Honeymoon to Italy

Can you wait to surprise her with it in June? You'll have much better weather then. Check out the FAQ here for the kind of weather to expect in April. Then definitely do Venice. Maybe also the Lake Como area. Extremely romantic.

Also, I suggest limiting yourself to three locations at most. You'll enjoy it a lot more.

You should be able to do this easily within your budget.

1) is it a 10 day trip with 10 days in Italy or 8 days in Italy and 2 days of air travel. 2) if it is 10 days agree pick 3 cities, if 8 days pick 2 cities 3) Agree if you can wait til at least end of May weather is better but it is kind of anti-climatic.

In April, I would fly into Rome head down to Sorrento/Amalfi, then go back to Rome, then head to Florence. Fly home from Florence. If Florence is too expensive to fly out of you could Fly into Rome and stay then head to Florence then to Cinque Terra. Then train to Milan to Fly home. In May/June you could fly in and stay Rome, go to stay florence, go to stay Venice and fly home from Venice

I have utlized gotoday.com for my trips to Munich, Rome, and London. Very reasonable rates for tourist class hotels and air. I make my own tour arrangments when I am there. Fly into Rome take the train to Florence and then Venice. Fly out of Venice. Gotoday can make the travel arrangements for you.

Mike,

Congratulations! A few thoughts.....

As this is your first time abroad, I'd suggest reading Europe Through The Back Door before you leave. Read the "Rail Skills" section carefully (since you want to "keep it to the public transportation")! Also, check your local Library or bookstore for Italy Guidebooks, as those provide lots of information on sightseeing, Hotel choices, good restaurants, etc.

With such a very short trip, using open-jaw flights would definitely be the best idea. Keep in mind it will probably take you a day or so to get over jet lag, so you won't be up to full touring speed right away.

With only 8 days for touring, 3 cities would probably be good (depending on your interests). There are lots of choices. Since you expressed an interest in Venice, you could either start there or return home from there. One possibility would be:

Venice (3 days)

Florence (2 days)

Rome (3 days)

Some other places to consider would be Lago di Como (Varenna), Verona (visit the fictitious Romeo & Juliet garden), the Cinque Terre or Siena. I'd suggest leaving the Amalfi coast and area south of Rome for another visit. You could have a "blend" of one or two big cities and a smaller area, depending on your preferences.

If you focus on the north, you could fly inbound to Venice and outbound from Milan. I don't have much information on the flight options from your area, but I'm sure one of the group here will be able to help.

Happy travels!

I so agree with Jeff and Ken's posts. I have used go-today.com for several of our trips and found them to be a very reputable company.

Since you mention that you would like to see Venice then Ken's recommendations for how to allocate your time are perfect although we found that 2 days were plenty for us.

Go-today frequently has packages that split the time up between Rome, Florence and Venice at 3 nights each.

I think Ken's suggestion is good (Venice, Florence, Rome). I would also suggest flying open jaw if possible. If you can add a day & make your trip 11 days, I would add a day in Rome; there's a lot to do there! You also need to keep in mind travel times in between each destination. Allow enough time to get to/from hotels, train stations, etc. I find that a lot of people under-estimate the time that these things take.

You asked if a budget of 4-5k is reaonable. Yes, it's reasonable as long as you're not looking to stay in deluxe hotels. Consider B&B's too; they're usually very "homey" & comfortable & usually less expensive than hotels.

Lake Como is very romantic & beautiful but I don't think I'd want to go there in April...still a bit on the cold side. If you decide to go in May or later, then Lake Como might be an option & if you visited Lake Como at the end of the trip, it's closest to Milan's Malpensa airport so you could fly out of Milan.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding & have a wonderful Italian Honeymoon!!

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding.

As a woman I do have a question about this surprise you want to give your fiance. Does she want to go to Italy? I just ask because if she has never expressed a desire to go there, it may not be a welcome surprise. Many women have definite ideas about their weddings and honeymoons. I personally think it would make a great honeymoon, but I'm not sure I would want to be surprised by it and not given the opportunity to choose somewhere else. Just asking...maybe she told you that her dream honeymoon is to Italy.

