Honeymoon Planning- Amalfi Coast or Portofino?

I think Amalfi Coast would be better.
We stayed in Eden Roc in Positano and it would be within your budget and the views are fantastic.
Plenty to see and do in the local area including Capri, Sorrento, Amalfi, Ravello even Pompeii is not far.

Think you would be bored in Portofino for a week, if Cinque Terre is big draw, then stay there instead of Portofino I think it has more to do and offer. The ferry between the 2 won't be running mid-Sept so requires a train and a bus or a train and a ferry to make them connect. Visit Portofino as a day trip from Cinque Terre, I would think it is easier to cover Portofino in a day than Cinque Terre's 5 towns..
Cinque Terre is more weel regarded for hiking but not as luxe as the Amalfi Coast and will lack the shopping but otherwise should meet your criteria.
We are staying in Manarola (town in Cinque Terre) at Crème Caramel in a few weeks, this is the suite at Alla Porta Rossa and more of a luxury apartment/studio than a luxury hotel but most of the Cinque Terre is that way, this place is also within your budget and has 360 degree views. Google Crème Caramel Manarola and you will find it if interested.

I agree that the Amafi Coast would offer more places to visit. The Cinque Terra is also scenic, but very touristed. We are glad we saw it but did not feel the need ti spend over two days. The place was overun with Americans in October. I can't even imagine what September would be like.

Katie,

First of all, congratulations!

I agree with the others that Portofino is not a good choice. It's somewhat of a posh resort and there's not a lot to do there. If you wanted to base in the Cinque Terre instead, that's another matter. The C.T. covers some of the activities you mentioned, but not musuems / architecture or historical landmarks. If you decide to visit there, I hope you like Pesto (that's the area where it was invented). You could perhaps spend a 3-4 nights in the C.T. and then move to Florence or Rome to get the museums. You will have great hiking opportunities in the Cinque Terre! I can suggest a great hotel in Monterosso if you're interested.

Although it's not "officially" on the Amalfi Coast, you could also spend a week or so in Sorrento, as that makes a good home base for exploring that area. There aren't any major museums there, but there are in Naples which is nearby. You're also close to the major historical sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius and some posh day trip locations such as Capri.

As this is your first time in Italy, my suggestion would be to go for the Cinque Terre this time, as it will be a more "gentle" introduction to Italy for your first visit. Italy becomes more "intense" as you travel further south from Rome. I'd suggest buying a copy of the RS Italy 2017 guidebook as soon as it becomes available (September?), as that will help you plan efficient touring, hotels, transportation, etc.

On the topic of transportation, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy, so it would be a good idea to do some research on that.

Getting to Croatia could be "challenging" in mid-September, as some of the budget airlines are seasonal and discontinue service there at the beginning of the month.

Though I love parts of the Ligurian coast, CT is a victim of its popularity--overrun is an understatement. Portofino national park is a wonderful respite, but the town of Portofino is full of designer stores you can see in your own town. That said, if CT it is, there are lots of towns along the coast where you could stay--just mentioning in case the more northern flights work out better (for example Florence).
You may not know that the Amalfi coast has a wealth of hiking opportunities, and it is a bit easier to get away from the crowds in that area. There are two books devoted to the hiking paths, easily located on Amazon. Of course you can spend a lot on the AC but you can also get something well within your budget--but I highly recommend booking well in advance. The AC is convenient for Rome but also for Naples. Plus, you can get a whopping cultural quotient in with a visit to Pompeii, which was a major wow experience for me.
I would save Dubrovnik for an anniversary trip to Croatia. There is just too much to see in Italy and no need to complicate things.
congrats!

I'd go to the Amalfi Coast.
Positano or any other village around, would be very nice.

Thank you kindly for the suggestions everyone. With the discussion at hand, we are definitely leaning towards the Amalfi Coast. With that being said, would it be wise to make possibly Positano home base and explore Naples, Pompeii, and Rome as day trips or would be better to stay a portion of the trip in a few of the different cities? Any other hidden gems in that region that might not be as well known? Also, what's the best airport to use in that region? We'll be flying from Columbus, OH or Pittsburgh, PA.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. I too would suggest Amalfi Coast as the better location for you. With so many 'honeymoon suitable' destinations in Italy I wouldn't bother with flying anywhere else. Venice, Florence, or a waterside location on Lake Como come immediately to mind.

