massimop

Venice is "super-romantic for a honeymoon" for some people. I'm really glad I never made to Venice for my honeymoon. It was on the original itinerary, but that got changed. The next year -- still in quite a romantic mood -- we visited Venice & I found the city not my idea of romance in the slightest, although I enjoyed many aspects of the city & have returned more than once to see more of its fabulous art sights, churches & museums. The city is exceptionally rich in those offerings. But for ambience? Not for me, and I prefer open, colorful, clean nature, with beautiful vistas & stars in the sky for a romantic time.

Piazza San Marco is one of the most stunningly beautiful piazza in all of Italy. I had the great good fortune of seeing it the first time when it was practically empty & dry. I would not skip it if you decide to go to Venice. Just time it if possible to avoid it when it is packed.

PalenQ

San Marco is especially sublime at night when many daytrippers have gone and the outdoor caffes have string orchestras playing out front - be sure to catch S Marco at night.

limmy

^ Yes, it is.

kawh

Many, Many negatives about Venice... like Disneyland, great food can be difficult and expensive, sirens from the canal police... but I still find it romantic. Maybe it's the lighting. Maybe it's the water slapping against the canals. But it is no walk in the forest, that's true...

Andrew

As I said above, the crowds can definitely ruin one's impression of Venice. But you can get away from them. On my last visit in May, I did a morning walk from the train station (where I was staying this time) to Rialto - but instead of the direct but busy, touristy Strada Nuova (street) through Cannaregio, I crossed the bridge at the train station to the south side of the Grand Canal, then weaved my way through San Croce and San Polo, through quiet squares and back streets over to Rialto. (There are signs pointing the way "Per Rialto" so not hard to find your way.) This felt like almost a different city - quaint, quiet, charming, peaceful, lovely! I suspect many tourists never see it - they see the huge crowds at Rialto and San Marco during the day and think, "This is Venice? Yuck!"

As mentioned too, even San Marco is very different at night when the crowds are mostly gone.

massimop

Venice definitely has many rewards, but what's romantic is so subjective I don't think any place can be declared universally romantic for a honeymoon. There is a loose way of saying "that's a romantic spot" or "it's a romantic restaurant" which gives useful pointers as a description -- but Venice compared to Greece for romance? To Paris? To the Basque coast? To the perfume & colors of the Riviera? I enjoy the many treasures of Venice, and the city's tenacity to survive is its own kind of miracle, but while I am sure it is the most romantic city in the world for many people, there are plenty of other honeymoon destinations that zillions of romantics find more attractive -- which is just as well since Venice would be in even more peril than it is if every marrying couple only had the idea of heading to Venice after saying "I do"

massimop

Also, the crowds & tourist impact are not the only uncongenial thing about Venice, depending on your make-up. My first visit to Venice there were not many tourists there. Although Venice didn't stink when I was there, it didn't smell fresh & breezy, but dank. I missed flowers & trees & bird song. If you enjoy open vistas, it can feel rather claustrophobic in Venice. One of the reasons I enjoyed piazza San Marco so much was emerging out of the tangle of sunless alleys into an open space that beautifully framed the open water & sky. So tourists really aren't the reason why I'd rather walk through life arm&arm with someone someplace else.

Whathello

I am not Portugese but Paulo is quite right.

Anyway, Paul said it all but he forgot to say one thing : among the countries I visit I find mediterranean peoples the most friendly (except for french riviera) and Portugese are among the friendliest.

And the wines...

As for Venice, if you don't like crowds skip Venice and be fast to visit the world because it is only starting : Chinese start to travel, we are over 7 billions humans so it will become more and more difficult to find nice places that are not overcrowded.

By definition a nice place becomes touristy and therefore crowded. Venice remains fantastics, crowded or not.

Best food I have had in Venice was le bistrot de Paris (and yes, they even speak French) with some recipies dating from medieval times and Marco Polo - in Mestre. Expensives, both of them but my personal view of food in Venice is that for normal prices you get much below average quality than elsewhere, whereas I have not been disappointed in expensive ones.

Perso I would limit the trip to northern Italy and Slovenia (or Croatia, but I've not been there yet) esp if you want to make some walks or trekking - we spent about 2 days walking only around Bled. Add visit to caves (half a day, some castles) ... we only scorched the bare surface of the western part and poof more than a week was gone.

Mimar

All that water, even open water, and massimop finds Venice claustrophobic? To me water is enriching; it's a symbol of freedom. Sea water means you can get on it and go anywhere in the world.

I'd feel more closed in in a forest.

