Oh, and either one we decide on will be for 10 days.

I'd vote for Italy, if budget is not too big a concern. Other than airfare difference, CA wine country can be very expensive as well, whereas in Italy you maybe able to find less expensive lodging.

More varieties to see in Italy.

For first timers to anywhere in Europe, Rick Steve's guidebooks are very helpful. He has great advice on less expensive but worthy options for lodging, food, sightseeings, etc.

Whenever I'm on a last minute trip to Europe and don't have time for prior research, I just grab a Rick Steve's book (from the library), and it feels like he's guiding me by the hand. Easy to use. But for longer stays, his books are not indepth enough, as they mostly hit the highlights.

And, if it's wine you seekm you'll be hard pressed to beat the wine tasting/drinking opportunities in Tuscany. There are many wineries in Chianti region that welcome visitors and the enoteca offer more opportunities.
Having experienced both places, I'd take Italy if the airfare cost isnt't excessive

Italy. How lovely to be able to say, "We honeymooned in Italia!"

I'd also go with Italy. Damn the cost. You will look back on this trip for the rest of your life. Italy will be much more of an adventure than California.

One more piece of advice. Spend more time in smaller towns and the countryside than the big cities. Florence and towns in Tuscany/Umbria would make a wonderful honeymoon. Unless you think you'll never go back, leave Rome and Venice for another trip. We did Spain for ours - Barcelona, Menorca, Madrid and were sick of big, noisy cities by the time we got to big, noisy Madrid. Smaller towns provide a much more relaxing pace and are a lot cheaper.

Good luck.

Totally agree with Brian. This is your only honeymoon-- go to Italy! You can always visit California in the future.

Ask detailed questions on the Europe board, and you will get great cost-cutting tips.

I totally vote for Italy. We went last year to Italy and this year to wine country. I was very disappointed with California wine country. Italy is wonderful!

I am a California native. I absolutely love California and am always encouraging people to come if they haven't been here yet, but even I vote for Italy for your honeymoon. Come to CA for your anniversary

llilley - I am curious what disappointed you about the CA wine country. I know it is off-topic, but we have pretty much decided that the OP should go to Italy, so I don't feel so bad about sidetracking the thread

Totally agree with november_moon (although I am not a California native, I have lived in the San Francisco area for nearly 40 years).

For a 10 day honeymoon I would do CA. IMHO you can;t do justice to 3 major cities in Italy in that little time, you wold be rushed and not have a truly relaxing time - as you probably want for your honeymoon. Also - for a honeymoon in Italy I would want to stay in some special places - at a higher budget than that.

But - it's really what you are going to enjoy more - a relaxed time or a go-go all day whirl.

Italy. 3 days Venice, 3 FlorenceTuscany, 4 Rome.

nov moon : when we got back to Arkansas it was so much prettier than the wine country. also the wine tours were going to a room and sampling wines that you feel like you have to buy.
Italy was so different and so much more to see. Yosemite was great the coast was good but wine country was fair.

We have been to Italy 6 or 7 times and california wine country 4 times. There really is no comparison in my opinion and they are really two different types of experiences. You can not beat Italy for the history and sights. The people are nice, communication is generally not difficult in the major areas, the wine and food superb. 3 days a city is fine including appx a 3 hour train ride between each. If Rome is at the back end of the trip, I might only spend 2 days and spend an extra one in Florence taking a day tour into Tuscany.

llilley, Arkansas is not prettier than California. I know we are supposed to allow for differences of opinion, but I have to draw the line somewhere. And I live in fear now that some misguided traveler will put Arkansas on their list and scratch off California because of your views. And we can't let that happen.

I can't leave this alone, either:
< the wine tours were going to a room and sampling wines that you feel like you have to buy. >
Huh? What part didn't you like, the going to a room, the sampling of the wines, or the suggestion that you might buy wine at a place that sells wine? Were you expecting something very different from a visit to a winery?

We honeymooned in Italy--LOVED it. We landed in Rome and spent 2.5 days there. Saw the Vatican etc one day, the Coliseum/forum etc the next day, saw some other churches and plazas on the half day and that was it. Spent 3 or 4 days in Florence seeing more art than I ever thought existed. Then based ourselves in Sienna--saw San Gigmano (sp?), Pienza, Montepulciano (or Montalcino??), wine tasted through Tuscany. Oh my, it was total heaven. I have been to CA. No comparison. I would cut Venice out of your itinerary and take more time in the Tuscan hill towns etc. That was 12 years ago and I still remember it very fondly. I would not have spent more time in Rome--we needed to relax after all that stress!!

