- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
Dearest Weddingbee readers!
I desperately need your help with honeymoon planning. Mr. CC and I know we want to go to Italy in late May ’09 for roughly 10 days (a belated honeymoon since we want to wait until he graduates), and we know we want to go to Florence, Rome and Venice, but trying to figure out how to piece it all together is making my head spin.
What travel agents or travel packages do you recommend, if any? Or should we suck it up and figure it out on our own, without an agent? I just started looking into the Costco “Best of Italy” packages and they’ve gotten mixed reviews, so I’m not sure if I should pursue it or not. I’ve also looked into STA Travel, but haven’t seen reviews from real people who have used their services so I am hesitant to look into it without some initial feedback. Frommers and TripAdvisor are great for browsing their message boards and reading reviews, but I just don’t know how to tackle the honeymoon head-on. I’ve never been on a plane, so my travelling experience is nonexistent.
I own a few highly-recommended Italian guidebooks for us tourist-folk, but I figured I’d ask you readers for your opinions since you’re always pulling through for me 
I’m absolutely in love with Positano and Cinque Terre, but I’m willing to bet that it would be way less exhausting and stressful to save them for another trip entirely.
Mr. CC and I are looking for an adventurous, yet relaxing vacation where we don’t have to hustle around every day and worry about constantly changing hotels and catching train rides. We’re willing to stay in cute hotel boutiques and smaller b&bs over swanky hotels if it means saving a few bucks here and there. We’re also not really huge on going to really overcrowded tourist destinations when there are so many secret backroads to explore, so the more untraditional recommendations or ideas, the better! Although, I’m the type that gets lost in my own backyard, so I’m a little nervous about trying to figure out the transportation situation. I know this is supposed to be fun to plan and figure out together, but Mr. CC will be busy working full-time and student teaching, so I sort of took this on as my “not-so-little” pet project.
Please offer your well-travelled wisdom and pray to shiny happy Buddha gods that the American dollar will stop sucking soon!
Hugs and honeymoons,
Ms. Candy Corn
First off– this will be fun, both the planning and the trip. My advice would be, just go for it. Forget the packages and agents. Book a flight in and out of Rome– and then fill in the blanks. Buy a Rick Steves Italy guide– his travel style sounds very much like what you’re looking for. Rent his videos also, or look for them on PBS (we’re going to France and they’re really getting us excited about our trip). The train system in Italy is cheap and easy to navigate– you’ll be able to get between those cities easily and most often won’t even need a reservation ahead of time, so you can be somewhat spontaneous. If you want the trip to be relaxing, best to plan for just 2 or 3 cities and spend a few nights in each place– you can take great day trips from each place, esp. Florence. My advice, between trip advisor, Rick Steves and some very friendly Italians you’re sure to meet on the road, you can plan yourselves an awesome honeymoon. Good Luck!
Having lived throughout Italy, and being obsessed with the country and its culture, I have been trying to plan a wedding there for the past year. After getting frustrated with the ridiculously high costs of trying to put together and plan a trip myself, I learned that some sites offer airfare, lodging, meals, guided tours and more for less than I can book the airefare. Frustrating for me, great for you! I have had great success with the customer service at gate1travel.com. They also seem to offer the best/most competitive prices. Other sites offering great trips at cheap prices include Alitalia (http://www.alitaliavacations.com/specials/italy-rail/?utm_source=travelzoo&utm_medium=top20&utm_term=061108&utm_campaign=azv.italy&advid=357a7e1c-7bc7-443d-834c-2769dc060615) , Europeandestinations.com (http://www.europeandestinations.com/Europe/Itinerary_pk12032_Rome_-_Florence.aspx?utm_source=tzoo&utm_medium=reg&utm_campaign=tzooreg_71_IT_12032-RomFlo_061308) and Friendlyplanettravels.com (http://www.friendlyplanet.com/italian-treasures.html) . Good luck and keep us updated with what you find!
