Review our Honeymoon!

Hi Jordan - I've been taking groups to Italy for over 25 years and I have to say - Your Itinerary is EXCELLENT!! - Good Job.
When you rent that car to explore Tuscany make sure, of course, that you see San Gimignano, Volterra, Cortona - Terrific places !!
In Rome I would make a suggestion for Hotel - The Hotel Forte located perfectly at The Spanish Steps. Emanuel and Emanuella take excellent care of you and it is walking distance to The Trevi Fountain, Via Veneto, The Roman Forum - plus there are many excellent cafes and restaurants right off The Steps on the side streets adjacent to Via Condotti.
Enjoy your trip - walk the trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola - FANTASTIC!!
Inevitably some will come on here and tell you that you've made errors - not enough time to do this or that,etc. You made a excellent plan - go for it!!! You can do your own fine-tuning as it progresses

Ciao, Greg

"France to Venice by Train (1 night in Venice)"

Not clear how much time you were expecting to have in Venice, to actually do & see things--after deducting for the travel time from France, the time to get from the station to the hotel, check in, check out the next day, get back to the train station, etc.

I agree with Kent. Check your train times. You might be better off picking up a discount flight to Venice and then adding the time to that romantic city (it is your honeymoon.)

I don't know what towns you'll be cruising between in France but many are near Montauban. It's over 19 hours by train from Montauban to Venice with anywhere from 3-5 changes.

You might think of looking into flights from Toulouse or Marseille to Venice.

Trying to follow a tour itinerary on your own is pushing it. Remember, tours have coaches that take them between places. You're relying on trains for most of it. Again, I'd suggest checking your train schedules carefully and adjusting the time you spend in each place to see it.

Your itinerary once you get your car is fine as you then have the freedom to do as you wish and you're leaving enough time to truly see things. Trying to do a day trip to see both Pompeii and Capri from Rome is pushing it. Pick one. I wouldn't take any more time away from Rome as there is much to see.

Find a way to carve out one more day in Venice. Skip Capri, it's OK, but not worth going that far out of your way. I'd pick a day along the Amalfi coast over a day trip to Capri.

I agree that at least one more night in Venice would be wise. The trip from anywhere in France will take all of your day, and the next day you will be on the train for hours to get to Florence. It seems like there is some backtracking in your trip, isn't Cinque Terre closer to France than Venice? You are also pushing what you can possibly see in a day in some cases. Also you might want to focus on your interests, for example if you are interested in art and sculpture, I would spend at least 3 days in Florence, if not, skip it and go to Sienna. At least 3 nights are needed in Rome(w/o Pompeii). Side trip to Pompeii is possible but realize that you will be spending about 2.5 hours each way on trains and probably 2-3 hours at Pompeii (it is a cool place to see). We did Amalfi and Ravello is beautiful but the driving is nerve racking (only time in my life that I hired a driver ...and I was glad I did).Conversely driving around Sienna should be ok, roads are narrow but traffic is usually light. Take a GPS if possible. Perhaps Cinque Terre-Florence-Venice-Sienna-Rome makes the most sense. Also you should check the weather in Northern Italy in October, I think you will need to allow for some rain.

Jordan,

First of all, congratulations!

Now, regarding your travel plans. Your proposed Itinerary is probably feasible, but it seems a bit "busy", especially considering the occasion. I've found some of Rick's proposed Itineraries to be somewhat ambitious for the average traveler, and seem to be a better fit for experienced travelers.

As I read your Post, this is your plan (correct as required):

Day 1: Depart home (SEA?)

Day 2: Arrive Paris / CDG

Days 3-5: Barge trip

Day 6: Depart via train for Venice (trip will be ~10H:58M with minimum of 1 change; a FULL travel day).

Day 7: Venice

Day 8: Depart via train for Florence (trip will be ~2H:40M)

Days 9-10: Florence

Day 11: Depart via train for the Cinque Terre (which village?) Trip will be ~2H:22M to La Spezia & then a short time to one of the villages.

