EllieV88

Hello!

My fiance and I have decided to take our honeymoon trip to Northern Italy, flying round trip from Venice. We will be there 8 full days (and a half day upon arrival) at the end of June/early July. We would like a mix of both historical sites and scenery, and were thinking of renting a car once we left Venice. Some places we were thinking of seeing:

Tuscany
Cirque Terre
Dolomites

Outside of Venice, it doesn't sound like the big cities (i.e. Milan and Florence) would be worth it. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to cram too much in, but we are also pretty adventurous and like to be on the move. We did a self drive tour of Scotland last year for 8 days up to Isle of Skye then to Glen Coe and it was phenomenal.

StCirq

Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and the Dolomiti are entire areas. Tuscany alone encompasses something like 9,000 square miles. I cannot see trying to fit in Venice plus three large areas of land/cities/towns/villages in a mere 8 days, especially on a honeymoon, which should be at least in part relaxing.

Is there a reason you don't think Milan and Florence wouldn't be "worth it?" Worth what? Tens of thousands of visitors per year would disagree with you, which is fine, but you must have your reasons.

At any rate, 8 days isn't nearly long enough to do what you've proposed. I would pick one other venue besides Venice and just leave it at that. And purchase open-jaw tickets, not RT into and out of Venice.

EllieV88

Thank you for your suggestions- I've read on other forums here to pick one big city to visit in Italy to make the best use of our time, not that the others are bad areas to visit. I was looking for suggestions within those areas mentioned above to narrow down further based on our preferences.

frencharmoire

If you are looking for a mix of historical sights and scenery, then go to the area of Tuscany that is either east of Florence or south of Siena. It would be worth it to put off renting a car until you get to Tuscany. Take the train to Florence and rent the car at the airport, and then drive east of Florence to where te scenery is. The area is called "the Chianti". Lots of castles, lovely farm scenery, vinyards and churches filled with beautiful art. Or take the train to Florence and drive to the area around Siena. Beautiful scenery and wonderful towns (I actually prefer it to the Chianti, but each has its fans).

The scenery in the other places is beautiful, but the Dolomiti towns are mainly ski resorts. In le Cinque Terre, the little villages are fishing villages, now tourist villages, and it is very long way to drive from Venice on ugly highways filled with trucks.

RonZ

You have time for only 2 stops. What is your home airport? Advice on flights can follow.

BAHItaly

I ve been to Italy on three occasions and we will return in April to visit our daughter in study abroad program.
Each place in Italy is a phenomenal experience. I recommend a great travel book then make your wish list that suites you the most. I will say that the big cities are not like the US. Rome and Florence are the birthplace to historical sites, Churches, art and architecture.
We have driven it, can be precarious and stressful, the roads are decent, its the traffic with trucks and speeds that are unnerving. If you have an Alpha driver then you will be fine.It can be done but get the best possible car so you will not get ran over by the locals.
I would spend 2 days in Venice and then make way to Florence, stay at least 3 days in Florence and then return finding smaller charming places like Siena to and from. Enjoy!

EllieV88

We booked our flights already- round trip to Venice. We tried flights into Venice and out of Milan but the prices were too high. Thank you though!

StCirq

They don't have time for that plan, BAHItaly.

First day in Venice is a wash because of jetlag and getting oriented. Two days in Venice, possibly the most romantic place in the world for a honeymoon, will go by in a flash. Getting to Florence will eat up a day. Then after a couple of days it's time to turn around and spend a day getting back - when is the time allotted for Siena or anything else?

sundriedtopepo

I would suggest 4 days in each of Venice and Verona.

http://travelguide.michelin.com/euro.../verona/verona

Scroll to the bottom for more links to close by places of interest.

http://www.tourism.verona.it/en#

From Verona there are lots of day trips

Lake Garda, Padua, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Mantua, almost all are easily done by train.

In 8 days you could keep very busy and enjoy a variety of things.

annhig

My idea - stay in Venice. with some day trips you will find plenty to do - the museums, trips to the islands, just wandering around and getting lost, day trips to Padua and Verona - and a wonderful opportunity to get to know this marvellous city before it sinks forever.

frencharmoire

If you must fly in and out of Venice, then maybe the thing to do to get your mix of history and beautiful scenery is to spend half the week in Venice with day trips to Verona and Padova by train, but otherwise go to the Dolomiti for the last 4 days of your trip. The mountains are spectacularly gorgeous, some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. Breathtaking. In fact, what you could do is, on your last day in Venice, take the train from Venice to Verona, park your luggage in the train station, have lunch in Verona and walk around sightseeing, then pick up a car and drive to the Dolomiti. Then loop through the Dolomiti back to Venice to fly home.

EllieV88

Thank you all for your replies! We have certainly narrowed down our selection on places to visit. It seems that Italy is a place where we need to slow down a bit and not cram everything in!

ksm

I am partial to Milan. I just think that Florence is too touristy (beautiful but touristy). Then from Milan, Lake Como is a easy day trip and absolutely beautiful. I have done this combo 3 times and still find new places to explore.

mikedallas23

I'm with sundriedtopepo, I think 4 days Venice, 4 days Verona is the way to go. Plenty of day trips an easy train ride away from both if you decide you've seen everything you want to in one city halfway through your stay. Plus if you stay in Verona you can go to the Opera in the Roman theater there that time of year, can't do that on a day trip as it ends too late.

frencharmoire

I can't believe how many people are trying to make you stay in cities. If you want scenic beauty, it is really not hard to reach in Italy and there is no reason to limit yourself to cities. They are beautiful, but if you are not particularly interested in historic sightseeing, and would rather see the very memorable natural beauty of Italy, it's easy.

Fantazy

Don't spend time travelling. Spend some 3 days in Venice, then leave for a village on the romantic lake Como (Bellagio, Varenna..) Spend 4 days here. Go back to Milan for shopping and sight-seeing before leaving Italy from Malpensa airport in Milan

Lake Como offers some hikes or walks, visit all the villages on the lake (using the ferry transportation system), and spend some time in the city of Como.

frencharmoire

It is much easier to go to the spectacular Dolomiti from Venice than it is to Lago di Como if what you are trying to avoid is spending time traveling. It's 2 hours from Venice to some of the most beautiful parts of the Dolomiti -- 3 hours if you factor in the time to pick up a car rental. If you go to Lago di Como, you need to spend at least 2 hours going to Milan and changing trains, and then at least 90 minutes or more getting to the most scenic part of the lake -- and you are dragging your luggage the whole way. Lago di Como is very beautiful, but the Dolomiti are absolutely jaw dropping.

Jean

You haven't said how many days you'll be in Venice, so we have no idea how much time you have for anywhere else. Assuming 4-5 days in Venice, I'd spend the rest of the time on Lake Garda. Not too far, beautiful scenery, relaxing and romantic. (You will have seen/experienced lots of history in Venice.) I'd save the Dolomites for a trip when you have more time.