Italian Honeymoon Itinerary on $5000?

I have done most of it for less. Skipped Venice as it tends to add up, plus it was just out of the way and wanted more time in Tuscany.

Now, here are some additional questions.

1. Must your hotels meet "American" standards. (i.e,, big rooms, king size beds, tubs not just showers) Look at Rick's books and his "budget lodgings (dont' have Rome here anymore) Can you live with them.

2. Can you drive a manual transmission? Automatics are a KILLER on rental car costs. (I actually did my pick in Siena. Used AutoEurope and wound up with an Avis car, manual transmission)

3. Regardless, I would not book flights yet. It's too early for October. Airfares seem to be dropping later, so sometime this summer?

I would recommend you go to either the liabary or bookstore and look at Ricks' Europe Through the Back Door. See if you think you can travel that way. If you can, this is doable. If you are only going to be happy with first class accomodations then this is going to be harder.

My rule is the room has to be clean, it has to have a private bath (I am not going down the hall at my age LOL!) and it has to be a decent location. I am fine with that. If you aren't that's OK too. Thanks to my job I do get to stay at a lot of FIRST CLASS locations and they are addictive!

We have obtained Rick Steves' books. We don't need first class hotels. We just want a clean place with our own bathroom. We might try to save up some extra money to splurge on our last night in Italy but it would only be one night. We can only drive automatic cars.

If you want stay within your budget you absolutely have to reduce travel -- that is a very big expense especially renting a car. Rough cut -- airline $800 to $1000 - balance $3000. Nine nights somewhere. Venice, Rome are expensive cities -- maybe an average of $150/night -- Balance $1650. Nine days of meals - Balance $900 -- $100/day for local transportation, admission fees, sightseeing.

If you absolutely have to stay within $5000, I would look at two cities -- Rome, Florence. Find a apartment which would allow you to fix meals and so do day trips from both. Have tp cut down on travel and food.

Hi Deanna,

I've got about the same budget as you do for the same amount of time and I'm coming in way under and I'm planning for three people. I think it can be done and done well.

Is this right after your wedding?

I think you can do it well within that budget if you do not need/desire US grade hotels. Have stayed (and in March am staying)in convents, monasteries for any where from 60 Euros for a double in Assisi to 100 Euros in Rome. Check out monasteries.com, santasusanna.org for a list all over Italy. Car will run about 40 Euros a day at expedia.co.uk, and meals for two can be done for +/-70Euros a day with free breakfast, picnic lunch and decadent dinner. Go for it!

Learning to drive a shift car doesn't solve you problem. Don't rent the car. That is the big cost savings. Now if you would get your plane tickets as a wedding gift, you could easily do it.

Yes, this is right after the wedding.

Deana. Rick Steves guides are great but I also suggest looking in the Lonely Planet guides for suggested accommodations. They will have other options that are not as pricey. I also agree with other posters here that you should not rent a car. Especially for the entire trip. You might consider renting the car only in Tuscany for ease in getting to Hill Towns. Otherwise, a car in a big city is useless and expensive.

If you have your heart set on Italy for $5k or less then do yourself a favor and ditch the car and save yourself the money. A lot towns in tuscany are accessible by bus. The reality is you can probably do the trip for $5k if you are renting a car but there will not be much room for error, you would need to plan and budget everything a head of time. You will enjoy your time much more if you are not stressing about going over budget. Also stick to mom and pop B&B's and you won't have a problem coming in at $5k.

Hi Deana. I think you can do this trip on 5k. Venice & Rome are pretty expensive & renting an apartment would definitely stretch the dollar a little further.

I have one suggestion though. I would stay outside of Siena (perhaps in an agriturismo) & would day trip to all the towns that interest you but I would not change hotels each day while in Tuscany. It's a waste of time to check out & then into a new hotel each day. We stayed in a fantastic agriturismo 10 min outside of Siena's walls (only 82 euro/night) & then we day-tripped to many towns. Staying in an agriturismo was a unique experience which we really enjoyed. Even if you don't stay in an agriturismo, I would still stay in one place & not change hotels each day. Just my two cents!

Have a fabulous honeymoon!!

Deana, let's break it down. If, at the worst, your flights are half your budget (it shouldn't be at this time of year), you will still have $2,500 for 9 nights, or a little over $277/day for food, lodging, siteseeing, train trips and a car. As Rick says in his guide book, to see Tuscany you need a car. I just checked autoeurope for online prices. For 3 days in a Nissan Micra with ac, Automatic, Economy (ECAR), 2 Doors is $370.80 Inclusive. Personally, I think renting a car and getting out into Tuscany away from the cities would be a great experience on your honeymoon. Go for it. So, now, with gas, say you have approx. $2,000--or $220/day left. Yes, it's getting tight. If, like others have said, you stay at B&B's, do picnic style lunches, etc. you might be o.k. Do you have a family member that would gift you airline miles or Marriott and Hilton points? Just a thought.

Hello Deana, Any luck ?

Venice is probably the most romantic, magical ciy in the world, so it's perfect for a honeymoon, but it is expensive. I recommend it for 3 days or so, then take the train to Florence. Perhaps rent an apartment there, or stay in an agriturismo -- and from that base drive to other Tuscan hill towns. I don't think you can do all of Italy, including 2 big expensive cities -- for the amount you have. Less is more. Think quality over quantity. I'd guess don't want to spend all your honeymoon worrying about your finances and economizing too much. I suggest flying into Venice, train to Florence, fly out from Florence (connecting probably in Paris -- this is what I did).

Hi Everyone-

A few people suggested that we skip Venice altogether because it's expensive. I wouldn't mind going for one night just to experience it - but I don't know if traveling from Venice to another would be too cost prohibitive. Rick's book makes it seem as though really doing the countryside of Tuscany requires a car because trains don't go between all of the cities and it can be stressful trying to work around bus schedules. We won't have a car for Florence or Siena, but would like one to be able to hop between towns outside of these cities. I don't want to skip Tuscany or Rome, but I could let go of Venice if it was completely impossible. I'd love it if there was a way for us to get in one night/day there though. Still no reservations...it seems like such a daunting task to make it all work!

Hi Deana,

I just did a search on Kayak.com for your dates and it came in at $847 including taxes. That is a pretty good price, but I have seen better.

You have to do Tuscany! Rent the car and do it! Montalcino, Greve, Radda, Montepulciano, etc....they are all so fantastic. I could not imagine a better place on earth than Tuscany to spend a honeymoon. Check out the Agriturismo section on Graffiti Wall. I really love agriturismos and prefer them to staying in town. Everyone is different though.

You can do this trip for less than $5,000; especially if you and your soon to be husband are willing to forgo the five star hotels. You will have far better experiences when going local. There is nothing more romantic than touring the Tuscan wine, then stopping somewhere to get some bread, prosciutto, olives and cheese to enjoy a picnic.

Don't lose hope! Keep planning and your honeymoon dreams will come true! Congratulations. :)

Hi Deana,

Have you considered a house/apartment swap? You have plenty of time to consider it. Ck out the house swapping thread on "general europe." It will save you THOUSANDS (accomodations are "free"). Good luck and GO SOX :)!

Deana -- you CAN do this! My husband and I were married last August and did almost the EXACT honeymoon -- we waited until the end of october due to our jobs. Our was a bit over 5k, but we rented a car in both Italy and France, which really does put the cost up, but SO worth it in Tuscany.

Feel free to drop me an email and I can give you more detailed information about the places we stayed/our itinerary if you would like!

Happy Planning!

April
Ontario, Canada

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Pat