Europe Honeymoon trip Help needed
 

My fiancé and I are trying to plan are honeymoon for in June. It'll be a 15-day trip to Europe. We were thinking doing 4 days in Paris, 4 days in Santorini, 3 days in Positano and 2 days in Rome, is this doable?

It’s doable but you’ll lose most of a day going from Paris to Santorini and again from Santorini to Rome. I would personally cut out Santorini and make this a Paris and Italy trip

Welcome to Fodors. That would be really difficult. To get 4 days in a place requires 5 nights, 2 days = 3 nights etc. So your plan would require 17 to18 nights when factoring in transatlantic travel.

Better to stick to just Italy or perhaps Paris plus the two places in Italy.

was posting the same time as mjs . . .

The logistics make doing this trip frighten me. Looking at a map would reveal that Paris to Santorini to Positano to Rome is a highly inefficient zigzag. Plus, getting to Santorini from anywhere except Greece is a two step process, Similarly, getting to Positano is also a two or three step trip. This list of places is not set up for a honeymoon or any other kind of vacation. I am ignoring the possibility that changing covid restrictions among three different countries would stress even a well-established marriage.

I also note that both Paris and Rome are capital cities full of culture and activities that cannot be satisfying as two or three day destinations. Eliminate one of them. Similarly, Santorini and Positano offer similar relaxing seaside days, so eliminate one of them.

After considering this, the solution is obvious: Rome and Positano. If the romance of Paris is essential for your honeymoon (it was for mine), consider linking Paris and a location in the south of France.

After talking with the travel agent, I think we are going to go with doing 2 countries question is should it be France or Greece? We will definitely be doing Italy. Another thing how does everyone feel about maybe adding Venice in there? I see we can take a train from Venice to Rome, and it would take about 3 hours. I should also add my travel agent seems that Santorini is a must if we are doing this trip.

Get an actual itinerary from this travel agent, including all travel day to day and place to place details. Post it here for comments. For instance, if you want to include Santorini you will have to be in Greece, so that's your second country.

It would either be Greece and Italy or France and Italy. Both spending the majority of the time in Italy.

1) Why are you using a travel agent? None of these places are at all difficult to manage independently. And IF this TA is saying Santorini is a good fit with the other places, you need a new TA.

2) "I see we can take a train from Venice to Rome, and it would take about 3 hours". You may be looking at that as - 'Heck, we can have breakfast in Venice and lunch in Rome and not miss a step.". But the journey door to door will take longer than 3 hours. You have to pack, check out, get to the train station, wait for the next train, . . . 3 hours on the train . . . the get to you next hotel, check in IF your room is ready, unpack -- and a good part of the day is shot. (Or if the room isn't ready, leave your bags and head out somewhere for a few hours)

3) Adding Venice is fine -- It is an absolutely beautiful place. But then you'll likely need to drop some other stop. With 15 days (if that is the total length of the trip) you will have 12.5 days free on the ground for seeing/doing and each move will eat up another minimum 1/2 a day. So say you want to try Paris/Venice/Rome you'd be down to 11-ish days free. That is doable but less than 4 days per city. You could do 4 days/5 nights Paris, 3 days/4 nights Venice, 4 days/5 nights Rome which with the two travel days to/from Europe would be 15 days.

We did Italy and Greece for our anniversary and it was amazing. We had 2 full weeks and it worked. We did 3 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Positano, 3 nights in Ravello (best city in the entire world), then flew from Naples to Athens and then to Mykonos and then took a boat from Mykonos to Santorini and then flew back to Athens. It was a LOT of traveling. With Covid, I'd either do ALL Italy (it is my favorite country in the world and absolutely beautiful and historic and amazing) or do 2 countries that are close together and that you can take the train from one to another - the train is an amazing way to get around. Italy though thas SO much to offer!!! You can start up north and do Lake Como / Venice / Florence / Cinque Terre / Amalfi Coast / Ravello / Taormina / Puglia....there is SO much to see! I totally get wanting to fit it all in, but you will be SO happy to be there - the food the culture all of it! Congratulations!

It is possible in summer to fly directly from Rome to Santorini, and maybe from other Italian cities as well. Ryanair, for example, have flights from Rome that take just over 2 hrs to Santorini. Aegean Airlines have flights with short layovers at Athens Airport. I’m not necessarily recommending this, just saying it’s possible if your heart is set on Santorini. Frankly, while Covid is still around I would stick with one country trips.

Do Greece and Italy. Think about Venice, one our favorite places.

You are already getting excellent advice here. If you take it, you will have a much better trip. I have been to every place you mention, some more than once. No, Santorini is Not a must! Your TA is either very biased or not knowledgeable enough about many places. Is the trip doable as stated? No, absolutely not because you are not allowing days for travel between places. They are major distances apart with some logistics adding to the time. Every full day in a place requires two nights there. Sure you will have a bit of time on travel days, but often, not much.

