Before I begin, this is going out to be our baby moon. We have always wanted to visit Italy, but something or another has always come in the way. My wife is will about 16 weeks in when we do decide to go, so hoping this would be a safe time to go. Will need some serious help. We are not looking for a crazy "Let's see everything trip", as we want to relax as well.

We are thinking of doing the whole Amalfi Coast / Capri combination. Figured it would provide the relaxing touch with some sight-seeing. My wife is huge on going to Venice, so I need to include that in there as well. Our dates are Oct 7th - Oct 16th of this year. We can add a day or so in there.

We are going to be flying in from NY. Need some serious help planning the trip, since I am late to the game.

- Is this a good time to go to AC / Venice? Some places I have read that AC is mostly close during October?
- How many days should I be spending in each of the locations?
- Where should I fly into? Venice and then go to Naples? or vice versa.
- How to travel between Venice and Naples? Train? Flight? Car?

Any help you guys can provide will be awesome!!

A fine time to go to Venice - shouldn't be TOO crowded. But assuming you are talking THIS Oct 7th you are VERY late in reserving hotels.

As for Amalfi Coast/Capri the weather may be perfectly nice or may be chilly and rainy. But it is a series of b each resorts off season (definitely too cold for swimming and hotel pools will be closed. Staying in Amalfi or Positano can be challenging physically since they are cut into the side of a cliff and there are many, many steps from the top of the town (as in hundreds) down to the waterfront. So you need to be speciifc in picking not just your hotels - but where you will want to eat, shop etc.

Ferries to Capri should still be running frequently - but be aware that they stop returning to the mainland in late afternoon - so if yuo want to eat dinner there you need to plan on staying at least one night. Pompeii and archo museum in Napls should be fine.

A lot will depend on how your wife is feeling. Many women feel wonderful in the 2nd trimester and have a lot of energy. Others still have morning sickness and are quite tired. You will need to match your daily activities to her abilities.

If you want to stay near the coast but avoid many of the steps you can stay in Sorrento - which has a fairly flat center of the town - but be aware that many of hte hotels are in th hills above town - so you have to select carefully.

Again - I would move now - as in TODAY - to choose hotels - unless you have an unlimited budget.

Venice is a long way from the AC. From NYC, I would fly into Naples and make Rome your 2nd destination.

Honestly, I would consider taking the time to visit Ravello (above the coast) rather than the main coast towns of Amalfi and Positano. If you choose to stay in Ravello, you will be rewarded with beautiful views, fewer tourists by far, and a much more relaxing atmosphere than the coast towns. I can reccomend the Hotel Caruso in Ravello, whoch also runs shuttles to its sister hotels in Positano and Amalfi, so you can have the best of both; being able to visit the shore towns and then escape to the beauty and relaxing atmosphere of Ravello. The H otel Caruso also has an incredible heated infinity pool and a spa which offers prenatal massagres. Ravello is about an hours drive from Naples airport, but since I live in the area I unfortunately cannot advise you on transport between, I always drive.

There are many inexpensive flights from Naples to Venice, cheaper and faster than taking the train, and definately less stressful than driving.

Best of luck to you for a relaxing trip!

definitely Venice, if that is what your wife desires, and this is the time to splash out [excuse the pun] on a water taxi - definitely he most romantic and most comfortable way to arrive in venice. and of course nyt is right about getting your skates on with booking,

TA is very helpful in this regard as you don't waste time looking at hotels without availability. try to look for one with a water-dock so that the water-taxi can drive straight up to it.

As for the rest of the trip, given your wife's interesting condition, i would settle for just Venice and wherever you decide on in the Naples area; 4 nights in venice [to allow you to recover from any jetlag and get a real feel for the city as it'll probably be a while before you are back!] and 6 nights in Ravello - if you follow Heather's suggestion.

flying between the two looks like a good option too - you don't want to be lugging both your suitcases around train stations and neither does your wife.

congrats to you both and have a great trip!

Is your wife having morning sickness now? Is she normally susceptible to motion sickness? If yes to either question (or even a little hint of yes) and you intend to explore the area, I would re-think the Amalfi Coast and Capri as a destination. Many people who are not pregnant have difficulty riding the public bus that serves the coastal towns or even in the back seat of a taxi. My husband thought sitting in the first row of the bus would solve his sensitivity problem. It did lessen (but did not eliminate) his discomfort. I know that my mom who is very sensitive to motion sickness would be especially uncomfortable on the ferries.

Unless you intend to get to Ravello and just relax there, you'll have to bus down and up the hill every time you want to go anywhere else. The Hotel Caruso is fabulous, but can you afford $1,100 a night? That's the lowest rate available from Oct. 7th.

The travel time on public trans between the Amalfi Coast hotel and the Venice hotel will be 8-9 hours minimum.

I would fly in/out of Venice and spend the time in Venice and another place within a couple of hours travel time. Verona, Lake Garda and Bologna come to mind, but there are lots of options.

Whatever else you decide, please re-think the trip to Capri. I have never been sicker in my life than on the ferry over -- so sick I couldn't enjoy the day and dreading the return trip. (And I wasn't expecting!). Venice would be a lovely destination but the Amalfi Coast will be physically taxing. Take care of the mom-to-be.

The real question is:

How huge is your wife at this point?

Lots and lots of stairs to climb in Venice. Ditto the Amalfi.

I read the above itinerary and it is way too much moving around. Go to Venice. Take it slow for 5 days. Then pick another destination not far away by train, not to far from good 1st world amenities. Verona would be a nice choice. It has a beautiful Roman arena and its romantic pink sights. Spend 3 days there. Head to Milan, buy some cute baby clothes, have a great dinner. Fly home.

Well at 16 weeks I can;t imagine that any woman is HUGE. (You are aware that pregnancy takes 39 to 41 weeks aren't you.) Many women are only starting to show at this point.'

What matters is if she is having morning sickness or if she is tired. One of my coworkers is at 5 months and says she has never felt better in her life and has a huge amount of energy. Another coworker, only a few more weeks along is totally exhausted constantly and has been for 2 months.

So you really need to consider your wife's specific condition - and not commit to things that will be inappropriate in some way - such as a hotel with 200 steps to get there or ferries in very rough water.

Oh! Sorry, I read too fast.

But it doesn't change my advice. Whatever your wife is feeling today, a long plane flight might change the way she feels. Wherever you arrive, take it easy. Since she is "huge" on seeing Venice, fly into Venice and hang out in Venice until you are sure she is comfortable with a train ride or plane ride someplace else.

I agree with others that you might do 4-5 days in Venice, then train to Rome and spend the rest of your time there.

You should have no trouble picking up train tickets, even on the day of travel. Though, I would pick them up the day before. There are trains from Venice to Rome at very regular intervals.

Venice does have stairs... but only a dozen, at most, at a time. So, walk several hundred meters, up 6 stairs or down six stairs. Occasionally, a dozen up and a dozen down. But I don't think this will be an issue for your wife at 4 mos.

I am biased, as Venice and Rome are my two favorite places on Earth... and the only thing they have in common is that people speak Italian. hahah Very different experiences and doable for this trip.

Buon viaggio!