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I need help with my itinerary

I have never been to Europe and I'm planning to spend 2 weeks in Italy for my honeymoon. We are in our early 30s and are traveling with another couple around the beginning of march. We like a little bit of everything... food, wine, history, museums, nature, culture, architecture etc. We don't like long lines, crowds, super expensive restaurants/accommodations. I've done quite a bit of research and came up with this itinerary but I'm wanting to know if more time should be spent in one place and less in another or if there are any ways I can cut back on train time. For example, we are flying into milan and out of Naples(more cost effective). I originally planned to just go straight from milan down to Cinque Terre region but I felt I couldn't leave Venice out because it is so iconic and beautiful, but honestly, it seems pretty out of the way and would take quite a bit of time. Should I skip venice and add more time in the Tuscan countryside? Or is it too amazing to miss? Also, is the amalfi coast still amazing in march or is my time better spent elsewhere? I don't care if it's warm enough to swim just warm enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery and be outdoors. Here is my rough draft itinerary, thanks for your thoughts and opinions!

rough draft itinerary-

Day 1 fly into milan in the morning and explore, stay 1 night.
Day 2 morning train to Venice and explore.
Day 3 Venice.
Day 4 morning train to Florence and explore (see David).
Day 5 day trip to Siena, sleep in Florence.
Day 6 morning train to Cinque Terre and walk through 3 of the 5 towns.
Day 7 visit remaining 2 towns, possible quick trip to Pisa.
Day 8 morning train to Rome.
Day 9 Rome.
Day 10 Rome.
Day 11 morning train to Naples and explore.
Day 12 day trip to Pompeii.
Day 13 day trip to sorrento and Positano.
Day 14 day trip to Capri.
Day 15 explore more of Naples and fly home in the evening. :(

Posted by
1953 posts

First off, congratulations on your upcoming wedding and first European trip.

Early March is kind of a crap-shoot weather-wise. If you're lucky and it's nice, you could enjoy visiting the Cinque Terre. If not, it could be miserable there. Of course, there's no way to know for sure while you're planning. Cities, though, at least offer enough indoor activities to keep you dry and to enjoy yourselves during inclement weather, though many of the places you are visiting are especially appealing when you are wandering out-of-doors.

I guess I would recommend skipping the Cinque Terre. In addition to the likelihood that bad weather would spoil your visit, many restaurants and smaller hotels might not be open for the season in early March. That also gives you more time in other places so if weather doesn't cooperate, you might get at least some good days in each location. Milan - Venice - Florence - Rome - Naples is about the maximum I'd try to do in 2 weeks.

Posted by
16712 posts

Hi Katie -
Something I see right away?

Day 11 morning train to Naples (from Rome) and explore.
Day 12 day trip to Pompeii.
Day 13 day trip to sorrento and Positano.
Day 14 day trip to Capri.
Day 15 explore more of Naples and fly home in the evening.

I would go immediately to Sorrento from Rome and day trip to Capri and Positano from there. The ferries won't be running to Positano that time of year (you'll need to take a SITA bus or hire a driver) but they should be running to Capri. Pompeii is along the way between Sorrento and Naples and you can store your luggage at the site.

Day 11: morning train to Naples and then on to Sorrento (you'll change trains in Naples)
Day 12: day trip to Positano
Day 13: day trip to Capri
Day 14: morning train to Pompeii, spend a few hours and then on to Naples. (only 30 minutes or so from Pompeii)
Day 15: explore more of Naples and fly home in the evening.

Capri will be quiet: much closed for the off season. The same for the Cinque Terre, and the weather may not cooperate for that one. Personally? Too many places, IMHO, for 2 weeks. I'd cut something from this itinerary - probably the CT - to give Florence and Rome or even Venice more time. Pisa could be done as a quick stop en route to Rome but the mere 2.5 days you've currently scheduled isn't a lot of time to cover ground as it is.

