Italy Honeymoon! (Florence-Venice-Amalfi?) Ambitious first-timer!

Getting from point A to point B will always eat up more time than anticipated. You might consider doing only Florence and Venice. Having said that, and looking at your original plan, with your available time I would only do 2 full and complete days in Florence and 4 days in Venice. If you want you could do 3 in Florence, 4 in Venice and 4 on the Amalfi coast.

herman,

First of all, congratulations!

Could you clarify, are you planning to travel THIS August? If you haven't got accommodations booked now, it could be challenging to find something, especially something at a good price. That's especially true of the Cinque Terre, as it will be packed there in August.

No, four days in Florence is not too long. If you add a day there, it will provide some time for day trips to places like Siena or the Cinque Terre. Sorrento is always a good "home base" for exploring the Amalfi Coast.

Yes, trains are the best way to get around Italy but there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using public transit in Italy. The fast trains (which travel at up to 300 km/h) are often quicker than using flights, when all is considered.

If this is your first trip to Italy, there are a lot of details you'll need to get up-to-speed on very quickly!

Congrats, and yes indeed, get moving if we are talking August 2015.

If you wanted to add Cinque Terre then this would work ...
Florence (3 days) - excursion to Siena
Venice (2 days)
Cinque Terre (2 days)
Amalfi coast (4 days) - excursions to Capri & Pompeii

Where are you flying in and out of? Rome and Venice makes most sense here.
Trains are the best option for these areas, and use Sorrento as a base for Amalfi Coast.

Congratulations from me too!

No, four days in Florence is not too long. We've done five without running out of things to do or leaving the city so I'd keep your itinerary as is, and not add any more moving around - although a day trip is not out of the question.

Trains are absolutely the best way to get around Italy unless traveling a considerable distance - which you won't be. Another vote for Sorrento as a base for the Sorrentine/Amalfi area.

But Ken is spot on that if your honeymoon is THIS August, you need to make tracks! It's a VERY busy month for tourism in Italy, and you need to get hotels booked and get up to speed on how the trains work.

herman,

It would help to have some idea on which of your arrangements are already in place (flights, hotels, etc.). For visiting Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast, a more efficient order is Venice > Florence > Cinque Terre > Amalfi Coast. Travel from Venice to the C.T. will take the better part of a day (~6 hours) so it's not exactly the most efficient way to arrange things.

Also, getting to Sorrento will require further information, as there are some things to be aware of.

Wow, you are all so helpful, thanks you so much!! Yes, it is this August ... ! I've done some searches and boy, you're right, this needs to get done quick!

I was going to start in Florence because I found a great booking there, so I'll do 4 nights in Florence. Then looks like trains are about 2 hours to Venice where I can spend 2 nights.

That leaves 5 nights ... I'd love to see Amalfi and after that I can fly back home from Naples. Sounds like Sorrento would be a good hub to see the Amalfi coast. What would you suggest for transportation? Train from Venice to Sorrento (and in this case, would you suggest stopping on the way?) Or perhaps a flight from Venice to Naples?

Thanks!!

herman,

Further to my previous post, what arrangements have you got in place now? If possible it would be better to start in Venice and move south from there.

Thanks Ken! So far I have a flight into FLR and 4 nights booked in Florence. The rest is being determined!

hermann,

Thanks for the information. If you don't have any other arrangements in place, you might consider something along these lines.....

• D1 - Flight to Europe
• D2 / N1 - Arrive Florence, high speed train directly to Venice
• D3 / N2 - Venice
• D4 / N1 - Train to Florence
• D5 / N2 - Florence
• D6 / N3 - Florence (day trip to Siena?)
• D7 / N4 - Florence (day trip to Cinque Terre?)
• D8 / N1 - Trains to Sorrento (Freccia to Napoli Centrale, Circumvesuviana to Sorrento - more on that later).
• D9 / N2 - Sorrento (day trips to Pompeii, boat trip to Capri?)
• D10 / N3 - Sorrento (day trip to Positano or Naples?)
• D11 / N4 - Sorrento
• D12 - Return flight home from Naples (use Curreri Viaggi Bus from Sorrento direct to NAP).

