Need help planning my 16 days honeymoon in Italy!
 

Hello everyone. Ive been looking in this forum for ideas to plan our first trip to Italy which is also our honeymoon, from November 29th to December 15th.

I know the weather in that period is not really helping but we dont mind the cold and Im sure we'll take advantage of everything anyway.

So we thought about something like this:

Nov 29th: Arrive in Venice and spend 4 nights there with trips to Murano and Burano

Dec 3rd: Arrive to Milan and spend 3 nights with 1 daytrip to Lake Como

Dec 6th: Arrive to Florence and spend 4 nights with 1 daytrip to Pisa and Lucca and 1 daytrip to Sienna

Dec 10th:Arrive to Rome and spend 5 nights there with daytrips to Naples and Pompei

Dec 15th: Travel back home to Morocco.

Actually, I've been dying to visit Positano and Sorrentoand Capri but it doesnt seem that enjoyable that time of the year. What do you think?

Am I missing on something? Or is there anything I can take off that planning to enjoy the rest more?

Im open to any suggestions and views.

Millions thanks in advance.

Congratulations on your wedding.
I like your itinerary.
I woul simply take off one day from Milan and put it in Rome.
Enjoy your holiday !

You didn't fall in the trap of »seeing as much as possible«.
Check whether you wouldn't prefer Bologna over Milan, if only for the opportunity for day trips to nearby attractions such as Ravenna and Ferrara, easily reached by frequent regional trains.
A outing from Rome to Naples and Pompei might turn out to be a very long day. Many advise Ostia Antica as a much more relaxed alternative.

Congratulations. The weather may be cold note that the days will be shorter too.

The itin is ok, the area of weakness is Milan and lake Como. Obviously you know why you chose this but you might like to look at say some of the walled cities on the Po valley or even Verona.

I'd read up on Verona, Bologna, Mantua, Padua, Ferrara, Ravenna before making a final decision

Capri and Sorrento are not a good idea. This is definitely off season and many hotels and restaurants are closed. Also the regular ferry schedule is very reduced and if seas are rough the ferries may not run at all. The chance of seeing the Blue Grotto on Capri is TINY, since you can enter only if the seas are completely flat - otherwise the water is too high for even a rowboat.

I would also be very hesitant about Como - again, many places are cloed for the season and if wether is bad it won't be fun.

For Venice you need to check the dates of aqua alta (the few days per month in winter when tides are so high the city is partly flooded. A friend of mine went for Christmas one year and they had 5 days or rain plus one of snow - and she was happy she had bought waterproof boots and a warm winter jacket.

Be aware that although it is rare you can get snow as far south as Rome.

If it were me I would drop Como, reduce Milan and add time to Rome, which IMHO needs 3 full days (4 nights) plus time for any day trips. Pompeii would be a very long day but worthwhile, but you need to take a very early train since it takes at least 5/6 hours to explore.

Thanks to all of you for your priceless advices.
Actually, we dont have any particular reason to visit Milan. So my question is: should we replace Milan with Verona or Bologna (not both) for only 2 nights or is it better to just go for the holy trinity and add the 3 nights of Milan as follows: 2 for Florence and 1 for Rome or 2 in Rome and 1 in Florence?

Thanks alot.

Another thought about where to put your Milan time is the Dolomites. You could rent a car in Venice and drive it up into the Dolomites for a few days and then return the car in Balzano to pick up the train to Florence.

I've been to the Bolzano area twice in Spring and it was incredible. Not sure what it's like in the winter. I will also say that one of the most incredible hotels we've ever visited is a small hotel northeast of Bolzano that you can check out at http://www.uhrerhof.com/en.html. It would be incredible as part of a honeymoon.

I think the Dolomites would be bleak then.

Bologna is full of students and student bars and miles of covered streets (so if it rains you can get out and about). Bologna is great for train access to other cities and also very much a foody city. (i see Hindi in your name, are you vegetarian?)

Verona is pretty, with a balcony (of a fictional event so heavily touristified).

I normally like my holidays in the early winter to be further south or city based. I think you should focus on cities

You need to tell us what you and your wedding partner like to do on holiday so we can help select a city.

Como is a bit of a Spring / Summer / Fall place, and can be very quiet when the weather is cold. Certainly the scenery is lovely, however we found it lacking in "buzz" when we visited in January. November might be different, though.

A day trip from Milan is easy, though.

My partner and I are the kind of people who would enjoy and love every new place we get to see. We like to get busy walking and exploring, not just lay down in one place and keep doing the same thing more than once.

We are willing to enjoy every bit of our trip but we also dont want to miss some stuff just because we wanna to see lots of stuff (in such limited time).

I looked into Dolomites and Bolzano as advised, it seems like a magical place with in summer and spring but all snowy in the winter being so far north (based of the winter offer in the hotel website above).

So, I guess that you all agree we should base on the three cities Venise, Florence and Rome (Milan being off the list).
This way we could have enough time for the city itself and also for daytrips around each one.

What about the christmas markets? We never had the chance to visit one. I hope it's gonna be open in that period so we could experience the beautiful stuff we heard.

Im really so exited for this trip.

Thanks again for your answers.