You said neither of you have traveled abroad. Do you both have passports? You can't get your airline tickets without a passport number.

Happy wedding, and more importantly, happy marriage!

"is it possible to do a trip like this for $4000-5000?"

Trip cost questions are difficult, as so much depends on individual travel preferences, budget, and airfare.

For what it's worth (maybe not much), Rick Steves is in writing with an opinion that an average couple can do an average trip for about $185 per day per person, not including airfare.

Unfortunately, Rick gives his cost in dollars, difficult to work with since the exchange rate fluctuates.

You said 10 days including travel days, if we use 9 days in country, then $185/person/day works out to about $3,300 not including airfare.

Of course airfare will have a big effect on total trip cost.

In general, Italy is one of the more expensive European destinations; and you mentioned Venice, which is one of the more expensive hotel cities within Italy and in Europe. I mention this because Rick's $185/person/day is based on a couple sharing a $150/night hotel room; that's (currently) €105/night, which will be a challenge if you're sleeping in Venice itself (rather than the surrounding area, and on a honeymoon you probably want to sleep in Venice).

Click here to go to the most extensive discussion we've had of the "how much will my trip cost?" question

Mike,

I'm planning a honeymoon to Italy for the summer, and I would suggest (as this is advice I've received) that you start somewhere slower. I've traveled to Italy before and when we went as a family we did Rome, Sorrento, Tuscany, and Venice. I would not start in Rome as it is walking intensive. My plan is to start in the CT (flying into Milan) for several days to unwind from the wedding. Then it will be a faster pace as we hit Florence, Siena, and Rome. We're taking 2 weeks, as opposed to your shorter time frame. I would suggest you fly into Milan, head to the CT, slide over to Florence, and then hit Rome. Venice is romantic, but it could be worked into a future trip as it is kinda out of the way. My other suggestion would be to start your trip in Sorrento (fly into Naples or Rome) and then hit Rome and night train to Venice if Venice is a must. You can message me if you want to trade more notes.

Mike,

I have been married for 39 years and agree STRONGLY with Andrea. Please discuss this with your lady. Good luck, young man!

Thank you everyone for all the great responses!

To answer a couple questions...She has told me on numerous occasions that if there was one place that she would like to go see it would be Italy, so I think I am safe in that regard :).

Venice is not at all a necessity, just the first place I always think of when I think of Italy.

I am definitely going to have to review all of this information and take a look at some of the places you all have mentioned. I will keep you all updated. Once again, Thank you all very much!

Mike

First -- as the woman poster -- Andrea's post gets the most weight.

Now, to my questions and advice...

As a man who did surprise his bride with our Honeymoon destination 14 years ago, it can be a great thing. You will have to do your homework, though -- Knowing that Italy is a dream destination for her is great, but finding out more about what she pictures in her head when she thinks of Italy is just as important.

For example, my wife does not care for Venice. She would choose 2 days in the Cinque Terre over Venice for certain.

Without knowing those kinds of preferences it is hard to say how to spend your time.

What I will say is that you should, definitely, plan to see less than you think you want to, and buld in lots of time for sitting in cafes, strolling hand-in-hand -- "sleeping in", and the like. This is, after all, a honeymoon.

Regarding cost... If I assume a couple of things... It looks like Cincinatti is the most economical departure city for you, unless you want to drive to Atlanta. In either case I'd budget $1,800 for airfare (you should be able to beat that, but don't dally, you'll have to move on this pretty aggressively). I'd then budget $3,200 for expenses in Italy. $5,000 total for an awesome honeymoon should be very do-able.

" so I think I am safe in that regard :)."

Husbands are NEVER safe when it comes to figuring out what our dear ladies really want. Proceed with caution, my young friend. lol

FWIW, one of the things that I enjoy about trips is the time spent looking forward to them and finding out about the places we'll be going. A "surprise" trip planned by someone else would rob me of that. I'm just saying. Your fiancee might not be like that at all. (It would also depend on what you mean by "surprise", I suppose.)

Hey Jim, are you saying I'm fat??? Just kidding.

