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Italy Honeymoon in October - Can't Decide!

Hi all,

I'm in the midst of planning my October honeymoon in Italy. I've traveled all over the world, but somehow Italy (except for a very short 2 day stay in Florence during College) has alluded me. I'm so looking forward to exploring it with my new hubbs!

The problem? I'm indecisive as all hell. We'll likely have 17 days (so 2 travel days, 15 days on the ground). This is my rough itinerary.

  • Day 1: September 30 - Depart NYC
  • Day 2: October 1 - Arrive Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 3: October 2 - Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 4: October 3 - Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 5: October 4 - Venice > Vernazza {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 6: October 5 - Vernazza, Hike CT {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 7: October 6 - Vernazza > Florence {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 8: October 7 - Florence {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 9: October 8 - Day Trip Sienna {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 10: October 9 - Day Trip, Tuscany (Wine tour? Visit Chianti? Dinner at Officina della Bistecca?) {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 11: October 10 - Transfer to Amalfi Coast {Overnight ?}
  • Day 12: October 11 - Amalfi Coast {Overnight ?}
  • Day 13: October 12 -Day Trip: Pompeii {Overnight ?}
  • Day 14: October 13 -Day Trip:Capri {Overnight ?}
  • Day 15: October 14 -Transfer to Rome {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 16: October 15 - Rome Highlights {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 17: October 16 - Morning flight to NYC

My main questions:
1. Is this too ambitious? As it's my honeymoon, I want a certain amount of relaxing -- but I also want to see some different areas.
2. Is it worth it to do both CT & Amalfi? Should I leave one for another time? Or would CT be worth doing as a long day trip from Florence?
3. Where does it make sense to stay on the coast?
4. I realize I'm only giving Rome a day -- and that is intentional on this trip. I'd rather see some smaller areas than the big cities. Good food + drink +peaceful scenery are our most important priorities.

Thanks everyone!

Posted by
1589 posts

" Is it worth it to do both CT & Amalfi "

No, not in your time allowed. Pick one- both very scenic & romantic.

Posted by
1246 posts

Kelly,

Can I assume you mean Vernazza, after Venice? If so, you need to book a room ASAP as it fills up fast! Also, I would give it 3 nights since you will spend most of day 5 traveling. If you spend day 6 hiking, and leave on day 7, you don't get to experience much of Cinque Terre. The other towns are worth seeing, too. People here have different opinions, not necessarily bad :) re: CT. I stay 5 nights when I go, some people day trip.

4 nights in Florence is good, you can also add a day trip to Lucca, since you like small towns. Staying put in one place eliminates the getting up and packing, checking out of hotel and traveling to your new place, waiting for trains, wasting some good sightseeing time.

In Amalfi, Sorrento is probably the easiest place to stay, and do your day trips from there. Yes, it is similar because they are both on the coast, but I have stayed in both on the same trip, because they are different in food and ambiance. But, it is what you like!

Congrats on your wedding :)

Posted by
5292 posts

Kelly,

Best wishes -- may you love long and prosper.

"...ambitious?". Perhaps. After surviving the stress associated with most weddings, you'll probably need a little more down time than you think. Seeing different areas is fine, but don't forget to relax and enjoy rather than rushing hither, thither, and yon.

"...worth it to do both CT & Amalfi?". Probably not. Yes they are both very different, but one should suffice and you can save the other for a later trip. Personally I'd eliminate Amalfi, but that's just me. You can get good food, drink, and peaceful scenery in either one.

Posted by
297 posts

Congrats.
I think your itinerary is fine, but I would suggest to add the two days you would be on the Amalfi coast and add it to the CT. You will always have a chance to see that area on your next trip, and there will be a next trip. You will develop a love affair with Italy, and you will go back. Just make sure to make some relax time for yourselves. Spend some days without trying to squeeze everything into one day.

Enjoy your honeymoon.

Posted by
5 posts

Hi all,

Thanks for your prompt responses! If I did cut either CT or AC (likely AC as its further out of the way) how would you propose spending the additional 4 nights? Add a night in each location? Any other good day trip options out of Venice, CT, Florence or Rome?

