Hey Everyone!

My wife and I (early 30's) are going to Italy for a week to celebrate our honeymoon and explore some of the history and countryside Italy has to offer.
Our basic itinerary is:
-Leave USA Friday evening. Arrive Saturday Morning in Rome.
-Saturday & Sunday exploring in Rome
-Rent a car Monday morning and drive up to Siena for Lunch and to explore a bit before driving up to Florence to spend Monday night.
-Spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Florence
-Thursday morning drive up to Venice.
-Spend Friday/Saturday in Venice.
-Fly out of Venice Sunday Morning
Considering spending the night in Siena on Monday and leaving Florence on Friday instead of Thursday
OR spending an extra day in any city if someone has some really good ideas.

Planning to see the Vatican, Colosseum, Circus Maximus and the Pantheon in Rome.

We are hoping some of you might have some ideas for places to stay, or things to do while there.
Interested in Historical Sites (Roman/Religious especially) and Museums. Hotel, restaurant and romantic spot suggestions are appreciated!
Thank You!

Congratulations!

This is a short trip to 3-4 cities that each offer a LOT to see. With 2 days or less in each destination, you'll be barely skimming the surface, and, if this trip is during the hot, humid summer months, you may not be able or want to sightsee at a fast pace.

With the very limited time you'd have to explore on the Rome-Siena-Florence and Florence-Venice days, I wouldn't rent a car. (Taking the train between the Big 3 (Rome-Florence-Venice) is very easy.) Every Italian city and nearly every town of any size has a "Zona Traffico Limitato" (aka ZTL) that you can't drive into nearly every day, nearly all day. You park in a lot outside the zone and walk into and out of the center, all of which can take time, especially in high season/tourist months. If you did rent a car, you'd have to work out where you would park it in Florence and pay the overnight rates. Alternatively, you could return the first car and rent a second car, but this would take away time from your limited sightseeing.

Siena. The drive from Rome to Siena to Florence on scenic roads, not the autostrada, with no stops will take upwards of 7 hours. That doesn't include parking, time for lunch and sightseeing. It's easy to visit Siena by bus from Florence, or you could hire a driver for some hours one day to see Siena and some of the countryside. (This would probably be cheaper than renting a car for multiple days.) I suggest you do a careful review of what you want to see/do in both Florence and Siena and decide how you want to spend your scarce time.

The drive from Florence to Venice on secondary roads, again not the autostrada, with no stops would take more than 5 hours.

Learn about ZTLs here:

https://mominitaly.com/ztl-in-italy/

If you want hotel recommendations, you need to tell us your budget and when you're going. Rates go up and down during the year and often up and down during the week.

There are hundreds of museums and historical sights in the places you mention. Deciding what to see in your limited time is really up to you. I suggest you study some guide books, online travel websites, youtube videos, etc., to help you prioritize.

FWIW, one of the most interesting things we've seen in Rome is the Scavi (excavations) under St. Peter's Basilica. You need reservations which should be sought as soon as you know your dates because tour sizes are limited.

Perhaps consider other quiet, scenic, and romantic options, you can always see the main tourist sites but you only get one honeymoon. In the city you will be fighting crowds, moving about and uptight. Maybe find a smaller town, camp out a few days and really enjoy the food, culture, beauty and seclusion....and each other.

We are planning to go end of October/Early November. I know it's coming up quick!
Budget is $4-5K

Welcome to Fodors and congratulations. I am sorry but this does not sound like a honeymoon -- not quite a forced march but getting close.

Your arrival Saturday will be close to a 'non day'. Especially if this is right after all the excitement/exhaustion of the wedding festivities. But even if you will have been married several days or weeks before -- after an over night flight one or both of you will likely be jet lagged so you can't really count on any major sightseeing on Day 1. And of course with departure early Sunday morning that is a non-day as well. So now you have 7 free days for seeing / doing / in transit. Just the moving from one hotel to the next hotel Rome > Florence > Venice will eat up 1.5-2 days. And you want THREE cities (plus a quick stop on Siena) each of which could easily fill 4 or 5+ days.

Assuming the flights are already booked in to Rome and home from Venice I would seriously consider doing only those two cities.

That's a long weekend. All those cities will be busy

Weather can be iffy.

You really need to cut back. If you're flying into Rome and out of Venice that's already a busy week. Don't tack on more unless you want it to be a race

You only have 8 nights and 7 full days. I would do 4-5 Nights Rome and 3/4 nights Venice with train to connections the cities. No car unless maybe you want to skip Rome and drive to Tuscany for 5 nights then drop the car off someplace like Florence and train to Venice.
is your budget just for hotels?

