My fiance and I will be getting married in mid-October and spending our honeymoon in Italy. We will be in Italy for 12 nights, and 13 days. Our general budget is $7000 ($2000 for airfare, $2300 for hotels not included). I have been to Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Pompeii, and Capri before, but my fiance has never left the US. I was thinking about spending time in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Siena. How should we break up our time? We want to see the "must-see" sites but also relax and enjoy our honeymoon without the stress of a fast-paced trip.

I can tell you that Venice is so gorgeous and romantic. I don't think you need to be there more than two days, but it's an amazing experience. I haven't made it to the other places, but if you find yourself near Lake Garde, Sirmione del Garda is very charming.

Enjoy your trip and the planning.

Others may point out you've only mentioned larger cities and should skip one for time in a smaller town, but this is your trip/honeymoon to spend it as you like. I'm a city girl, so I never try to talk anyone out of cities, but, if you had more time, my advice might be different.

With only 12 nights, I'd see Siena as a day-trip from Florence. I'd stay Venice 3 nights, Florence 4 nights and Rome 5 nights.

I hope you can fly into Venice and out of Rome, or the reverse.

I generally agree with Jean, though I'd do 4 nts in Venice and 3 in Florence, but that's just a matter of opinion.

I would try to arrive in Rome and depart Venice. Rome is fun and somewhat hectic, like most big cities. Florence is smaller and less hectic. And Venice, with no cars (but lots of tourists) is a good way to finish the trip after the craziness of Rome.

"With only 12 nights, I'd see Siena as a day-trip from Florence. I'd stay Venice 3 nights, Florence 4 nights and Rome 5 nights. "

I agree but would personally prefer 5 in Florence and 4 in Rome with Siena as one day trip and a relaxing day in the countryside as another. There are so many excellent day trip options from Florence IMO.

Our priorities when in Italy are food, wine, the public markets and the day to day experiences of being in Italy, rather than a lot of "to do's". Florence is my favorite of those three cities, followed by Rome. Venice is not a place we particularly enjoy and Tuscany is wonderful in October.

Also agree with flying open jaw to avoid the time and cost of backtracking.

Congrats!

www.spg.com if you guys get their Amex CC

You can pick up in Venice Westin Europa Regina

for several nites for 4500 Starwood Points and $90/nite.

Got a Grand Canal suite upgrade last May for free as an SPG.

www.betterbidding.com for other good hotel deals

usually for me bidding Priceline.

Pick up www.lucca.info Pisa Siena at a leisurely pace B4

or after... www.venice-tourism.com my fav

Just picked up an awesome deal at the Bauer in April with

my Delta Skymiles nice Venice 5 star 40000 skymiles/nt.

Venice is quite expensive you can get deals if you do research

Happy Hunting,

Florence is great too sort of an artsy little river town.

But for me Venice is a magical no car water city with

romance and history everywhere as long as you stay out of

the crowded toursty areas between 9-4 daily.

So, you see everyone has their favorite/s.

Where you arrive and depart is also personal choice. FWIW, I live on the US West Coast, and flights out of Venice that work best for me leave extremely early. I'm not an early morning person, so that means I end my holiday on a grumpy note.

Hi C,

If it were I, I would fly into Milan or Venice:

4 nights in Venice
train to Florence - 4 nights
train to Rome - 4 nights
Fly home.

Enjoy your visit.

OK thanks for the suggestions everyone! I really would like to spend at least two days outside of the big cities. The agriturismo I found near Siena is perfect! Right now I'm thinking 4-5 nights in Rome, 4 in Florence/Siena, 3 nights in Venice, and then if needed 1 more night in Rome before flying out. I'm hoping to find a good open jaw flight into Rome and out of Venice, but right now those tickets are more expensive.

So, my next question would be, do you think that I should base myself in Siena and make a day trip or two to Florence or should I spend a couple nights in Florence and a couple nights in the agriturismo?

Thanks again everyone!

An agriturismo near Siena would be more relaxing than staying in Florence, but staying in Florence puts you close to the must-see sights most people think of. If you stay at the agriturismo, you'll want a car to explore the area, so you should factor that into your budget. Only you can decide what you prefer and/or whether you want to pack up and move after two nights. I will say it's very easy to stay in Florence and make day trips by bus or train to smaller towns nearby.

If you can't find open jaw flights that work for you, when you arrive in Rome, leave immediately for Florence/Siena and put your days in Rome at the end of the trip.

C,

I got married in Ravello and we had our honeymoon in Capri and Rome. Because you have a limited time, what we did was an architectural tour of Rome, I would suggest:
http://www.contexttravel.com/city/Rome

Even though we had been to Rome before and wandered through the sites, it made us focus and took some of the stress out of the trip. Who needs stress on a honeymoon? I know that it will eat into your budget, but it might be worth it.

Hi C,

If you feel the need for staying at a farm for a couple of nights, do it. Take the nights away from Rome and Florence. You will need a car.

The reason I suggested flying into Venice and out of Rome is that V is a much calmer place and will help you relax and get into the mood of "il dolce far niente".

Florence isn't a hectic place.

Rome is.

I would stay in Florence and take a bus to Siena for a day.

From Rome, I would take the train to Orvieto for a day.