My fiance and I are thinking about going to Europe in May for our honeymoon. We'd like to visit around 3-4 places over 10 days or so. There are so many options, we're a little overwhelmed. We've both been to Paris and I've been to Belgium, so we'd rather not go there. We're thinking of hitting up Italy (Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan, and/or Venice) and maybe Prague, Greece, Spain (Madrid or Barcelona), Amsterdam. I think we're pretty set on Italy, at minimum Rome and Venice. Any opinions on the other cities (Naples, Florence, Milan)? Should we just stay in Italy, or hit up one or two of the other places listed above. Thanks for any advise!
Just got back and out of the places we went I liked Rome the best for sure. Good luck with your trip.
Anyone have an opinion on how many places to go to over a given time? I dont want to rush too much, but I also want to see quite a few places. Is 5 (3 of which being in Italy, so they're just a couple hour train rides) too much over 2 weeks?
I would stick to somewhere in the Caribbean. Maybe Aruba or Jamaica (Negril). If you have bank, Fiji or Tahiti would be sick. I know a couple or two that went to Europe for their honeymoon and regretted it. They found it to be tiring, which is the opposite of what your honeymoon should be.
You need to think about overall travel logistics, meaning will you be moving apartments every day, or have one place as base camp and just do day trips from it? Will you be flying in from one country, and then flying out from another? It will be best to plan exit and entry together with the flight route so you can minimize connections if possible. Generally I like to focus on only a few places to get a better feel for them. I've never been to Italy, but have been to Greece and Prague. Around when will your honeymoon be? You can separate Greece into 2 parts, individual islands and the main country. Islands are good for beaches, sunsets, etc. but if it's too cold, then it will be a waste. For the main island area, I'd say skip Athens and go to areas that are more interesting. Some places that we enjoyed were Napflio, Monemvasia, Meteora, and Delphi. The best way to get around Greece is probably by renting a car though. We spent 3 weeks total, and still didn't get to see everything. It's probably best for you to skip Greece if you're only going to be there for a few days. Prague is a great city to visit. Different feeling from other western european cities. If the logistics work out, definitely recommend spending a few days here. Cesky Krumlov is also a nice town to visit in the Czech Republic, but about 3-4 hours away from Prague.
It depends on what you want to do. If you want to see a bunch of art and museums, Rome is perfect. If you want to hang out on a beach, not so much. For history and culture, in addition to Rome, I would suggest Jerusalem. The plane ride from Europe is not crazy to Tel Aviv and you can catch a bus from there. You can throw in a day or two in Tel Aviv to hit the beach in the day and the clubs at night. When I was in Europe for a few months, Israel was my favorite country that I visited. For natural beauty, you could go to Ireland. The bonus there is the opportunity for a lot of good whisky. I wanted to go to Beirut, but I just couldn't work it out. Might be worth considering. As for the more general question. I find that having less than two non-travel days in a place doesn't give you much opportunity for exploring. If you can work it out to get in early in the morning and are great at sleeping while in transit, maybe it would be okay, but for me it was best to have at least two days not consumed with travel and hotel check-in/out. So for a two week trip I would say go no more than 3 places.
Berlin is a must-see, as well as Barcelona. So many amazing things to do/see in those cities. If your going to Amsterdam, I recommend you make a stop by Brugges (which is in the north of Belgium). Its a very romantic place for a couple, you won't regret it! London is also a very nice place to stop by, though very expensive. Covent Garden and Piccadilli Circus are great places to see.
Have you thought about a Mediterranean Cruise that hits all the cities touching the sea. It allows you to see all the cities in a short period of time. My sister took one from Italy to Turkey. It was cheaper than staying at a hotel and they feed you.
italy is epic but requires multiple visits. i've been to italy a dozen times and have barely scratched the surface. just settle down in rome and explore. ten days will be just enough time to get a bit of the feel for the city.
two places. three max. one country. you want to enjoy your time and not be rushed/traveling the whole time you are abroad.