Cheers!

Posted by
7737 posts

Do you have any guidebooks to help you see what your options are? Any Rick books?

Posted by
3943 posts

I'd throw a few more nights on Rome for sure (10 nights over 2 trips and I still haven't seen it all). Add another night to CT if you cut Amalfi. And I love Venice so I'd throw in an extra night there, but you really can't go wrong adding it to Rome or Florence (to take advantage of day trips).

If you want to do Pompeii, it is possible as a day trip from Rome. Our first trip to Rome we took a day and went to Herculaneum, had a stop for pizza, took a van tour up Mt Vesuvius and were still back in Rome by 9pm. (And that was after about a 9 or 10am start but getting off at the wrong train stop and having to wait an hour for a train to take us back to the right one - fun times!)

There are some lovely spots to get away from it all in Rome - you could day trip to Orvieto, walk (or bike or segway) the Borghese Gardens (fun), take a half day to visit Appia Antica (we really enjoyed that on our first visit - very peaceful and you are walking the ancient Roman road!) and a half day for Ostia Antica if you don't go to Pompeii.

Posted by
4105 posts

Your trip would flow better like this.

Would skip AC and add those days as follows.

Venice 3 >Florence 5 (do day trips to Siena and San Gimignano) > Vernazza 3> Rome 4.

Much more relaxing.

Congrats, and have a wonderful time.

Posted by
378 posts

Congratulations, and Gerri's suggestion looks good.

It's your honeymoon, plan some time for doing nothing, or just eating gelato and people watch.

Posted by
7175 posts

For October I would choose the Amalfi Coast over Cinque Terre.
Add an extra day for Rome, where 2 days is a bare minimum to skim the main sights.
Orvieto makes an easy one night stop between Florence and the Amalfi Coast.
Alternatively, add a 5th night to Florence, with a day trip to Pisa and Lucca by train.

October 1 - Arrive Venice {Overnight Venice}
October 2 - Venice {Overnight Venice}
October 3 - Venice {Overnight Venice}
October 4 - Transfer to Florence {Overnight Florence}
October 5 - Florence {Overnight Florence}
October 6 - Day Trip: Siena {Overnight Florence}
October 7 - Day Trip: Tuscany (Wine tour? Visit Chianti? Dinner at Officina della Bistecca?) {Overnight Florence}
October 8 - Transfer to Orvieto {Overnight Orvieto}
October 9 - Transfer to Amalfi Coast {Overnight Sorrento}
October 10 - Day Trip: Positano {Overnight Sorrento}
October 11 - Day Trip: Pompeii {Overnight Sorrento}
October 12 - Day Trip:Capri {Overnight Sorrento}
October 13 - Transfer to Rome {Overnight Rome}
October 14 - Rome {Overnight Rome}
October 15 - Rome {Overnight Rome}
October 16 - Morning flight to NYC

Posted by
15798 posts

I'd skip the CT and possibly spend another day in Sorrento. There's much more to see and do - Pompeii, Naples (don't skip the National Archaeology Museum - it's a wow), Amalfi towns, and probably not as crowded.

From Florence, I'd consider a night in Assisi, then 2 in Orvieto, then Sorrento.

Posted by
616 posts

This is how I would do it

  • Venice (don't miss Torcello Island) Florence with some day trips to Lucca, Siena, Pisa, ( no car); Chianti 3 full days devoted to Florence) Would not do CT (stay longer at Amalfi Coast, Capri And Ischia) overnight in Sorrento; Capri or Ischia; not in Pompéi
  • Voltera (car) 2full days in Voltera, San Gimignano, day trips to Orvieto, Gubbio, Etruscan Coast, Island of Elba Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia And Pompéi. Do Rome another Time And devote one full week to it.
Posted by
616 posts

Take the ferry in Piombino ( half hour).
Elba is a lovely Island with beautiful islets, all very different from each other, devote 2 full days (3 nights)
Another option is to go to Argentario (wilder area than CT or Amalfi).

