Need tips on a trip to Europe for my honeymoon

[Meadbh]

If you do decide to go to Ireland, July would be your best bet, weather wise. There are lots of cheap flights from Dublin to other European destinations on Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

 

[audreyh1]

I suggest Florence, Venice, and Paris.

All are very romantic with lots of opportunity for walking, museums, restaurants, site seeing, and more.

You could take the train from Florence to Venice for the "land travel" part of your trip.

Have a wonderful time!

Good suggestion for first Europe trip. And plenty for 2 weeks. Great bases all of them not to mention tons to do within the cities.

Paris - tons to do in the city, plus day trips to a couple of cool sites.
Florence - tons to do in the city, plus easy day trip to Pisa if you like, and/or Sienna.
Train travel from Milan to Venice is easy - we even did a day trip to Venice from Milan once, although Venice is definitely worth a few nights. I'd love to do the day trip to see the Murano glass works.

Open jaw ticket - US to Paris, return Milan to US - should work well. Then decide how to get from Paris to Milan (major airports). It's easy to get to Florence and Venice from Milan by train.

Even though Switzerland is close to Northern Italy, I think squeezing it in would be too much of a stretch. You already have fantastic places to visit above. Return to Europe to visit Switzerland when you do Bavaria/Southern Germany and Austria.

 

[NW-Bound]

The young wife and I hired a car and driver to take us from Sorrento to Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, and then back -- just so I could enjoy the view instead of worrying about the road.

We took the local bus. As I remember, there were very few spots for any vehicle to stop, and sitting higher in a bus provided a better view over the stone wall. It was truly spectacular. We got off the bus at Amalfi to spend a couple of hours wandering the streets and shops, and also at Positano on the way back to Sorrento to hike down to have lunch at the restaurant at the beach. We were their only customers, and were happy that it was even open for lunch as the locals all but shut down to have a siesta. And this was during a slow season in Feb 2003. Ah, this brings back memory.

Back to the OP, as every poster has said, don't do a whirlwind tour of 5 countries in 2 weeks. Two countries, and two or three locations would be the most you should do for 2 weeks. Nowadays, I would spend the two weeks in just one country. Our last trip to Spain was that way.

PS. I even remember that I had grilled squid in Positano that day. Don't remember what my wife had.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Agree with everyone else on picking one country. I would choose Italy if it were me.

But, if you do try for some of the others, try to fly out of anywhere but London. The fees are outrageous. We are flying into London in April and leaving from Dublin when we go for about three weeks coming up in April.

 

[Ian S]

Agree with everyone else on picking one country. I would choose Italy if it were me.

But, if you do try for some of the others, try to fly out of anywhere but London. The fees are outrageous. We are flying into London in April and leaving from Dublin when we go for about three weeks coming up in April.

I'd lean towards Italy too. Wonderful variety of locales, amazing history and lots of romance. Rome is a wonder for sure. I also loved the Amalfi coast and if you go there, a trip to Capri is worth it. Pompeii too. The heat in July could be a drawback. Paris too would be great for a honeymoon. Trying to do all the countries you suggest would be far too much of a whirlwind trip that I'd not advise.

 

[davemartin88]

There are some great river cruises through Austria and Germany that might work. Usually get to see quite a bit but have the cabin for the duration and you can set your own pace as far as off boat activities.

 

[Hardatit]

Wow thanks for all of the replies and the honest feedback! You guys travel a lot, but I guess this is the ER board! We've definitely decided to cut down the trip. So now we're thinking just France and Italy with hitting some of the spots mentioned like Paris, Venice, Milan or Rome maybe a few more.

What should we expect to pay for a round trip ticket to get to Europe and where is generally the best place to fly into and out of?

Sounds like we would be able to do most our traveling by train so I like that idea. My wife to be is pretty excited about a gondola ride, any good spots for that?


With it being July, would you think it would be wise to book some of our lodging ahead of time or just find places as we go?

Thanks for all of the advice!

