Barcelona,SP/Nice,FR/Venice,IT Honeymoon Planning Questions

Re: Barcelona,SP/Nice,FR/Venice,IT Honeymoon Planning Questions

• Reilly626 member

  

  May 2011

  Get a eurorail pass. When I did Europe like that, its what I did. That is very ambitious travel plan! Are you sure you want to spend your honeymoon hours on the train?  I will be honest, Barcelona is one of my least favorite cities as is Venice. Venice while it seems romantic is actually very dirty. And if you dont have the money to spend at really nice hotels, its disappointing. But this is only my opinion. I prefered Madrid and South of Spain to Barcelona.

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• mica178 member

  

  May 2011

  I do like those three cities, but you'd be spending a lot of time on trains, is that how you want to spend your honeymoon?  I mean, packing and unpacking that many times is not exactly idyllic, but I don't mind that kind of travel.  H does.  And overnight trains are not very romantic.  Could you take a hopper plane (there are a lot of discount airlines in Europe) between those places to save time on travel?  Or would you consider dropping one city and spending more time in the other two?

  
  

  In Barcelona, I liked the Archeology Museum.  The Picasso Museum has a lot of his earlier work, not his best stuff, in my opinion.  Walk along Las Ramblas.  Visit Gaudi's monstrosities.

  
  

  In Nice, if you're on budget, you can still afford to take the bus up to Vence and St. Paul du Vence.  See Matisse's chapel and La Fondation Maeght.  See the Chagall Museum and the Matisse Museum in Nice.  Walk along the boardwalk.  See the casino.  Walk to the old square and find that amazing baker who does the best croissants.  Daytrip to Eze.

  
  

  Venice -- I don't know if you need three full days there.  I'd consider spending just a couple days there, seeing San Marco's Square and wandering the streets, but not much else.  Since it's your honeymoon, do a gondola ride.  

  **Bio**

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• Cynthia1207 member

  

  May 2011

  Personally I would fly instead of taking the train.  Check out Ryan Air and you can get plane tickets for 35£.  I wouldn't want to travel all that by train, I would find it too draining.

  

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• maddie7 member

  

  May 2011

  I hated Venice too! Its so dirty and un-romantic. My own best friend from Italy feels the same. If you want beautiful Italy head to Chinca-terra!   Just do one or 2 places, your schedule is really spread out and you will be spending your honeymoon waiting or on trains!

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• annakb8 member

  

  May 2011

  I'd like to ditto PP on the trains. Fly, you will save so much time and likely some money too. I'd also like to say that you will probably be able to get much better deals in October vs. May. The sights will probably be less crowded as well, and I wouldn't count on it being that much warmer in May.
  
  p.s. I freaking love Venice and could spend way more than three days there. But I think I am in the minority on that one.
  

  
  generic blog link.

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• Bonzo2011 member

  

  May 2011

  Ditto a PP, I would do Cinque Terre over Venice. Florence and Rome are also common destinations for the first time in Italy, picking really depends on what you like doing.
  
  I would not recommend Ryan Air for a honeymoon unless you're really good at packing light and don't mind spending a lot of time getting to and from odd airports. For instance, their "Barcelona" airport is actually in Girona, about an hour train ride outside Barcelona. And from the town of Girona, you have to take a shuttle bus to the airport, which adds more travel time. Ryan Air also constantly changes their flight schedule; for one trip I think I once had 4 or 5 different schedule changes in the week leading up to it! You really need to stay on top of the e-mail for that.
  

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• NOLABridesmaid member

  

  May 2011 edited May 2011

  I flew from Madrid to Barcelona in order not to do the train, and it was cheaper. I also like Florence much more than Venice, but you have to research it on your own. Everyone has different taste.
  

  

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• barcelona2011 member

  

  May 2011

  My fiancé is from Barcelona and we are currently living in Lyon, France. I think that you will have a great time in Barcelona because the art there is fantastic and you can spend all day walking the streets enjoying the architecture, roaming the food markets, and there are many museums and cathedrals that will blow your mind. Probaby 4 or 5 days would be enough to explore the city and spend time at the beach. Afther that, it would be worth your time to explore more of spain and less of France and Italy. I know first hand that the people in Catalonia and the rest of Spain are so much warmer. For some reason in France and Italy the people tend to be a little less inviting than Americans are accustomed to. Don´t get me wrong France and Italy are nice but travelling between them can be time consuming even though they seem close on a map. I went to Italy last year and was disappointed. I would suggest either going down the mediterranean coast and then over to Madrid OR hopping over to one of the islands Mallorca, Ibiza, or Menorca. They are only about half an hour plane ride. They have a plethora of great beaches and sunsets that are unparalelled. We spent a week in Menorca last year which is the smallest of the islands and least populated, we went to two different beaches every day because they are all so different. One of my favorite places ever.
  Or, another option would be to rent a car and from Barcelona go through France stopping off at Montpellier, Lyon, Paris, or Cassis that is really beautiful too with crystal clear water.
  Hope this helps, good luck!

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