Greece or Italy for honeymoon??
 

My finace is leaning towards Greece but I think Italy would be nice. We've never been out of the US. Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks!

What time of year? How many days? What do you think you'd like/prefer to do in either country?

If you have enough time you don't have to choose — do both! There are inexpensive flights from Rome to Athens, and in July-August even direct flights from Rome to Santorini. How many days and what time of year are important factors, so do tell us more.

Oh, and congratulations! :-)

It'd be mid-end March. Anywhere from 8-13 days. I'd like to go to an island in Greece. I'm not a "lay by the pool all day" type person so I'd like things to do as far as sight seeing or taking in the history. In Italy I would like to go to Florence, Rome and Italy. I'm not as familiar with Greece.

And thank you for the help :) :)

Italy-Greece is wonderful but the strikes and political problems with their economy lately have made parts of the country iffy. Italy would be wonderful that time of the year!

It won't be beach weather in Greece in March, more sightseeing weather. I love both, but it's easier to get from place to place in Italy because you don't have to deal with island hopping.

In March, Italy for sure--unless you decide you are interested in mainland Greece.

how about santorini for 2 or 3 nights? just to see it? then venice and florence?

Being Scottish and having just spent two weeks in Charleston, if I were you I would stay at home!

However, after 20 odd trips to Italy we went have just spent a week in Rome for the first time. Quite simply, go!

Spend a week in Rome, take the train to Tuscany, hire a car and tour round, take back from Pisa.

Greece just isn't as stunning.

Also, do realize you are asking questions that people are taking the time to respond to. Jumping all over the place (planning out a full itinerary for Italy one day, posts on Greece another day), does not result in the best impression. I know you are excited, as you should be--and congrats! But, take a deep breath, go check out some guide books, and pore over them with your fiance a few days/weeks, and then you'll be in a much better to figure it all out, and we'll be more inclined to assist.

A few Greek islands followed by Napflion on tne Peloponnesean Peninsula Pen, surrounded by anitquites, castles, on the waterfront.

You don't have to deal with island hopping in Greece, either. March is still winter, and the islands will be very quiet, so Athens and the mainland would be best. You could take flights to/from Santorini for a couple of days, or go to one of the Argo-Saronic Islands such as Hydra, which would be an easy trip from Athens. That's not exactly island hopping when you go to only one island.

Dutyfree is spreading rumours that are so untrue it is getting tiresome answering them. The economy of Greece has no effect upon tourists, except to bring prices down a bit. I can't imagine what part of the country would be "iffy", and Athens is one of the safest capital cities in Europe. Tourism is actually up this year in Greece, and few people travelling there have reported any problems.

That said, with only 8-13 days it would probably be better to stick with one country, and you may find more to do in Italy. If you can stretch the trip to two weeks not counting travel time, two countries would work.

Dickie_Gr

To say that Greece isn't as stunning, you have to see it first...
Have you explored Greece? Saw a post where you said Kefalonia had poor beaches......
This is a sign....

Greece is not only islands, it has an amazing mainland with a lot to see from South to North and West to East.
Unfortunately most people here only know 3 islands, Nafplio and Athens... ( plus a bit of Crete and Rhodes...)

I usually don't like these threads where countries are being put in competition, and posters are either praising a country, or trashing another....

Just my thoughts...

I love both Italy and Greece. I have been to quite a bit of Italy and a fair bit of mainland Greece as well as the Peloponnesian Peninsula. However, no one can tell you which country is "best." It depends on what you want. Do you want Italian food or Greek? Do you want Renaissance and Baroque art and ancient Roman ruins or do you want Byzantine art and ancient Greek ruins. Both countries have beautiful scenery, amazing churches (different styles) and great people. I would go to the one that draws you most. As others have mentioned, you will not be lying on the beach or around the pool in March; the water will be too cold, and lots of pools will be closed.

Heimdall,I am not spreading rumors-I work for a major US airline that has discontinued some service there in the past year as there have been problems with travel and tourists. I, myself have been there on layovers in the past years when the state department told the crew NOT to leave the hotel because of what was going on in Syntagma Square. I happen to love Greece and have vacationed there a bit- Nafplio is the place where the folks from Greece honeymoon.
I was just commenting on given the choice and the weather at that time of the year that perhaps Italy might be a better choice.

Your fiance wants to go to Greece and if it includes Greece, you want to go to an island in March and not lay by the pool all day. Are these desires consistent? If you visit both countries, you would probably need to stick to only one Greek island (if you two converge on what you have in mind) and get into and out by flight. Boat will take too long and depending on company and route, they don't always run on schedule. That includes no boat at all on a given day. I presume that when you say 13 days, that includes departure and return days? So with the time difference, you probably have 10 full days? This means, for example, splitting 3 ways, 3 full days in Greece, 1 day to travel between, 3 full days in Florence, 3 full days in Rome. Whether this is acceptable is up to you. Others would have much different view on how to spend days. However, many years from now, it is only you two that would remember whether you wished you have spent more or less time. So follow your vision and verify by asking others if what you have in mind is possible.