There are many ways this could be arranged, and this is only one suggestion.

Regarding travel from Florence to Sorrento, Freccia trains are easy to Napoli Centrale but the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Sorrento can sometimes be a bit of an "adventure" (I often call it a "graffiti laden clunker). It has a reputation for pickpockets and scammers and in addition there's no air conditioning. Especially for an important occasion like a honeymoon, I'm not sure if an hour or so riding that in the August heat will be the most pleasant experience. It is about the cheapest way to get to Sorrento though. If your budget allows, you could also hire a private car service like the Monetti Taxi, as an air conditioned vehicle would be a much nicer ride and would take you direct to your hotel. You'll also need to use the Circumvesuviana for some of the day trips I mentioned (Pompeii, Naples), but it's less of a problem with no luggage.

Prepare yourself for the fact that you'll likely find it HOT and CROWDED in August. In addition to being peak season for tourists, many Italians take their holidays then also.

I'd suggest packing along a copy of the Italy 2015 guidebook as it will be a valuable reference to plan sightseeing, transportation, etc. during your trip. It also has listings for good hotels.

Hopefully you can visit Rome on a future visit, as there's lots to see there too. I'm sure the others will have lots of suggestions to offer as well.

Herman congratulations and you've had good advice here.

One more thing: practice "we" instead of "I". ;-)

Day 1 Florence - arrive
Day 2 Florence - sights
Day 3 Florence - excursion to Siena
Day 4 Florence - excursion to Pisa and Lucca
Day 5 Venice - by afternoon train
Day 6 Venice - sights
Day 7 Venice - sights
Day 8 Sorrento - fly to Naples (Easyjet) then bus to Sorrento http://www.curreriviaggi.it/eng/autolinee.html
Day 9 Sorrento - excursion to Capri
Day 10 Sorrento - excursion to Pompeii + Naples
Day 11 Sorrento - excursion to Positano + Amalfi
Day 12 Depart from Naples

Ha Zoe.... I noticed that too:)

Are you coming from the US? With only having your flight into Florence it sounds like maybe you are not flying from the US? Or is your flight a round trip in and out of Florence? If not, where do you want to depart from?

First, I have to say you are all amazing! So generous with your expertise!!

Zoe- WE are very excited about the trip ;)

You were all quite right ... bookings are getting sparse -- availabilities forced a lot of the my plan. I also ended up having to leave from Rome due to minimal international flight availability from Naples which put a small kink in things, but I think it's ok. Here's the plan:

Day 1 Florence - arrive in evening (from Zurich)
Day 2 Florence - Sights
Day 3 Florence - excursion to Sienna
Day 4 Florence - excursion to Pisa / Cinque Terre
Day 5 Venice - by morning train, settle in, sights
Day 6 Venice - sights
Day 7 Salerno (Concha dei Marini) - fly to Naples (Easyjet) then transfer car to hotel, reach hotel by late afternoon, relax
Day 8 Salerno - excursion to Capri
Day 9 Salerno - excursion to Pompei
Day 10 Salerno - excursion to Amalfi
Day 11 Rome - (Transfer car to Naples then train from Naples to Rome), just see Coliseum near hotel, relax, sleep
Day 12 Depart from Rome (7am flight!)

Any suggestions on transfer services from Naples airport to Salerno?
Also any thoughts about Salerno to Rome? Would the best train station be from Naples?

Thanks!!!

"Any suggestions on transfer services from Naples airport to Salerno?"

You can use the car service I mentioned in a previous reply. An easier and lesser cost solution would be to take a Taxi to Napoli Centrale and use one of the fast trains to Salerno. Both Trenitalia and Italo operate on that route, but you'll probably have an easier trip with Italo as their trains are direct (some of the Trentalia ones have one change). The trip is about 40 minutes, and Italo currently has Smart fares listed for €6 PP.

You might also consider travelling direct from Venezia S. Lucia to Salerno via fast train (again, Italo would be a good choice). Travel time is about 6 hours and they currently have Smart fares listed for €55 PP. That will probably be cheaper than taking a flight to Naples, will most certainly be a much more pleasant trip and will probably be a bit quicker, when all is considered.