Days 12-13: Cinque Terre

Day 14: Cinque Terre to Siena (trip will be ~3H:19M, possibly 2 changes)

Days 15-18: Siena & Tuscany (note that EACH driver will require an International Driver's Permit to drive in Italy, which must be used with your home D.L.; fines can be applied on the spot for failing to produce one - GPS would be a good idea - usual minimum age for car rental is 25)

Day 19: Train to Rome (trip will be ~3H:41M, possibly one change in Florence - will depend on which train you choose).

Days 20-23: Rome! (if you take a day trip to Pompeii, it will be a LONG day - as someone else suggested, Capri would be better left for another trip).

Day 24: Fly home from Rome / FCO

Regarding the rail pass, you might do some "number crunching" as it may not be the most cost effective. The only long (expensive) trip is Paris to Venice. Note that reservations which are compulsory on some trains are NOT included with a Pass so you'd have to pay that separately.

As usual, I'd suggest reading Europe Through The Back Door if this is your first trip.

Good luck and happy travels!

"Which city/area of the Aquitane region will you be based out of? I'll have a closer look and see if I can offer any further suggestions."

We will be ending up in Toulouse. We now plan to take the overnight train from Toulouse to Venice. It's about 17 hours -- a long day, but, we think it will be fine. Nice way to see some of the country.

Thanks for the "heads up" on the traffic zones...We'll be careful!

Ken...where is your departure point for their train trip to Venice? Remember, they are cruising the Aquitane (SW France)close to the Spanish border and not the barge canals of eastern France.

Other than that, a good itinerary, if not rushed a little.

Frank II,

Thanks for clarifying the point about the departure point. It was late when I posted, and I used Paris as the departure point.

I haven't checked, but given the location of the Aquitane region and distance from Venice, I suspect the trip duration will be somewhat similar as from Paris (or perhaps even a bit longer?).

I configured the sequence similar to that mentioned in the OP. It might be one of Rick's "favorite Italian Itineraries" but it still seems a bit ambitious, especially for a honeymoon. The long trip to Venice for a one-night stop seems especially problematic. I'd probably structure things a bit differently.

Cheers!

Wow! Thanks for all the replies! The advice is well worth it--especially taking the plane from france to Venice. We're working on that now.

Keep the posts coming!

Ken, the 19+ hours from Aquitane to Venice came from the train schedules. I checked. And anywhere from 3-5 changes. Not good as a night train since they'd get no rest.

I agree the trip is rushed--especially for a honeymoon. But we've seen this before.

Also, Jordan, remember, you're talking about Italy. Punctuality and Italy are not synonymous.

For the driving part of your trip, you might want to use the Via Michelin website to help plan routes and find distances and times.

Frank II,

I didn't check the train times from the Aquitane region. As I suspected, they ARE longer than from Paris.

Jordan,

Which city/area of the Aquitane region will you be based out of? I'll have a closer look and see if I can offer any further suggestions.

One thing about driving in Italy, BE CAREFUL of the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato zones! You could receive a nasty surprise in the mail a few months after you've returned home.

Pompeii and Capri would be a very long day trip from Rome. You may want to consider stealing 1 night each from Siena and Rome, spending 2 nights in Sorrento and using it as your base for those visits. Another option would be to take an organized day tour from Rome to Pompeii, skipping Capri. Most people I've personally talked to who have done Pompeii on their own from Rome say it was worth it but that they wouldn't do it again and wouldn't recommend it. The tour option is pricy but less hectic.

Going to Venice is taking you pretty far from the rest of your trip. If you really want to see Venice, then don't short-change it by spending only a few hours, allow at least 2 full days. Otherwise, skip it.

BTW I adore Venice and think it is verrrry romantic.

I agree that Florence is a city for art lovers. If that isn't your thing, you will find much the same sights in other Tuscan cities. If you want to see the art, you should reserve tickets in advance for the Accademia and the Uffizi, or you will waste way too much of your short time there waiting in line.

Re scenery and trains. In Italy I was surprised to find that there was hardly any scenery to enjoy! Much of the train tracks are lined with trees, which hide any scenic views you might be passing.

Referring to Bruce's e-mail, Siena is closer to Florence than Venice. CT is easy to do from Florence. You have the order right.