Sicily?

Dutyfree, if you were staying in a hotel directly on Syntagma Square (e.g. Grande Bretagne) you may have been advised to stay in the hotel during a large demonstration, which probably lasted only a few hours. Most demonstrations go by peacefully, and a few blocks away in Plaka you don't even know one is taking place. Italy has strikes and problems with its economy, too.

Airlines usually send their staff to hotels in Vouliagmeni, that are 20 km away from Syntagma Square.....

I am not sure what sense does it make to recommend to others to stay away from Greece, based on what happened ( during a few days) last year in Athens.... ( but NOT this year)

We would choose Italy, perhaps Sicily.

Why? Greece is expensive thanks to financial crises and economic chaos. And you don't want to risk spoiling your honeymoon when the violence will erupt again.

We were in Greece a few years we were stunned by the price levels. Even credit cards were not accepted anywhere (http://www.2globalnomads.info/2010/1...debt-loan.html).

One reason why it felt so expensive could be that we got used to the more pleasant price levels in Sicily. We lived in Trapani and Messina altogether one year (http://www.2globalnomads.info/search?q=trapani).

2globalnomads

The financial crisis did it's wonder - especially for tourists - by lowering the prices in Greece.

Not only hotels cost less now ( with some exceptions) but also restaurants, cafes etc.

Maybe you are basing your comments on your visit back in 2010, the fact is that there is no economical chaos at all in Greece.

In addition to that Greece is expecting an all time record this year, with 17 Million foreign visitors.

As for the price comparison, Greece is not more expensive than Sicily... i am sure that you are referring to certain places like Mykonos and Santorini, that are amongst the most expensive islands of the Mediterranean.

Other islands, and the Mainland are not expensive at all :)

As for violence i don't think that there is any violence in Greece.... maybe again you are referring to demonstrations that took place at Syntagma Square in Athens on certain days, something that didn't happen at all this year.

I typically pay around €25/night for a double room with private bath on islands such as Naxos and Antiparos. An evening meal with starter, main course, and a small carafe of wine costs me around €15, a little more if I order fish. If that's expensive, what did you pay in Sicily? ((?))

I love both Greece and Italy, but unless you can push your departure date to late spring, I think you'd be better off sticking to Athens and the mainland, or the three big Italian cities- Rome, Florence, Venice. The Greek islands are absolutely gorgeous, but at their best in the late spring and summer.

BTW, we generally find Greece much more economical than Italy, for both hotels and food. To give you an idea: We stayed at a wonderful hotel for our anniversary in Naxos, and had a beautiful room overlooking the beach for $200/hight.

My fiance and I had a fantastic 10-day trip to Greece in June. We went to Santorini, Mykonos and Athens. It was a good mix of culture, beaches and history. (And great food!)

We used Gate 1 Travel to organize all of our flights, ferries and hotel transfers, and then had the time at each location to ourselves. I thought this was great, as everything was set up for us, but we didn't have to follow around a tour group while we were there. Essentially, they provided the structure, and we did what we want within it. Something to consider if it's your first time out of the States.

@Heimdall

> I typically pay around €25/night for a double room with
> private bath on islands such as Naxos and Antiparos.

We paid 5€/night in Trapani and 6€/night in Messina. In Athens we paid many times more.

> meal with starter, main course, and a small carafe of wine
> costs me around €15, a little more if I order fish.

Crazy expensive. We cook all our meals by ourselves and buying groceries was very expensive in Greece. In Sicily you get a bottle a decent red wine with less than 2€.

Are credit card still not working anywhere in Greece?

2globalnomads

Do you plan your vacations based on rooms that cost 5 Euro per night?

I am sorry but this doesn't sound realistic....

Despite those cheap prices in Sicily, a lot of Italians come to Greece in August. I wonder why, if they could stay home and let mamma do the cooking? Maybe they like what Greece has to offer. ;-)

<i>Are credit card still not working anywhere in Greece?</i>

I'm not aware of any time credit cards were not working, although smaller establishments prefer payment in cash. Do those 5€ hotels in Sicily take credit cards?

BTW, it would be better to compare Athens with Rome rather than Trapani and Messina, at least where prices are concerned. I seem to recall Rome being rather expensive.

What an excellent recommendation to Honeymooners...

5€ rooms and less than 2€ red wine.......

khaverkamp: so interesting that you mention Gate1. I'd gone on a trip with a girlfriend with them and had just looked up trips to the greek islands with them this past weekend. I've been pondering about what it'd be like to do the travel between islands etc. with them vs. on our own.

I loved the prior trip I went on with them to Turkey, but it was not a honeymoon-type trip at all- we were in a hotel/area for max 2 nights, usually just 1, then bags packed and at door by 6 or 7am & usually on the road for a few hours every day.

What times were the transfers between cities with them - any issues with early timing? how did you like the hotels they offered- were their romantic and more personal-feeling options? thanks so much