CC, I’m so happy to see this post, as Mr. MagPie and I are also interested in Italy for our “luna de miel” in early September. We’re thinking Rome, Florence, Venice — that sorta thing — but are also struggling with the deets. (And, like you and Mr. CC, we’re up for B&Bs, and lesser-known locations and adventures.) We went to AAA to talk to someone, and while we won’t be planning through them, got some ideas of pricing and excursions. Please keep us posted!
I went through http://www.go-today.com travel for my London Honeymoon. It really helped spread the wealth. We stayed for a week in a 4 star hotel with continental breakfast in Kensington/ Notting Hill and had our airfare covered for $2118. It was really awesome and I would reccomend them again. I called and spoke with the travel agent to set up the trip as opposed to ordering on-line. Just research your hotel and have fun. It was a great experience.
The Pickle formerly known as Miss
My husband and I did Venice, Florence and Rome for 10 nights this past February. We had a really great experience with Gate1 Travel, where we booked our package from. We got a great deal (because of the season). However, if you were to go this route, I would recommend that you upgrade your hotels a tier or two, since it IS your honeymoon! The hotels we got were all fine for our budget, but I would have been disappointed with them if it were my honeymoon…not quite luxe! Included in the package are flights, hotel, rail between cities in the nice Eurostar railcars and breakfast daily. A word of warning, Venice is EXPENSIVE!! And probably even more so now! Best of luck on your planning!
I agree with Turtle — this will be a blast. And big group tours don’t sound to me to be the thing of honeymoons (though I hate them anyways).
I would suggest sticking to Florence and Rome — they’re very close, and there’s plenty to see from each. Given your experience, I’d also suggest starting in Florence — fly into Rome and take the train up to Florence, all very easy — and planning a few days of relaxed sight seeing and adjusting. The town is pretty small, but BEAUTIFUL, and you can definitely take day trips. Then head back to Rome, which is a bustly, fun, European city. You could fit in a trip down to the Almafi coast, but it would make your travels a lot more packed.
Venice is on the other side of the country, and so a bit harder to get to. And, I’ve always heard it’s a disappointment, though I’ve never been. Sticking to the West coast leaves you more room to be spontaneous.
An excellent place to start is the message boards/chat rooms at Fodors.com. The posters are extremely knowledgeable, give great recommendations/suggestions/tips, and most are seasoned travellers.
I’m so jealous! My husband and I took a similar trip - Nice, Florence, Venice, Milan, Lake Cumo. Venice was my absolute favorite and would highly recommend at least 2 days there to explore (since you will most likely get lost, but that’s what makes it so much fun there). I used ItaliaRail for trains between cities and Hotels.com. It will be a bit of research work on your end but worth it. I planned the whole trip myself too.
We did Florence and Rome, with day trips to Pisa and Cinque Terre, in 10 days. It was perfect– I wouldn’t try to fit in Venice, you want to relax! Make sure you hit up all the famous gelato places!
If you have the time to figure out where to stay and how to get to each location, I think it’s definitely doable. Many Italian hotels are now online and you can map out where you want to go (also by looking at other travel agencies’ itineraries). Before meeting my FI I backpacked Europe alone for 2 months with no problems. On the other hand, if you want to have it all taken cared of, I say go with a travel agency to take care of airfare, accommodations and rail transfers for you. Have you seen The Big Day honeymoon site yet?
Ms. Candy Corn- I live in the UK and have done lots of travelling around Europe, including all 3 cities you want to see. Would be happy to message back and forth with you if you want advice. Since you haven’t been to Europe before, and are looking for more off the beaten path sorts of things, I wonder whether you might prefer smaller cities in Italy rather than the “big 3″? Do Tuscan villages appeal to you? Venice and Rome are both incredible, but can be a bit overwhelming, and if you are looking for some peace and quiet, you might enjoy a few days at a villa in Tuscany instead of fighting the crowds at the Vatican. Either way, I’d be happy to help you figure out the ins and outs of planning a European holiday.
we’re huge fans of MoonRings. All of our friends have used them as well, and recommend them highly. Good luck!
