Dnorton85

Thanks for all insight in advance!!!! My Fiance and I are flying into Venice and arrive at 9am May 8th for our Honeymoon. We fly out of Rome on Sunday May 17th at 2pm. This will be our first time to Europe. We just booked the flights and are getting a late jump on planning. Everyone says Venice, Florence, and Rome and geographically it makes the absolute most sense. I am not the biggest art enthusiast and we are both very into natural wonders mountains, lakes, ocean views, beaches etc. I cant help but think this is too city centric for us.

I need to do more research but I am not really sure what we would really want to do and see in Florence and have thought about cutting it out. We would love to see cinque terre, Lake Como, or the Amalfi Coast. It seems rushed no matter what a little bit, but the Amalfi Coast seems most doable? The plan would be roughly.

Friday: Arrive Venice 9am 1/2 day
Sat: Vennice
Sun: Venice
Monday: Flight or train straight to AC. I could really use help on how this would be most feasible. which town, time it would take etc.
Tues: Explore the Amalfi Coast stay in AC.
Wed: Amalfi coast and leave for Rome
Thurs: Rome
Fri: Rome
Sat:rome
Sun: Fly out of rome

Any insight would be much appreciated. Is this a decent use of time?

If not the Amalfi Coast what if we just did 4 nights in Venice, and 5 in Rome. What day trips could we take to see some of the wonderful natural beauty of Italy. What would you do? We are open to any and all suggestions!

rbciao47

Personally, I would drop the AC and just concentrate on Venice and Roma. Since this is your honeymoon running around almost non-stop is not my idea of getting to know my spouse. But, hey...that's just me. You can always return and see the AC at a later time.

Buon viaggio,

sandralist

First of all, I would forget what "everybody" says. This is your honeymoon, and if you aren't all that interested in art or ancient ruins or history sights, and greatly prefer natural beauty, Italy is filled with gorgeous towns with great character, and it practically impossible to anywhere in Italy and not be in touch with an amazing history and beautiful Italian creations. You don't have to go to any of the cities at all if you would prefer being in the wonderful natural beauty of Italy. The Italians themselves love the beauty of their country and treasure the land and it is very much part of their culture. They always urge others to visit if at all possible.

If Lago di Como appeals to you at all then it would be simpler to get there in between Venice and Rome using public transporations than the scenic Amalfi coast. Take fast train from Venice to Milan, and switch to one to Varenna. It generally takes about 4 hours. The month of May is beautiful time to go to the lakes. After that, you go back to Milan and take a train to Rome. That wil also take about 4 hours.

If you were willing to rent a car, you could also visit the very beautiful Tuscan countryside and stay in castle or on a farm where they produce wine or cheese or olive oil. Depending on where you picked to go, you would take a train from Venice and rent a car in a Tuscan town, and have a short drive through the beautiful landscape of spring flowers. Then when you want, you drop the car off somewhere with a train station and go to Rome.

Please do not spend a single minute of your honeymoon doing things you think other you didn't marry think you should do. Have a great time figuring out with your future spouse your own special plan for the time you will be on your honeymoon, and if all you see of Venice or Rome is the airports, and the rest of the time you are gazing at each other and the beauty of nature, the Italians will think you very smart travelers indeed. Up to you.

Dayle

D,

I agree with the above advice. For your short amount of time, make the most of it by shortening your travel times. Spending the travel time required to get to the Amalfi Coast for only a 1.5 day visit is not the best use of your time.

Venice and Rome would be a wonderful honeymoon, as would Venice, Lago di Como, and Rome. Tuscany in the middle also works beautifully and the countryside in May is gorgeous - green and the famous red poppies blooming!

Any of the options above also give you a very nice mix of Italy which is exactly how I like to do my trips. Love the cities, museums and art! Love the scenery, food and wine!

Don't hesitate to drive in the countryside. It's super easy and a joy!

Congratulations and buon viaggio

Blueeyedcod

If you really want to see the Amalfi Coast you can. Don't be dissuaded - after all it is one of the most romantic places on earth. You can take the train from Venice to Naples via Rome, then have a private car service take you to Positano or Amalfi (I would choose Positano but it's up to you) then just relax in a gorgeous hotel for a few days. Le Sirenuse in Positano is just made for honeymooners.
http://www.sirenuse.it/en/13/homepage.aspx

A car service from Naples is about 120 euro - worth it for the relaxing ride and lack of stress.

You will have time to just relax and absorb the atmosphere - it may a short time but you'll remember it forever.

Congratulations!

sandralist

I actually find the lakes more romantic than the Amalfi coast, and memorable, too, and also prefer the Italian Riviera to the Amalfi for soul -- but then, that just goes to show that there is no "everybody" who knows everything. People are all different when it comes to romance (which is why nobody wants to be married to anybody else other than the person they married -- same goes for travel destinations. Beauty in eye of beholder).

sandralist

I meant to add that I agree that if you want to go the Amalfi it is certainly possible if you want.

Blueeyedcod

The Italian Riviera is very subjective. Cinque Terre is now collapsing under the weight of tourists/day trippers and tour groups. Portofino is so expensive only Footballers and their WAGS can visit. However, as you are going early May this may be a possibility - I would say that Manarola is probably one of *the* most gorgeous places I've ever seen - but not in high season.

vincenzo32951

sandra's general advice about going to LC probably makes more sense for you, logistically, given that you want natural beauty and with only 8 days, your time is limited.

bvlenci

You might also consider Lake Garda, which is even easier to get to from Venice than Lake Como. You could combine this with a quick look at the beautiful little city of Verona. There's a left-luggage facility in Verona Porta Nuova station, so you wouldn't have to spend the night there.

rbciao47

Adding another location would be a better fit if you went to Lago di Como or Lago di Garda. This could make more logistical sense. We've stayed in both Como and Varenna on Lago di Como and enjoyed our time in each location. Taking a cruise on Lago di Como is a very nice, beautiful, relaxing, serene, picturesque, tranquil experience, but only if you like that sort of activity.

Whatever you decide to do, have a great honeymoon.

Buon viaggio,

msteacher

Since you asked about day trips, yes, you certainly have lots of possibililities. From Venice, you could boat to some of the outer islands such as Murano and Burano. Or, you could head to other nearby cities such as Verona, Padua, Vicenza, etc. From Rome, you could go to the hilltop Umbrian town of Orvieto, or see ancient ruins at Ostia Antica, or Hadrian's villa and the beautiful fountains of Villa d'Este in Tivoli. Of ccourse, there are several other possibilities for each city too.

What I like about day trips is you are less locked into a specific plan. You can go or not as the spirit moves you. I like to gather all the research about day trip options before I go, and then make a final decision once we are there according to our mood, the weather, etc. Sometimes you are just so happy where you are, you don't feel like leaving.

So I think the idea of visiting the two cities with options for day trips might make a lovely, relaxing honeymoon. Have fun and buon viaggio!

yorkshire

Just another Italy fan chiming in to tell you to do what you want to do, not what you feel obligated to do. However, I don't get wasting valuable time by trying to go all across the country--there are beautiful natural areas in every region. Read more about the regions you will definitely be in because of your flights--Venice and Rome.