I live in Napa Valley and love it, but even I say go to Italy for the honeymoon! It will be such a memorable experience for the two of you to share. The history is awesome and beautiful. You won't regret it and will have an album full of memories to share forever.

Thanks everyone! This was my first post, so I thought I would get an email alert. I just logged on, and saw all of these replies Great stuff, I was really on the fence and think this is what I needed to make a decision. My fiancee is going to be thrilled with everyones recommendation. Italy is is!

Any specific recommendations on places to stay, see or eat would be awesome?

nytraveler
<Also - for a honeymoon in Italy I would want to stay in some special places - at a higher budget than that.>
Can you give me some ideas on "special places"?

brian_in_charlotte

<Spend more time in smaller towns and the countryside than the big cities. Florence and towns in Tuscany/Umbria would make a wonderful honeymoon.>

Is traveling to the smaller areas pretty easy? Do we need a car?

A lot of people like to rent a car to visit Tuscany, but it probably isn't absolutely necessary.

Now that you have decided to go, look at airfares and fly into one city and out of another city, so you don't have to backtrack. Like fly into Florence and out of Rome, for example.

Then build your itinerary around your air plan. With ten days, you will have choices. My advice is always to stay no fewer than 3 nights in one place, or else it is too much moving around. Others are ok with one-night stops, but I find those really hectic and you spend too much time packing/unpacking/checking in and out, etc.

I can recommend budget places to stay, and others here can recommend places, too.

lliley - Thanks for answering. I have not been to Arkansas, so I can't make any comparisson about the beauty of the two places. We'll, I technically DID go to Arkansas once while visiting Memphis - I got in the wrong lane on the highway and ended up going over the bridge into Arkansas, but that doesn't really count.

If you came to CA in the summer time, the hills around Napa and Sonoma (and other places) can be pretty brown since we don't get rain in the summer - if you want greenery, you have to go to the coasts or the mountains. The hills in the valleys are covered in grasses that get dried out as soon as it stops raining. I actually like our dried grass hillsides, but I think that sometimes it can be suprising to people. Other times of the year though, they are brilliant green. It is just about weather and timing.

I do know what you mean about some wineries though, esspcially the more commercial ones in the Napa area - you go, you taste, you buy without much interaction. The people who work the tasting rooms are generally nice enough, but it isn't exactly an intimate setting where you get to learn about the wines, talk to the vintner, etc. This is esspecially the case when you go with a tour. When I go wine tasting, I pretty much always go to the smaller wineries and/or places outside of Napa and Sonoma - those areas have gotten so popular that wine tasting can feel almost like an assembly line at some wineries.

Anyway, I hope you will come back and give CA another try.

<<<The hills in the valleys are covered in grasses that get dried out as soon as it stops raining>>>

You should have heard my son's reaction (and seen his body language) the first time he saw the Stanford campus after it had already "turned brown" (and he's a native Northern California, so he should know better!)

Hey, let's keep telling everybody that California wine country is brown, overcrowded and commercialized--I was wrong, this is a great plan! More room for me.

(Seriously, bending over backwards to praise someone who prefers Arkansas to Sonoma is puzzling, to say the least. But whatever.)

FWIW, I also vote for an Italian honeymoon.

Briancbus - got to the Europe board and research and ask questions there. Look up old trip reports to get ideas. Venice and Rome were are favorite places. Florence not so much. Nothing like Venice. So romantic.

sf - That is pretty funny. Sometimes you think people would know better, but they don't. I spent last weekend with my parents up around the Shasta/Trinity/Lassen area. Everywhere we went my dad and stepmom had the same conversation:

Stepmom: It's pretty here, but it's just so dry.
Dad: Well, yeah - it's summertime.
Stepmom: But it's just so dry.
Dad: Yep, that's what happens in the summer.

Then there's me who was absolutely shocked the first time I got rained on in the summer - I was in Colorado and a big thunderstorm came in. WHAT? Rain? In the summer!?! Who knew? There was hail too. Geez.

"Is traveling to the smaller areas pretty easy? Do we need a car?"

You can get to the bigger small towns like Montepulciano, Montalcino, San Gimignano by bus, though having a car would be much more convenient and would get you to smaller places too. Renting a car in Italy isn't a big deal, until you try to drive all the way to the local square. Usually though your lodging will provide directions on where to park. And of course traffic and parking will be more difficult in high tourist season than off season.

I agree that there are lots of folks on the European forum that can better answer specific questions about Italy.

Good luck.

