Recommendations!?

View quoted message Thank you so much for your opinion! We definitely are not the kind of people to sit around and relax! We get too antsy, we went to Cuba for a week in May, and although the first 3 - 4 days were great, after that we were losing our minds. I think we would be okay with being busy, but I still see what your saying about wanting to see the beauty! We have decided 100% on Europe, now just to decide on the countries - the worst part!

View quoted message I’m so envious!! You’ll have to let me know if that’s what you end up choosing! 😍

View quoted message Thanks so much for the response! My gut is saying the Almafi Coast, as much as I'd love to seee Rome and Florence if we're going all the way there. Just the pictures of Positano make it hard to resist!

What a great time to go! I'm hoping to have mine around then too, so I've been in the same boat.

I know for our planning, we said no to the Caribbean because of hurricane season (sad because I found a great place in St. Maarten, oh well the anniversary trip it is then!) So we were thinking Europe too.

The beauty of Europe is that's the shoulder season so it isn't as crowded and the weather is still nice. The key is like you said: not getting tired from doing too much. We did northern Italy in 10 days and it was ram-packed so pacing is necessary. My suggestion would be to pick one country and go there (unless you have a lot of time to do others). It also depends on what you want to do:

History: Italy, Greece, Malta

Relaxation: anywhere Mediterranean

Culture: anywhere really! I loved the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Spain

Modern chic: anywhere Scandinavian (but $$$ )

There's lots of options for you and your SO. Whatever you want to do, I'm sure it'll be great!

View quoted message Hey Nikki! When I went I did Rome and Florence and could have spent a week in each place, easily. You can take a train either way to each place. I think the thing to decide if you want to do Italy is what you want to see. Are you going for siteseeing? If so, I recommend Rome and Florence.

Rome has obviously the Colosseun, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican, etc. We only did Rome in 3 full days and felt rushed. I recommend buying all the siteseeing tickets ahead of time as the lines are ridiculous (if you’re going in high season of course May-September).

Florence is more relaxed than Rome but still tons to see. The Duomo Cathedral is the most spectacular thing I saw. We unfortunately never toured it but I recommend doing so. The Statue of David is there as well and we did a vespa tour of wine country which was so amazing - I definitely recommend. I did Florence in 2 full days and it was no where near enough.

if you’re looking for more scenic and relaxing I would look into doing Venice, Amalfi Coast, Naples, Capri, etc. There’s also Milan but it’s a city (they have fashion week at some point) - I never visited there. I’ve been told that Venice is dirty and smelly but a must see (it’s a river city).

on our next trip we want to do Florence, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. More beachy and relaxing we hope!

hope this helps!

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We were thinking of doing Italy for our honeymoon but have that same fear.. being exhausted from trying to do too much. What would you recommend for 2 weeks in Italy? Neither of us have been anywhere in Europe!

We're doing a Mediterranean cruise after our wedding, which is also next September. I have heard that late September-early October is the best time to do the Mediterranean and I am SO excited.

Paris is a beautiful city, but there are better places if you want things a little quieter. Reims is beautiful and not far from Paris. In Central France there's Dijon and Beaune that are both wonderful. I lived in France for two months on the border of Germany, which was my favourite country that I visited while there. Switzerland was also amazing, but it's very pricey.

Check out Ryan Air and see how quick and easy it to get around! Strasbourg, France (where I lived) is a gorgeous city and very central, but you can only get to/from London and Portugal via Ryan Air, however, there are train routes to nearly everywhere!

Like I said, I simply ADORED Germany - Baden Baden, Freiburg, Triberg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe... I never made it to Munich or Berlin, but they're supposed to be amazing! Try to get to Munich in October for Oktoberfest!

Hope this helps and good luck!

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Usually it's a non-issue. It's DEFINITELY not like a regular boat at all... to get really sea-sick you'd need to be in open waters and have rough weather... even then the modern cruise ships are really good with their stabilization... But they also have these wristbands you can wear that help keep you from feeling ill. If you go with a cruise, I suggest picking a room that is lower (Deck 3 or 4), and more centered. The boat is usually only moving at night (unless you have a day At Sea), so being in that "neutral" zone is the calmest/smoothest place to avoid most movement while you sleep.

You can look at the itineraries of different cruises, but most of the time you're in a city for a day (sometimes overnight for 2 if it's a bigger/popular port)... but normally you dock in the morning, get off, explore, book an excursion if you want assistance or a planned activity, then back on for dinner and on to the next city/country the next day!

Ones that start and end in different cities can be nice because you can spend a few extra days beforehand, and after, in those cities... For example, the Athens to Rome cruise.

I hope you look into it! It truly is a wonderful time. I strongly urge you to stick with the more well-know/bigger cruise lines, as the ones that are smaller/cheaper will reflect on your experience. My honeymoon will be my 15th cruise, and definitely not my last!

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Woooo cruises! I'm still jealous, I want to work on one so badly... my FH even has his PT license now to work in the gym and go with me... But we won't leave our fur baby behind

I have yet to see Europe. but a friend of mine was just in Florence and madrid. and she LOOVVEEDDD madrid. her and her hubby rented an air bnb near the main strip (thinking shopping/restaurants/bars/nightlight till wee hours of the am). she said she would go back in a heartbeat (and she has travelled around the world so I like her opinion).