From a base in Positano a day trip to Rome is not possible
If you want to see Rome fly into Rome and spent first 2-3 nights there, then head south for 4-5 nights in Positano
Skip Naples and try and arrange a Pompeii visit if you can in route from Rome to Positano
Save your time in Positano for visiting the Amalfi Coast towns plus a day trip to Capri and a visit to Sorrento
For your flight out fly out of Naples not Rome
Hiking is great above Positano and also in Capri (anacapri) boating, beaching, the museum in the Amalfi duomo is small but nice
Shopping in Sorrento is very good
4-5 nights will fly by, there is plenty to do

Katie
Congratulations. I would definitely stay in Sorrento. From there you can visit the Amalfi coast and Pompeii area. CT is isolated and if you've been to one CT town for me that is enough.

Have fun
Lorieann

Katie, for a first-timer to Italy I'm going to suggest that you stay in Sorrento. It's a transport hub for the Sorrentine/Amalfi Coasts, and it's just easier in so many ways. You can find a nice place to stay there.

Naples and Pompeii are straightforward day trips by train. Rome is too far. If you want to see Rome, you should stay in Rome. It doesn't have the water but it's crazy loaded with museums, gorgeous churches (museums in their own right) and archeological/historical sites, and is one of my favorite cities in the world.

From Sorrento you'll have the excellent archeological museum in Naples, and there's Herculaneum as well as Pompeii so no shortage of antiquities there. You can daytrip to Positano, Capri, Amalfi, etc. by boat or bus. What I like about that location is flexibility: if the weather is lousy, jump on a train to the museum/churches in Naples or check out the local churches. If it's sunny and nice, anything goes.

A week will go very quickly: by the time you've hit the biggies and done some hiking (check out Il Sentiero degli Dei: Path of the Gods) there won't be anything left for 'hidden gems.'

Fly in and out of Naples unless you decide to break the trip into part Amalfi Coast and part Rome...which is what I would suggest versus on to Croatia. Depending on what sort of time you have, you can make a great trip of diverse locations just in Italy. We've done it for 3 weeks at a time and are shooting for 3 MONTHS at a time as soon as work isn't interfering! :O)

PS: we both enjoyed the CT but I probably wouldn't stay there for a week.

I agree about home basing in Sorrento. It is a very romantic place. And it's true. you can hop om the train or take a bus up the Almalfi Coast. We did that and then took the boat back. Great food and ambiance in Sorrento, too. Laid back. Easy to get around on foot. You can find excitement easily if you want it from there.

For most travelers I would recommend Sorrento. I will not argue it is better logistically for visiting other things in the region.
It is not really the Amalfi Coast though and I assume you want the most romantic spot for your honeymoon.
For a honeymoon trip with a fairly large per night budget, I think you would prefer Positano.
it is much more romantic and intimate. Walking around is easier as long as you don't mind steps.
It can feel more crowded though due to it's smaller size.
Views are great from both towns but they are very different, I have stayed in both and think for a honeymoon destination staying at one of the nicer hotels in Positano right in town with a view would be a hard to beat location.

The following list are higher end Hotels with amazing views and ideal locations in Positano
Marincanto
Buca di Bacco
Palazzo Murat
Le Sirenuse
Covo Dei Savaceni
Eden Roc
some are higher up than others, different (probably better but further from the sea view) higher up. Higher up means you are closer to the road for bus, taxi, cars but further from the beach and the dock for ferries, so really there are advantages to both.

Wow, everyone's suggestions were fantastic. Thank you so much!

I believe we have narrowed it down to flying into Rome, spending a few days, then heading down to Sorrento and Positano. We don't mind jumping around to a few different hotels, so I think we can pretty evenly split our time between those three areas serving as home base and adding a few day trips in (Pompeii, Capri, etc.) It's sounding like Naples would be the best fly out location if this is the itinerary we go with. Given this rough itinerary, does everyone recommend renting a car, or just taking the bus/train systems?

We greatly appreciate everyone's prompt and detailed responses, thanks again!

. We don't mind jumping around to a few different hotels, so I think we can pretty evenly split our time between those three areas serving as home base

Different people like different things, so maybe this is right for you. But if you are only spending a week total in Italy then I'd say Rome and Sorrento are better choices than 3 bases. Changing hotels every 2nd nite is a lot of packing and lugging stuff to a new location, plus when you arrive if it is the morning you have to leave your bags and don't have use of your room or easy access to clothes and the like.

Also Positano and Amalfi are nice to visit but the commercial area where you can walk around is rather limited and hilly. I'd prefer the flatter choice of Sorrento that is also a larger area. You can reach the others by bus or ferry, and go into places like Pompeii by train. A car gives more flexibility but the Italy portion of your trip can easily be done by public transit and that would be my choice.

