missyw22

We just booked our tickets to Italy for our honeymoon last night and now we need to finalize where we are going and this is where I need your help! We are going at the beginning of May for 10 days and flying in and out of Rome (it was the least expensive way). Here are my thoughts of where we should go, which would you recommend, or do you have another suggestion?

Option 1: Arrive in Rome at about 8 AM on Tuesday, go straight to the train station and head over to Venice.
Stay in Venice for Tues, Wed, and Thurs night
Head to Tuscany Friday morning and stay somewhere in the country (not sure where, if you have suggestions that would be great) for Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon nights.
Then head back to Rome and stay there Tues, Wed, Thurs, and fly out Friday morning.

Option 2:
Get into Rome and head down to Sorrento (we actually have Hilton honors pts that we can use at the Hilton there which would help save money over the other itinerary, if you know anything about the Hilton Sorrento please let me know)
Stay in Sorrento and visit Capri, Pompeii, other areas for about 5 nights
Then go back to Rome for the following 5 nights.
Or split it up a little more to go to Tuscany for a little while as well.

Which would you suggest? We love wine and food, are not total museum enthusiasts but do like to see the architecture and some of the history. Neither of us have been to Europe and we are 25 and 26.

Thanks so much in advance for your help, you guys are so nice!

rex

I'd lean towards option 2 - - but you can do a decent day trip from Rome to Florence, as the train is only 95 minutes.

Whatever your decision, congratulations on your new life in marriage.... and...

Best wishes,

Rex

ira

Hi missy,

I also go with no. 2.

From Rome you can visit Orvieto for a hill town experience.

Many people recommend staying overnight in Capri. You could train to Naples, take the ferry to Capri for an overnight, then go to Sorrento for the rest of your stay.

Should you wish a limo to take you back to Naples, or for guided tours, I can recommend Renato Cuomowww.cuomonet.it [email protected]

Cicerone

Wow, are you going to get some opinions on this one?here is mine:

1. I would opt for Venice and Florence just slightly ahead of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. My main reason is that early May is still fairly cool on the coast, and I don't think you will be able to sit by the Med or get full enjoyment out of Capri or the ferry rides. Avearge temp in May is only 62 F. Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com for historical average temps and rainfall. Rome, Venice and Florence will be about the same temp, but you are not going there as much for the weather as you do in a place like Sorrento/Amalfi coast. Also May is not high tourist season, so you will get a better opportunity to see things (like museums, etc) in Venice and Florence, and really enjoy the street life that would otherwise be mobbed in the summer.

2. Whichever option you choose, I would actually suggest to do Rome first. You will be tired from the overnight flight (not to mention wedding stress) and to spend your first day travelling from Rome to another destination will tire you further, on top of jet lag. It will take 4 hours by train or car to get to Sorrento, and 8 hours to get to Venice by train. (You can fly to Venice which would be a better option if you are gong to do it on the same day you arrive.)

3. IMO, Rome is the busiest most exciting city you will be in, and I would do that first, and save the more relaxed places like Venice, Florence, the Tuscan countryside/Sorrento for last. That way you can wind down. Ideally, under Option #1 I would do Rome, fly/train to Venice, train to Florence, and spend the last few days in the countryside. Then train to Rome and head back to the US.

4. With your Hilton points, you should be able to stay at the Westin Excelsior Rome or the St Regis, both great hotels in great locations in Rome. There is also a Sheraton in Rome (not a great location for sightseeing as it is a bit out of the center). There are Sheratons or Westins in Venice (including the Gritti Palace) and Florence (including the Westin Excelsior) which should accept your points.

rbrazill

I agree with Cicerone, you will get a lot of responses to this one - the idea of skipping Venice is heretical to some. I also agree that your are going to be pretty tired from your overnight flight to go directly on to Venice. On our first trip to Italy, which was similar to your Option A, we arrived in Rome, spent a day and one-half there, got acclimated, and decided what we had to see when we came back. Then we went on to Venice for a few days. From Venice we stayed in Tuscany for a week and ultimately returned to Rome for three more days. When we returned to Rome we were able to get around a lot more easily because we were already familiar with the city.
I agree that the weather may not be ideal for Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast in May, so I would vote for Option A. You might consider staying in Montalcino, Castellina in Chianti or Gaiole while in Tuscany. I think you will want a car during the Tuscany portion (but not in Venice, obviously, or Rome.)

Jun04ItalyHoneymoon

We're in the process of booking a similar honeymoon ourselves for late June/early July. We're probably doing Venice (3 nights), Tuscany (3 nights), and Rome (4 nights), although we are considering adding a couple of days on the Amalfi Coast. May I ask where you got your airline tickets? We're having a hard time finding a good price and are waiting for the costs to go down.

Cicerone

Mea Culpa! All the hotels I named above are Sheratons, not Hiltons! I think I just had my first senior moment at the age of 45...

There is a Hilton in Rome (Cavalieri), it is a little bit out of the tourist areas, but is a very nice hotel with good restaurants and a nice pool, with some views of Rome.

There is also a Hilton at the airport which would not really be conveninet for sightseeing but is very conveninet if you have an early morning flight out of Rome. You can walk to the terminal (they have a shuttle bus as well if you have a lot of luggage.) I have used this hotel before to come back quite late in the evening from the south or north, and just crash for a few hours before a monring flight. Could be useful to you as well.

annabelle2

If you decide on Rome, ditto using your Hilton points in Rome at the Cavalieri...as "Cicerone" said, out of the way but nice. Lovely pool, grounds and atmosphere for a chain hotel and I think it has shuttles into the city center. Could be a nice way to relax for a day or two after the wedding!

I vote for Venice! Like many on this site, I've been lucky enough to spend time in some amazing parts of the world and Venice ranks high on my list. It is a great place to do some of the things you mention: wander around to eat, drink, and look at architecture. It is pretty darn romantic, too!

benderbabe

Definitely option 1.

Firstly, Sorrento is a crap place to stay, too big and not at all romantic. If you go to that area, you are much better off staying at the Luna Convento in Amalfi or Le Sireneuse in Positano.

So since you've got Hilton points to use, I'd use 'em on the first itinerary.

Also, if it's May, that's a good time to go to Venice. Venice is either beautiful and romantic or stinking hot and packed with tourists. Since it rains a lot in May, that will probably mean the former, rather than the latter!