I am getting married in August next year and we are planning to do a honeymoon in Venice and Rome the last week in august to labor day weekend. Is this an ok time to go? We could wait a bit longer, but don't want to wait too long after the wedding.

What's ok is what is ok with you. Many will tell you to avoid August like the plague, but the two of you will need to weigh in on what is most important to you. Here are some of the pros and cons....

August is vacation month in Italy (indeed, in much of Europe) so some things will be closed and Italians themselves will be vacationing. You mention Venice and Rome, and there will be plenty to keep you occupied in either city, even in August, so this shouldn't deter you in general. You might want to check schedules if there is a particular thing you want to be able to visit or do, though, to be sure you can.

Crowds will be high in both of your city choices, as they are all summer, but September has become more of a popular choice so I'm not sure it would improve in early September to the point that it would make a lot of difference to you.

While weather can be unpredictable, it generally is very hot and humid in August. Only you can say how much of a downer this would be for you. And there are no guarantees it would change dramatically in early September. I visited Rome and Venice in August a few years ago and it was HOT (90s). We made sure our hotel rooms had A/C and we drank a lot of water and wore the coolest fabrics we could and then forgot about it. Realize the restaurants will mostly seat you outside. Even those that do not will mostly NOT have A/C. Some people are bothered by eating in high heat & humidity. We weren't! And, gelato stops were frequent!

OK, crowds & heat are the big "cons." A big "pro" can be cheaper hotel rates in August, especially in Rome.

You can avoid the worst of the Venice tourist crowds by avoiding the "main drag" of San Marco to Rialto while the daytrippers are there, and instead visit these areas in early morning or late afternoon/evening. Spend your time in high peak hours fanning out to other areas of Venice instead. You'll still see tourists, but not the hordes. Venice can be a lovely, laid back destination for relaxation & "recharging" if that's what you are looking for. Rome is a big city and is intense. I find a little energy is required to make the most of it!

Perhaps if you give more details about your interests & travel style, you'll get some more specific advice. And, best of luck to you in your new marriage!

As for more specifics... Right now we are trying to weigh two choices.

Choice A: Independently book a trip to Venice and Rome, spend 5 nights at each and do the normal tourist stuff as well as relax a bit. This would be from Aug 23-Sept3 right now this is running about $800 - $1000 cheaper than choice B

Choice B: Book a trip through gate 1 travel from Sept10 - 19 4 nights in each place. Rail included from venice to Rome.

The dilema is do we go with the independent less expensive trip in August/Sept, or do we do the package deal for more money and less nights and go on Sept 10?

I guess what I'm looking for is: Is it really going to be that much better weather and crowd wise if we go 2 weeks later? Or is there not enough of a difference to matter. Because in that case I'd rather stay longer for less money, right?

I would go with your instincts, which seem to be to do it independently.

As Eliztrav has mentioned, the weather is unpredictable: I have experienced late-September weather in Rome that was as hot (and humid) as August.

And as Eliztrav has also mentioned, you can get excellent rates on hotels in Rome in August.

Wow. Well, I've not been to Italy in September so maybe someone else here can chime in and give you recent info on crowds and weather for your proposed dates. I have been hearing that September is not the "off-season" it used to be, but would it be better than Aug. 23-Sept. 3? Probably a bit, yes, but you are talking about the eternally popular (for a reason!) Venice and Rome. Enough better to drive this decision? Hmmm....

Weather is unpredictable. In that short time span, probably not that huge a change, but you can go to a weather site and look for historical data on that rather than guess.

Speaking only for myself, the idea of a honeymoon on a tour in Italy isn't appealing. Though if I was super exhausted after the wedding, the idea of someone else doing all the "work" might be tempting for a few minutes! But, if I add up a strong personal preference for independent travel & the serendipitous things it allows with spending less money and staying in Italy longer on my honeymoon, well, August would not deter me! I'd go for Plan A in a heartbeat...but that's just me.

As I mentioned earlier, I did spend time in Rome and Venice in August during a very hot spell. The only crowds that REALLY bothered me were those near San Marco when I foolishly went there at mid-day. As for the weather, I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said the weather was fine! It was HOT all the time, and it would have been nice if it had been cooler or even cooled off in the evenings, but having a/c in the bedroom made it bearable, if not ideal. We just decided to adapt and enjoy as we had no flexibility in vacation dates that year. Personal decision...But I also remember the following year people said it was cold and rainy at the same time of year. Two extremes. Not very helpful to you as you plan for the unpredictable future. I think I'm suggesting I wouldn't plan my trip around the weather given your proposed dates, but others may disagree.

Hi nr,

>go with the independent less expensive trip in August/Sept, or do we do the package deal for more money and less nights and go on Sept 10?<

Is there any reason why you can't go independently on Sept 10?

Air fares usually go down after Labor day.

Thanks for all the input. I am tempted to just go ahead and book it myself at the end of August/beginning of September. That was our original plan, but my future inlaws have done the Gate1 travel thing before and suggested it. It is not a guided trip at all, it is just a package that includes airfare, rail pass, hotels, but also transportation to and from the airport. All of the day trips that they offer are optional, you can still do everything on your own. the down side was that it was more expensive than me booking it myself and it was 2 less days.

As for booking it independently later in Sept., we could do this, but again the hotel prices kick back up pretty significantly in September and the independent trip would then be a good amount more than the Gate 1 Travel trip. Decisions decisions I tell ya. As you can see I am being maybe a bit too thorough in my investigation...typical for me to over analyze. The only thing that threw me off was people saying avoid italy in August at all costs. It seems like those of you who have replied don't seem to think it's a big deal, so I'm ok with it now. Thanks and if you have any more helpful advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Hello nriemer, September use to be a slow month in Italy but that is no longer true so you will have a lot of tourist regardless of which time frame you pick.

Weather has been unpredicatable in Italy and although it is good to take a look at past weather patterns it is certainly no guarantee the weather will be the same when you are there.

There is probably not going to be a big difference weatherwise regardless of which time frame you pick..notice I said probably.

Italians do take their vacation in August and head for the mountains or the seaside. But more and more due to various reasons such as the economy and the Americanization of corporations not as many Italians take the whole month of August for their vacation as they did in the past.

If you were going to small towns/villages you would no doubt face small businesses closed down and that could be a dissapointment. But you are going to Venice and also Rome, good choices IMO. There will be some small businesses closed but there will be so many open you will not find that a problem.

If I were in your shoes I would chose your first option, lower cost and a little longer in Italy. If nothing else you can take the first day in Venice and just relax after the long flight and you won't feel frustrated as you might with the shorter trip that will cost you more.

Best wishes to you and your husband to be.

Thank You