Have either of you visited Italy before? I presume you have already booked your flights into Rome and out of Venice. I agree with the idea of taking the train and suggest the following:

I think you need more time in Rome just to see those highlights you mentioned. You will be very tired upon arrival. Perhaps aim for visiting the Colosseum, Circus Maximus (there really isn't much to see) and possibly the Pantheon that day if you aren't too fatigued. I would save the Vatican (Museum and Basilica) for the next day when you will likely have more energy and add in whatever you missed on that first day.

Leave Monday for Florence and sightsee in Florence Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Consider a day trip to Siena from Florence but that will take most of one of your days.

Thursday, train to Venice. Spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Venice and fly out Sunday.

Have you booked lodging yet?

Yo GL,
Congrats! In Rome, those in search of romantic settings might dine outdoors at Taverna Agape (Greek 'love'). A popular fountain will be almost within reach. A fine two-fer could be done as well: Piazza Navona is 2 min. walk away.
As well, you could stroll over to close-by Ponte Angelo, the one with those remarkable views to Ponte V. Emmanuele=a three-fer.

In Venice, maybe consider visiting the island Burano and then deliberately taking the very final vaporetto back to Venice proper. The nocturnal atmosphere in the lagoon then and the re-entry is worth crossing an ocean for. A picturesque dining option: Zucca--their signature pumpkin souffle is fantastic.
Gondola rides can be made more romantic by doing them at night.
best
I am done. The couple of old ideas for the new couple

FYI, November 1st is a national holiday in Italy.

Welcome GarfieldsLasagna (is your name based on the ad?!) and wedding congrats.

I agree about taking trains instead of driving. Also, in Rome get a guided tour that includes the Cistine chapel...unless things have changed, the tour groups went first.

Do international flights still leave really early from Venice?? You might consider flying into Venice and out of Rome.

Please share how it goes!

I like the days suggested by KT... Florence is on the train route from Rome to Venice, so it makes logical sense to stay there a few days. Siena is not on any main rail route, but easily accessible from Florence by bus or train as a day trip without having to check out/check in different hotels. There are buses or trains all day long, so you can return to Florence whenever you desire.

Ages ago I used to have a list of "sights I want to see", but I've come to look at travel through a different lens, which is "what are the experiences I want to enjoy"....

So instead of this building or that fountain some other church, here are some ideas of how to experience each of those 3 cities. Trust me, decades later it will be the experiences you remember, not the buildings...
Many (or all) may be food centric... it's approaching lunch time here & I think with my stomach..

Rome
- Enjoy a gelato while admiring that piazza & fountain nearby
- Browse fresh foods at the morning market at Campo Dei Fiori - gather supplies for a picnic lunch - whatever strikes your fancy.
- Take that picnic, along with a bottle of vino, and enjoy the it overlooking the forum and colosseum - my favorite location is Giardino dei baci (use google translate to look it up...)
- Toss a coin in the Trevi fountain, guaranteeing your return to Rome.
- Enter a random neighborhood church (with a remarkable baroque interior you never knew existed), light a candle, and pray for whatever you choose to pray for. Better yet, find a nearby church named with the same name as spouse's relative and surprise them. One might be right around the corner from your hotel....
- sit at a cafe in the piazza mid afternoon and enjoy a leisurely glass of wine while tourist-watching. See if you can tell a story about that elderly couple holding hands, and promise to return to Rome to celebrate your 50th anniversary...
- did I mention gelato?

Florence
- Early morning, wander the neighborhood near your hotel and find that cafe with straight-from-the-oven pastries. Rub elbow with locals & fellow tourists, enjoy one (or 2) over a cappucino while your spouse sleeps in late... or both of you go together... You can still eat that hotel buffet if you want.
- Stroll through the Central Market, and pick up lunch (or dinner) /picnic supplies. Meats, some cheese, olives, some sweets, and of course fresh bread.
- Walk, bus, or taxi to Piazzale Michaelangelo overlooking the city. On a clear day, the views & lighting are better closer to sunset.
- Cross the Ponte Vecchio, and browse all the jewelry, if that's your thing. Pick out something special as a gift to your spouse (or for yourself). Maybe a stacking ring, or some earrings, or some heavy duty bling if that's your style. If your goal is find the best prices, you will likely do better elsewhere. But there is only one ponte vecchio.

Venice.
- Cross the canal on a traghetto (gondola ferry).
- Take a private ride in a 2 person gondola
- Take a ferry to one of the islands such as Murano, or Lido (where you can walk along a long stretch of beach). The view from the ferry returning to Venice is priceless. You could even just take a vaporetto (water bus) a few stops, hop off, and return on the next bus...
- Stroll the city early morning, before the bus loads and cruise ship loads of tourists descend, and scratch your head as you realize the commercial underbelly of Venice is all by boat - from food delivery to garbage pickup, and everything in between.

And that's just a starter list...