You are young, you can handle the steps--if you want a convenient base for day trips, then Sorrento is good, but it is not on the Amalfi coast. It is still a haul to get from Sorrento to the AC--either a bus or ferry (preferred). Driving is iffy unless you are in the absolute off-season, which you will not be. Traffic is bad on curvy steep roads, and parking is exorbitant. Sorrento is more of a base to me, not a destination in itself. There is nothing wrong with that, it just depends on what you want. You have a lot of time so it is imperative to read through a guide book as it will really give you a sense of all the logistics--scattered responses from us cannot.
If you want to skip Naples (lots of people fear it because it is a big gritty city, but its history and amazing food cancels all that out to me), then Rome, Sorrento to visit Pompeii, and then a town on the AC would be a choice, but a lot of people visit Pompeii en route from Naples to the AC, negating the need to go to Sorrento and giving you more time in Rome and on the AC. Note that the treasures from Pompeii are housed in the Archaeological museum in Naples,
As others said, fly into (or depart from) Rome if you want to see it on this trip, but check round trip into Naples too--I got a great deal a few years ago when I visited. Once you check out all the flight options and draw up a few different itineraries, you and your fiancé can pick out what appeals to you the most.

You asked about less obvious places to visit--if you have time, Paestum, just down the coast, is amazing.

You don't want a rental car for this trip. It is served quite well by easy to follow public transit. If you need to get somewhere faster than that allows you can always hire a driver / car service for a trip or two.
We used one for the ride from Positano to the Naples airport to catch an early morning flight for example and it was well worth it.

The car has multiple challenges.
There is traffic and not just the sit and wait type, traffic on the Amalfi Coast means watching for scooters overtaking you, buses from the other lane weaving into your lane because the road is so narrow, possibly requiring you to reverse if you and a bus meet on a corner. All the while perched on the edge of a cliff.
It is part fun driving and part scary driving but when filled with traffic would not be fun.
It that sounds interesting enough to try it, than rent a car for a day, maybe use that to get to Pompeii if you don't visit that while otherwise in route but would not want a car for your stay.
The other negative aspects of a car are lack of parking, many Sorrento hotels will have parking but very few Positano hotels will have parking, not only at your hotel but also each little town you visit may not have any available parking so lots of waiting for spots to open, all spots will be paid and pricey when they do open, etc... Overall the extra work to park and walk to visit a town is much less convenient than stopping right where you want from a bus or ferry.

I should have mentioned earlier but with the many potential sites in Italy in your head right now you likely will need more than 1 week, even though you have narrowed it down to the Amalfi Coast.
Especially if this is a honeymoon and not a race.
Many places you might want to see are day trips.
If not including Rome, 1 week can work, if including Rome 9-10 days would be sufficient and allow you to stay in 3 places (Rome, Sorrento and Amalfi)
If you are going to cram Rome and Amalfi Coast into 1 week, you will need to go through each potential place and cross places not very high on your list off the plans:
Only you can decide if a day trip to Capri is better than a day trip to Pompeii or a day trip to Naples, etc... You might have to choose 1 of these 3 to gain back a couple of days. Most trips are a compromise in such respects.
If you have never been to Rome I would advise adding some days and making a multi-day stop there first, I really don't think you would regret that decision.

Thanks everyone. We will actually be in Italy for two weeks, so I think have the three overnight stops planned out should work ok with that timing, judging from everyone's comments.

I enjoy watching videos in advance to get an idea of where I might want to go and to recognize the sites when I'm actually there. If you haven't watched them already, Rick Steves has episodes of his shows you can stream from this site that cover some of Italy including the Amalfi coast as well as Naples/Pompeii. If you are interested in going a bit deeper than the average tourist there is a company called The Teaching Company that has DVD courses on Pompeii and another called "The Guide to Essential Italy" that are taught by college profs. Every course goes on sale at least once a year, and a local library may have them. There are a number of other good videos to watch such as the ones by Samantha Brown (a favorite1), Joseph Rosendo, Burt Wolf, etc. Some can be streamed online, others may be at your local library.

If you stay in Sorrento I highly recommend drinks around sunset at the Foreigners Club overlooking the ocean. Spectacular! Also take part in the nightly passeggiata, and if you like limoncello you're going to be in for a treat.

Sorrento to Positano is only about a 10 mile drive. Most people would choose one or the other. For a honeymoon I would choose Positano, then suggest a couple of nights in Naples itself before departure, visiting Pompeii from there.

I think the Amalfi Coast, especially Positano, is more romantic than Sorrento.

The Amalfi Coast is closest to Naples airport, which however has primarily intra EU low cost flights.

If Rome is in your plans, you should fly in and out of Rome. Go straight to the Amalfi coast on the day of arrival. You should spend your last few days in Rome before coming home.

I really like the idea of doing Rome, then Positano and then 2 or so nights in Naples......if you are in Positano, you want to be IN POSITANO (or very close by because who wants transportation stress on their honeymoon?)...then from Naples you can get a bit of the city and cultural attractions too....