My husband and I did Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome in 10 days this past October on our honeymoon. I did exhaustive research. Email me at my website, don’t want to post here, and I can send you our itinerary… Here are some photos for fun… http://www.rachspiegel.com/italy/
We adored our Philadelpha-based travel agent — Robyn Potter. I cannot recommend her highly enough. If you would like her contact information, please let me know!
Miss CC, I spent five weeks in Italy (Florence specifically with weekend trips to Rome and Venice), so here’s all I can give you:
[1] first, you mentioned already having guide books. If you don’t already own Rick Steves’ Italy (or the best of Europe), BUY IT! Rick Steves’ literally saved Venice for me when I was ready to give up and go home. His book really was the one thing my friends and I could always rely on.
[2] second, you can absolutely go to Cinque Terre. If you give yourself enough time in Florence, you can do many day trips out of there. (That way Florence is a “home base” and you won’t have to change hotels.) You can take the train to Cinque Terre and spend the day there. The hike between all five cities is intense, but can definitely be done within the day. Start in Monterosso with a stop in Vernazza to eat (pesto was created there!) and stop for a nice swim. (vernazza is my favorite city and it breaks up the hike nicely). Then, stop in the next city for gelato, etc. This is what I did, and even though we did the hike on the hottest day of the year, it was still my absolute favorite day in Italy!
FLORENCE:
[3] I stayed in the Hotel Rivoli, a four star best western hotel in Florence. http://www.hotelrivoli.it/uk/
I was a part of a large group for a study abroad trip, so I did not pay the actual prices (which I am not sure how they compare to other hotels), but I know that it was a very charming hotel with friendly staff. It is actually an old convent, and is located right across the street from the Santa Maria Novella convent (and also very close to the SMN train station!) The rooms are small, but that’s pretty much how it goes in Italy. I lived there for five weeks, and highly recommend it.
[4] eat at trattoria’s NOT ristorante’s!!! most ristorante’s are crappy tourist traps while the trattoria’s are family owned and amazing. Definitely try Mastrocilegia (near Santa Croce). Also, for a splurge, go to Acqua al Due (you’ll need a reservation) - it’s on Via Delle Vigna Vecchia.
Also, avoid touristy gelato - go to Vivoli! (close to Mastrocilegia - ask anyone in town for directions to Vivoli and they’ll know - its known by everyone as the best gelato in Florence) Also, there’s Gelateria Carraia, just south of the river - two blocks down from the Ponte Vecchio.
[5] make reservations to go to the Uffizi! it’s worth it not to stand in line.
ROME:
[1] see everything at night. I took a night walk from the Colosseum, pst the Trevi fountain, to the Vatican (my hostel was near there), and it was the best part of my trip to Rome.
[2] DO NOT pay for a “private tour” of the Vatican! It is the only way to cut the line, but once you’re in they rush you through the museum. Just suck it up and get in line early. Go to the Vatican Museum FIRST, though, and then you can use the “tour groups only” (i did it w/o a tour - they don’t notice/care) exit from the Sistine Chapel and you can get straight into Saint Peter’s without standing in line again. (Also, to go into the Basillica, you need to have shoulders covered and no shorts)
VENICE:
[1] use Rick Steves’ for food! Venice food is very overpriced and many places are not too great.
[2] go to murano and watch the glass blowing!
haha, okay that was way too long, but there ya go! 
If you’d like to know anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.
We are leaving for Italy on Tuesday and are doing a tour. We didn’t really want to do a tour but it was so highly recommended by a friend we decided to give it a try. Plus trying to figure out hotels and transportation was really stressful and this takes care of all of it for us. I don’t want to have to think about anything on the honeymoon but just want to go to Italy and have everything taken care of for me and just enjoy it. Our tour is through Globus tours and we are doing the 9 day tour through Rome, Florence and Venice. They do pick the hotels for you but you get 1 1/2 days in each city to explore on your own then have a 1/2 day of a group tour. Apparently you don’t have to wait in such a long line if you go with a tour group to the major sites such as the Vatican. Otherwise I’ve heard that you can end up waiting for hours if you go on your own. Look at http://www.ecortedglobustours.com and there are multiple choices for Italy. I can let you know more when we get back but we are so excited!!