 

[audreyh1]

Around $1800? Here is a July flight from DFW to the main international airports in Paris and northern Italy - just manipulate this google flights page: https://www.google.com/flights/#search;iti=DFW_CDG_2016-07-12*MXP_DFW_2016-07-26;tt=m

Yes, book your lodging ahead. You don't want to spend all your time scurrying about looking for lodging when you get there.

2 weeks sounds like a long time. But it's not, it's tight. Those cities are heavily traveled. You need decent hotels central to what you want to visit and to public transportation to and from airports and other cities.

Trip Advisor is a good way to choose hotels. I recommend making reservations 3 months in advance and the best options do tend to fill. You can always cancel a reservation.

Choosing and booking lodging, figuring out all the transportation, etc., is time consuming, but you want to have this worked out before you arrive.

Good spot for a gondola ride - Venice. That is one item you don't need to book ahead. Again, Trip Advisor likely has plenty of gondola ride reviews. As they have reviews about all the most popular activities in any given city. Here is some practical information about what to expect: Gondola Ride (Venice, Italy): Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor

3 Days in Venice: Travel Guide on TripAdvisor

 

[Golden sunsets]

I totally agree with that. DH and I used to rush from place to place; now we have hotel rooms in one or two "bases" and decide every morning what we want to do. Some cities can be a good starting place for a lot of countries; it's an easy day trip from Brussels to Amsterdam, Aachen or Luxembourg, for example. Wherever you go, have a list of things you might want to do, but be flexible. If it's an ugly day, choose a museum. We can even be swayed by brochures in the hotel lobby or events/exhibits we read about in the paper. If you haven't been to Europe on your deployments, definitely check out trains as an alternative to planes within Europe. Sometimes they're slower, but they more than make up for that in comfort, scenery and the fact that you end up in the middle of the city instead of having to find your way in from the airport.

Totally agree. Our last trips to Europe have involved a 3 city in two weeks approach. Our criteria for the 3 locations has been that they be within a max 5 hour direct train link between each. So one year we did Prague/Vienna/Budapest. Another year we did Venice/Verona/Florence. If you haven't been to Italy I'd adapt that to Venice/Florence/Rome or the reverse. We are contemplating Amsterdam/Brussels/Bruges, but that could be easily adapted to drop Bruges and add Paris. London and Paris would be great as well. For our honeymoon decades ago, we did Madrid/Lisbon/The Algarve. Congratulations and have a great trip. Just a warning though, it will be hot, crowded and expensive in July. You might consider delaying the trip until September or October which are cooler and less crowded not to mention less expensive but still great times to travel through Europe. Our DS is getting married in August this year and he and our DIL will be deferring their honeymoon for several months as they will take off at least a week prior to the wedding and don't feel that they can be away from work for three weeks or more at one time. According to DS this is increasingly the approach his friends choose when they get married. They aren't skipping it-just deferring it.

 

[athena53]

I'm just piling on and agreeing with other observations, but FWIW:

1. Avoid transferring through Heathrow. It's a PITA. If you're coming in from North America and transferring to a flight to Europe, you'll have to change terminals and go through security again. They have only two runways so any bad weather is a disaster.

2. Agree on maybe delaying your honeymoon to outside tourists season. DH and I travel a lot in the "shoulder season"- typically September. Just make sure that the gondola rides are still available when you want to go. Lines for major attractions can be awful even in September.

3. Definitely have your hotel reservations made. You COULD land someplace and use your smartphone to find out where rooms are available, but you'll do better if you have the time to research deals and actually read reviews, not just the ratings. A careful reading of TripAdvisor reviews has never steered me wrong and I have 200 of my own reviews on the site.

And one additional point: If your wife will be changing her name, make sure that it matches on the reservation and on whatever ID she uses to get on the plane. I've seen plenty of frantic posts on FlyerTalk from couples who made the reservations in the woman's post-marriage last name and then realized that her passport, driver's license, etc. would still be in her birth name when they left the day after the wedding. I think you can bridge the gap with the paperwork from the wedding, but it's easier to be consistent.

