I know there have been many threads on this topic but wanted to get some opinions based on our itinerary. We will be on our honeymoon the first two weeks in October. Our itinerary is the following, fly into Rome have driver pick us up and take us to our hotel in Amalfi Coast, then train to Rome, pick up our rental car before heading to Tuscany and then drive to Venice, dropping our car off before getting to Venice. I have done a lot of research on the weather this time of year and we know to pack light and layer. What size roll on suitcases do you recommend? We thought about 2 - 26" roll on's and 1 smaller backpack or duffel/toiletry bag. I have a feeling this may be too much but I am not a light packer so this is going to be a challenge. Any advice would be great.
Thank you,
Robyn

I'll reserve my "reservations" about renting a car in Rome in order to drive to Florence...

put everything you think you are going to take onto that new bed of yours

discard half of it

What does this mean? When we are leaving Rome we are picking up our rental car to go TUSCANY -THE COUNTRYSIDE- NOT THE CITY OF FLORENCE. Nor did you even answer my question about the SIZE of the suitcase.

"I'll reserve my "reservations" about renting a car in Rome in order to drive to Florence"

2 26" will demand a big trunk, which means renting a bigger (and more expensive) car. Better to cut it down to one 26" and one 19" carryon size (for one thing, you can put all your souvenirs in it and carry in on board for the flight home). Better still would be a 24" instead of a 26".

Hi H,

My wife and ave I found that we are able to pack more than we need to take in one 26", One 22" rollaboard and one tote bag.

The two suitcases and tote bag easily fit into the back of a Peugeot 307.

>...Rome have driver pick us up and take us to our hotel in Amalfi Coast, then train to Rome,...<

That Rome to AC limo is about 400E.
How do you get back to Rome?

Ira,

Thank you for the feedback. We decided to have a driver pick us up and take us to the AC because we'll be getting off the long flight and its about another 3 hour drive. Through a friend we were able to get the price of just under $400 which is still a lot but we thought after the long flight it may be worth the price. We are planning on taking a train back to Rome but have not worked those details out. Do you suggest we take a train both ways?

Here are the difficult parts about 26" during your trip.

- Car size large enough to carry and hide your luggages.
- Hauling your luggage in and out of the train. There are about 3 steps to the train level and the door is not that wide. Pulling your luggage between the seats if the end of the car luggage space is full.
- Pulling your luggages up and down the bridge steps in Venice unless your hotel is on the same island as the boat or take a water taxi if your hotel has a canal access. Getting the luggages into and off the vaporetto if you choose this route. Aqua alta would further complicate the matter with large luggages.

Well, now that you so graciously gave extra information about where you are going with the rental car then I withdraw my reservations about getting one BUT I maintain that you still should consider taking only HALF of what you currently intend to pack and use the resulting suitcase accordingly.

I would go with two 22-24" rollers plus two large totes. The totes serve as carry-on for the plane and ride on top the rolling suitcase thru airports, etc. Each person can easily maneuver their two items. You could even still have 1 more shared backpack for toiletries.

Long-winded point I'm trying to make... it I believe two smaller pieces together work better than a single 26" suitcase does.

Are you planning on buying new luggage for the trip? If so, why not buy a couple of different sizes of cases and see what you can really fit in them. You can later return the ones you aren't using.

Think more about what you need to bring with you, rather than the size of the suitcase. Obviously the smaller the better - but can you fit your stuff in it? Part of this has to do with how large you and your husband are. Tiny people have tiny clothes!

Shoes are space hogs, as are warm sweaters/jackets. I try to limit the footwear and bring just one warmish jacket which I wear over lightweight tops when needed. This can easily be carried on the the plane, so it takes up no space in the bags. I also bring a very thin rain jacket which can be worn over top of the warm jacket when needed.

I understand the hesitation about getting off of the plane and having to take a train to the AC. I am dead when I arrive in Europe (west coast departure) and can't handle a rail connection. I solve this by always staying for a few days where we land - is that an option? Do Rome first? I can think of all sorts of places to spend the saved $400 in Italy!

