As part of our long honeymoon we made a stop in the historic but maybe overrated city of Venice. This was our last stop on our tour of Italy before we headed to Croatia. In Italy we absolutely loved hiking in Cinque Terre and exploring Rome so maybe we set the bar too high for Venice. We had 3 nights in Venice giving us 3 days to explore, it was probably 2 days too many!

Our 3 Days In Venice

Getting to Venice from Cinque Terre required a 6 hour train journey with a short stop in Milan. The train ride went smoothly despite being a little long. Once we arrived in Venice we trekked 15 minutes across the canals to our Airbnb in the Jewish Ghetto. If you are looking for more of local experience definitely stay in this part of Venice and not in the typical touristy parts. Our little apartment we stayed at was just off the beaten path but still easy to get to everything. I would recommend the Airbnb we stayed at.

Booking a Volotea Flight from Venice to Dubrovnik

Beth and I wrapped up our time in Italy with a final stop in Venice and then a flight on the ultra low cost carrier Volotea to wonderful Dubrovnik. More on Venice later!

Our flight from Venice (VCE) to Dubrovnik (DBV) left early in the morning at 7:15 AM. This route was new for the summer and it proved to be perfect for our honeymoon plan in order to explore both Italy and Croatia. The flight was a mere 1 hour and 20 minutes across the Adriatic Sea. We paid a total of €116.96 for both of our tickets, so cheap! But, with Volotea being an ultra low cost carrier meant they charge extra for anything other than just a seat. They charge for checked bags, carryons, selecting seats, and even printing boarding passes at the airport!!

Fortunately, the Combo Plus package that Volotea sells fit our needs perfectly. It included a checked bag each, premium seat selection, better cancellation policies, and printing of boarding passes at the airport. It priced out to €66.00 for both of us which was cheaper than buying the checked bag option separately which is what we really needed. We even got to select the exit row seats on Volotea’s 717! So a score for us! A nonstop flight and significantly cheaper than any other option.

Getting from Venice to the airport proved somewhat difficult. We had to get up really early to catch the 5:00 AM express bus to the airport. We trekked across Venice’s canals with our bags in the moonlight. It was quite peaceful with almost no one about. Just a couple of stragglers who had stayed up all night partying. The bus ride was a nonstop to the airport and cost €8 person. A pretty cheap option and it was a comfortable ride.

One of the things we were most looking forward to on our 3+ week honeymoon was hiking all five towns in Cinque Terre in one day! Both Beth and I love to hike. We are not ones to do multi-day hikes but give us any day hike and we are there. Cinque Terre has been on our list to visit for a couple years now and it did not disappoint.

After spending a couple of days exploring Rome we were looking forward to a slower pace in Monterosso where we stayed. But of course on our first full day we set out to hike all five towns in one day! We were based in Monterosso and stayed there for four nights and thoroughly enjoyed that town. As for our big hiking day we left our Airbnb at 7:00 AM and made it back at 6:00 PM taking time in each town to explore, eat, and swim. It was a near perfect day of with plenty of sunshine and maybe 80 degrees.

Four Amazing Days in Rome

As part of our long 3+ week honeymoon we decided to spend 4 amazing nights in Rome, Italy! This was the first stop on the European section of the trip. We had just wrapped up relaxing in Punta Cana and we were fortunate enough to get business class tickets to Europe for nearly free. After all that beach time and pina coladas we were ready to be active and explore! Rome was the perfect stop for us!

For accommodations we stayed at the Radisson Blu Rome which had both its positives and negatives but overall we liked our stay there. The plan was to explore during the day, take a little siesta at the hotel pool in the afternoon, and then go out for dinner to enjoy Italy’s amazing food. We followed through everyday!

Radisson Blu Rome

For the second part of our honeymoon Beth and I headed to Rome, Italy to stay at the Radisson Blu Rome! Our first part of honeymoon we relaxed in Punta Cana where we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Westin Punta Cana. From Punta Cana I was even able to secure business class seats to Italy thanks to airline miles making it nearly free. Our plan for Italy was to visit Rome, Cinque Terre, and Venice. Thankfully in Rome we were able to stay at the Radisson Blu for free! All four nights cost us only a total of 200,000 Club Carlson points (50k per night). In fact the majority of our honeymoon accommodations and flights were free thanks to airline miles and hotel points.

Regarding Rome the city I will dive into the details in a follow up post but overall we really enjoyed our time in Rome! As for the Radisson Blu, overall we liked the hotel but probably would not stay here again for a couple of reasons. The main reason being the awkward room arrange which is not as bad as many reviews make it out to be but it still made for difficulties.