excited_confused

Hello Fodorites, it has been a while since I posted but I have been lurking - reading numerous trip reports on Italy but I am still just as confused so here goes...
We are trying to plan a trip to Europe next year for our 25th wedding anniversary in August since I originally wanted to go to Venice for our honeymoon. I know it is not considered a good time to visit but that's when our anniversary falls & it's a bit too late to change that! (I would love to hear experiences from anyone who has visited in Aug, I'm not exactly sure what makes it such a bad time)We have spent a few days in Lucerne in Switzerland and loved it, thinking of mostly Italy this time, although Paris could be an option too. We are using Delta FF miles so can fly into one city and fly out of another. Our college kids will be joining us for a week or so. (I hope)! We like scenic beauty especially water, lively cities, outdoor waterfront dining. We are not usually too much into museums etc but I guess Rome will be the exception. I would like to cover 3 places even though I know that may be much but who knows when we will be back.(it's taken 25 years)! My options are as follows though I am open to any others.

Option 1. Flying into Naples, 1 night, going to Amalfi or any one if the coastal cities, 3 nights, Rome 4 nights, Venice 3 nights and maybe Florence 2 nights? I have no idea how long it will take to get from place to place and if we should stick with trains or rent a car for any portion of the trip.
Air France 337 8 Aug 2009
Boston, MA (BOS) 5:30pm
Paris-De Gaulle, France (CDG) 6:15am 9 Aug 2009
Air France 2178
Paris-De Gaulle, France (CDG) 9:35am
Naples, Italy (NAP)11:50am

Air France 1427 22 Aug 2009
Venice, Italy (VCE) 12.20 pm
Paris-De Gaulle, France (CDG) 2:10pm
Air France 366 23 Aug 2009
Paris-De Gaulle, France (CDG)1:15pm
23 Aug 2009 Philadelphia, PA 3:30pm
23 Aug 2009 Delta 66021
Philadelphia, PA (PHL) 6:50pm
Boston, MA (BOS) 8:39pm
This has an overnight stop in Paris from 2.10pm to 1.15 the next day, would be nice to get a glimpse of Paris too! The return is a pain but could not get a direct flight to Boston.
The kids will probably take off after Rome. We could leave out Florence if this seems too hectic, what will we be missing if we do that?
Option 2
This will be a shorter trip flying into Venice with 3 nights there,4 nights in Rome and maybe 1-2 nights somewhere along the way?
Air France 337 Boston, MA (BOS)
5:30pm 13 Aug 2009
Paris-DeGaulle,CDG)
6:15am 14 Aug 2009
Air France 1126
Paris-De Gaulle, France (CDG)
7:25am 14 Aug 2009
Venice, Italy (VCE)
9:05am

Air France 2105 23 Aug 2009
Rome-Leonardo, Italy (FCO)
7:40pm
Paris-De Gaulle, France (CDG)
9:50pm
23 Aug 2009
Air France 332 Paris-De Gaulle,
1:40pm
24 Aug 2009 Boston, MA (BOS)
3:05pm

Option 3 is to fly into Rome on Aug 13th, spend 4 nights there, 3 nights in Venice, 3 nights in the lakes region and fly out of Malpensa on Aug 24th

Option 4 - Alternately if Italy is not ideal at that time of year, we could go to Swizerland on Aug 13th, stay there for 3 nights, the lakes region for 2 nights and fly out of Venice after 3 nights there. I read that Aug 15th is a holiday in Italy so this way we will be in Switzerland until Aug 17th. Just feel strange going to Italy and not going to Rome.

Would appreciate any help, comments or suggestions. Since I am not familiar with distances, ease of travel etc. in Europe, please forgive me if any of my options sound too far-fetched. I have to purchase these tickets by tomorrow night or rebook them. Thanks a million, I really appreciate the help that Fodorites have always provided.

sac

Excited, congratulations on your upcoming anniversary AND your trip!