Also, consider taking the train from Rome (or the coast) to Florence and pick up your rental car there for your Tuscany adventure. Two reasons: you won't have to deal with picking up a car in Rome. I wouldn't drive in Rome for any money. And, you can then drop it in Florence before taking the train to Venice. One way rentals often have hefty surcharges, and the train station in Venice is very convienient - easier than dealing with dropping a car, then getting into the city.

Good luck!

I think your itinery is great! I love the idea of a driver to the AC rather than the train. It's your honeymoon afterall! And I see no problem with taking the car all through Tuscany and eventually to just before Venice. But then, you weren't asking advice on your itinery, I got that, but rather your luggage situation.

I did this trip, all thru France and Italy for almost 3 weeks & I too felt I needed to take plenty of clothes. We had two 26", a toiletry bag, a tote, a backpack, etc. And while I DID wear everything I brought, I didn't need to. It's your honeymoon, and you want to look cute, but once you're there simplicity is more important. We did manage to fit our luggage in the very small car, but there was no hiding them. That never concerned us though because we would take them into the hotel when we got to our next destination, they weren't actually left in the car too often. Taking them on the train though was very difficult and Venice was even worse! For that reason alone I will never again bring a 26" to Europe. Of course, after so many wineries, your luggage can get pretty heavy too. My husband would literally have to carry one suitcase over the bridge for me, then go back and get his!

My family of 5, along with my mom leave for Germany & Austria in 3 days for 18 days & no one is bringing anything larger than a 22".

Saltymuffin

I totally understand your thoughts on starting in Rome and saving the $400 on something better than a car ride. But we really want to go to AC and try to get there in the beginning of the month hoping for maybe some warmer fall days. We have made our reservations but nothing is completely carved in stone except our flights. Is this is huge waste of money...the car ride that is or is it just a matter of opinion.

Thanks,
Robyn

If you were taking lots of trains, it might be different, but with your current plan, you're only taking the train once. Take the size you want! I don't understand the obsession with having a small suitcase for train travel for only one train ride. Maybe you'll struggle a bit getting it on the train. So what? It means struggling for maybe five minutes getting on and five minutes getting off. Big deal! And you'll have your husband to help. Just get up in the train yourself first and he can hand the suitcases up to you. It's really not that big a problem.

SusanP is right about larger luggage not being the big deal it is often made out to be, it IS doable. And yes, if you are only taking the train once, you CAN handle it. BUT, my only advice is if you have reserved seats be sure to get onto the right car. We too only took one train, a sleeper train from Cannes to Venice and we didn't know which one was our car. We also didn't know that trains with sleeper cars stay on the tracks waiting for some time while they clean them out. We only saw trains coming and going every few minutes so we rushed to get on the first car we saw. After going thru the long, narrow, single person isles, car after car, we finally found our sleeper compartment all the way at the other end! There were many a stand-offs with teens who only had a backpack, them looking at us like we need to back up our large luggage up for them. Being a mom of teens, words were spoken, and we won out, ha. We finally arrived to our compartment dripping with sweat and exhausted!

Hi again,

I have been in Italy on the coast at the beginning of November and it has been HOT (no guarentee!). If your only reason for going straight to the coast is weather, it shouldn't be - it is only a few days difference.

I do understand the idea of starting the trip in a relaxing location rather than Rome, but that can backfire. The one time I did that, we were so pumped at the beginning of the trip and eager to "do" something, that we didn't really enjoy the laid back atmosphere. I prefer having a break after a big city. (Although, you have that too - with your time in Tuscany).

It totally depends on your budget for the entire trip if the $400 for the driver is too much. For a $20,000 trip, $400 is just a drop in the bucket. But for a more budget trip, it is a bigger percentage of the budget. Only you can decide if you can "afford" it, and if it is worth the cost to you.

Whatever the case, seriously consider the train more often and limit your rental car time to Tuscany. Your route follows the fast and comfortable train lines. And IMHO, on a honeymoon, it is nicer to sit on a train chatting and enjoying the scenery and reading guidebooks, than the stress of driving.