"when we got back to Arkansas it was so much prettier than the wine country. " I never said that Arkansas was prettier than California... In fact I mentioned that Yosemite was great and coast was good. But... the wine country was dry and hot and when we were flying into Arkansas I thought this is prettier than Calif. wine country. We went on a wine tour in Arkansas once and they took you on a tour of the vineyard, the wine cellar and explained how the wine was made and then had the tasting. I have only lived in Arkansas for a short time. But, I can't help it if that is what I observed. I wondered what all the hype was all about for CA wine country. I also went to Tuscany wine tour , now that is beautiful and fun. Sorry CA you do have some wonderful tourist attractions but I din't enjoy the wine country as much as I thought I would.
I STILL vote for ITALY!

Italy no Q. Much more interesting - and you can always get to wine country another time.

And Brian recommended several places I would go and there are some charming places just outside Florence you could stay and "commute" in via train - such as Pistola, etc.

Do also read up on the places to dine and many of the smaller towns have great little places that are not Michelin rated but just as much fun/bang for the buck.

I vote for Italy also. I have been to most of the wine regions of California (I live in the El Dorado/Amador wine region and am a native Californian) and Italy trumps them all. Venice is sooooo romantic. DH and I are headed back to Italy this fall.

Ililley - Did you only visit the Napa/Sonoma/Mendocino wine region? Most visitors only visit that area for wines. I won't visit the wineries there anymore. The wine region where I live is at a higher elevation, in a more forest/oak/lake studded area. Most wineries do not charge to taste. You can meet and talk to the owners and winemakers when you visit. It is what Napa/Sonoma/Mendocino wineries were like 35 years ago. Our area is located on the route from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe or Sacramento to Yosemite. Next time you visit California come visit our "wine country".

BarbAnn - Very good point about other wine producing areas in CA. I don't go to the Napa/Sonoma places much either for the reasons you mentioned. If I am up that way, I will go to the smaller wineries. There are also some great ones enroute to Mendocino, I think it is Anderson Valley. Anyway, sometimes I feel like a broken record, but I always ask people when they are planning their itineraries and mention "wine country" if they specifically mean Napa/Sonoma or is that just the only "wine country" they know of in CA.

llilley - I figured that you visited in the summertime. And yes, it can be VERY hot and dry in Napa/Sonoma that time of year. Spring time is much prettier - fall is nice too.

Italy. No question about it.

Novenber_moon: My parents lived in Ukiah for over 35 years. My brother lives in Windsor. I was very familiar with the Napa/Sonoma/Mendo wineries. Dad knew several of the winery owners near Ukiah. All have been sold to big companies and it is not the same. I haven't visited any of the wineries in three years (since I moved my folks near where I live). The tourists can keep going there, but I like my area where you dom't get all the drunken bachelorette parties and assumed "wine snobs".

For the record, Napa and Sonoma are still wonderful to visit, but really, if the goal is to encourage people to stay away, as I said, carry on. My aim is to give the best advice possible, which is why I am still posting on this thread. To emphasize that California has a dry season; or that some of the best wineries in the world can be crowded; or that wine producers in Arkansas (please) have nothing but time to shower on their visitors...all of this is to miss the point. For the record.

I think it all depends on what YOU want to do during yourhoneymoon.

If you are only going to have eyes for each other and want to - you know - do whatever you need to do while on honeymoon

Then I'd say that California wine country is a lot more relaxing. There are over 300 wineries in Sonoma County alone, so there are plenty of smaller wineries if you don't want to visit the more famous (corporate) ones.

If, however, you want to discover a new country, find adventure and sample local specialities, then Italy and specifically Tuscany would be a great choice. Get a car, drive around, eat, live, love under the Tuscan sun.

But, if you are first time travelers to Europe, take precautions. Take little/no jewelry - I'm always at a lose with my own family on what to advise - wear that fancy diamond ring or leave it at home and just wear a simple wedding band in europe? My personal preference is to wear the simple wedding band - but there's so much significance associated with that beautiful wedding ring...anyhow, if Europe is your choice, be cautious and plan ahead what you will take to Europe.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

We have been to both options, and there is no doubt you should go to Italy. I recommend flying into Venice and leaving from Florence. Skip Rome entirely. You'd be packing too much into 10 days and you'd be exhausted. Venice is such a unique place and so romantic, it's a wonderful start. Then rent a car and drive through the countryside to Florence. Each little town has its own charm, you almost can't find bad food, and the drive will showcase great beauty. The direct route from Venice to Florence takes you through Bologna, where we stayed for 3 nights in October and wished we'd had time for more. Outstanding food and soooo many places nearby to see: Ravenna mosaics, Parma, Modena, but I digress. Some places are well known, like Sienna or San Gimignano, but each little town is charming. The highways are easy to navigate and local roads are fine. Driving in FLorence is a nightmare so be ready to dump your car as soon as you get there. A detailed route where your rental agency is located is a must or you will be able to see the place, yet be unable to reach it (legally, at least) because of the one-way streets. Trust me on this. Have a wonderful time.

