Italy honeymoon itinerary help!!

You have a lot of tours lined up but not a lot of free time to explore. You only have half a day or so free to explore Florence and only about a day and a half free in Rome. Personally, I couldn't take an 8 hour tour no matter where it was.

8 days to explore and a tour on almost every day. It's not the way I would spend 8 days in Italy but it's your honeymoon.

You can book train tickets online ahead of time and save money or you can buy full priced tickets at the station on the day of travel.

Donna

Unfortunately this is my first trip to Italy so I have no experience. The tours are already booked so I can't do anything about it now. Does anyone have any advice with the itinerary I have? Maybe some positive feedback on places you've had good food?

Suggestions : in Venice, take the vaporetto around the Grand Canal at night and enjoy the lights on the water and the romantic atmosphere . In Rome, just walk and eat gelato and savor dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing)
Have a great honeymoon! !

The biggest mistake people make is to cram to much into too little time. You are making a textbook mistake.
I suggest 2 days in Venice, 2 days in Florence, 2 days in Rome.
Take the train to Napoli then the light rail to Pompeii stay overnight in the Hotel Forum, tour the ruins the next day then take the light rail to Sorrento and over to Capri. Stay in the Hotel Gatto Bianco. then the boat back to Napoli and train to Rome for departure.
You will not be disapointed.
I have been going to Italy every year for 35 years.
Ciao,
FGM

Day 1 - don't plan a special dinner. You may be falling asleep in your antipasto plate. Save it for Day 2. Do you have the RS Italy book? Rick has suggestions for a cichetti tour. It's fun and you can do it early, then get a good night's sleep.

Day 2 - The trip to Burano is worth it for the lovely ride across the lagoon. Some people love Burano, others don't. You don't have to spend a lot of time there - just know the vaporetto schedule in advance. I'd skip Murano. You can see the hand-blown glass in Venice.

Day 4 - Once you are in Venice, you'll have a better idea of how long it will take you to get from your hotel to the train station. Then decide on Monday, or even Tuesday, how early you want to get going. Then stop by the train station sometime before Wednesday morning to buy your tickets. You don't want to end up missing the train because you spent a long time in line at the ticket office or the ticket machine. This will be your first time at an Italian train station. Spend a few minutes looking around - the arrival and departure boards, the platforms. Then ride the vaporetto the length of the Grand Canal from the train station to St. Mark's. You'll have plenty of time to do this on Tuesday evening if you don't do it on Monday.

Day 5 (or Day 4) - walk or take the bus to Piazzale Michelangelo for the views of Florence. Great place for sunset.

Day 8 - Download Rick's free audio tours of Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto (they are next to each other). Spend an hour people watching in Piazza Navona. Eat gelato.

Hi Rachel, first of all, congratulations on your marriage! You are going to have a wonderful time in Italy and all your tours sound fantastic. Regarding things to do in Rome, some of your greatest memories will be just walking the streets and watching life go by. Personally, I love walking in the mornings. The Pantheon at 9 am will seem empty compared to what it's like 2 hours later. Near the Pantheon is a famous gelato spot called Giolitti. Find it, pick a favorite and just gaze at all the wonderful flavors available. Go to Campo de Fiori and take in the smell and sights of all the wonderful food and flower booths. Near there is Piazza Navona, a place to grab an outdoor table, sip on a capuccino and watch the wonderful people of Rome start their day. At 5 pm, join in on the la passeggiata, the traditional walk where the Romans get out for their evening stroll. A great one is Via del Corso, which will take you to the Spanish Steps. Grab a beverage, sit down with your hubby and just enjoy what a wonderful place you have chosen to start your new life together !

Day 1 This is the day (after arrival) where I would allocate a possible excursion to Burano/Murano. You are not locked in and you can decide last minute depending on delayed arrival or jet lag.
Day 2 Hit the canals and backstreets - start at the Rialto Markets, then Ca d'Oro, take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal and across to San Giorgio Maggiore, maybe checkout the Academy or Peggy Guggenheim Museums, Santa Maria della Salute, Scuola Grande de San Rocco, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Day 4 Get a train between 9 am and 10am to get you into Florence so you can use the afternoon. Visit the Duomo & Baptistery, then head across Ponte Vecchio and up to Piazzale Michelangelo for sunset.
Day 5 If you want to see 'David' (the statue, not me) then book the Academy for after your cooking class.
Day 6 If you want to visit the Uffizi then go first thing (opens 0815 ex Mon). Train to Rome about midday. Have a look at St Peters before your evening tour.
Day 8 Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (under renovation), Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori

Congratulations! We did a similar trip for our honeymoon in 2012. If you really want a treat, take a water taxi to your hotel. It will cost 100-120 euros, but you will get to see a lot of the city and get fresh air and sunshine to help beat jet lag! I think the trip to Murano/Burano is worth the time. You can use your vaporetto pass to get there and back. Make sure you get a vaporetto map when you buy your 72 hour pass. We also arrived on a Sunday and made sure that we didn't sit around the hotel. We went out and explored. Surprisingly, we were still wide awake at 9 PM when we had dinner. My advice is to just wander around Venice and stop in at a restaurant when you get hungry. If you have the RS guidebook, it should be easy to find good food at a good price. For train travel, you do not necessarily need to purchase tickets ahead of time, but I would check train schedules before you go to get a feel for when you want to depart. Are you early risers? How close is your hotel to the train station? There are two train services - Trenitalia and Italo Treno. The latter is newer and has less frequent trains but is usually a little cheaper. Both have fast trains between Venezia Santa Lucia and Firenze SMN (2 hours 5 minutes) as well as Firenze SMN and Roma Termini (1 hour 30 minutes). You will need to know these Italian train station names. You may be able to save a bit of money if you buy tickets in advance, but you will be locked into a specific time. Second class seats are fine for these short journeys. Venice to Florence: Italo has an 855 AM that arrives at 1100 while Trenitalia has a 9:25 AM that arrives at 1130. Florence to Rome: Italo has a 9:33 with arrival in Rome at 1105 and Trenitalia has 9:04 to 1035 train. There are plenty of trains available and these are just a couple of examples.

Florence is very walkable. Where is your hotel? You may not need a taxi depending on where you are staying. You can ask your hotel to make a reservation for the Accademia and/or Uffizi galleries. You get to skip the line for these. Since you have limited time in Florence, I would skip the Uffizi as it is huge and will take a while to get through. Make sure to see the Duomo and Baptistry.

For Rome, I recommend dining on Campo de Fiore. There are several restaurants with outdoor seating. Pick one and relax! Walking around the Centro Storico at night is fun. If you are looking for a club, I can't help! For Sunday, check to see which sights are closed. You may want to do the Jewish Ghetto, Trastavere walks in the RS Audio Europe guide. If you like archelogy, you may consider a side trip to Ostia Antica.

I would download the Rick Steves Audio Europe app and get the Venice, Florence and Rome walking tours. For Venice, check out the Frari Church.

Enjoy!

Hi Rachel,

Congratulations!

I would also suggest piazzale Michelangelo for the evening of day 4 or 5. While you can take the bus, the hike up is a great way to burn off some of that fine Italian food you'll be enjoying. It is what feels like 1,000 steep steps but going slow it was doable and I'm not in the best shape. Gorgeous views of the city and great at sunset !

Our favorite restaurant in Rome was one that came recommended by RS - Osteria d Mario. We even had the pleasure of enjoying a serenade while we ate. Note - they close for a few hours mid day so be sure to verify their hours. Also, it is closer to Piazza Navona you may not prefer to do this the evening after your Colleseum tour.

-crystal

Venezia/Firenze/Roma is a classic trip. I think your time in Firenze is short, BUT you don't have to do and see everything. Your cooking class will be memorable. Perhaps take the train to Roma after lunch on Friday, but be sure to gert there by 3:00 or so, so you are not rushed to get to your evening event. That way maybe you can see one of the great museums in Firenze in the morning. Or not. You do NOT have to buy tickets in advance, so maybe go with the flow that day.

I would not add on another city as was suggested above. You really don;t have time to cram in one more thing. Take Rick Steves' Night Walk Across Roma on Saturday night. You will see many great sites!

Leave Sunday open and see what develops. Where are you staying in Roma?

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
You all have been such a great help!!
We are staying in San Marco Venice,
Borgo Ognossanti Florence
And Lazio Roma

Hello

I'm Italian and I live near Rome

I can suggest you something to do in Rome in your free day:
Take a walk in Via Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Via Sistina and Trinità de Monti, Down the stairs and You'll be in Piazza di Spagna.
From Piazza di Spagna to the left you can go in Via del Babuino ( and visit Via Margutta, it's a street running parallel to Via del Babuino) and go straight to Piazza del Popolo.
Take Via del Corso and walk along this famous shopping street.
Walk for about 1,3 km and to the right you can go to Fontana di Trevi. Come back and take Via di Pietra to the left and you will arrive in Piazza di Pietra where you can take a Drink in Salotto 42 From this place you can see Adrian's Temple.

This is one of my ideas. I hope to be usefully for you
Roberto

Another nice walk in Roma: after you visit the Galleria Borghese, follow the signs through the park to "Pincio", look out from the terrace over one of the most beautiful piazza in Roma, then take the footpath down to the Piazza. Plenty of places for a drink or a meal, side streets are better for restaurants.

Have a great trip, enjoy your tours and cooking class.