I agree that it depends on what you mean by surprise, but if it was me I would want to know where we I was going. A surprise could be taking her to an Italian restaurant and giving her a card with a coupon for the Italian honeymoon of her dreams. Of course I don't know your fiance, but I would want to have some say in where we are going. If I mentioned to my husband that I wanted to go to Italy I might have Tuscany in my mind. If he heard me say I wanted to go to Italy, he might think I'm talking about Rome. Two very different places and experiences. Find out what she wants to see in Italy.

Like it or not guys, weddings are 90% (or more) for the bride, and if your bride doesn't like her honeymoon you may never hear the end of it. And do build in time to just be together and be romantic, not run from one place to the next. Italy won't be going anywhere and if you like it you can always go back.

April is coming up quick... One way to broach the subject without blatantly revealing your hand is to get Rick's PBS show DVDs about Italy; either from your library or from the store on this site. Pop one in the player and see what she says; if you're hearing "I'd LOVE to go there" then you're on the right track; if not, look into brochures for Hawaii (just kidding!). Watching the shows will give you an idea of what the different regions have to offer.

As everyone has suggested you should find out what she wants; maybe ask one of her best friends? They probably know the full scoop. Realize that she's been dreaming about and planning her wedding since she was a child; I'd bet she had the guest list pretty much nailed down before she even met you :-) You're a needed prop, to be sure, but this is more her time than yours...

Tried looking quickly. It looks like your flight is going to run about $ 1050 to $1100 for a well priced fare out of Cincinnati. Is that your airport ?

Hi Rick,
My husband and I honeymooned in Rome just last July. Neither of us had ever been to Europe. Loved it so much, we're returning this June!
I agree with one of the above suggestions to get the Rick Steves books and Italy DVDs. We did just dad and it was so much fun AND informative for our decision-making. So many stress-saving tips.
My favorite was Rome. Venice was something to check off the list but did not fall in love with it as most do.

Everyone's different, and we actually did LOVE our 11-day tour with LOTS and LOTS of walking. Never traveled by rail. Our itinerary didn't feel hurried to me (again, we're all different). Our itinerary:
- Four nights in Rome. INCREDIBLE.
-Drove rental car to Viterbo (stayed at an old country house B&B in Civita D'Agliano). Made short stops at smaller towns along the way. Explored Orvieto and Civita Di Bagnoregio. Civita is an easy day trip, but we could have spent a full 3 days enjoying Orvieto.
- Drive to Venice. If you go, avoid sleeping right at Rialto bridge for more charm and few crowds.
-From Venice picked up another car and drove through Verona (just stopped long enough to see their arena and have lunch).
-We actually had some extra time and drove to Siena's duomo (really a 2-hour stop for snapshots and gelato!), then San Gimignano at dusk- what a sight! Again, this was a 2-hour stop.
-Drove to Milan for the dreaded early flight out. Tried seeing the duomo but traffic/parking didn't allow, so we never saw anything there. Knowing we'd be back and just wanting a "sampler", we did a whirlwind tour that didn't feel exhausting at all to us. This coming June will definitely be a very "slowtravel" pace and more time taking in museums, etc. The car provided AMAZING freedom and flexibility. Those hill towns are just incredible- no film (and boy did we watch every film set in Italy!) prepared us for the beauty of it all. This forum is INVALUABLE. Feel free to PM as well. Happy wedding and honeymoon!

I was going to suggest the same thing as Mike (Los Angeles). Sitting down with your fiancé to watch some of Rick's Italy shows will probably give you some idea on which locations she's most interested in. That would give you a good start on planning an Itinerary that would mean the most to her.

Good luck!

Andrea said: "A surprise could be taking her to an Italian restaurant and giving her a card with a coupon for the Italian honeymoon of her dreams."

Now this is a great idea. You get the surprise factor you are looking for and then your fiance gets to help you plan her dream trip, which in effect begins your extended honeymoon . . . :)

Love it or hate it, there is no place in the world like Venice. Or for that matter, Rome either.
We loved them both, but you cannot compare the 2.
As far as we are concerned, we loved everything, everywhere and everyone in Italy. I don't think you can go wrong.

Bill