Posted by
360 posts

We had the same amount of time for our trip a couple of years ago and also had to make the choice between Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast (we also did Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome in the same trip). Based on recommendations from friends, the Cinque Terre was the overwhelming recommendation, and we weren't disappointed. It's so beautiful (we were there in May). We hope to get to the Amalfi Coast on our next trip. You might have too much time in Venice, so if you're looking for a fairly relaxing, slower start, then the longer time might be better. We had only two nights there and thought it was more than enough time to see the main sites. It might be worth deciding what you want to see in each area to determine if you have enough time there, as we all have different interests than what you might want to see -- you mention not really wanting to be in the big cities, so why even stay there vs. spending more time in the more rural areas (e.g. stay in Tuscany and do your one-day to Florence as a day trip up there)?

Posted by
195 posts

My apologies, I didn't have time to read through all the replies that have already been left, but wanted to quickly give some input.

From what I can tell, you won't have a huge amount of time to just linger and enjoy Cinque Terre (and relax as you mentioned you'd like), so be sure that that is ok with you. The trip from Venice to Cinque Terre will take multiple hours, so depending on what time your train is, the day may be already half over by the time you get there on the 4th. Looks like you will spend most of the day on the 5th hiking, then head out on the 6th, so just be aware that you might not have much time to soak in the area (for us, the best part was just slowing down, relaxing, strolling, swimming, eating good food, etc in Vernazza).

That same logic applies to pretty much anywhere...once you check out of a hotel, ride a train for a few hours, track down your hotel in a new city, get checked into your hotel, etc, you will likely have lost at least half a day (as well as half your energy for that day), so when you say that October 6th and 7th are for Florence, keep in mind that this will 1.5 days and not 2, and that may sights aren't open super late, so you may not be able to do a ton the day you arrive unless your train is super early in the morning. And it can also be taxing energy-wise to move around between several locations, so keep that in mind when weighting quantity of locations vs. quality of time. To answer question #1, I'd say this is fairly ambitious. We had 16 days for Rome, Florence, 24 hours in Venice, 2.5 days with relatives, and 36 hours in CInque Terre, and that felt like a good bit of moving around. We weren't on our honeymoon and were adventuring more than relaxing, so I'd say if you are looking to relax, going to this many places will not achieve that.

If you are looking for ways to trim, we enjoyed Walkabout Florence's "Best of Tuscany in One Day" tour. That would allow you to do some of the things you were hoping (Siena, Chianti, wine tasting) all in one day without much hassle or moving hotels.

To answer question 2, we only visited CT and really liked it, but many of our friends have said Sorrento is their favorite place in the world, so I would almost be tempted to say to prioritize that over CT (though I'm sure both are lovely - a win win). Perhaps CT would make more sense geographically though...that's why we included it.

Posted by
3373 posts

I generally agree with dip's itinerary, except you indicated you don't want time in Rome, and I understand why, so I would add one day to Florence and one to Venice. I would train (and have) from Florence to Sorrento in one day. Don't miss spending a day in Naples! I couldn't get my companions up for it and I am still regretting it. I think your trip sounds lovely and relaxing. Spend time in just a few places and get to know them, as you can always take a day trip if you got itchy. Have a great trip. Wray

Posted by
5 posts

Hi all,

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Certainly a lot to think about. Based on everyone's advice, I am going to cut either CT or Amalfi and focus on Venice, Florence and CT/Amalfi (whichever I don't cut). I keep going back and forth about it -- but ultimately I know whatever I decide will be great. Below are the three itineraries I'm now considering. My partner threw me a curveball last night and suggested he might want to visit Bologna/Parma/Modena... hence itinerary #2. Thoughts on any of this?