 

[NW-Bound]

If pressed for time, you might want to check out the night trains. For example, board the train in the evening in Venice, and get to Paris just as the locals go to work.

There are night trains between any two major European cities that are not too far apart, Combine this with a open-jaw flight to/from Europe, and you save on travel time. And the cost of the tickets is offset by the savings of a hotel night stay.

About the cost, the price varies from sleeping berths (couchette) to private compartments. We did this many years ago, so here's more recent info from Rick Steve's site: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/night-trains.

PS. Beware of pickpockets and purse snatchers, even in trains.

 

[audreyh1]

And one additional point: If your wife will be changing her name, make sure that it matches on the reservation and on whatever ID she uses to get on the plane. I've seen plenty of frantic posts on FlyerTalk from couples who made the reservations in the woman's post-marriage last name and then realized that her passport, driver's license, etc. would still be in her birth name when they left the day after the wedding. I think you can bridge the gap with the paperwork from the wedding, but it's easier to be consistent.

I've never run into an issue with this in Europe. The reservations are usually in my name, and my husband's name is different. Occasionally I'll add his name to the reservation, but often there is not a place to add the names of additional guests on the reservation.

 

[athena53]

I've never run into an issue with this in Europe. The reservations are usually in my name, and my husband's name is different.

No, that's not the issue- DH and I also have different last names and it's been no problem at all.

The problem occurs when Jane Smith is marrying John Jones and they make their honeymoon flight reservations in the name of Jane Jones (because they're leaving the day after the wedding). Jane has an armload of IDs in the name of Jane Smith and a plane reservation for Jane Jones. Better to make them in the name of Jane Smith if she won't have time to get a new driver's license or passport in her married name.

 

[audreyh1]

No, that's not the issue- DH and I also have different last names and it's been no problem at all.

The problem occurs when Jane Smith is marrying John Jones and they make their honeymoon flight reservations in the name of Jane Jones (because they're leaving the day after the wedding). Jane has an armload of IDs in the name of Jane Smith and a plane reservation for Jane Jones. Better to make them in the name of Jane Smith if she won't have time to get a new driver's license or passport in her married name.

Oh, right, the flight reservation has to be in the exact names on the passport. Sorry, you posted after my post and I was talking about hotel reservations, so I got confused.

 

[Souschef]

Oh, right, the flight reservation has to be in the exact names on the passport.

Exactly! My wife's first name is hyphenated, and when she got her first passport, they had the second part of her first name as her middle name.
On a series of recent flights to and from Canada, it caused no end of problems because of the difference between her reservation and her passport.

 

[Marita40]

A couple of people have recommended Rome-Florence-Venice. I'm leaning that way for you, especially if you have never been to Italy. From Rome you can take a day trip to Florence, Assisi, Siena. You can also take a weekend trip through Naples/Pompeii to the Amalfi Coast. There is little that I've seen more romantic and honeymoon suited than Positano. I was last there a couple years ago in October--off season and virtually tourist free. Heaven on Earth.
If you do go to Rome you'd like the Hotel Due Torri. Very honeymoon-worthy and in a prime location.
Can I come?

 

[DrRoy]

Here is another vote for focusing on a smaller area. Over the years DW and I have been to England/Wales, Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, and France. Most of these trips were 2 to 2 1/2 weeks per country, so we could move at a measured pace and take it in. It is nice to stay 2-3 days per location so you do not spend as much time packing and unpacking every day. Most of our travel was by rental car, with some train. We did book lodging ahead so we never got stuck without a place to stay or waste time hunting. If you settle on a place I have been I could give more input on itinerary.

 

[Hardatit]

Thanks so much for all the great tips! Keep them coming, I'm so glad we posted about this here! I wouldn't have thought about the name change, that would be important.

Around $1800? Here is a July flight from DFW to the main international airports in Paris and northern Italy - just manipulate this google flights page: https://www.google.com/flights/#search;iti=DFW_CDG_2016-07-12*MXP_DFW_2016-07-26;tt=m

Yes, book your lodging ahead. You don't want to spend all your time scurrying about looking for lodging when you get there.

