Going to Italy for our Honeymoon in July!! When should we book? What should be on our must see list? Any tips for traveling to Italy in July?

Michelle
We went to Italy in July for our honeymoon a couple years ago. We spent 3 days in Venice, 5 in Florence, 5 in a small village and 6 in Rome. We stayed in vrbo rentals and had a fantastic experience. I can give you info of where we stayed and what we did if you need

Hey! When did you start booking your trip?
What was your top 3 favorites in Venice, Rome and Florence?

We started booking probably about now. I hands down loved everything about Florence. The food, the old churches, the friendliness. We loved it. From Rome, we did a tour to Pompeii which was cool. I loved the Tivoli gardens too. Walking along the Tiber River was amazing too BC there are food trucks and things set up at night. We rented a car from Florence and stayed inside Tuscan village for 5 days. It was the best part of the trip. We felt free to tour wherever in the car, were fully immersed in the culture since no one in the village spoke English and ideas a nice rest in between trying to fit in as many touristy things as we could.

Michelle We are staying 3 nights in Venice and 5 nights in Rome in July 2018. Would you mind to share where you stayed with me please? Looking for vrbo rentals. Thanks!

Michelle we are going in September could you pass on those vrbo's please

We also did our honeymoon in Italy. We did not rent a car when in Italy as the their transit and trains systems were easy to navigate and quick !!
Cinque Terra is a must see region that is made up of 5 cool towns. Look up some pictures it's amazing ! We rented an air bnb for that area.

We just came back from a trip to Italy in July!!!!!
Major tip: Do as the Italians do and siesta in the middle of the day. The heat will kill you anyway, so get out early, rest in the afternoon, and enjoy the evening!
If it's your thing - hit up a grocery store, make up a picnic, and go find a park! It's so relaxing and nice to soak in the atmosphere. On our overnight flight over (as most Europe flights are), we took our blankets with us (asked the flight attendants who said go for it!). Free picnic blankets that fold up nice
We booked places that supplied breakfast and air conditioning. Grab breakfast and off you go!
We didn't rent a vehicle but used public transit in the form of mainly trains and subway. We never took a taxi and saved money that way.
I could go on and on...
If you're on a tight timeline, Venice is good for a couple days. Florence = incredible. Sorrento is fabulous, Rome is incredible but more fast paced city than the rest listed here. Pompeii is an absolute MUST.
We did half day walking tours to take in the culture and cannot recommend Walks of Italy enough. Feel free to message me if you want more info! I loved Italy and would go back in a heartbeat.

Rome . 3 days will cover highlights . Do hop on hop off bus.
Take high speed train to Florence 3 days.
And then spend as much time as possible on Amalfi Coast. Sorrento. Positano .
Hike Cinque Terre if you have a few extra days.

I spent three days in Rome and wish I spent a week. I know I saw all of the highlights but I feel I missed so much.

I will add to this that if you're ok with driving rent a car and drive some in Tuscany. The views are stunning. The little towns (any town) is magician just to stop in, walk around and have lunch in the square.

if you go in july, it is HOTTTTT. We went to Bologna, Modena and Maranello (for the lambourghini and ferrari museums) and Rome in July and with the humidity, it was hotter than plus 43 every day. Bologna is a cool place with lots of cool food tours but it is surrounded by mountains and crazy hot with no breeze. Rome has all the touristy stuff but we still loved it. We stayed in Trastevere and loved the neighbourhood. We did a guided tour with Marina Juliette Vandenberg and she was amazing. She is on FB and her email is [email protected]. In Rome, we did a cooking class and it was unreal. We have done 5 other cooking classes in various parts of the world but this was our favourite. http://www.cookwithusinrome.com/ is their email and they are on facebook too: cook with us in rome. It was walking distance from our condo too. Enjoy; you will LOVE Italy!
COOKWITHUSINROME.COM
Cook with us in Rome

July will be HOT so be prepared! Rome is a must see for a first timer but so hard to know where to stay right? We stayed in Trastevere which was walking distance to almost everywhere. It was so 'alive' there day or night and very safe. A little like Whyte Ave in that it was kind of trendy, had lots of unique shops, eateries, bars and street entertainment as well as the culture and historical places...enjoy!

If you do Rome in July and plan to see the Vatican, then be prepared. You must either bring long sleeves or purchase.

Eicart not long sleeves. Women must have their shoulders and knees covered.

Wendy shorts or short trousers are not allowed period. Nothing low cut nor hats allowed. Little more than covering your knees and shoulders. Lol

Pisa is overrated and a waste of a day. Spend that time at San gimignano or Orvieto. Siena wasn't that amazing. Florence is magic, Venice at night is breathtaking. See the Roman steps and the trevi fountain and all the amazing sights in Rome.

If you have time, go to Pompeii. It is truly the most interesting experience. I found it fascinating. 2000 year old original floor frescos still there that you can step on and touch. It was amazing to me. I’ve seen pictures since I was a child but to actually be there and experience it was amazing. It was a complete city! You can’t image the size until you are actually there.
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We were there last July. Expect it to be very busy. Booking your accommodation in Feb/Mar is not wrong for the cities like Rome, Venice etc. In many of those cities, it can be a short 10 minute walk from the crush of people to a charming Italian streetscape. So, take a bit of time ... see the Leaning Tower in Pisa but then walk into town and down to the river. Much quieter and you can buy a lovely coffee on the patio for less than Starbucks here. Or, you can fight for a seat within blocks of the tower and pay twice the price.

Yes. Explore the back streets away from tourists. Find the great little squares where you can have a coffee or glass of wine and watch life go by. Most cities are very, very safe. I have great memories of an afternoon in Venice when my wife and I were walking from San Marco to explore the ghetto. We happened upon a little treed square away from the tourist areas - stopped and had coffees, then proseccos...we ended up spending hours there enjoying life in Venice.

My opinion - go South. Positano is from your dreams. Naples, rich in history with all those that conquered and ruled all of Europe from there. Gallipoli down the heel of the boot, outstanding. Avoid Capri. It's really not that exciting and overrated. My favorite though, an island in the south, Ischia. It's a fairly well kept secret for the Italians. Catch a ferry over from Naples and then a bus to S'Angelo. Small beach clubs, you're on the point of the island, beaches one side, docks on the other. It's fabulous and I regret not spending more time there.

We stayed in the Hotel Oriente in Vico Equense (ask for balcony)-they know YEG well due to a U of A prof that takes students. Across the street is the Circumvesuviana train where you easily and cheaply ride to Naples, Herculaneum,Pompeii, Sorrento -lots of days trips. From Sorrento hop a city bus along the Amalfi coast as far as you want.
Cities are safe but beware pickpockets everywhere-especially churches, trains etc. Naples pretty bad for pickpockets so do a day trip to see Pompeii artifacts and eat original pizza!!!

Driving in Italy can be very hectic, and finding overnight parking can be a challenge. I'd avoid driving if possible. If you must drive, rent a SMALL car.

Driving in Italy is HELL compared to home. I don't recommend it.

We have driven all over Italy and found driving was very easy except in big cities where we would park and take longer cal transit. We always had a larger vehicle. We did make sure when we booked our B&Bs and hotels that they had free parking for us.

Sperlonga and Fondi!!!! Best places ever to visit. Book airbnb. Several cheap and delicious Michelin Star Restaurant. You can take the train from Rome to Fondi or drive (one hour).

And great beaches!!!

Cool old town on the hill between the beaches. Really enjoyed our time there, was a nice break in the action between Rome and Naples.

One of my Italian client told me about it. We loved, loved, loved it!! And not many tourists, very authentic part of Italy.

Visit Trieste!! It's a lovely quiet city on the Adriatic Sea rich in culture and history. It's also a short boat ride to Croatia for a day trip.

Wherever you go just make sure your accommodation has air conditioning....it's VERY HOT in July.

Capri is expensive. You need to pay for most public washrooms everywhere. If you have time Sicily is very nice.

Hi Kimberlee, I’m thinking of visiting Sicily in July, what do you recommend?

Tessa Leigh we went in October 2015 via a Trafalgar Tour, but I just checked out their information. We did an overnight ferry from Naples to Palermo and there we went to Mt Pellegrino. Also the Grotto of Santa Rosalia and Piazza Bellini and to the Duomo at Citta di Monreale (beautiful).

Then we went to Agrigento (Greek Valley of Temples)

Next day we went to Taormina and Giardini Naxos (I would go back to this area for sure). Seaside town and went to Savoca where the Godfather was filmed. Very quaint town but worth the visit. We went up to Mount Etna (active volcano) and walked around there. Very windy and cooler temperatures.

Ocean between Sicily and Africa

Mt Etna from our hotel (fuming) and 2 weeks later "she" erupted.

from the craters at the top of Mt Etna.

Wow! What a cool trip! Thanks for sharing- I didn’t realize (perhaps stupidly) that there were Greek ruins to see! I’ve never been to Greece so that’s a plus too. Looks beautiful. How many days would you stay if you went again, independently (not on a tour)?

Tessa Leigh I don't know what the transportation is like there but a couple of days in each city. Just look at tours for Sicily and then maybe make your own trip from those ideas.

Tessa Leigh I am taking a tour in 3 weeks to Greece and Italy (total 18 days)

Awesome!! Have a great trip!

Venice is a must!!

Have to agree Venice is a must! One of my favourite places on earth.

Cinque terre. And Florence. Loved them bith

Alberobello is amazing

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Don't go in July.