Italy Honeymoon - Take Two!

I think it is a very nice first-time-in-Italy plan. While Sorrento is really just at the start of the Amalfi Coast, it makes a very good base. Great job on the bones of the itinerary. Now figure out where to stay and what each day might look like. :-)

Yours looks quite similar to the one I'm getting ready to do in 3 weeks, therefore I say you have a great plan to begin with. This is mine:

JFK to Venice: 2 nights
Fast train to Rome (Italo)
Rome: 4 nights
Fast train to Salerno, then ferry to Positano
Positano: 3 nights
Naples: 1 night before departure

If you plan on touring the Amalfi Coast, then I think Sorrento might be a nice base. However, if you want to spend some time on the beach, I think you might want to stay somewhere on the Amalfi Coast for a couple of nights. In any case..I think you have a great plan.

Since her priorities are Venice & Amalfi Coast and yours is Rome, I would drop a night in Rome and add it to Venice. Three nights in Venice only gives you two full days and part of a jet lagged day of arrival. The same is true if you change Rome -- three nights will give you two full days and part of a travel day. Whose priorities are more important? Personally Venice is more romantic to my mind, but to each his / her own.

My daughter has basically planned the same trip for her honeymoon this sept. She is flying into venice spending 2 nights then flying to Naples to spend 4 nights in sorrento. She'll take the train to rome for 4 nights before flying home to chicago. This schedule worked out to be cheaper then flying out of naples. If I can make any recommendations it would be to splurge on the private tour along the amalfi coast versus taking a bus tour. It is an experience I will never forget and we'll worth every penny.

I would take a day from the Amalfi coast and add it to Venice due to jet lag and the overall wonderfulness of Venice. I would not attempt Rome in fewer than 4 nights/3 days. Be sure to visit Pompeii from Sorrento.

Joe,

Your revised Itinerary looks quite workable. A few thoughts.....

• Three nights in Venice is adequate (IMO). Even though you may be jet lagged, if you plan your touring accordingly you should be able to cover the main sights. As you have a limited time for your holiday, my preference would be to spend more of the time in the south (that's important for your fiancé).
• Four nights in Rome is good. Plan your touring carefully so that you don't waste any time.
• Four nights in the "Amalfi Coast" is good, and Sorrento makes a good home base for that area (although I believe Sorrento is not "officially" on the Amalfi Coast).
• If your budget will allow, you might consider arranging a private transfer from Napoli Centrale to Sorrento, rather than using the Circumvesuviana. One option you could consider is the Monetti Taxi listed in the guidebook. While the Circumvesuviana would probably provide more of a "memorable travel experience", an air conditioned Mercedes direct to your hotel would be a better fit for a honeymoon (again IMO). The same firm may be able to offer a good day tour of the coast.
• Depending on where you want to visit on the Amalfi Coast, you'll have a bit more work to do in figuring out the transportation as it's not as well developed as in the north. If you want to visit Positano, the Bus is probably the cheapest. If you want to take a day trip to Capri, you can take the boat from Sorrento. Once you've decided where you want to visit, post the list of places here and I'm sure the group will be able to provide good transportation suggestions.
• I'd suggest leaving some "chilling out" time in Sorrento as well, as it's beautiful. If your budget will allow, you might enjoy a fine hot meal at L' Antica Trattoria (not cheap but it will be a fine meal). Last time I was there, a honeymoon couple was seated beside me and I helped them with a few photos of the special occasion.
• For the trip from Sorrento to Naples airport, you might consider the Curreri Viaggi Bus. ~€10 PP and about an hour direct to the airport. Don't bother with the Circumvesuviana on that route.

Good luck with your planning!

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. As I mentioned in the past thread, I've visited Italy before while my fiancee has not, so it's more important for me that she see the places that she wants to see versus a place I might rather go. In other words, her priorities are important to me!

Ken, many thanks again for your thoughtful post, we'll definitely go the routes suggested for transfers between Naples and Sorrento. We'll be sure to start filling in the lines with more concrete plans and I'll be sure to post the Amalfi Coast "wish list" here for input.

Joe

That sounds like the best honeymoon planning trip I've read so far! I read a particular honeymoon plan sometime ago on TripAdvisor where basically the groom wanted to have wheels on his butt to see and do as much as possible. When told by several people (including me) to slow it WAY down he said he didn't want to be "bored". Really??? It's his honeymoon and he's worried about being bored.

So Congratulations on not being a "SHMUCK" of a groom and taking your bride's wishes into consideration :-) Wonder if the wheels-on-the-butt groom is divorced by now (ha ha).

I would end in Rome where you are more likely to get easy flights home.

Fly from Boston to Venice
Spend 3 nights in Venice
High Speed Train to Naples, Circumvesuviana to Sorrento
Spend 4 nights on the Amalfi Coast
Circumvesuviana to Naples, High Speed Train to Rome
Spend 4 nights in Rome
Fly to Boston from Rome

This also 'sandwiches; your beach stay between your city stays.

