in Florence those nights and make a day trip to Siena, or spend two nights in Florence and the last night in either Siena or Orvieto. We're leaning towards Orvieto because we're both originally from small towns and would appreciate a break from the cities, but we've got some time to let that simmer for awhile before we have to make any firm decisions. Thanks! It'll definitely be a trip to remember!

Orvieto has better train connections. Siena is better reached from Florence by bus, then a longish train ride to Rome.