Posted by
3303 posts

Italy, what a beautiful and romantic place for a honeymoon. Though your plan is doable, I think you're trying to do too much in 15 days. Stop and smell the basil! Your itinerary means a lot of time spent packing, unpacking, traveling to and from stations, traveling from city to city, checking into and out of hotels. You'll skim through sites and really not savor them. All these places will still be there in the future so why not condense the honeymoon trip so you will not only enjoy Italy more but also spend more "alone" time with your new mate? Take some romantic walks, have some special dinners, spend half a day at a spa. Relax. Plan on seeing the remainder to celebrate a future wedding anniversary. Far niente!

Posted by
12063 posts

First impression is too many places.

Suggest go directly to Venice ( skip night in Milan)

Skip CT

Your proposed schedule looks more like an endurance test than a honeymoon/vacation

At your age you will have plenty of opportunities to return; do not try to do everything in one trip

Posted by
11613 posts

Considering the time of year, I would skip the Cinque Terre and distribute those nights to the other places on your list.

Posted by
5280 posts

Congratulations! Love long and prosper. Two thoughts come to mind. The first is that after the stress and rush, rush, rush of most weddings you will definitely need some down time. As it stands now you will relocating five times in the first eleven days. That, in my opinion, is just too much moving about. You want memories of people, places, things, good food, good wine, and etc. -- not just memories of train stations. Suggest you consider not more than 3 major locations with a day trip or two from each. The second thought is that you asked "Should I skip Venice...". Absolutely not. It is a truly unique and enchanting place and there are few places better suited for a honeymoon.

Posted by
197 posts

I am doing something similar late next month but we have 18 days. Here is our itinerary:
Milan - 2 nights
Varenna - 2 nights
Cinque Terre - 3 nights
Florence - 4 nights
Sorrento - 4 nights
Rome - 2 nights
In your case, I would fly directly to Venice and skip Milan. (Venice is not in our plans this trip as we have been there recently). At that time of year I would skip the CT before I would skip Venice. Then I would stay on the Amalfi Coast somewhere (like Sorrento) rather than in Naples, so you can enjoy some of coastal Italy.

Posted by
315 posts

I would leave out CT. Why? Amalfi coast is a beautiful coast. Coasts in March can be grey and wet. I would suggest a coastal trip to Santa Barbara, CA. oops, this is a european site.

Posted by
2 posts

Hey guys thanks so much for all the input! just for more clarity, yes this is technically our honey moon but we got married last week so we won't have fresh wedding stress to deal with when march comes around. We also will be traveling with friends and aren't too worried about missing out on the romantic aspect of it as all 4 of us are okay with being on the go and we have already had plenty of relaxing/romantic trips. Also, I'm a hiker rain or shine and even in the snow so I don't mind if the coastal areas aren't perfectly sunny. I'm thinking more and more about skipping Milan and maybe just one day in Venice instead of two. The thought of skipping the CT makes me sad!

Posted by
78 posts

If you love hiking, Sorrento area has a lot of coastal hikes and so does CT. If not going to Cinque Terre makes you sad, go there! La Torretta in Manarola is expensive but the views from your room and the cozy common areas will make up for any poor weather.

Based on your tastes, I would save Venice for another trip. Notice that not going to Venice does not make you sad ;) Follow your gut. Venice is very congested and while beautiful, its appeal is less naturalistic and more other-worldly. I'm also not sure how cold it will be in March on the water taxis...

So, something like:

CT - 2 nights
Siena - 1-2 nights
Florence - 2-3 nights
Rome - 3-4 nights - and plan to return ;)
Amalfi Coast, Capri, Sorrento - 4-5 nights
Naples - maybe a taste - 1 night?

Posted by
12063 posts

maybe just one day in Venice instead of two

That makes me sad, and you may be so if you cut Venice so short

Posted by
16712 posts

I'm a hiker rain or shine and even in the snow so I don't mind if the
coastal areas aren't perfectly sunny.

Katie, the problem with hiking the CT in winter is that they can close the most popular trails - which are fragile and suffering from overuse - altogether if the weather is wet or otherwise nasty. Repairs to the trails can also occur during the "off" months in preparation for high season so you could find some closed for that.