Just a couple of quick thoughts.
I noticed on another thread that you mentioned budget is an issue, so to economize you might consider picking just two cities to stay in. Besides being less hassle (and time wasted packing and repacking) you can sometimes get better rates for a slightly longer stay.

Have you considered a holiday apartment? Those often require a bit longer stay (sometimes there is a minimum of 3 or 5 nights) but they can be a good way to save money, in terms of allowing you to buy some food (and really good food, I might add) and make a few of your own lunches or even eating in one night and then going for gelato or a long glass of wine on an outdoor patio.

As far as the issues around travelling in August, many Italians take their summer holidays at the time, so you may find restaurants and stores (even hotels) closed for long periods. The heat often peaks then as well as humidity, making it potentially uncomfortable.

I realize that you don't celebrate your 25th anniversary too often -- but try not to pack too much into your trip. Sometimes the sweetest moments in Italy come when you're relaxing with a glass of wine and people-watching, or strolling with a gelato and just taking it easy.

Best of luck planning!

excited_confused

I am reposting my follow-up question here -
Just one more question,the length of the trip also depends on the cost - a shorter trip will be easier on the budget! I have planned 150-175 euros a night for accomodations since I have seen decent apts for that, but how much should I allow per day besides that? We are not very big on expensive restaurants, maybe just one expensive dinner and low prices for lunch and medium priced places for dinner. (We love pizza, if that helps)Thanks.

Sac, thanks for the quick response and the good wishes.
Is the humidity less in any one place in Italy over another? I can take heat but humidity is another matter. What about the coastal or lake areas?

yk

I like Option 4 the best, as it'll have the coolest weather in August since you'll be staying in Switzerland and Northern Italy.

TuckH

Because your trip will be in August, I strongly suggest that you focus on Northern Italy.

For instance an open jaw Venice-Milan combination with The Italian Lakes (and some Italian Alps) in between would be ideal IMO.

excited_confused

For Option 4, it would be great to have some recommendations on which places to pick in Switzerland & the Lakes region. Thanks.

TuckH

Fjord-like Lake Lugano is the most scenic of The Lakes (IMO) and it's central to the other Lakes for day trips. The town of Lugano is in the Ticino region of Switzerland which borders Italy.

Bellagio or Varenna on Lake Como are other attractive options.

Either spot is about an hour from Malpensa - Milan's airport.

excited_confused

Thanks TuckH, will look into those towns. Before I settle on option 4, I hope to get some detailed opinions/critiques about my other plans as well, not quite ready to throw in the towel on the rest of Italy! I am sure Fodorites will come through.

nytraveler

I have always found Venice to be humid- and in August hot as hell as well.

We do May or ealy June just to avoid the heat - and the worst of the crowds.

If you're going in August be sure your hotels have real American style AC (not air cooled or fan or whatever).

ellenem

For my taste, Option 1 had too much moving aroudn for the amount of time you have. Even when cities are only 2 hours apart, it eats up at least half a day checking in and out of accommodations, traveling from place to place, and so forth. In Option 1, you'll lose at least 2 days to traveling between places Naples > Amalfi > Rome > Florence > Venice. Stick with 3 locations. if you feel the need to see more places, you can always take a day trip to another nearby town without actually changing hotels.

Yes, August s not everyone's favorite time for Italy. It can be very hot and humid, and italians have different ideas about what air conditioning means compared to the U.S. The second half of the month is when most Italians take their summer vacations, joining all the tourists from other countries who invade during their kids' summer break.

By the way, an anniversary trip doesn't HAVE to take place ON your anniversary . . .

suze

I love Venice. I have been there twice. Both times happened to be in August. It was fantastic! Yes the weather was pretty darn hot.

excited_confused

OK, so I'm still confused! Ellenem, I know an anniversary trip doesn't have to take place on the anniversary but U wouldn't like the day to go by without doing something special and rather than celebrating twice, we might as well take the trip then. In any case, I really would like the kids there for part of the trip at least & they can only make it in the holidays. There are no flights available in June and I don't believe July would be any better weather-wise.
In any case, I probably agree with you about Option 1.