We went to Greece and Italy in October this year and it was amazing! I highly recommend Italy, we rented a car and explored the country. I also have been to Switzerland and it is still my favourite country. I would go back in a heart beat. If you love history you really can't go wrong with Europe.

Edit: the nice part about Europe in October is there is a lot less crowds then summer.

I just did a euro trip with my FH last summer for over 2 weeks. We did London, Paris, Florence then Rome. It was absolutely amazing but I don’t recommend what we did.

Travelling to so many places in such a short period is tiring and time consuming. I recommend, as others have, either cruising or sticking to one place in particular and then having the option to day drive somewhere if you want to explore.

i absolutely love Florence - any time I talk to someone about Europe I talk about Florence.

View quoted message That is actually a great idea! I never thought about that! I will definitely have to look into something like that because it’s what would suit what we’re looking for! I’ve never been on a cruise, however when I’m on a boat I do tend to get sea sick, would I notice the waves or anything while on the cruise ship? Also, how many days are you at a country while stopped and off of the ship? Would it be enough time to explore a bit of it?

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I'm with Brittany and I'll preach about cruising until I'm dead lol

In all seriousness, you only unpack one time, and you get to see multiple locations AND have a good chunk of your food paid for or included, which usually is a lot of the cost to a trip!

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I know, picking a location from Europe and the Mediterranean is just so hard. Depending on how long your honeymoon will be, I would stick to just 1 country. Last thing you want is to be exhausted from your trip, you know? That was the one tip a friend gave me after doing 3 weeks in Italy. She felt like they had packed way too much in that timeline and didn't really get to truly relax in one area.

I preach about cruising to so many brides... haha... but if you specifically want to visit many locations, I STRONGLY suggest it... You get to unpack once, have majority of your meals/entertainment included, and you can see several cities/countries in 10-14 days! For example:

Royal Caribbean: 12 Night Mediterranean Cruise - It departs Sept 26th from England, so it would give you a couple days to travel, maybe see some of England, or even hop over to Scotland or Ireland for a day or two... then go on lovely cruise to see Spain, France and Portugal!

Or

Celebrity Cruises: 12 Night Israel & Mediterranean Cruise - Departs Sept 29th, but from Athens, Greece, so you could definitely explore Greece for a few days before hopping on and ending up in Rome!

Just a thought to look into! There are other itineraries, dates, and cruise lines (Princess is also good). I stand by it 100%. We are doing a 12-night Southern Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean, leaving straight from the wedding, cruising 2 days later. There's something to be said for both an interesting/exciting trip, as well as turn-key/stress free!

View quoted message I have heard so much good stuff about Prague and I think that will definitely be in our itinerary! I have also heard to avoid Paris as well, but didn’t think about a layover, that would be a great idea! I did hear that if you don’t speak much French they can be very rude to you, similar to Montreal, and that there is a lot of crime right down in the core!

View quoted message That is exactly where I was thinking! I would love to see Santorini, as well as almost anything in Italy and Spain! Portugal and Prague would be on my list as well! But we would also really like to see Ireland, Germany and Netherlands too! So many choices 😍

September is also the perfect time to hit Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and the Greek islands! The crowds aren't as crazy and the weather is still just right!

I recommend Czech Republic! haha, like Dar said - it's cheaper, but not for everything. For example; food and (alcoholic drinks) at restaurants are SUPER CHEAP! but if you go to their mall in Prague, ya... same prices as here in Canada (but to be fair there is different selection). Beer is cheaper than bus fair there... it's awesome.

Avoid Paris IMO, it's not worth it for more than a layover that you can quickly go and see the Eiffel Tower and L'arc De Triumph. For the most part if you don't speak french the people there are rude af and to get into and out of the city the traffic was insane for me and my FH as well as it was horrific to look at (tons of garbage everywhere!).

Welcome to Wedding Wire! Congratulations on your engagement!

My FH. and I love foodie/travel shows like Parts Unkwn and Salt Fat Acid Heat. It’s through watching these shows that we’ve heard that Portugal and The Azore’s would be lovely places to visit.

Personally, I’d also love to visit Denmark.

As for BC - We’re Toronto based but love BC ask much we decided to get married there. We chose Victoria. If you opt for BC, you may want to drop down to Seattle as well. All of the west coast is gorgeous! Let us know what you and your FS decide on.

In the shoulder season, Paris isn’t too crowded and if you do your research, is actually affordable. With any European city, you’ll want to choose your activities to stay on budget. Museums, tours and shopping is where things will add up fast.

If you want the most bang for your buck, head to eastern or Central Europe (Czech republic, Poland, Croatia, etc). They are beautiful, fewer tourists and a bit cheaper. Krakow is one of my favourite cities to visit, has a solid tourism infrastructure but is quite a bit cheaper than anywhere in Western Europe.

it also comes down to your travel style - if you want the majority of people to speak English and have access to Canadian-style food, stay West and pay the extra money to be comfortable. If you’re will to branch out a bit, I would say head East.

there are also some great tour companies that do semi-independent tours - they’ll get you to the cities, have guides there as a resource and you have the option to join excursions, but you have the freedoms to explore what you want on your own.