Parkje04

Hi all! As you can see I'm relatively new to this forum, but have been reading other posts for a few weeks now and have been really impressed with the responses of other members. I apologize if this topic has already been covered before, but I have kind of a specific question. My fiance and I are in the process of planning our honeymoon (August 2011) and are kind of stuck. We want to go to Europe - we know that much. Her family is from Italy (grandparents) so naturally she wants to go there. She also wants to see Paris (it's kind of her dream). I have been to Paris, but never Italy.

We want to make this a relaxing vacation in some respects, but we also want to get out and see the sights. We are both in our mid-20's, and are relatively active. I was thinking of flying into Rome, and then heading to Amalfi for 5 days. We would stay at the Santa Caterina (opinions welcome) in Amalfi, which seems like a relaxing place where we can unwind from the stress of the wedding. I know it's expensive, but hey - it's a honeymoon! We would then train up to Florence and spend 4 or 5 nights there, with day trips to Siena, Pisa, Lucca...wherever. Lastly, we would either take the night train from Florence to Paris or fly, and spend 4 or 5 nights there.

So this is a long-winded way to get to my question: am I crazy? Is this itinerary too ambitious? I am worried about it being too hot in Italy in August, which is sort of why I am leaning towards going to Paris instead of spending the time in Rome. And of course I want the trip to be a mix of relaxing and sight-seeing. Any input would be much appreciated!

ellenem

You are not crazy, especially if you allow for 5 nights in each place.

I would look into flights to Naples if your first stop is to be Amalfi. (You didn't mention stopping in Rome, just passing through.)

For your connection between Florence and Paris, I would check on flights to Paris from either Florence or Pisa.

bobthenavigator

Good advice from Ellen.
August on the AC will be wall to wall but the Santa Caterina is a fabulous choice and will keep you well insulated. Plan to spend one day at Ravello---my fav on that coast.

nytraveler

Your timing is reasonable - but you need to understand that in summer Italy is hot (high 90s) and humid and many places do NOT have ac (including shops, restaurants hotels, etc) and that August both AC and F will be stuffed to the gills with tourists - making getting anywhere/doing anything take a lot longer. Also you need to understand that the beches on the AC are not like the Carib - think small beaches made of pebbles versus acres or pure white sand.

Paris will still be Paris - can be warm or can be very hot - and the same rules about AC apply.

Wherever you stay be sure you get hotels that have full american style AC (not "air cooling: - which is a useless sort of fan thing).

Jean

I don't think you're crazy, but in August I'd go to one of the lakes rather than the Amalfi Coast. It would be cooler, less crowded and IMO is a better geographic fit with Florence and Paris. I'd fly into either Pisa or Florence, train to the lake area, and fly from one of the Milan-area airports to Paris.

ira

Hi P,
Good plan.

Very good advice from Jean. I think that the Lakes would be preferable to the AC that time of year.

You might find my trip report helpful:
Ira Returns From 22 Loverly Days in Europe - Sep, 2009
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

Marija

Nice cheap flights from Pisa to Paris on easyJet. I couldn't resist and booked one for October. How could you go wrong with Paris? Have a great honeymoon!

franco

Not crazy! But I wouldn't stay in Florence only to make one daytrip after the other - Florence isn't so particularly nice to stay in (hot, crowded, plenty of traffic and fumes, poor public transport), so I'm staying in Florence when I want to see Florence, and out of Florence when I want to see other places. If you're renting a car, you could base yourself in Certaldo, for example, and daytrip (also to Florence, of course) from there; without a car, Pistoia would be a good choice.

rlbplf

You can fly very easily from Paris to Florence. As Franco said if you want to see Florence stay in Florence but if you want to see the Tuscan countryside, stay outside Florence. Driving in and out of Florence is difficult at best. However, if you fly to Florence and rent a car at the airport, the drive out of town is rather easy.

As for the Amalfi Coast, we flew from Paris to Naples and then had a driver meet us at the airport in Naples for the 3 hour drive to Positano. The cost a few years ago was around 100 Euros as I remember. Our flight home left from Rome so we hired the same driver for the trip from Positano to Rome, cost around 300 Euros.

So think about starting in Paris, fly to Florence and then either stay in Florence or rent a car and stay in some smaller village. We love the Chanti region, easy to drive around, lots of villages to visit and wine to drink. If you are determined to go to the AC, then fly to Naples and consider the driver option. Good Luck,

bbrown1226

Sounds like a lovely honeymoon! I second the advice though to stay outside of Florence. I would highly recommend an agriturismo in the Tuscan countryside. It would require a rental car for the 5 days you are in that area, but that is how you can get out and truly explore Tuscany. That has been our favorite vacation so far - a stay in the Tuscan countryside. And it might be a nice break in the trip to not have to rely on public transportation only. Just for reference, this is where we stayed:

http://www.agriturismoaiavecchia.com/farmholidays.html

We are visiting the Amalfi Coast in September, and we have also been to Lake Garda which is beautiful! But I would imagine Lake Garda will also be swarming with tourists that time of year, making it quite hard to travel around by car. You would have to stick to ferries.

Paris in August can be just as hot and muggy as Rome, so a must on the air conditioning. Have fun planning!!

Parkje04

Thanks for all of the responses everyone! My fiance and I are still up in the air about the whole thing - we just don't know if we want a "go, go, go!" honeymoon. But Italy just draws us....

Again, many thanks for the information. I loved the suggestion about the lakes region (thanks, Jean!) and will definitely look into staying outside of Florence (thanks, Franco!) but I have heard horror stories about driving in Italy so we will see. But it's less than a year away so i gotta get going! Thanks, everyone!