Are you really looking at Salerno or Sorrento? ? Very different places -- about 3 hours apart by bus. Most suggestions have been for Sorrento, which is about 40 minutes by Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii, and a lovely place to relax.

Concha dei Marini is about 4km from Amalfi and 12km from Positano, so a GREAT location. Should be very romantic too.

Day 4 Florence - excursion to Pisa / Cinque Terre

I think this is much too much for one day. The CT is not really a great day trip from Florence due to the distance: 2.5 - 3 hours by train. Even if you do decide to spend 5-6 hours on a train ( I don't recommend it) it deserves an entire day day versus spitting it with Pisa.

You can get to Pisa pretty fast from Florence depending on the train you choose - 50 minutes for the fastest option - but it's another 1 to 1.5 hour to Riomaggiore - and 2.5-3 hours back to Florence.

ken- great points, thanks ... you may be right, train may be the way to go here ...

Laura / Syd- Salerno! Found a nice spot, that was importantly ... available ;)

Kathy - hmmmmn, ok that makes sense, i'll definitely only do one then.

You are all awesome, thanks!

My map tells me Conca dei Marini is about an hours drive from Salerno. Am I confused ?

Herman, do you know how you will be doing the day trips to Capri and Pompeii in your plan? You might just want to enjoy the romantic surroundings of your honeymoon hideaway.

Skip Cinque Terre if you have so little time for it. You can have a great daytrip to Pisa and Lucca in one day, Lucca is a lovely city, lots of good sights, restaurants, walking or biking along the wall.

Good tips. Lucca sounds like a great idea!! :)

From Salerno to Capri, in August the ferry/hydrofoil would no doubt be the best bet. In March we took the bus from Salerno to Amalfi, which took under an hour, but it's a change of bus and another hour to Positano, and on from there. And this was off-season. Do the ferry.

From Salerno to Pompei, the regional Trenitalia train takes less than an hour, although it drops you off at the main Pompei station, not Pompei Scavi, which is the main entrance to the ruins. However, it's only about a 20 minute walk from the main station to the back entrance of the ruins, and if it's not too hot it's definitely a pleasant stroll through Pompei proper. In fact, near the city hall there is a very cool monument to 9-11, with an actual beam from the Twin Towers.

Just a word or two on Salerno. We stayed there 5 nights--we'd take daytrips to Amalfi or Pompei, but would time it to return to Salerno in time for a nap, then a walk along the lungomare by the sea around sunset, then dinner in the Old Town, which doesn't start serving until around 8PM. Just wonderful--you're going to be glad you were 'forced' because of availability to choose Salerno.

RE: Florence, you want as much time there as you can--we did 5 nights. Soak up the vibe, which is unlike anything else I've experienced in Italy. Small town feel, but so historically significant. For example, the Sassetti Chapel on via Tornabuoni is a place you can walk right in during the day for free and see beautiful Renaissance frescoes. There are little gems like this all over Florence. And don't miss the Mercato Centrale for great prosciutto, honey, and a beef sandwich for 3 Euro at Nerbone.

If you need to make arrangements quickly, take a quick look at positanoshuttle.com and amalfishuttle.com.

They will pick you up from the Naples train station and drive you down to your hotel. If you have a few extra dollars to spare, it will delete some of the transportation calculations - getting to the Circumvesuviana, finding the bus/walking to your hotel....

They do shared and private vans.

Your time and patience might be worth it.

I don't know about this. This is your honeymoon. I think these plans are too rushed. You won't feel the soul of Italy. You have no time to walk slowly, enjoy your surroundings, get to feel the pulse of Italy. Or feel connected to it.

If it were me, :))) , I would take two cities to use as a base. and enjoy them. May be a side trip or two. You will probably come home exhausted and disappointed at not "being" in Italy. Which is much different that "seeing" Italy.

Just my two cents worth.....

And Congrats and wishes for a long and happy marriage. And many more trips to Italy :)))