There's nothing wrong with taking 25/26" suitcases - we do it all the time - and they're not that big. But they're not roll-ons - on any airline in the world. You're going to have to check them.

And on the train your hubby is going to have to lift them onto the overhead racks (should not be an issue unless you've done an Anna Nicole Smith).

Roll-ons should be no more than 22".

NYTraveler-
Thanks for the input...actually thanks for all the advice. I think we're going to pack what we want...take out half and see which size suitcase it fits in. Since its our honeymoon I want it to be a bit different than when I backpacked 8 years ago! I know we'll have to check our suitcases if we go w/ the larger size that's no problem.

Thanks again,
Robyn

You know, I can remember many, many years ago, when Adam was a pup, my husband and I used to share one suitcase between us - no backpack - no carry on - and just my handbag.

Man, I can't for the life of me remember how we did it but I know I couldn't do it now.

I've definitely gone soft!

We just returened from an almost 3 week trip to Northern Italy ( the trip report is coming- my husband, Larry, wrote it and he's editing it now before posting it). Even though everyone suggested that we bring only carry-on size luggage (21 or 22" bags), we decided to take 2 24" ones. This was smaller than previous trips. We were concerned that, in the spring, we would not know the weather, and might need clothes for a variety of temperatures.

We had rather chilly and cloudy days, and never wore the clothes we had brought for hot weather. I was glad I had the layers and wore 2 fleeces several days. Even so, I hated having such large suitcaes and am DETERMINED that I will listen to everyone next time. I just had too much stuff. ( my husband doesn't agree, but them again, he carried all the electrical chargers- both digital cameras, his PDA, and our cell phone- things we feel we need for our trips).

The steps on the train and the bridges in Venice really are a pain with heavy luggage. OK, there are several types of trips. If you'e staying in one or 2 places-let's say you rent a villa for 2 weeks- having lots of lugagge might make sense since you only have to move it once or twice. But, when one moves around a lot, heavy large suitaces are a real nusiance. In the end, my husband wound up shlepping both bags on and off the train and through Venice- our hotel wasn't FAR from the Vaporetto stop, but it was up and down a bridge and up a long flight of stairs.

OK- you're on your honeymoon, so maybe you need more. But, here's what I hope to do next time. I will wash out things at night. I will wear the same clothes several days. I will coordinate my clothes so that I can wear everything I bring with everything else I bring. I will resist bringing a favorite outfit because it looks good on me. I will use a hotel laundry sevice. I will bring 2 pairs of good walking shoes, knowing that one might get wet, but I wlll not worry about an outfit beiing ruined because I don't have the right shoes. In the end, I wore my trusty black SAS lace up walking shoes- they went with everything and felt wonderful on swollen, sore feet. I will not bring our medicine cabinet with me, which is all likelihood, will just stay packed in one of the bags. (I know I can buy anything I need if I need to) Well, maybe I'll just condense it! I will bring layers, knowing that weather can change and be varied- I'm from New England, where it changes hour by hour.

One things I would not worry about is looking like a tourist- you are one. Although Italians are stylish and the women often wear heals on cobblestone streets, they also wear jeans and walking shoes (especially in the countryside). This is the first trip I wore jeans, and I was happy that I brought them. They were perfect for cool days in the lakes and Dolomites.


It may take you a few years to become a lighter packer- it's really not such a bid deal, and as I siad, it is your honeymoon. I'm in my early 60s and remember the days of taking 28 or 30 inch bags.

Have a wonderful trip and congratulations,

Margret

The importance of the smaller size suitcase, imo, is directly related to how much you are moving around. When I go to stay with a friend in Switzerland, I feel free to take a larger suitcase (24" expandable). I want more clothes, and want to look nice since I'll be socializing with the same people over the course of a couple weeks. If I am going to be doing cities by train (Geneva to Venice to Paris for example) then I want something as small as possible and will wear the same clothes over and over because nobody knows me or sees me more than once!