Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

Hey!

FH and I are in the process of planning but we don't know if we want to go tour, on our own, private tour etc. I have been there before but FH never has. Any suggestions much appreciated!

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

Message edited 5/9/2006 7:59:50 PM.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

We are having the same problem, we are still debating is it better to do the tour or do it ourselves. I just don't want to be rushed and the tour I did in Norway we had to be up early.... what if we want to stay in for awhile

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

Message edited 5/9/2006 7:59:11 PM.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

for our honeymoon we're going to italy.. we're going to tour it ourself for a few days and then we're going on a 10 day cruise that leaves from there and goes to a bunch of places in italy, france and greece. we figure on the cruise we'll be doing the shore excursions which are the tours so we'd like to see the city on our own.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

Try Club ABC Tours....they have a lot of different tours that you can sign up for but are optional....and they have great rates too. My aunt and I use them every year.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

Italy, Roman Holiday. Reserve now.
Itinerary No: 2489 7 Days From $999



Departure Dates:
October 2004 - March 2005

Highlights Include:
Round-trip regularly scheduled air transportation from Newark or New York (JFK). Boston, Miami, Chicago and Washington D.C. departures are available for an additional cost and do not include transfers.

First class four-star hotel accommodations for five nights, including hotel tax and service charge.

Buffet breakfast daily, lunch at a local restaurant, wine tasting and light snacks in Castelli Romani.

Services of a professional tour director. Full day Florence excursion features walking tour and Museum. Tour of the Roman Country includes the Pope's summer residence at Castelgandolfo, Grotta Ferrata and Rocca di Papa. Imperial Tour of Rome which includes entry to the Coliseum.
Round-trip airport to hotel transfers.




Hotel, Cruise line and Additional Highlights:
Centrally located, the Imperial-style Quirinale Hotel daving from 1886, has a private entrance to the Opera House. The elegant public areas feature marble columns, fireplaces and fine paintings.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

We're planning on doing a cruise/land tour. We figured we'd be BEAT from all the wedding chaos so we can rest on the boat when we want and still do the tours we like!

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

I'm doing a meditterranean cruise.
Barcelona, france, Rome, Pisa, venice, turky, greece. 12 day cruise.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

FH and I went on vacation in the Italian Alps and Milan July 2004. It's exceptionally easy to get around, but you need a really good map!!! They sell their version of the Hagstrom and it's worth the investment. Don't believe what you hear about Italian drivers unless you are in Rome - if you can drive in NY you can drive anywhere.

It may be more cost affective at this point to take a tour because you pay in US dollars, rather than euro. Be prepared, the euro is posting at about 2.5:1 right now.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

actually my chat picture is one of me and FH in front of the Milanese fountain.

Have fun and ENJOY! Italy is the most beautiful place. YOu are going to love it.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

We are going to our honeymoon in Italy. We've been doing research on various cities and places that we want to visit, which we have both REALLY enjoyed. We don't speak Italian, and I'm not worried about it at all. We'll do our best and I'm sure we'll get by just fine. My best childhood friend went on her honeymood in Italy (also without a tour) and loved it.

I think either way, you can't go wrong. It's more about what fits with both of your personalities (e.g., having more guidance/structure or not...)

Enjoy! How Exciting!!!

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

I just spoke with friend's of mine yesterday who do 2-3 tours a year to different locations. In October, they are going to Italy. Not sure of the itinerary, but it's about 8-10 days with tours and free time. If anyone is interested FM me and I'll get more details or give you his name

My FH and I are planning on getting married in June and might just take a long weekend after the wedding and go with them in October to Italy since neither of us have been there and we have guides we know and trust.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

My FI and I are going to do Italy & Greece by ourselves. I have been researching for a few months, and have reserved all of our trip already. I would have never, ever, been as excited as I am today if I didn't plan it myself. I chose each location, each hotel...and choosing the hotel is the best part! Tours are great. But you are young - have fun! Tour, explore, shop! If you want your honeymoon to be about you and your FH, plan it the way you want it. Do things on your time - not your tour leader. I guess I had such a great experience planning it - that I would suggest it to everyone. For example: Go on trip advisor, look up Venice, and look up LOcanda Orselo (hotel)...people love it there so much they want to move in! Read the feelings and emotions...

Here are the best sites:

www.fodors.com
www.frommers.com
www.tripadvisor.com
www.whichbudget.com (low cost air carrier in europe)
www.alpieagles.com (low cost air carrier in Italy)
www.venere.com
Buy Italy 2005 fodors book to take with you

I have researched over and over. Please PM me if you need more help.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

A friend and I did Italy on our own and it was great.

We stayed in Rome and went to Naples and Capri. We saw all the sites too. A group was at our hotel and we spoke with 2 young women frequently as they came and went. They hated the tour. They had to get up early daily to meet the schedule and they kept saying they wished they had some free time. I think shopping and free time are planned out - but they seemed annoyed still the same.

I planned out what I wanted to see and we just got a map and walked around or took the trains. We took the train at Termini to Naples and then a hovercraft over to Capri. My friend said he was o glad I was with him since he would have never thought to go to Capri. He works for Continental and had been to Italy several times but never saw allt he things we did on that trip.

I also recommend:

www.fodors.com
www.frommers.com
www.tripadvisor.com

I even got some great shopping it. I got a fabulous Fendi bag near the store by the Spanish Steps, amazing leather shoes at Campanile and I had a red leather outfit made for under $300 (pants and jacket).

Italy is AMAZING and the people are sooo friendly.

Enjoy.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

There was a thread about this very topic (tour vs. on your own) not too far ago. You might want to do a search.

We went on a tour b/c after the wedding, I didnt want to have to research and plan a long trip. The tour did everything for us and we got to see so much and enjoy it all. The tour guide was excellent and we also got a little background and tips in each location..plus someoen to take our photo wherever we went :) Its also quite a value for all that is included. There are some disadvantages like being with an older crowd and being on their schedule, but we were very happy.

Here are some pics:
Honeymoon in Italy

That said, Italy is probably one of the best countries to visit if you don't speak the language and want to go it alone. No matter what, the language will always be a barrier but the major cities in Italy are very tourist friendly. If you stay with the typical cities, that shouldnt deter you.

Re: Anyone going to Italy for thir Honeymoon?

We used Club ABC and they were great. Our tour Guide SAlvatore and Maris were GREAT!!. Plus we told them it was our honeymoon and we got first dibs on everything including the better rooms. The only thing I would have to say was that we were with people in there 50's to 60's so it was a very tame tour. But on the other hand It was nice and romantic! BTW we went to Naples, , Rome, Florence from all those citys you goto different cities during the day. When In Naples we went to Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii and the Almalfi Drive which stoped in the town of Alfamfi for a hour or two. Rome we pretty much staied in ROME. So much to see there including the Vatican. Florence is the Shopping MECCA! From there we went to Venice whic I could of done with out. That was not one of my favorite places