So, this itinerary is actually from my husband and I’s delayed Honeymoon way back in 2015! For the record, I was *so* glad we delayed our honeymoon six-ish months after our wedding. Having the honeymoon-planning craziness on top of the wedding-planning craziness would’ve been too exhausting for me.

But I digress. I figured I’d put up our itinerary here for posterity’s sake and in case it’s helpful to anyone else. Since it’s been nine years, so it’s kind of interesting to really see what was memorable or not, and I was able to dig up the itinerary and my husband’s trip journal, so it is accurate!

This was also the first trip that I planned all by myself, and I’m not going to lie, I think I did a pretty awesome job. Self-five 25-year-old me! Please keep in mind though that when I vacation, I like to go at a breakneck pace and cover a lot of ground. Since half of this vacation was a cruise though, the first half was pretty chill!

When my husband and I took this trip, I had already backpacked around Italy before, but it was his first time in Europe, and even though it’s been a decade, we still both remember this trip as being astoundingly awesome.

14-Day Itinerary

4 Jun: Travel
– Fly from Florida to Rome and take a train to Venice
Notes: After this trip, I no longer voluntarily fly on American Airlines (see below.)

5 Jun: Venice, Italy
– Arrive in Rome in the morning
– Take a train to Venice
– Spend the night in Venice (Alloggi Agli Artisti Hostel – solid!)
Notes: The trip actually started out really poorly. Our plane broke while we were taxi’ing on the runway, and then American Airlines tried to tell us they wouldn’t be able to get us to Italy until a day later… which would’ve meant missing our cruise. I cried and it was stressful, but eventually we did manage to arrive in Italy only eight hours later than planned. Then, when we got there, the train connecting the airport to the central train station wasn’t running. Thankfully, they fixed it and we made our train to Venice with 10 minutes to spare. Now, even years later, I have a deep-seated distrust of American Airlines, and if we’re getting to the cruiseport via plane, we now make sure to get there 48 hours in advance.

6 Jun: Venice & Cruise Ship
– See Venice (Doges Palace Tour & Rialto Bridge/Market)
– Check in to Cruise (Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas left Venice at 1700)
Notes: Venice is gorgeous. I enjoyed getting lost in the city just as much as the first time I was there. My husband enjoyed the palace tour and the history.

7 Jun: Dubrovnik, Croatia
– Cruise stop in Dubrovnik
– Walk the medieval walls of the walled city of Dubrovnik
Notes: Dubrovnik is eye-poppingly gorgeous. Completely unreal. Also, apparently scenes from Game of Thrones was filmed here. I’m pretty sure we also went to Fort Lovrijenac right outside the walls. (Which you can see in the pictures)

8 Jun: Cruise Ship
– At Sea Day
Notes: Since this trip, my husband and I have been on several cruise lines, but I remember this cruise being very enjoyable. Solid food, lots to do, & the other four couples at our dining table were all on their Honeymoon too!

9 Jun: Kusadasi, Turkey
– Cruise Stop in Kusadasi
– Guided tour of Ephesus, Temple of Apollo & Miletus
Notes: Enjoyed the tour & the history! Cool ancient ruins and we learned a lot about Turkey from the tour guide.

10 Jun: Santorini, Greece
– Cruise stop in Santorini
– Take bus to Oia & hike back to Thera
Notes: So we walked up the switchback cliff path instead of taking the cable car or taking a donkey. We were early enough that there was no traffic on the way up, but on the way down, I swear we were almost un-alived by a donkey stampede. (Mostly because I was laughing too much to properly get out of the way.) We walked from Oia to Thera along a 6 mi path carved into the cliffs and my husband wrote in his trip journal: “The views were probably the best I’ve ever seen on any hike.” (And the man grew up in Hawaii, you all, so this is saying something.)

11 Jun: Katakolon, Greece
– Katakolon; see Olympia
Notes: Bussed out to Olympia, which was the site of the first Olympics and the ruins of the temple of Zeus which once contained the statue of Zeus (another one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.) I like ruins and historical sites, so I enjoyed it.

12 Jun: Cruise Ship
– At Sea
– Notes: always nice to have a relaxing day, especially considering the second half of our itinerary…

13 Jun: Venice, Italy
– Return in Venice
– See St Mark’s Basilica
– Ride in a gondola
– Spend night in Venice
Notes: Spent most of the day getting lost in Venice (in the best way.) I was *very* reluctant to take a gondola ride as it seemed to incredibly touristy, but I’m actually so glad we did. Our gondalier took us down the quieter canals of Venice and sang to us in Italian along the way—it was expensive but worth it. Also we found a hole-in-the-wall pasta place, Dal Moro’s, which my foodie husband still reminisces about to this day as the best pasta he’s had in his life. La Mela Verde is also a excellent gelato place.

