Please critique our honeymoon itinerary- 15 nights Venice/Garda/CT/MP/Florence

I stayed at the Hotel Degli Orafi in Florence. The hotel was beautiful and the location was absolutely great - right near the bridge and close to everything you would want to see. However, it was a bit pricey (more than I wanted to pay) so it depends on your budget. But I highly recommend that area. I loved being right by the Arno River!

http://www.hoteldegliorafi.it/

By the way, in case you want to get out of the city, I took a Tuscany Bike tour that was amazing!

Also, I absolutely loved Hotel Villa Steno in Monterosso which was also up on a hill - one of the best hotels I have stayed in in all of Europe!

Oh, that hotel looks beautiful! Out of our budget, though, which I should have mentioned- we are trying to stick to around $150/night.

I'll look into the bike tour- sounds fun!

Firstly I think you need a third night in Venice to start the trip. Somewhere near Monteriggioni in Tuscany may be more convenient for you with limited time - close to Siena / San Gimignano / Chianti.
This is good value in Florence - http://www.hoteldeimacchiaioli.com/

@Sue- which bike tour did you take? I see a few online. Thank you for the suggestion on Villa Steno- it looks great!

@djp_syd- Your hotel rec looks great- thank you for sharing!

I don't think 2 nights in Venice is enough, considering you will be flying that first day and will probably be jet-lagged. So you really only have the remainder of 1 day, 1 full day and you leave on the 3rd day. Venice is so unique and romantic (think honeymoon!) you might wish you had stayed longer. I would take a night away from Lake Garda or Montepulciano.

You mention getting a car leaving Venice and returning in Florence. Do you realize you can't drive a car in Vernazza? Do you plan to park it somewhere? Can be scarce and expensive.

Congratulations, by the way :)

Two nights in Venice is, imo, simply not enough. Particularly since it is your honeymoon as Venice is such a very romantic place. At least three nights if not four for Venice.

@Charlotte- we had originally planned on three nights in each place, but at the suggestion of my best friend, decided to take one away from Venice (despite the jet lag!). She thought we would prefer Florence and the Tuscan hill towns, so that's why we added the extra night to Montepulciano. And yes, the places we're planning on staying in CT all have parking, so we plan to just park it once we arrive and let it sit until we leave :) and thank you!!

@TC- A lot of people have suggested similarly to you, but since my best friend suggested I would not like Venice as much as other places, we've decided to just have two nights there.

I did my bike tour with Tuscany Bike Tours - it was GREAT!:

http://www.tuscany-biketours.com/

I also did a city bike tour in Florence with a different company which was good as well.

You might also consider Hotel Castello in Malcescine.

http://www.h-c.it

It is on the lake right below the castle, with a nice beach. We did not stay there but walked past and wished we did! Be sure and hike or ride the cablecar up Monte Baldo.

I agree with the others about adding a night or even two to your stay in Venice. I would also HIGHLY recommend staying somewhere OTHER than near San Marco while in Venice. That area is so overrun with tourists that it is difficult to see the Cities romance and charm. My favorite area is Dorsoduro - it is less crowded and less expensive and Piazza San Marco is only a 10-15 minute walk from essentially anywhere in the district.
As for Florence, we enjoyed our B&B very much - First of Florence. But I would also look in the Oltrorno area - charming, great restaurants, and very close to the sights.
Staying in Montepulciano is a great choice - it is just lovely. We used it as our home base and then traveled - we enjoyed Volterra, Siena, and Civita di Bornegegio (sp????) very much.

Sounds like a spectacular honeymoon! Congratulations and best wishes!

I know a lot of people are suggesting adding more nights in Venice, which would be great if you did have the time. However, I went to Venice a few years ago and it was our first stop when we landed. Our first day we were jet lagged but Venice is a great place for your first day, you're able to take your time and wander around and relax. We stayed two nights and we were able to enjoy it and see Venice. But with limited time you can only stay so long! Two nights is maybe not enough but it is ok.

Montepulciano is a great place. Take a day trip to Montalcino, stopping in Pienza on the way. Another day trip to Cortona. Happy Honeymoon!

Thank you all for the fantastic ideas!

@janettomko, we will definitely check out those neighborhoods- they sound great. I appreciate the suggestions :)

@ashleyd thanks for the support :)

@Charlie- great, we'll look at those towns! Thank you!