Honeymoon Help! September 2016
 

Hello All!

I am hoping to get some fabulous ideas for our upcoming honeymoon in September 2016 (We will actually fly out August 28). Our trip will be 2 weeks. We absolutely love travel and hope that we can continue traveling for the rest of our lives. Because of this, we are both pretty open with going nearly anywhere for our honeymoon, with the philosophy of "we'll get there someday..." for anywhere we don't go (that's the goal, at least!). With that being said, our last two trips have been to China and Morocco, so we'd like to head back to Europe for a bit "easier" travel coupled with amazing food and experiences! We enjoy seeing a variety of landscapes / doing a variety of different things on vacation. When we were in France in 2012, we spent time in Paris, Annecy, and Cannes--this was amazing as it allowed us to do history / everything incredible in Paris, the mountain/lake life in Annecy, and the beach life in Cannes. This is ideal for us as we were able to see 3 vastly different areas within the country. We are leaning towards Switzerland/Italy, but we are also open to other combinations. Possibly Austria or Spain. I have many friends who have done the Amalfi Coast, which we are open to...but because we are open to many areas, I'm hoping that my friends here on the Fodors forum board can answer "If you could plan a 2 week honeymoon in Europe...where would it be to?" :) Thanks so much in advance!!

Even before I got to the end of your post, I was thinking of suggesting the Amalfi Coast. Personally I would spend a week in Rome and a week in Positano, but if you wanted to break it up, you could divide your time between Rome, Tuscany/Umbria and the Amalfi Coast. Fly into FCO and home from Naples.

At that time of year I would not do Spain (except the Atlantic coast) since most of the country is just hellishly hot - 100 and up.

Most of Italy will still be very hot - so it depends on what you are looking for.

If it were me that time of year I would do Switz or Germany - or possibly Scandinavia to get nice weather for both sightseeing and activities. But I can't deal with heat - and I know some people don't mind it.

What about Sicily? I'm checking the weather for that time period, and I see that by the end of August, it begins to cool down so it should be a good time to travel.

I'm planning a 2 week trip for May 2016 and have done a fair amount of research for the trip. Sicily should cover your interests well -- a lot of variety in landscape, food, cultural/historical experiences -- and can be covered well in a 2-week itinerary.

September is the perfect time to head up to the north of Spain, Donostia-San Sebastián in the País Vasco (Basque country) to be precise. The weather should be fine, but with the possibly a little rain in between excellent beach days. That's why they call it 'Green Spain'.

www.basquecountry-tourism.com/

<we'd like to head back to Europe for a bit "easier" travel coupled with amazing food and experiences. We enjoy seeing a variety of landscapes / doing a variety of different things on vacation>

My suggestion would be Belle Epoque San Sebastian in the Basque country for spectacular food, landscapes and beaches, medieval and vibrant Barcelona for history, architecture, theater/concerts/museums/nightlife and more fabulous food, and end up in Sevilla - the queen of the cities in the South for the Bienal de flamenco, the largest and most prestigious flamenco festival in the world (starts Sept 9. 2016). All fabulous and very different cities.

San Sebastian: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/
Hotel Londres attics with terrace and sea view: https://www.hlondres.com/en/accommodation/attic

Barcelona:
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/
Hotel Neri: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/nerihr.en-gb.html
http://www.hotelneri.com/en/

Sevilla: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/sevilla.htm
Hotel Alfonso XIII: http://www.hotel-alfonsoxiii-seville.com/
The Bienal de Flamenco: http://www.labienal.com/en/

2 weeks in .... Italy

I'd start with 3 nights in Venice, then go to the Dolomites (like Switzerland but at the right price tag) for 4 nights and then a week near Siena/Florence

I'm not experienced like most people here but I was just so in love with Rome that I want to come back for my own honeymoon. There are so many places to take amazing memorable photos and romantic little restaurants everywhere. One place I thought was especially pretty and would be nice to see as a couple was: http://www.villadestetivoli.info/indexe.htm
I just went to see it for the day but the surrounding area looked very pretty too.
The Amalfi coast I didn't make it to because I wasn't really there at the right time of year but it looks like something you can't miss if the weather is right. Tuscany seems like it would be absolutely romantic and the scenery was even more beautiful than I expected. If it were me and I had money I would rent a car and visit tiny towns mixed with Florence and Siena and there would be some kind of castles or wine tours, but that just depends on what you like. For me it's something I haven't really experienced before and it seems like a special thing to do on a honeymoon. Como is very romantic and kind of pricey but it's worth it for this kind of trip.