You still have a little time to think about this and create an itinerary that will actually work for you and your new spouse.
First, what do you want for a honeymoon? Relax in a beautiful setting? Romantic? Sightseeing of historic churches and ancient ruins? A fast-paced visit to some famous sights, but no in-depth explorations. Some in-depth visits to select places you are very interested in? A combo? If a combo, which is most important? You cannot have it all. Example. Rome is a big city with enough to see to keep you busy for weeks. What do you want do there?

How much do crowds bother you? They do not bother me at all, usually, but I found them overwhelming in Santorini during the day when cruise ships stop, so if you choose that, pick your hotel location carefully and get one with a pool. Plan well and you can avoid a lot of crowds in Venice, but it is overwhelming for many. Venice is very romantic at night and away from San Marco and the Rialto during most of the day. I prefer Rome as a city for walking, but IMHO, Paris is more romantic.

AJ Peabody suggested you choose either Santorini or Positano on the AC. I agree completely. You could stay in any number of wonderful places on the AC and could also ferry over to Capri. It can also be very crowded, but All have spectacular, romantic, sea views. The time and money you save traveling can be added to the budget and time on the AC. If you want an excursion you won't see anywhere else, there is Pompeii.

Pick three places, max, unless you decide on places closer together.

Where are you coming from? Where have you traveled before? Did you love it or not? Your new spouse?

I'd choose places closer together (and preferably connected by short-ish train/bus/ferry rides); consider the impact of COVID on moving between countries; carefully check the travel time between your destinations so you're not spending a disproportionate amount of time getting from A to B; and have a mix of big city, small town and rural/beach. Slow down, see fewer and closer places and experience more.

Yes to all of the above advice!

Will add. It is tough to pick. All of your choices are great. Best to take time to actually experience them.
Is your 15 days your total trip time or do you have 15 full days on the ground in Europe? Do not count arrival and departure days as “on the ground” days. Perhaps thinking of nights in a place will help your planning. There are many ways to design or structure your itinerary.
Day 1, depart home, night on plane
Day 2, arrive (?)
Days 3 & 4, (?) 2 full days (3 nights)
Day 5, travel to (?) by train, plane, boat?
Days 6, 7 & 8 (?) 3 full days (4 nights)
etc.

Remember to end up in the city of departure for home. It should be one of the cities you want to spend time in. Do not waste time in and out of a place that holds no interest for you. Do no back track or stay in the same city twice. Get multi-city tickets, not two, one-way.

Rome to Venice is actually closer to (or a bit longer) four hours than three. Some of the trains are actually a few minutes longer than four hours.

My worry would be if something pops up mid trip but June I'm still hoping things will be better.

The problem with Santorini is you can't fly direct from home or fly home direct from there. That means you're looking at least at

Fly into Rome
Fly to Santorini
Fly out to your next stop.
Fly home

On a 15 day trip that's a lot of airport time IMHO. Your trip but think do you really want to spend a quarter of it either getting to the airport,flying or getting from the airport?

Where are you coming from?

Thank you everyone for the advice. We talked with her sister who has been there a few times and we think we're just going to stay in Italy. What we are thinking is starting in Venice and ending in the Positano. We will use the trains starting in Venice then going to Florence, Rome and then finally the Positano. I think that will be the most efficient way and still getting the most out of our trip.

Well, that's a lot to digest.

I am known for voluminous planning, succinct advice, and long trip reports. Since you are leaning towards Rome plus another destination, you may be interested in my trip report about a trip with only Rome and the Amalfi Coast (Sorento instead of your Positano).

https://www.fodors.com/community/sho...d.php?t=939467

Edit: Our posts crossed in the ether. Venice to Florence to Rome is a classic short Italy tour. Adding Positano or anywhere else on the Amalfi Coast will be cutting the other three short and add another travel day. Make a detailed itinerary for a full on Fodors evaluation. You will have a good time no matter what, I believe.

well done, just staying in Italy is a big step forward. I'd still slice it to three stops, it is June so not super hot but Venice looks small but has lots of little visit opportunities and the place can be heaving with other tourists so moving around town will take time. Obviously using water taxi and vaps helps but getting lost is part of the fun.

If it were me I'd do Venice, Florence and Rome but extend the Florence section into day trips to see Pisa, St Gim etc with perhaps some spa or wine stops in this region of Tuscany. Tuscany is so very beautiful.

If that beauty doesn't float your boat them look at the Italian Lakes for a few nights. Train from Venice there and then onto Florence.

Are you staying forever in Positano? If not the better way would be to make your flight home airport your last stop. Assuming you land in Venice and fly home from Rome.

Venice
Florence
Positano
Rome.

Now if you're moving to Positano that's different -)