brett5958

This is my first post on this forum and I have done a quick look through but apologize in advance if this has been asked and answered

My wife and I will be making our first trip to Europe next year (2025) in September for our 20 year anniversary. We are still in the early planning stages so we don't have the exact length of time nailed down yet but it will be approximately 12-14 days. We know that we plan to spend half of that in Rome. The second half is where we are having trouble. I am the type that wants to see ruins, museums, historical sites, etc. So the Rome portion will be geared more towards me. My wife would prefer a slower paced vacation. She would like to spend a day on the beach under an umbrella sipping a drink. She would like to browse local shops. She would like to wander around quaint streets and see pretty houses/buildings. We both love good food and try to eat like a a local as much as possible when we travel.

So with that in mind we have considered Sicily, Both Palermo and Taormina. We have considered that Amalfi Coast. And have thought, although not done any real research yet on Puglia. If you have any other suggestions or questions to help narrow our search it would be a great help. Thanks.

J62

Since you're only talking 1 day at beach you could consider a day trip from Rome to the seaside town like Ostia or Fiumicino. Both towns have places where you rent chairs and an umbrella for the day, and get access to changing facilities, a bar/trattoria, etc.....

In the past I've gone to beaches for a day both near Rome as well as near Pisa. The whole beach experience is different in Europe than many of from the US are used to. Here in the US I typically arrive by car with a trunk load of beach gear, and set up my own stuff... In Europe there are some beaches that are open like that, but more common is what I describe above - rows and rows of chairs that you rent, but don't move.

brett5958

No I wasnt clear in the initial post. We plan to spend roughly half of the vacation (5-6 days) at some sort of coastal location with easy beach access. It will definitely be more than one day at the beach. Thank you though

just_tina

Taormina would fit your wife's requirements. Palermo wouldn't. It's a busy city with lots to see but quite chaotic. You could look at Cefalu, slightly fewer foreign tourists than Taormina and it's easy to day trip to Palermo by train.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...20-cefalu.html
Sorrento could be a good base to visit Amalfi coast.
Otranto in Puglia would also fit.

Jean

Capri if you can fly to or from Italy via Naples. From Capri, you can day trip by ferry to Naples (under an hour) for sights/museums and/or visit Pompeii and Herculaneum or ferry to a town on the Amalfi Coast if you don't mind hordes of tourists. IMO, most of Capri isn't as crazy as the Amalfi Coast towns, esp. at night, and there are places both to explore and relax on the island. Procida and Ischia would be other options near Naples.

Just me, but a week in Taormina would not appeal... mostly because of the daily tourist crowds, esp. whenever a cruise ship docks.

Traveler_Nick

I'd think about the second point J62 made. What sort of beach do you want? There are wild beaches with nothing but sand. There are beaches with nothing but human sardines. Define what you want and you'll ease your search.



That's Rimini


September should still be warm. I hope at least . But some areas will be slowing down.

brett5958

Yes, I probably should have been more clear but the reality is we aren't 100% sure. We have rented houses on the beach in Destin and the Outer Banks, Stayed in resorts in Hawaii on the beach. We loved the wide open sandy beaches here. That being said we are open to experiencing the beach the way the Italians do. We are venturing out to another country for a reason and not just to recreate Florida in Italy if that makes sense. That picture seems a little much but we were kind of intrigued by the little Lido (I think that's the right term) clubs on the Amalfi Coast. Sitting under an umbrella with drink and food service would be a new interesting way to experience the beach. We also have accepted the fact that our current mindset of a beach being sugar sand on the Emerald Coast of Florida is not going to be what we experience in Italy. We know it may be sand, it may be stone or it may even be swimming platforms. We just really want a relaxing coastal destination with some good food , nice shopping, pretty streets , and some "Beach" access however that is defined by the location. We did choose September to hopefully hit the "shoulder" season where the weather will hopefully be warm enough to be at the beach and in the water but perhaps the crowds will have thinned some. Thanks for your response

ekscrunchy

Will you rent a car? That makes a big difference when you choose a beach area. Are you ok with driving in Italy?

Ischia offers some sand beaches but as far as I know, Capri does not. You do not need a car on Ischia, or on Capri for that matter.

What is more important, a fabulous sand beach with the lounges and umbrellas? Or the location in proximity to Rome?

Are you planning to swim in the sea?

I think the timing in September is very important and the earlier in that month you go, the better it should be. Some of the lidi begin to close by the middle of the month, so the beach still might be great but the series might be cut or non-existent.

You can choose to stay in a hotel ON a beach OR you can drive or bus to a beach near your hotel.
How generous is the budget?

You might begin my looking into Ischia, which has thermal baths/pools as well as quite a few beaches that you can access by bus to by expensive taxi from your hotel. OR you can stay in a hotel ON a beach or with access to a private hotel beach. Again, letting us know your approx budget will get you your best responses here...

brett5958

I think I would be ok with driving in Italy without having looked into that yet. Sandy beaches are not important, or near the bottom. We are still considering Amalfi and we know those aren't going to be Caribbean style beaches at all. We plan to probably be there the first 2 weeks of September. A couple reasons. One is to try to get a little less crowds while hopefully still hitting the warm weather and the second is that our youngest will be leaving for college in august so we wont leave before that. Preliminary budget we are hoping is realistic is round $1k a day while in Italy. This would not include airfare as we have enough miles for that to be covered. Thanks

Traveler_Nick

1K a day might buy you an apartment. Obviously you can spend more but at that level you can spend much less also.

brett5958

Well less is always better. lol. When we started planning this trip it was focused on Amalfi coast which we have heard can be quite expensive as well as Rome. i have heard that southern Italy can be cheaper so we are definitely open to saving money if thats an option.

geetika

You have a pretty generous budget and can certainly stay on the Amalfi Coast or either Capri or Ischia, the latter being my preference.