During the past 4 seasons or so it hasn't been possible to hike the length of the acclaimed "Blue Trail" between all 5 of the villages as two sections have been closed to damage/rockfall threat for quite some time. There are other longer, higher trails, for sure, but if the "Blue" is what you had in mind, then it's probably good to be aware of that?

Those sections are between Riomaggiore and Manarola, and Manarola and Corniglia.

(I'm a hiker too)

Posted by
111 posts

Whatever you do, don't miss Venice! I would leave out Milan altogether and fly straight to Venice. As much as I love the CT, I think it's a better choice in the warmer months. Personally I would skip Naples altogether, and Capri too. Yes, it's a nice island but the biggest attraction is the Blue Grotto and your chances of getting in to it in March are slim because of the weather. We were there in July and were on one of the first boats in. By 10:00, it was closed. Pisa is only worth a quick look, but I would consider a little more time in Tuscany if you can manage it maybe for a quick first trip travelling south of Rome is a bit ambitious and not at all relaxing. Pompeii is amazing and worth a trip but I hear that Ostia is also a wonderful site.

Posted by
16712 posts

Yes, it's a nice island but the biggest attraction is the Blue
Grotto...

Hmmm, I'll kindly offer the opposing view here. If you are a hiker, then exploring the island on foot is the highlight, IMHO. We did just that - just not during the off season - and skipped the Grotto altogether as we didn't feel it was worth the $$ for the very little time spent in the thing, and wanted to escape most of the big tourist magnets anyway.

I'd have to look to see what the hours are in winter but the hike up to the ruins of Villa Jovis was great, as was Pizzolungo/Arco Naturale, and you could take the chairlift up to the summit of Mt Solaro and then hike down the mountain. Some ideas here (no you do NOT need any tours so ignore offers for those):

http://www.capri.net/en/traveller-search?todo%5B%5D=nature&all=1

Posted by
315 posts

My first trip to CT was in June 1989. Stayed in a room with 2 other ladies overlooking the ocean. The ocean can get noisy at night. We hiked the entire length and hooked up with some locals for wine in a cellar. We had the place to ourselves. It was an experience I had hope to have with my husband. My second visit with my husband 5 years ago. Places change. Tourism is an important commodity. Locals and tourists are abundant. A fee to walk a broken path. The pathway gave away and I have a permanent hip injury. Fortunately I did not roll down the vine filled hill. RS follows are focused on CT. There are far more beautiful beaches and cliffside to walk safely in Italy.

Posted by
1407 posts

I agree that you should go straight to Venice. If your plane tickets are already purchased for Milan, then just take the train without exploring Milan. Though the cathedral is magnificent, there is so much more to see in Venice, and Venice is best in the morning and evening, not the midday. Go to Burano during the day. Skip Murano if you are short on time. IMHO.

morning train

I am not sure what is "morning" for you, but if you arrive too early you might have to store your luggage instead of checking in.

Posted by
1003 posts

I agree with the suggestion to go straight from Milan to Venice. In fact if you have not purchased your tickets look at flying into Venice, I don't think there are direct flights into Venice from US so you may need to connect via Milan or another European country, but worth checking. There is nothing like arriving in Venice by water......

I would not stay in Naples but move on to Sorrento or even Positano. You are well-sited for trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum and it is a lot less hectic. There are ferries from both towns to Capri though weather can be an issue at that time of the year. Also look at visiting Pasteum, a nice small town with a large archaeological site which includes 3 impressive Greek temples; also has a nice small museum. Has the advantage of being off the tourist track so not as crowded as Pompeii

I enjoyed Naples more than I expected, but it is a large city with attendant problems. However the Archaeological Museum is a must see for all the goodies that were removed from Pompeii. It may be that after Venice, Florence and Rome you will want some downtime from crowds etc. and Sorrento would give you that but also be convenient for transportation to Pompeii and Naples. Whatever you decide, enjoy Italy. It's a wonderful country.