2 weeks sounds like a long time. But it's not, it's tight. Those cities are heavily traveled. You need decent hotels central to what you want to visit and to public transportation to and from airports and other cities.

Trip Advisor is a good way to choose hotels. I recommend making reservations 3 months in advance and the best options do tend to fill. You can always cancel a reservation.

Choosing and booking lodging, figuring out all the transportation, etc., is time consuming, but you want to have this worked out before you arrive.

Good spot for a gondola ride - Venice. That is one item you don't need to book ahead. Again, Trip Advisor likely has plenty of gondola ride reviews. As they have reviews about all the most popular activities in any given city. Here is some practical information about what to expect: Gondola Ride (Venice, Italy): Tickets & Tours, Attraction Reviews - TripAdvisor

3 Days in Venice: Travel Guide on TripAdvisor

Thanks for the links! We'll check those out. I'm sure it will fly by like you said. We'll go ahead and book most if not all of our lodging before we head out.

Totally agree. Our last trips to Europe have involved a 3 city in two weeks approach. Our criteria for the 3 locations has been that they be within a max 5 hour direct train link between each. So one year we did Prague/Vienna/Budapest. Another year we did Venice/Verona/Florence. If you haven't been to Italy I'd adapt that to Venice/Florence/Rome or the reverse. We are contemplating Amsterdam/Brussels/Bruges, but that could be easily adapted to drop Bruges and add Paris. London and Paris would be great as well. For our honeymoon decades ago, we did Madrid/Lisbon/The Algarve. Congratulations and have a great trip. Just a warning though, it will be hot, crowded and expensive in July. You might consider delaying the trip until September or October which are cooler and less crowded not to mention less expensive but still great times to travel through Europe. Our DS is getting married in August this year and he and our DIL will be deferring their honeymoon for several months as they will take off at least a week prior to the wedding and don't feel that they can be away from work for three weeks or more at one time. According to DS this is increasingly the approach his friends choose when they get married. They aren't skipping it-just deferring it.

We're thinking now of possibly waiting until fall to go. Maybe September or October when it's cooler and less people. I don't love huge crowds and lines. In the next few days we'll try to get the locations pinned down and I'll post them up.
What's the best way to pay for everything while you're over? Cash or card or does it matter? I normally use my chase freedom card for all purchases for the cash rewards but it has a 3% foreign transaction fee.

 

[explanade]

Even Paris is too far to combine with Italy during two weeks. It will take the better part of a day if you fly, longer if you take the train.

What do you like? Big cities have museums. A lot of historical buildings and squares.

Places like Florence are near hill Tuscan towns. So you can see beautiful countryside landscapes.

Venice is one of a kind, probably see it before it's flooded over.

One of the best times for Italy is mid to late May, early June. Will still be crowded. In places like Paris, September is still high season with crowds and high prices.

For Italy, you could fly into Venice train down to Florence (maybe do a day trip or two by bus or a guided tour) then train down to Rome and fly back home.

Or vice versa, just get an open jaw ticket so you don't have to lose a day backtracking.

Credit cards and ATM cards. There are credit cards with minimal transaction fees like the Chase Sapphire Rewards card. Or Bank of America Cash Rewards or Travel Rewards. No annual fees and one of them have no transaction fees.

Make sure to get a card with a chip. Chip and PIN better, search forum for thread.

 

[Gumby]

What's the best way to pay for everything while you're over? Cash or card or does it matter? I normally use my chase freedom card for all purchases for the cash rewards but it has a 3% foreign transaction fee.

I use my PenFed credit card to pay for most things; it has no foreign transaction fee. For cash, I just use my ATM card once I get there (I usually have a couple hundred Euros left over from my last trip that will carry me until I can find a Bancomat (ATM), but they are often in the airport, so it is not strictly necessary.