I like your itinerary, too, especially that you will see Cinque Terre at another time. Too many people want to do Amalfi and Cinque Terre in the same trip, both are coastal towns and somewhat similar. Saves you something to look forward to when returning!

I'm glad you listened! Sorrento is lovely and there's a lot more to see and do from there than from the Cinque Terre - especially if you get a little rain.

Djp-syd, the initial plan was to fly FCO-BOS for the return flight, but given the proximity of NAP to the Amalfi Coast where we hoped to end the trip as well as the negligible price difference observed, I think we'll go with that. Surprisingly (to me, maybe not others) the number of one stop flights from NAP-BOS were competitive with those from FCO-BOS.

Sure, go for it - as long as it's a reasonable connection with reputable airlines.

We are getting better organized with travel dates, and have an updated timeline looking like this:
Arrive Venice midday September 27, 2016
3 Nights in Venice
Depart Venice for Rome September 30, 2016 via train
4 Nights in Rome
Depart Rome for Naples October 4, 2016 via train, car service to Sorrento
Use Sorrento as "home base" for next 5 nights
Depart Sorrento for Naples morning of October 9, 2016
Depart Naples for Boston October 9, 2016 in afternoon

Planning for the Amalfi Coast is where I'd like the most help at this point. Initially I'd envisioned using Sorrento as a base and taking four separate day trips to Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano, and Capri. A second option I've been thinking would be to travel from Rome to Positano (recognizing we more or less lose a day doing this) for the opportunity to fall asleep and wake up in Positano. We'd make Positano our base for three nights (arrival plus 2) and see Amalfi and Positano before taking a ferry to Sorrento to use as a base for Capri and Pompeii. My fiancee would really like to see the Amalfi Coast, which is why I tacked on an extra day there from the first itinerary draft, and why I wouldn't be opposed to spending a little more money on accommodations in Positano. What are the thoughts and opinions on these two ideas? Can someone recommend a third option or is the first one a solid idea?

I appreciate your help and responses!
Joe

I am wondering if Sorrento before Positano would work better. I don't know why though. Probably a bit cheaper on hotels.

Oct 4 - Depart Rome for Naples (few hours ??) via train, and on to Sorrento (3 nts)
Oct 5 - Day trip to Capri
Oct 6 - Day trip to Pompei
Oct 7 - Morning transfer to Positano (2 nts)
Oct 8 - Day trip to Amalfi
Oct 9 - Depart Positano for Naples and Boston

I thought it might make for an easier connection coming from Rome to stop in Sorrento, but I'm a little worried about the morning travel from Positano to Naples for the return flights if we did it that way. I know the distance between Positano and Sorrento isn't great, and Rick's guidebook gives the time by bus as 50 minutes or so, but would wonder if getting to the airport in Naples would be less stressful on a travel day leaving from Sorrento. Thoughts?

It just depends on the flight time (whether early am or not). I'd want to stay in Naples the night before, but plenty of people stay on the AC before a flight--I would definitely use a car service in that case. You may not have to use the car service on the way from Rome to the AC, just depends on where you are going and your tolerance for travel logistics. Rome to Salerno (via train) to the AC is pretty easy (last leg via bus or ferry).
Sorrento is not the AC, so you are right to stay ON the AC for at least 2 nights. Another thing you could consider is seeing Pompeii en route and skipping Sorrento altogether since you can see Capri from the AC, but getting to Pompeii for a day trip is more time consuming from there.
sound like a wonderful trip, congrats!

Thanks for the reply, that's an interesting thought to consider. Had generally assumed we'd use Sorrento as a base for the AC, but could be convinced to skip Sorrento under the right circumstances and base out of Positano instead, especially if we stopped at Pompeii on the way from Rome. I know accommodations in Positano would be more expensive; I guess I should just price it out a little bit and see if the difference is worth it, especially factoring in the saved travel time from Sorrento.

The return flight wouldn't leave Naples until around 1 PM, and would likely do a car service to the airport as well.

I am sure Sorrento has its charms, which others can tell you about, but it is more of a convenient base for lots of day trips. Towns like Positano, Praiano, and Atrani are going to give you more of a romantic feel (do google image searches or look in a book to get a sense of what you be your preference). Praiano would require a bus to go anywhere, but Atrani is walking distance to Amalfi. Amalfi is a little less idyllic because it is a transport hub, but there is no need to stay near the bus area. Start searching accommodations and let that be your guide.
You can also always just park yourselves and do no day trips, just enjoy the views. There are amazing hikes in this area (there are two books with all of the hikes: one published by Sunflower and the other by Cicerone). With a year out, I am confident you can find somewhere in Positano (and definitely on the AC) that is affordable.
Late September is still "in season" but not as crazy as August or early September would be, so ideal I think.

Thanks for the tips and recommendations. We'd be on the Amalfi Coast the first week of October, and may just want to post up in Positano with only a scheduled day trip to Capri and then 3 days of "whatever." We'll be visiting Venice and Rome beforehand, and since it IS our honeymoon, some restful relaxation sounds like a great way to end the trip.