Do NOT do a group tour. I would suggest using a travel agent; like a wedding coordinator, they can make the most out of your budget. They also can give lots of tips on what to pre-arrange and what to due spontaneously.
Don’t pass up the Vatican! So much art and architecture!
I just got back from Italy for 10 days. Actually, I got engaged on Capri while I was there. I have a few pieces of advice: 1) hole up in the Tuscan countryside at an agriturismo–a working farm/vineyard with a guest house–within walking distance to a small, medieval village (like San Gimignano). We stayed at Torraccia di Chiusi (http://www.torracciadichiusi.it/), about 4 km from San Gimignano, and had the best food of our entire trip there. You often eat and drink the food, olive oil and wine right off the property which makes it so fresh and delicious. Take a cooking class. Rent a car, bikes, or scooter to explore Tuscany while you’re there. 2) Head to Capri and stay at the Caesar Augustus (Relais & Chateux property). The view is like nothing else on the island. Rent a scooter for a day and zip around the tiny island. Don’t miss the Blue Grotto (as cheesy as it appears). It’s Julius Caesar’s private swimming pool. 3) Go to Cinqueterre and rent a room from a local once you get there. Head into any cafe or gelateria and ask if they know of a room for rent. Last time I did this, I ended up at a vintner’s apartment right across from the beach, which we took advantage of for midnight swimming. The owner let us sample homemade grappa and limoncello and buy wine for cheap. 4) I suggest heading to these places and hitting the cities for a day or two while in transit. Stay at each of these places for three nights or more to avoid so much travel. If it were me, I’d avoid the major cities because they’re becoming too much like a big, Italian Disneyland. They don’t feel authentic anymore. Venice, in particular. That said, it’s hard to dismiss Florence’s David, the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio, and the Duomo.
Let me know if you want more advice. I lived in Italy for a semester and was just there again for 10 days as I said. I’m happy to fill you in.
you can check out this website http://smartours.com/italy.htm
I am planning going on their china tour when I can get the time off. I read their reviews and it seems pretty positive. Even if you decide you dont want to with their package maybe you can use their schedule and make your own so you wont have to do too much planning where to go and etc.
Venice, Florence and Rome are doable for the 10 days that you are looking at. I’d spend 2 nights in Venice, and split the rest of the time between Rome and Florence. (Like Gillian said, Venice is often a disappointment to people, but it is one of my favorite cities.) Florence is basically in the middle between Rome and Venice.
Rick Steve’s guides are good for the details about when the best time is to go to various museums, but I’d encourage you not to follow his suggestions for food. (Let’s Go guides are much better for that.)
And I don’t think that you need to go with a travel agent. Once you get the flights booked, I’d scope out tripadvisor and contact the hotels that seem most interesting/promising.
Travel by rail is pretty easy, and it might be worth it for you to get rail passes. http://www.railkey.com/tickets/eurail-italy.asp?AFF=EOR
You’d qualify for the saver pass (since you’d be traveling together) and might qualify for the youth pass if you’ll both be under the age of 26.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Miss Candy Corn, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 27, Freelance Writer, Photographer and Illustrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Front End Web Developer Blogging Since: May 6, 2008 Engagement Date: November 10, 2011 Wedding Date: September 2012 Venue: Our backyard! About Me: I’m a 27-year-old photographer, writer and illustrator who enjoys shooting weddings, catching typos in magazines, geeking out with Google Reader, watching Wonder Years marathons with my fiancé, and hanging out with our menagerie of pets. I’m an encore bride planning an intimate, offbeat backyard wedding with my fiancé (known around these parts as “The Ginger”), as we explore our adventures of homeownership.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics