Italy Honeymoon: The Amalfi-or-Tuscany Decision, Settled by Couples Who've Done Both

Nobody comes home from an Italian honeymoon wishing they'd gone somewhere else — but plenty come home wishing they'd routed it differently. Italy punishes over-ambitious itineraries: the couples happiest with their trip consistently picked two bases, maximum three, and let the country come to them.

This guide rests on three long-form reports of completed Italian honeymoons. Three is a small number, and we'd rather say so than pad it — every Italy honeymoon post we found on Reddit turned out to be someone asking for itinerary feedback, not reporting back. All three reports recommend the trip, and all three come from photographers and lifestyle writers, so the budgets skew comfortable. The useful material is in what they'd change.

The three classic routes

Rome + Amalfi Coast (7–10 days). The most-booked first-timer honeymoon. Two or three nights in Rome, then a transfer or train+ferry to Positano or Ravello.

Florence + Tuscany countryside (7–10 days). The consensus pick for couples who prioritize food and wine. A few nights in Florence, then an agriturismo or wine-country villa around Val d'Orcia or Chianti with a rental car.

Venice + the Lakes (7–10 days). The quiet-luxury route: two nights in Venice (couples consistently say two is right), then Lake Como. The most common tip: stay in Varenna or Bellagio, not Como town.

Fourteen days? Combine two routes with the fast train — it links Rome, Florence, and Venice in under two hours per hop.

Ravello or Positano? The reports disagree

We'd previously called Ravello the near-unanimous romantic pick. Our reports don't bear that out.

One couple based in Ravello for three nights at the Belmond Caruso and called it exactly what they needed, peaceful and unhurried. Another skipped staying there, found Ravello "touristy" on a day visit, and spent five very happy nights in Positano instead.

The genuinely useful third option came from a couple who based themselves in Praiano — quiet at night, but an easy hop to Positano, Amalfi and Ravello by day. It's the routing most guides leave out, and it solves the crowding complaint without giving up access.

Where couples say to spend vs. save

• Spend: the view room on the Amalfi Coast; one blowout dinner; a private boat day. These are the memories that come up in every "worth it" report.
• Save: Rome hotels (you're barely in the room), Venice beyond two nights, renting a car anywhere except Tuscany.

What those things actually cost

Two cautions on the boat line: fuel, port fees and VAT are often charged on top, and "private tour" pricing is sometimes quoted per boat rather than per hour — confirm which before you book.

We deliberately don't list an Amalfi Coast lodging range. The aggregator pages that quote one block automated checks, so we can't stand behind their figures, and the only nightly rate in our own reports is a 2016 Praiano Airbnb at $50 a night each — real, but too old to publish as current. What that report does still establish is that the coast has genuinely cheap beds on it; the splurge is a choice, not a toll.

The logistics couples flag most

1. Amalfi transfers are harder than they look. There's no train to Positano. A private transfer from Naples runs about €188, with the wider market roughly €100–190 per car for up to eight people, and about 90 minutes door to door. One couple instead trained from Rome to Amalfi and took a shuttle up to Ravello; another used a driver from Naples airport to the ferry terminal. Every report that used the public bus toward Amalfi and Ravello found it crowded and wished they'd hired a driver.

2. The ferries are seasonal — check before you build a plan around them. Amalfi Coast ferries run from late March to the end of October, in full swing from mid-April, with the Sorrento–Positano–Amalfi route usually starting mid-May. In high season there are up to 11 crossings a day, first around 08:55 and last around 17:05; Sorrento–Amalfi takes about an hour and tickets start at €15–20. Sailings are suspended in rough seas, so never make a ferry the only way you can reach your flight.

3. Book the big three in advance: Uffizi, Vatican, and any Michelin dinner — weeks ahead, not days.

4. Trains beat driving everywhere except rural Tuscany.

When to go

Late May–June and September are the repeated recommendations: warm sea on the coast, tolerable crowds, and golden light in Tuscany. August is the month honeymooners most often warn against — coastal crowds and closed city restaurants. Our three reports travelled in May, July and October, and the July trip is the one that came back with the most notes about heat and crowds.

Small things the reports mention that guides don't

• Amalfi beaches are rocky. Bring water shoes if you're used to sand.
• Table water isn't free, and tipping conventions differ from home — budget slightly more for meals than you expect.
• Give yourself a buffer day after the wedding. One couple deliberately flew out on the Monday rather than the Sunday, and named it one of their better decisions.

Budget

We're not publishing a full daily budget for Italy yet. None of the three reports itemized food or activity spend, and the two that stayed at the marquee properties — the Belmond Caruso and Villa Treville — never published a nightly rate, with one of them booked on credit-card points. The verified ranges in the table above are what we can stand behind.