 

[Marita40]

Same as Gumby. I use the PenFed credit card. Just get one with no foreign transaction fee. Of course, tell the credit card company you will be abroad before you go--you can do this online typically.
I also carry a bank card for the ATM. It is worth a stop in your bank to make sure it has an appropriate PIN for overseas cash machines and to write down any numbers you might need to call if it doesn't or gets lost.
My experience in Rome--I've flown into the airport there many times--is that the ATMs can be empty of money, especially on a day with lots of arrivals. I don't know if that happens in other airports. After several such experiences I now make sure to get about $100.00 of Euros before leaving home. It is peace of mind.

 

[Golden sunsets]

Thanks so much for all the great tips! Keep them coming, I'm so glad we posted about this here! I wouldn't have thought about the name change, that would be important. Thanks for the links! We'll check those out. I'm sure it will fly by like you said. We'll go ahead and book most if not all of our lodging before we head out. We're thinking now of possibly waiting until fall to go. Maybe September or October when it's cooler and less people. I don't love huge crowds and lines. In the next few days we'll try to get the locations pinned down and I'll post them up. What's the best way to pay for everything while you're over? Cash or card or does it matter? I normally use my chase freedom card for all purchases for the cash rewards but it has a 3% foreign transaction fee.

You'll definitely want to get a no foreign transaction fee credit card. You may also want to get a no foreign transaction fee checking account. Capitol One offers both. The credit card comes in a cash back version and a travel rewards version. The idea with the checking account, is to open and use it just for the trip, not to change your banking permanently. There are no fees or minimums for this checking ac. You'll accomplish 3 things doing this. 1) ATM's give you the best exchange rate vs prepurchasing Euro's, or travelers checks or foreign exchange kiosks so you'll max your exchange rate, and you will need some local currency 2) only put in as much cash as you feel you'll need so you protect the rest of your money if the card should be hacked at an ATM or lost or stolen and 3) there is no foreign transaction fee which most U.S. Banks charge 3% for. Also if you were to get a Cap One 360 account and you use an All Point ATM there is no ATM fee. And it is a chip and pin debit card, just as their credit card is. There is a handy mobile app that is an All Point ATM finder. There are 55,000 of them worldwide. Cap One has an easy way to transfer $$ linking to your main bank checking accounts.

On another note I think you mentioned your wife wanted a gondola ride. Venice will meet that need in spades. If you decide on Italy, I would fly into Venice. The airport is on the mainland and the way you travel from there to Venice proper is by boat and it is so romantic and magical to approach Venice this way. There are boats that are for the masses but I would hire a private water taxi to San Marco through the Grand Canal! Google Venice water taxi. The taxi can bring you directly to your hotel or the closest docking point. The trip from the airport across the bay and then down the canal would be such a terrific start to your honeymoon.

 

[explanade]

I've not done the water taxi or gondola. Very expensive.

Week pass for the vaporetti aren't cheap either but less than a single gondola or water taxi ride.

 

[athena53]

What's the best way to pay for everything while you're over? Cash or card or does it matter? I normally use my chase freedom card for all purchases for the cash rewards but it has a 3% foreign transaction fee.

A word on cash: be very careful with it and don't carry too much around at once. DH is a pickpocket magnet; he's had money stolen in Rome, St. Petersburg and Madrid. He's older and moves more slowly, which probably doesn't apply to the two of you. We think they followed him from the ATM in St. Petersburg.

We love Europe and we're willing to accept the risk, but be careful! (DH isn't allowed to carry cash in Europe anymore.)

 

[Golden sunsets]

I've not done the water taxi or gondola. Very expensive.

Week pass for the vaporetti aren't cheap either but less than a single gondola or water taxi ride.

I agree on the gondola but the OP's wife-to-be wants a gondola ride and it is their honeymoon after all. The vaporetti pass is something we have never done as we walked everywhere, crossing so many beautiful bridges along the way, but a one way private water taxi in one of those shiny mahogany old world boats across the bay and down the Grand Canal after arriving, would be a real "memory maker". I still remember when we did it over 20 years ago. Positively magical!