Option 1: Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence & Rome

  • Day 1: Depart NYC
  • Day 2: Arrive Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 3: Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 4: Venice - Explore Murano & Burano {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 5: Venice > Vernazza {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 6: Hike CT {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 7: Vernazza {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 8: Vernazza > Florence {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 9: Florence {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 10: Day Trip Siena {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 11: Day Trip Chianti (Wine Tasting) {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 12: Day Trip San Gimignano {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 13: Florence> Rome {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 14: Rome {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 15: Orvieto Day Trip {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 16: Rome {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 17: Morning flight to NYC

Option 2: Venice, Bologna, Cinque Terre, Florence & Rome

  • Day 1: Depart NYC
  • Day 2: Arrive Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 3: Venice {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 4: Venice - Explore Murano & Burano {Overnight Venice}
  • Day 5: Venice > Bologna {Overnight Bologna}
  • Day 6: Italian Days Food Tour {Overnight Bologna}
  • Day 7: Bologna> Parma {Overnight Parma}
  • Day 8: Parma> Vernazza {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 9: Hike CT {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 10: Vernazza {Overnight Vernazza}
  • Day 11: Vernazza> Florence {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 12: Florence {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 13: Day Trip: Chianti {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 14: Day Trip: San Gimignano or Siena {Overnight Florence}
  • Day 15: Florence > Rome {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 16: Rome {Overnight Rome}
  • Day 17: Morning flight to NYC

Option 3: Venice, Florence, Amalfi Coast & Rome

  • Day 1: Depart NYC
    • Day 2: Arrive Venice {Overnight Venice}
    • Day 3: Venice {Overnight Venice}
    • Day 4: Venice - Explore Murano & Burano {Overnight Venice}
    • Day 5: Venice > Florence {Overnight Florence}
    • Day 6: Florence {Overnight Florence}
    • Day 7: Day Trip Siena {Overnight Florence}
    • Day 8: Day Trip Chianti (Wine Tasting) {Overnight Florence}
    • Day 9: Day Trip San Gimignano {Overnight Florence}
    • Day 10: Transfer to Orvieto {Overnight Orvieto}
    • Day 11: Transfer to Amalfi Coast {Overnight Sorrento}
    • Day 12: Day Trip: Positano {Overnight Sorrento}
    • Day 13: Day Trip: Pompeii {Overnight Sorrento}
    • Day 14: Day Trip:Capri {Overnight Sorrento}
    • Day 15: Transfer to Rome {Overnight Rome}
    • Day 16: Rome {Overnight Rome}
    • Day 17: Morning flight to NYC
Posted by
15798 posts

There's not much point to commenting on details of your itinerary until you choose one. We've already given our opinions about Amalfi vs. Cinque Terre.

Posted by
616 posts

I think Amalfi coast is easiest because there are many direct fast trains from Florence to Salerno where from you can visit the Amalfi coast. Also there is a direct night train (slower but let you arrive morning for a nice Italian breakfast with espresso and brioche) from Pisa to Salerno.
Price range between 60-80 euros at standard price.
Time of travel from Florence: 3-4 hours. From Pisa: 5-7 hours, (night train for the latter)

Posted by
1832 posts

I would not book so many day trips
It is ok to not see everything and actually leave 2 full days for site seeing in the town you are staying overnight in
It is your honeymoon after all so you likely will be up a little later and sleeping in a little more than otherwise and in addition in October you may get a day or two or rain during your stay you want some pad days here and there to be able to work with the weather

As to Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre I do agree you are better off dropping one on this trip
I would say the Amalfi Coast is more romantic for a honeymoon and weather may be better here for October
Stay in Positano and give the nights from ct to this area

Posted by
4105 posts

Trip 2 is arranged nicely.

Trip 3 move day 5 to day 9. Keeps all Florence nites together.

Edit. Day 7 - 9

Posted by
46 posts

We have the same travel dates!

I am essentially doing your itinerary #3 (except switching Rome and Amalfi Coast so that we end up in Naples airport to fly home). We are also spending more time in Amalfi Coast, and adding one day to Rome.

If it's a honeymoon, there are some beautiful B &Bs we've found in Capri, which is why we are spending several days there (with a day trip to Ischia).