PSGMARTINO

You will have a wonderful time, whatever you decide to do. Italy is magical and you'll want to come back.

I don't understand flying into Naples for one night on the Amalfi Coast - I'd recommend flying into Rome and spend a few nights there. Then head to Florence, and finally Venice before leaving from Milan. Switzerland is nice - but it's not Italy!

As far as the heat - it depends on what you are used to. We are used to hot weather, and it hasn't been a big deal - maybe you take 2 showers a day instead of just 1.

Enjoy your trip! What an anniversary, and your kids will love it too!

ellenem

If it must be August, it must be . . . you will have a lovely remembrance for your special day.

excited_confused

PSGMARTINO, Sorry, maybe I was not clear, I meant stay one night in Naples before heading to the coast for 3 nights, I was not sure if it would be easier to leave the next morning from Naples but seems like it is not too far to do it the same day. I have always been fascinated by the accounts of Positano on this forum but maybe it will be too crowded at that time.

PSGMARTINO

excited - Ok - I get it. I think you could easily get to the Amalfi Coast from Naples without staying overnight first. We stayed in Priaino - a little village between Positano and Amalfi (it was beautiful!!!) and left in the morning from Priaino to catch our 12:00 pm flight out of Naples. I think it was about an hour to the airport - maybe a little longer but definitely do-able. Have fun!

sac

Hi again, Excited.

While I still think you might be moving around too much, option 3 might be the most reasonable.

As far as the heat, I think that as long as you are careful to choose lodgings that have good air conditioning, you'll be able to tolerate the heat and humidity of August in Italy. Because it's a peninsula, I think you'll find humidity anywhere. But as long as it's cool and dry where you stay, so that you can sleep, you might not mind the heat during the day. Maybe read hotel reviews on Trip Advisor closely to see what people say about the AC in specific places.

One of my favourite Venice hotels is La Calcina and it might fit your requirements. It's extremely popular, so you might want to try to book soon if you choose it. It's less expensive than a lot of Venice hotels; it has excellent AC AND it's right on the Guideca canal. I notice you mentioned you want to see Venice and that you love water. The hotel's restaurant, where you have breakfast (and where I loved having a drink in the evening) is on a raft that floats on the canal with lovely views.

I'd stay in Italy, BTW, for the entire trip rather than move between countries, to reduce the hassle factor. I am biased, of course; I love Italy so much!

You mentioned not being a big fan of formal museums; all of Rome is really a great, open-air museum, so you might find that you won't even need to go into any structured museums (although some are air conditioned, so it's one way to escape some of the heat!)

excited_confused

I think I am leaning towards flying into Rome, spending 4 nights there, 3 nights in Venice & 3 nights in the Lakes region, DH is still very apprehensive about the weather esp in Rome, says we should look at other parts of Europe but I don't know if any place will be any better in Aug except Switzerland where we have been.
Any opinions on whether Paris would be a better option?
And should I stick with the lakes region rather than the Amalfi coast?
Is it easier to do Rome-Venice-Lake Como area by train in that order or Rome-lakes- Venice?
In any case, presuming we are to proceed with Italy, I would love some suggestions for apts in Venice and Rome since we will be 4 of us. The price range would be 150-200 euros per night. I am looking for convenient locations close to most attractions (since we will want to walk too much in the heat - my dd and I are both lazy!) and good air conditioning. In Venice, a view of the canal would be ideal. Franco, your favorite apt is available & sounds great but unfortunately cannot accommodate 4. In the lakes region we could go with an apt or hotel since the kids would probably leave from Venice. I recall seeing mention of a hotel in Rome or Venice on this forum with about 6-8 rooms with one room that could accommodate 4. I know I really liked it but cannot seem to find it now - If anyone knows which one I am talking about, I would appreciate the info. I did rebook my fights so now have until Sunday. Thanks.

excited_confused

Hello again Fodorites, would love some input on my earlier questions since I really find your opinions very helpful. Thanks.