We stayed at Atrani near Amalfi end April 2022 and loved it, the season was just starting and relatively less crowded. Atrani of course is tiny, supposedly the smallest commune in Italy and it was a quiet haven.

We spent one morning at the beach in Amalfi, at one of the hotels by the water. Rows of loungers and umbrellas as you see very often in Europe. Pebbly beach with little or no sand, the water of course was freezing and I only dipped my feet in.

Access to the beach was €10/pp/day, we ordered drinks, which of course were extra. It was a relaxing morning, but we had something else scheduled for the afternoon and didn’t stay the full day. Again not many people, only a few tourists like us. September will probably be more busy, and the water a lot warmer.

bvlenci

I would consider the Adriatic Coast. That's where most Italians go for their beach holidays. From north to south, there are fabulous beaches.

Starting in the north, Jesolo is just south of Venice, close enough to allow you to sneak in a day there.

Rimini is probably the most famous Adriatic beach.

Riccione is much loved by Italian families

Senigallia has a wide sandy beach, and a town that doesn't fold up off season

The Riviera Adriatica has numerous small beaches in scenic spots at the foot of Mount Conero

San Benedetto del Tronto has a palm-lined promenade

The Salento peninsula has many beautiful beaches.

Of the above, all except the Riviera Adriatica and the Salento peninsula can be reached by train from Rome. There are also daily flights from Rome to the AOI (Ancona) airport, which is near to Senigallia and the Riviera Adriatica. AOI also has Lufthansa connections to Munich. (My niece recently visited me with a multi-city Lufthansa ticket, flying into AOI, and returning to the US from Rome.)

The Adriatic beach town I know best is Senigallia, because I live near there. It has a lovely, long, wide, sandy beach, with many bathing establishments, but also many free beaches. There are lots of shops to explore, including many quirky non-chain shops. Best of all, Senigallia has some of the best restaurants in Italy, including two Michelin starred restaurants, but also many excellent small restaurants. There are lots of medieval hill towns in the hinterland, and there are some impressive Roman sites.

It used to be true that beach towns began to close up shop in early or mid-September, but lately they've been remaining in full swing through September and part of October.

If you want to visit the hinterland, a car would be useful. Some hotels arrange tours to spots in the interior.

The sea tends to be shallow in many parts of the Adriatic, and waves are usually gentle.

Here is a description of the Adriatic beaches, but it leaves out many.

https://italianstorytellers.com/2016/07/26/best-beaches-italy-adriatic-coast/

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Leely2

Re: bvlenci's comments, I'm not a beach person but seem often to take trips to Italy in the summer that involve some time on a coast , in smallish cities/towns, with good hiking nearby. Below are some photos of my time in Senigallia and environs. There are many beaches in this area.

Sirolo, Adriatic Coast

Lunch on the terrace at Uliassi in Senigallia

Sirolo

A morning jog along the promenade on the beach at Senigallia (June).

Senigallia

brett5958

Thank you very much, this definitely gives us something else to consider. Thanks for taking the time to write all of that

zebec

TravelerNick--- that Rimini foto!!!
Brett, have you considered Calabrian beaches, say Tropea or Scilla or Capo Vaticano...? And have I already mentioned our recent-ish TR here, the one titled 'Costa d'Amalfi'? It is looooooooong but might give you some ideas. Its 'part two' section is all about Ischia. IMHO, Minori and Ischia would make an excellent honeymoon.
I am done. the spajg spegia spa beach

brett5958

Funny you ask about Calabria because I have a friend that's wife has a family home in Amantea and he had mentioned Tropea so I almost included it in my initial post but I didnt want to list too many cities

ekscrunchy

Leely, Uliassi--be still my heart!!

For $1,000 a night you could probably/maybe snag a mid-level room at one of the top-tier classic Amalfi Coast hotels but then you have to figure in dinners as well.
Look at the San Pietro or the one of the Ravello top addresses..at least one has a beach club and a shuttle that takes you there.., or the Santa Caterina in Amalfi. Personally, though, I'd look at some of the many really good hotels on Ischia.

Never mind..MOOT point....at the hotels I mentioned you are not getting a storage unit in September for 1,000euro per night. You'd need to triple that and even then would not get a fab room..but then I took only a very quick look for September,, 2024.

One of my favorite Italian beach clubs is in Maratea. They do not have rooms but you could just drive there from your own hotel along that coast.

Leely2

I seem to remember that ekscrunchy has traveled in Calabria a couple of times (?) and stayed I think in Tropea and Amantea. She always finds interesting things to do and likes to swim in the sea, I believe.

Pretty far from Rome, though.

I was in Puglia this past May for the first time. It's lovely, but I would want more than 6-7 days. Have you considered Gaeta/Sperlonga or even going up to the Tuscan coast? I have lightly planned several trips to Orbetello and surrounds, but haven't made it happen.

Edit: Wow, eks and I were posting at the exact same time!