Has anyone asked what time of year your wedding is? Italy seems like everyone's gut reaction but we don't know many details.

If the 10 days includes your two travel days...I wouldn't try to hit 3 cities in Italy. It depends on how hectic a honeymoon you want I suppose. Are you traveling from the east coast of the U.S.? So you have long flights no matter what you choose?

It might also depend upon just what kind of a wedding you're having. If it's a large complicated affair that you'll be bogged down with for weeks, it's probably going to end up being even more tiring than you imagine. In that case you'll be in "we need to relax" mode and I'd pick California if it's easier to get to and less-complicated to plan. Italy really deserves more of your time and budget and might be best planned for when you have a few more days and are a bit more relaxed and ready to explore.

Good point about the time of year, tracy.

In general, I agree with those who voted for Italy, but I disagree about eliminating Venice. It is your honeymoon, and Venice is one of the most romantic cities in the world. Don't miss it! Spend time in Florence, then tour the towns of Tuscany/Umbria and you'll have plenty of opportunities for wine tasting.

I'd save Rome for your next trip to Italy.

It sounds like everyone votes for Italy and I concur. Last year we spent 3 weeks in Italy. Rome 3 days, Tuscany farm with rented car and sidetrips for 2 weeks, and Florence for 4 days. Otherwise from city to city we took a train. We had previously spent 1 week in Rome and 1 week in Venice. Keep in mind the time of the year. It is very hot there in the summer. You can also take the train to many of the bigger small towns that have some extremely interesing sites if you don't want to rent a car. I don't recommend driving in any of the cities. Each of these cities is wonderful. I recommend a Rick Steves book also to help you narrow down your wish list.

California wine country is nice and having visited it a couple times you will find it very relaxing. However, Europe holds a charm and sense of history like nothing else. And, of course, there is nothing like Italian food!

Happy travels and best wishes on your upcoming wedding! BTW, today is my and my husband's 48 wedding anniversary and we are still laughing with each other!

I may have missed it, but I didn't see the time of year you're going. Ordinarily, I would pick Italy, but not in the summer. That's just me.

If you do choose Italy, you can make it as relaxing or as hectic as you like. Rome is going to be hectic, with all the sites to see and things to do. Florence a little less so. And Venice is what you make it.

As far as Tuscany goes and renting a car: Instead, you might consider hiring a driver for a day to Tuscany, with Florence as your base. I and others here have used Luca and hillsandroads.com. He's very good, reliable, speaks excellent English.

Whatever you do, take time to sit somewhere, relax, and have a glass of wine or dessert and coffee, and just watch the the world go by.

W/o hesitation I would choose Italy. There is no place like Italy and of all my travels Rome is my favorite place EVER. You will have kids, obligations etc. This is something you can remember 4ever. Good luck with your decision.

I have been to both locations. Italy is by far more interesting. I think that you can easily drop the Italy cost down closer to $5,000 depending on the length of your stay, where you stay, and where you are departing from. The Euro is alo down a little so you won't gte killed on the exchange rate. You probably can get around by train. We had a van because there were 7 of us. We went to Venice Rome aFlorence and Cinque Terra. The towns in Tuscany are more interetsing than the Napa Valley towns but the availability of wine tours is much greater in Napa Valley. I suggest you spend some time on Venere for the best selection of Italian hotels. If you are going to Italy you probably won't spend that much time in the room during the day so you could do well with some of the smaller hotels and bed and breaftfast. If you go to Napa you probably will stay at only one location. Check out Yountville for nice lodging and very good restaurants.

PS for a honeymoon - I vote for Hawaii.

I would definitely vote for Italy. I agree with panecott: >> I disagree about eliminating Venice. It is your honeymoon, and Venice is one of the most romantic cities in the world>>


I think Italy would be a better opportunity for you while you are both young, don't have the obligations of a family, or jobs that you can't get time off. It's funny how once your start your married life - the big expenses (house, insurance, cars, remodeling, etc) will prevent trips to Europe.

BTW, I can't imagine Napa/Sonoma/San Francisco costing anywhere close to $5000. Are you staying at super high end places?