Southern Italy or Andalucia for Oct 2017 honeymoon

So you have 7 days total? And is this early October or late October?
For early October, I would flip a coin. For late October, the chance for rain in southern Italy would make me choose Spain instead. I consider the Amalfi coast very weather-dependent, for outdoor activities.
I don't understand flying into Florence--why not Naples?
And for Andalucia, there are several airports--Sevilla, Jerez, and Malaga could be options. You do not have enough time to not be flying to maximize your time in country.
Romance is something you create--I think any of those places could be perfect honeymoons. Once you choose, get a guidebook--it will answer all of your transportation questions. No car needed for either trip as currently described.

Whether you go to Andalucia or Southern Italy is up to you. Both are equally great choices in October.

Regarding Southern Italy option:
Not sure how Florence is getting into this picture. Florence is 200 miles north of Rome, the area you want to visit in Southern Italy (basically Gulf of Naples area) is 150 miles south of Rome. Why would you want to fly to Florence (FLR) to reach Naples, 350 miles to the south? If anything you should fly to Rome (FCO), which is closer and certainly offers a lot more flight options given how small FLR is.

Considering that your home airport is Phoenix (PHX), the flight that makes the most sense for you to go to Italy or Spain is:
British Airways flight BA 288
Departs PHX at 7:30 pm
Arrives at London LHR at 1:20 pm local time the next day.
From LHR British Airways has numerous flights to both Rome (FCO) or Madrid (MAD).

Therefore you should look for such flight from PHX to FCO (or MAD) via LHR with British Airways, for the time you want to travel.

From Rome to the Naples area you can use a high speed train (70 min Rome to Naples) even on the same day you arrive, unless you are too tired and you want to spend the first night in Rome.

Likewise, you can take a high speed train from Madrid to Seville to reach Andalucia.

Just be aware that the flights back to the US depart in the morning or early afternoon. The BA flight (no 289) from LHR back to PHX, departs from London LHR at 3:40 pm, therefore you will need to depart from Rome (FCO), or Madrid (MAD) in the morning. That will require that you spend your last night in the city where you depart from (Rome or Madrid, depending on whether you decide to go to Italy or Spain).

British Airways is the only non stop option from PHX to Europe, without passing through the Easter US hubs (which I loathe).

Unfortunately, other than BA via London, any other flight option from PHX to Italy or Spain (and especially if you want to fly to Naples (NAP) or Seville (SVQ)) would require at least 2 layovers. Neither Naples nor Seville have non stop flights to the US (or to London LHR for that matter).

Thanks for your responses, Valadelphia and Roberto - good point. We will look into skipping Florence, if we go to Italy and just fly into Naples area. I only suggested Florence because I've heard great things about it and thought it'd be nice to see, if schedule allowed. Since it doesn't, we'll take that off the itinerary. I also appreciate your input on late Oct in Southern Italy, Valadelphia.

Our travel is 8 or 9 days (7 or 8 nights) beginning Oct 8th or Oct 9th.

I actually have guide books and have spent some time researching online too.

I was simply looking for other people's experiences. I noticed some people will respond with things they did that they loved - considered "must do's", other things they would have done differently if they could do it over again and so forth...

Thanks again , much appreciated.

Roberto - thanks for your input on flights. Yes, I've generally found BA to be the best choice from Phx to Europe so we likely will be flying BA.

Thanks again for your response.

I did not think about you flying from AZ (my east-coast bias!).
Florence would be lovely if you had more time, but I would want a week just for the Amalfi Coast--half for sightseeing in Naples, Pompeii, etc., and half for relaxing.
If it ends up as Madrid for your flights, we found it worked well to take the train to Cordoba immediately. After staying there, Sevilla, and Ronda (you may wish to substitute Granada), return to Madrid for your last night. Don't worry about skimping Madrid this time--it is the easiest and cheapest place to fly into, so chances are good you can see it later and focus on Andalucia this time.
The train and bus are convenient for getting from city to city in Andalucia. If you wish to explore the countryside instead (e.g., the "white villages"), then a car would be better. Great hiking in both areas.
Or course it still might be Italy--look at weather stats to get a better sense. There is a wealth of things to do in the area, but the Amalfi coast in rain would just be sad.
have fun planning!

Airline connections may be difficult for you as others have said.
For Andalusia, rather than seek out flights to Seville, it may be easier to settle for Madrid as your gateway.

Day 1 Arrive Madrid. Train to Seville (3 nights)
Day 2 Seville sights - Cathedral, Alcazar
Day 3 Day trip to Córdoba - Mezquita
Day 4 Travel to Granada (2 nights)
Day 5 Granada sights - Alhambra, Albaicin
Day 6 Travel to Madrid (2 nights)
Day 7 Madrid sights - Royal Palace, Prado
Day 8 Depart from Madrid

With an 8th night you could include a stop in Ronda, or an extra night in Madrid with a day trip to Toledo.

Hi djp_syd,

Thanks for your note. Yes, I had thought the same. Flights from Phx to Europe can be limited so flying to Madrid is likely our best bet.

I noticed on your "About Me" part of your profile that you state you are passionate about Spain. You seem like a really great source of information for us. I chose Andalusia as a good potential honeymoon destination because I've learned that Southern Spain's weather is great in early to mid Oct (compared to other parts of Europe) and I also liked the diversity it seems to bring with it: white villages, culture, history, flamenco, beaches, etc...same with Southern Italy, to some degree (meaning good weather relative to other parts of Europe and diversity in things to see/do).

Given your knowledge and love of Spain - are there any other parts or regions of Spain that you think we should be considering for our honeymoon/first trip to Spain? We have a lot of time to plan, and honestly, doing this kind of correspondence with experienced and knowledgeable travelers is very enjoyable to me - so, bring it on, if you are so inclined :)

Thanks for your help.

Both Southern Italy and Andalucia have similar weather in October. So your choice is a matter of personal preference.

You only have 7 or 8 nights on the ground. You will need to spend the last night in the city you depart from (Rome or Madrid). Since the flight from PHX arrives in the afternoon to LHR, chances are you might need to spend also the first night in either of those two capitals.

That leaves you with 5 or 6 nights to play with.

That is barely enough for Andalucia or the Naples area. Therefore don't add anything else to your plan Just stick to either of those two regions.

Thank you for your kind words, and of course congrats on your upcoming wedding. With only 7 or 8 nights you are fairly constrained with what you can fit in. Barcelona would be a possibility, but only at the expense of somewhere else. The Amalfi Coast offers the opportunity for locations by the sea, but Spain I think offers more diversity.