We are trying to decide our honeymoon plans & have been thinking about Europe: flying into Paris, spending a couple days there, renting a car & driving to Provence (maybe a stop in Geneva Switzerland - I've heard it's very expensive??), then head to the French Riviera, toward the Italian Riviera, then Tuscany, and finally fly out of Rome after spending a day or two there.

We have two weeks from Memorial Day until the second week of June. He's really into history, I'm not & I've been to Venice, Paris & all the big sights in Europe already, so we're trying to find a balance for both of us. I would love to spend some time on the beach, but I'm wondering if it will be warm enough at that time of the year? Also are hotels really expensive? As its our honeymoon, we want to stay somewhere nice. (On previous trips I always stayed in hostels.) We're big-time foodies also so any suggestions on culinary classes in Tuscany? We want a leisurely mix of a little history, but mainly cultural experiences - are we trying to cram in too much??

Any adivce is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

You have listed seven places to visit in two weeks, places that are a long way from the first to the last. You will spend most of your time in the car! Not how I would want to spend my honeymoon.

I agree that you should slow down. Spending more time at each place would allow you to fully appreciate it and relax some, especially on your honeymoon!

If you are renting a car, keep in mind that picking a rental car up in one country and dropping it off in another often leads to very hefty drop-off charges, usually upwards of several hundred dollars on top of the rental charge.

Good luck!
Tracy

Here is my rec for a cooking adventure:

http://www.tuscany-cooking-class.com/

They offer classes of varying length, and the Villa Pandolfini where the classes are held, outside of Florence, is spectacular.

But I think you should pick just one country for your two week trip. France or Italy, but not both. You should have time to enjoy one another on your honeymoon, and too much moving around can be really stressful.

I would also suggest shortening your list; either France (Paris, Provence and the French Riviera) or Italy (Italian Riviera, Tuscany and Rome) would make excellent itineraries for the amount of time you have.

Geneva is a bit out of the way from Paris or Provence. The high-speed train from Paris to Avignon, in Provence, would be an excellent way to travel; you could then pick up a rental car in Avignon.

As a general question, no, hotels are not expensive. But you can find expensive or not-so-expensive hotels anywhere you go.

Provence and Tuscany are often compared, and they do share some similarities. If you're more interested in Roman antiquities, then Provence would have more of those. Tuscany has many sites of local historical interest, but not the "big stuff." I find Tuscany more beautiful, because it's a bit more hilly and has more foliage (generally speaking; there's a lot of variation within Tuscany itself). If you're big-time foodies, let your food interests help you decide where to go - would you rather experience French or Italian cuisine?

We enjoy Italian food more & are planning on spending the majority of our time in Italy. My fiance has never been to Europe & that's why we were thinking of flying into Paris so he could experience that. I know the drive to the south of France/Italy doesn't take that long - one day or so. Thanks for the culinary tips - I'll be sure to check those out!

Looks like you have plenty of options already but you might consider Bellagio on Lake Como....very romantic spot with hard-to-beat beauty. Enjoy.

Also - any ideas about how much I should expect to spend on this trip? I'm thinking ~$3,000 each... Thanks!

AngelaS:

I agree with most of the other Fodorites in that you'll be spending much too much time in your car when you should be hangin' out and taking it slow.

That said, you could fly into Paris for the first couple of days and get adjusted to the time change and each other. Don't rent a car there. Take the train to Avignon or Nice and rent your car there. My preference would be to fly directly to Nice and defer Paris for another time so that you could spend almost all of your two weeks in Italy.

Hang on the French Riviera for a couple days (2), drive the Ligurian Coast and spend a nite or so (1-2) in Sta. Margherita Ligure or Portofino. Then continue to the Cinque Terre and stay a nite or so (1-2) there in Monterossa or Portovenere, hiking and just loving the charming villages arising from the waters.

That'll lead you into Tuscany, and you can zip through Pisa (for the mandatory pix of you holding up the Leaning Tower and the Baptistry) and continue on to Florence for a few days (4), doing some of the northern hill towns or villages like S. Gimignano, Greve in Chianti and the numerous others which receive raves from Fodorites daily.

Then drop down for a few days to San Quirico d'Orcia (3) and do the wonderful little hilltowns of Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, etc., a 'sniff' of Siena and end up in Rome for the last few days (4). That's doable and on any given day, if you choose to do nothing, that's great, too.

Just do your best to get to know each other over the best of wines, cheeses and olive oils the continent has to offer. There's lots to see and do and you'll be back....so don't try to see it all on this trip. Just love it. Buon viaggio.

drop Paris. Enjoy Tuscany or Amalfi coast.

Everyone's advice is much appreciated! We've decided to just stick to Italy & leave Paris for another time. We agree that we want to take it at a more relaxing pace & really enjoy everything.