Mimar, in (no surprise) Seattle, with plenty of water and forests

Gabrielle11

OK, thank you all. So much to think about. What do you think about going to Dalmatian coast instead of Istria?

kja

IMO, there are wonderful elements to both Istria and the Dalmatian coast -- but it really depends on what you want to see and experience. For me, the Dalmatian coast -- and I assuming that you mean Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, Split, and Trogir -- takes more time (at least a week, and not a particularly relaxing week if you want to see the highlights) than Istria (for which a few days can be sufficient, even at a rather leisurely pace). YMMV. They are very different areas!

massimop

Many people find Venice claustrophobic. (I recall this being talked about in the popular book about Venice, City of Falling Angels.) Why do you think people talk so much about "getting lost" in Venice? It's not an open space where you can see far ahead of you where you are going. It's a warren of sunless alleys in most places.

It's only a few spots it opens to the sea. The water one is looking at in Venice is canal water. (It's actually not sea water most of the time -- luckily for Venice, since sea water destroys the stone foundations

I'm not much of a fan of lagoons. Lakes have to be rather enormous (and long) for me to find them someplace I like to spend a lot of time.

I am continually put off by people by want to make what I regard as self-flattering assessments of Venice. "What's wrong with you that you don't like my favourite tourist destination? Look at me, lover of freedom, and symbols of life and you?"

I could no more live in gloomy Seattle than I could fly to the moon. Having spent most of my life on the island of glittering Manhattan, or on the sunny coast of California, I now live in colourful, beautiful Italian seaside town that smells wonderful and has the most appetising seafood. (Just looking at those canals makes me lose my appetite.) I'll take these waters and open vistas and expansive freedom (with a local population, not a population of tourists) any day for romance.

But if somebody likes something else, good for them. I see nothing wrong with them -- until they start pretending there must be something weird about people who don't see everything the way they do.

vincenzo32951

I've been to Venice several times, and I hereby provide the most whacked-out suggestion for visiting that city, especially for a "romantic" experience: When staying there, take day trips -- Verona, the Veneto wine region, Padua, Vicenza -- and return to an enjoy the city only at night. Seriously.

vincenzo32951

"and enjoy..."

yorkshire

"OK, thank you all. So much to think about. What do you think about going to Dalmatian coast instead of Istria?"
I think that was the OP's latest question before the discussion on how romantic Venice is. I think that all started because Venice makes a good combo with Istria because of proximity and ferry availability. You and your fiance should sit down and work through what YOU want to do. Wide open questions here are probably only going to make the decision more difficult. My answer is, Dalmatia is fabulous, especially in May/June. Have you checked flights yet?

Gabrielle11

No, we haven't looked into flights yet. I'm hoping all are relatively easy to get to from NY. I'm leaning towards Dalamtia because it may be a bit warmer in late May/early June. This is turning out to be one of the hardest decisions to make! Again, really appreciate everyone's input and advice.

kja

I would not think the difference in temperatures between Dalmatia and Istria sufficient to agonize over a decision. I trust you have consulted historic climate data, and that you know that the water is unlikely to be warm enough for comfortable swimming in any part of Croatia at that time of year. But maybe your definition of comfort differs from mine....

Gabrielle11

What are your thoughts on the sample itinerary below? Thanks again for all of your help!
Day 1 Arrive in Venice (direct flight from NY)
Day 2 Explore Venice
Day 3 Ferry to Rovinj
Day 4 Explore Rovinj
Day 5 Explore Rovinj
Day 6 Rent a car and drive to Zadar
Day 7 Explore Zadar and drive to Dubrovnik
Day 8 Explore Dubrovnik
Day 9 Island hopping off of Dubrovnik
Day 10 Day trip to Kotor, Montenegro
Day 11 Explore Dubrovnik
Day 12 Morning flight home

kja

One day is not much for Venice. particularly since you will have jet lag while there. You might consider shifting a night from Dubrovnik (which really only takes a day or so) to Venice. It really depends on what you want to see and experience.

Rovinj itself takes all of a half day to explore quite thoroughly. If you want to explore other areas of Istria, you have some limited options by public transportation, but would have much greater latitude – particularly for the hill towns – with a rental car.

Be sure you have a plan for parking somewhere in Zadar – or return the car there. It is easy to take public transportation from there to Dubrovnik (bus to Split, bus to Dubrovnik). And FWIW, I personally would not want to drive the southern Dalmatian coast – it is some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in the world, but the road truly requires the driver’s full attention, so the driver really doesn’t get to enjoy it. In contrast, the easy and convenient bus offers stunning views to all involved.

Hope that helps!

Gabrielle11

Thanks, kja. That is helpful. I've heard Rovinj is small but am thinking we could use one day to explore on bikes and another to take vineyard tours. If you still think we will have free time on our hands, we can rent a car a day earlier. While normally I'm a fan of buses, taking them with all of our luggage seems like it could be a pain. In Zadar I am hoping we can find a hotel with parking? Thanks again for your input!