Honeymoon in Europe

Old Nov 11th, 2012, 04:54 AM
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Honeymoon in Europe

Hello All!
I am really new with all these travel adventures! I am getting married next year and we decided that for our honeymoon we would travel to Europe for two weeks. I am usually extremely organized and thought this would be an easy trip to plan. However, since I have never traveled out of the states, this is all "Greek" to me . So here is my plan, we want to fly into Rome, Italy (spend a couple days) , travel to Florence by train (I do want to see Pompeii for a bit while traveling to Florence, not sure if this is doable). From Florence, we plan to travel by Train again to Paris France, then travel to Belgium (not exactly sure where) and then last but not least end our adventure in Munich Germany, where we will fly back home from. Does this sound like a good first timers trip? I know we will be exhausted but we really want to visit all that we can, and everything we don't have time for just gives us a reason to go back . Is this trip doable and can we take the train everywhere? Can we leave our luggage in the train as well? Will i be able to find tickets to travel on train, cause it seems as if i cant buy them that far in advance. Someone please help. I really want this trip to work. I just need to know the mechanics. Thank you all so much!
ChilliDog is offline  
Old Nov 11th, 2012, 05:10 AM
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Florence is north of Rome and Pompeii is south so it's not possible to visit on the way.

With only two weeks, you need to pick 3-4 places with less distance between them. You don't want to spend your days on transport.

>>>Can we leave our luggage in the train as well?
kybourbon is offline  
Old Nov 11th, 2012, 05:27 AM
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You will be exhausted in any case so perhaps you could simplify your trip a bit and see more in fewer places. For instance, 2 days is not nearly enough for Rome, especially since you will be jet lagged. And while it isn't ideal, you might want to see Pompeii as a day trip from Rome. So you should plan on 4-5 days minimum in Rome.

Then consider traveling to Florence for 3 days and Venice for 3 days (Venice is very romantic). Then train or fly to Paris for the remaining 4 days . You see that there is not nearly enough time for these cities when you factor in travel time, etc. Save Belgium and Munich for next time.

Happy planning and congratulations.
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Old Nov 11th, 2012, 06:01 AM
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No, this isn't really do-able. You can't visit Pompeii on the way from Rome to Florence because Pompeii is south of Rome and Florence is north of it. The first thing you need is a map. Once you have it, you can figure out distances.

A couple of days in Rome, at the beginning of a trip when you're blitzed from jet lag, isn't even worth it. You'll want at a minimum 4 days, only 3 of which will really be useful, as the first one will be largely lost to getting settled. If you want to use one day to make a daytrip to Pompeii, that's possible, though you might want to simplify things and just go to Ostia Antic instead.

Belgium and Munich should be discarded (check that map). Ending in Paris and flying home from there is possible.

I'm not clear what you're asking about the luggage and trains. No, you can't leave your luggage on a train if you're not actually on the train. Of course, when you're on it, your luggage is on it, too.

You'll pay more for train tickets if you buy them on the spot. Every country's national train system has a website where you can buy cheap tickets online in advance. For Italy it's trenitalia.com. For France it's sncf.com.

Once you've gotten a taste of Europe, with a sensible plan, you'll realize you'll be back to see more. Enjoy the trip, and congratulations.
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Old Nov 11th, 2012, 08:31 AM
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No you cannot leave your luggage in the train (the train is needed by other people)
In the majority of countries you have mentioned there are left luggage places at stations. Depending on the size of your bags you can leave them there but why not leave them in a hotel?

You need to get an idea of ths scale of what you are proposing. Pull up google maps and measure the distances involved then compare it with a country you know well.

As well as the two train sites mentioned above you may like to look at bahn.de which offers train routes across much of mainland europe and seat61.com which explains how the train companies work in most of europe (it is Uk based but covers other countries).

Bookiing trains ahead of time generally get you a good deal but note that these prices can be for a specific train/specific date and time (so if it leaves and you are not on it then your ticket is worthless).

Which month are you thinking of and what do you and the "soon to be united" like to do?
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Old Nov 11th, 2012, 09:04 AM
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Hello,

I'll try to share some of my experiences in a honeymoon in Italy, if you don't mind my english.

We spent 2 of 4 weeks in Italy. So, I second the suggestion about sticking to Italy, only. Actually, we ended up being tired anyway. Moving on is stressful. Avoiding stress and fatigue should be your priority number one.

We did Tuscany (based in Florence), Rome, Venice, south of Italy (based in Sant'agnello - Capri, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Herculanum), Cinque Terre and Milan.

If we could go back, I would skip one of these bases. I don't consider Pompeii as a must in a honeymoon, but Capri and Amalfi Coast murmur "honeymoon". The sunset at Sorrento (or Sant'agnello, can't remember) is really special. Tuscany and Venice are a must for any "honeymooner". Cinque Terre villages are cozy, with amazing views, but you have to change trains twice to get there. Connections are stressful. There's also a lot of hills, you may get tired.

Rome is our least favorite. While Fontana di Trevi is truly special, the city is chaotic and dirty. Not romantic, IMO. Although the Duomo is really beautifull, We found Milan skippable.

I wrote a very detailed trip report about our honeymoon, but it's in portuguese. But the pictures may be usefull to help you to decide what to do.
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Old Nov 11th, 2012, 09:05 AM
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You are trying to get to way too many places - and not allowing the time needed (1/2 to a full day) to get from one place to another.

In 2 weeks you should do 4 cities/hotels at most - if you really want to see anything. If you want you can do a a day trip (for instance Pompeii from Rome - but that's a very long day).

For instance, to see even the basics in Rome you need 3 full days (4 nights) or 4 days/5 nights if yuo want to do a day trip to Pompeii (south of Rome - Florence is in the opposite direction),

Not sure what you mean by leaving luggage on the train. Do you mean can you leave it at your seat while you go to the restroom or dining car - yes (although we prefer to watch it). If you mean leave it on the train while you get off - no way. The train (and your luggage) would be going on to the next city and would eventually go to the lost luggage office.

Agree Rome to Paris is possible - although somewhat rushed. Adding in Belgium and Germany would require another 2 weeks,
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Old Nov 11th, 2012, 09:05 AM
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forgot to add the link to our blog: luademochila.com
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Old Nov 12th, 2012, 11:39 AM
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You really need either buy a basic travel book or go to the library and look at travel books. You will find some valuable information in the introductory chapters there. All about train travel, for example.

Although seasoned travelers may disagree, I suggest you look for Rick Steves's books. They are basic, and certainly adequate for newbies. Maybe start with his Italy book and work from there. Fodor's basic books are also useful.

And you DO need to start looking at maps and learning how far apart things are.
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Old Nov 12th, 2012, 01:56 PM
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I agree, for a newbie, Rick Steves does a good job of laying out some basics, such as for train travel.
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