14 Jun: Florence, Italy
– Take train to Florence
– Duomo
– Palazzo Vecchio
– See Michelangelo’s David in Galleria Academia
– Ponte Vecchio
– Giardini Boboli
– Fort Belvedere
– Piazza Della Signoria
– Piazzale Michelangelo
– Spend day/night in Florence (Plus Florence – solid!)
Notes: Recommend All’anti Vinaio for delicious sandwiches & Antica Gelateria. I’m a firm believer that when in Italy, one should eat Gelato every day. Honestly this was my second time in Florence, and while I enjoyed it, it doesn’t stick with me as much as our other locations.

15 Jun: See Pisa & Hike Cinque Terra
– See the leaning tower of Pisa
– Hike Cinque Terra
– Take train to Rome (Rome Accomodation Hostel – I don’t recommend this one, I usually don’t care about beds, but I remember being able to feel every spring in that mattress, and though it’s in a central location, the surrounding area wasn’t great.)
Notes: Took the train to Pisa (it’s just as interesting seeing it the second time, I honestly can’t believe it hasn’t fallen), climbed up, took the train to La Spezia Centrale, stored our bags, and caught another train to Monterosso. The city sits on the west coast of Italy and serves as the northernmost point of the Cinque Terre trails that run through five little towns along the sea. A tough hike, but the views are incredible. We walked to Corniglia, then took the train back to La Spezia, grabbed our bags, and snagged a train to Rome.

16 Jun: Rome, Italy
– St Peter’s Basilica
– Vatican (St Peter’s Square & The Sistine Chapel)
– Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill
– Pantheon
– Trevi Fountain
– Spanish Steps
– Piazza Navona Fountains
– Spend night in Rome
Notes: Rome —a seamless blend of ancient and modern—is a city of famous things that are worth the hype, and it’s pretty easy to navigate via the metro and sturdy walking shoes. St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican, St. Peter’s Square, the Sistine Chapel, and other artworks there (I love Raphael’s “School of Athens” fresco) are breathtaking. Also, Alice Pizza nearby is a solid eat. Next was the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon (where we found a classical a capella group making excellent use of the dome’s acoustics.) We walked up to Trevi fountain, but unfortunately it was mostly obscured by construction. (I have seen it before, but I wasn’t unduly disappointed to miss it this time.) Next we walked to the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Navona fountains.

17 Jun: Pompeii, Italy (Day Trip)
– Take train out and back to Pompeii
Notes: I LOVE Pompeii (this was my second time.) The extent to which the amazing city was preserved is incredible and it really seems to transport you back in time with Pompeii looming in the background. According to my husband’s trip journal, apparently we also went to the Arcibasilica di San Giovanni… but I have no memory of that. 😂 My husband also says we got some of the best gelato from Il Gelato Di San Crispino, so that was probably forefront on my mind. 😂

18 Jun: Fly home!

Final thoughts

From my husband’s trip journal:

The cruise gave us time to relax and enjoy the vacation first before we tore through Italy. Santorini was my favorite cruise destination. The island was just so unique with its gravity-defying cliffhouses and incredible walking path between cities. Of our week in Italy, Venice was my favorite city. I love that there are no cars. The curving alleys and little hard to find holes-in-the-wall make it seem magical. Pompeii had my favorite ruins but the theater in Ephesus and the road that led up to the theater were a very close second. We never had any problems with a language barrier. Almost everywhere we went there seemed tobe enough English spoken to get anything done.

Me reflecting nine years later:

The places I remember most from this trip were Venice (the gondola, Dal Moro’s, and just wandering around), hiking Santorini (especially the donkey path), and hiking Cinque Terra. My favorite things I was glad to see a second time and was so thrilled to show my husband were the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pompeii, the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Sistine Chapel.)

Overall though, besides the initial travel snafus, there’s really nothing I would’ve changed about this itinerary. We got to relax and cover a lot of ground in turns, while seeing some of the most beautiful places in the world.

Highly, highly recommend and if you have any questions, just give a shout. Also if you want to check out our other travel itineraries from past destinations you can find them here. Thanks for reading!