Which Italy Honeymoon?

ac411020 · October 2013

So I'm finally getting around to planning our honeymoon in Italy. I think I've narrowed it down to 2 tours, but not sure which one to pick. Which one would you choose?

#1 http://www.gate1travel.com/italy-travel/italy-tours-14dmtcamfvr14.aspx

#2 http://www.gate1travel.com/italy-travel/italy-tours-14dromit14.aspx

Thanks for the help!

brittleigh13 · October 2013

#1 for the excursion to Cinque Terre definitely.

allispain · October 2013

I agree - Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful places in Italy, hands down. For that alone, I would say #1.

JoanE2012 · October 2013

I did tour #2 (minus Como) with Gate 1. I enjoyed it. Cinque Terre does look amazing though!

doeydo · October 2013

#2.

AprilH81 · October 2013

I would go with #1 unless you have a strong desire to see the Vatican.

Pepper6 · October 2013

Definitely do not miss the Cinque Terre, it was one of our favorite places in Italy!

delujm0 · October 2013

This is a matter of personal preference, but I didn't really get the hype over the CInque Terre - yes, it was lovely, but it's now become the "popular off-the-map" location, and often times the towns are too crowded for what they can accomodate. And it's so far from a lot of the other sights, that it eats up more travel time that i liked. That having been said, if hiking is on your itinerary, you may want to go there, because the hiking trails are excellent.

I'd do tour #2 - and try to get to Siena for a day from Florence if you can. It was my favorite. I haven't been to Sorrento yet, but I really want to go.

ei34 · October 2013

Gosh that's a tough call, both sound amazing. I think I'd go with number 2 though, Florence is so amazing.

Pepper6 · October 2013

Also, are you completely set on doing a guided tour like this? You could probably book a lot of things on your own and create a mix of both tours.

FWIW, we booked our trip through Costco, which included our airfare, airport transfers, hotels, and train transfers. It was extremely easy, very reasonably priced, and we got to create our own itinerary.

ac411020 · October 2013

Yea I think a tour is what we want to do. I love the idea of not having to coordinate anything and having everything done for me. There are a few days where you're on your own to explore so we will be able to have some alone time, as well.

I'm thinking we are going to do #1. It's cheaper, has the date we want available and hits all the key places we want to see.

Thanks for everyone's help!

JoanE2012 · October 2013

akosakow said:

Yea I think a tour is what we want to do. I love the idea of not having to coordinate anything and having everything done for me. There are a few days where you're on your own to explore so we will be able to have some alone time, as well.

I'm thinking we are going to do #1. It's cheaper, has the date we want available and hits all the key places we want to see.

Thanks for everyone's help!

@akosakow - FWIW, we loved our Gate 1 Italy tour. My DH and I are both pretty independent and never took a tour before so we were a bit wary.....but it was a nice balance of free time and guided tours (one of the perks - we never had to wait in any lines because we were with a group!). We also loved being shuttled around and not having to worry about transportation or our bags (we never handled our bags....they were always brought up and down from the rooms at each stop). We felt we were able to see and do more with the tour than if we had done it ourselves. We still do most of our vacations on our own, but we wouldn't hesitate to do a tour again if multiple cities are involved.

ac411020 · October 2013

@JoanE2012 - Thanks for the info! I have never taken a tour before either, but I also have never gone on a vacation involving multiple cities. I love that you don't have to wait in lines, or worry about transportation/bags. I get very anxious travelling because my fiancé is very laid back so I'm the one who always has to figure out plans, make sure we are on time to make flights etc. I think this will be a very nice break not having to worry about coordinating anything and just being able to relax. Glad to hear you had such a great trip!

alithebride · October 2013

i'd choose #2. Lucca and CT are nice but IMO florence and siena are far better. it seems almost criminal to basically drive past florence on tour #1 and not stop there.

i guess the real question is do you want to visit the cities on the tour or others? planning multi city isn't as difficult as you make it seem. their trains are so efficient. you can also book private drivers like we did. i wouldn't do a tour.

ac411020 · October 2013

So we had pretty much decided on tour 1, when our situation changed, so now we are going to have to go on our honeymoon right after our wedding in February. I don't want to go to Italy in the winter, so I guess I'll start looking for another destination. Thank you so much for everyone's help!

alithebride · October 2013

akosakow said:

So we had pretty much decided on tour 1, when our situation changed, so now we are going to have to go on our honeymoon right after our wedding in February. I don't want to go to Italy in the winter, so I guess I'll start looking for another destination. Thank you so much for everyone's help!

why not? are you going for the beaches? if not then dont worry about it. i went for a week in jan/feb and it was wonderful. it's empty. it's the offseason. it's cheap.

dont go between june and early september if you're h oping for less expensive and to avoid the crowds.

ac411020 · October 2013

No we weren't going for the beaches, but I know myself and I wouldn't enjoy walking around outside all day in the cold. Thanks for the help though!

AprilH81 · October 2013

akosakow said:

No we weren't going for the beaches, but I know myself and I wouldn't enjoy walking around outside all day in the cold. Thanks for the help though!

It shouldn't be too cold as long as you avoid northern Italy. I would at least check the average temps before you rule it out. Going in the off season can make it MUCH more pleasant because of the lower crowds and better prices.

ac411020 · October 2013

Yea I did check the temps. The average high in Rome is about 50 degrees and the average low is 40. I'm sure for some people that's fine, but if I am going to go on a vacation in the winter, it's got to be to somewhere warm. I think we're going to go to Costa Rica instead, and I'm just as excited about it! Thanks for everyone's help!

Pepper6 · October 2013

You can always do Italy for an anniversary!! I didn't want to go in the cold either, I HATE the cold and it would make packing too difficult (we managed one average sized suitcase each with shorts and tanks, I would have had to have 2 larger ones for pants, jackets & boots)

Which Italy Honeymoon?

Re: Which Italy Honeymoon?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards