My fiancé and I have been looking into going to the Alps this coming Nov/Dec for our honeymoon. We haven’t done a ton of research yet and wanted some good advice from the community here before we really started planning further. Italian Alps? Swiss Alps? Any other romantic snowy or mountainous regions with cute little villages and cozy chalets with plenty to do and easy enough to get to the next village/location? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a European destination either. Just somewhere that fits the above description.
antarctica cruise?
definitely ‘wintery’ and ‘unique’… once in a life time kinda experience!
Any more details? That didn’t even cross my mind as a possibility
Timing is key. You aren’t assured of snow even in late December but it’s much more likely than early November.
You didn’t say if you want to ski?
Fly to southern tip of Argentina. Take a 7-14 day cruise around Antarctic waters. Penguins. Ice formations. Crazy long day lights. Etc. it’s unique.
It’s also probably one of the most expensive trips so honeymoon is a good reason as a once in a life time thing.
It’s unique in that not everyone and their dog has been there. Google Antarctica cruise photos and some pictures are just otherworldly.
U mean u said winter hahaha. We had ours in bora bora so that doesn’t qualify as winter 
To echo what Russell wrote, you need to specify whether you want to ski or not. Most resorts won’t be open at all until December and only the high ones with plenty of skiing above 2000m will be able to offer a high probability of skiing then unless they have massive artificial snowmaking capability. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a catch 22 in that the resorts with the most to do/see and the most atmosphere tend to be the older/lower altitude resorts that will be the least likely to offer skiing at that time of year e.g. Gstaad, most Austrian resorts etc etc. Your best bet might be somewhere like St Moritz the week before Christmas. It’s reasonably high up (1800m) and there’s plenty to do besides skiing although how much of that is open that early you’d need to check. It’s also stupendously expensive!
Skiing is at the bottom of our list of activities. Its 100% fine if it doesn’t happen.
I enjoyed a marvelous trip to the Swiss Alps based in the town of Lauterbrunnen. It’s incredibly beautiful, as are nearby towns, with lots of outdoor activities. The hiking is marvelous, and you can visit several glaciers and numerous waterfalls. Worth a look, I’d say, especially if you are into being outdoors.
Elliot,
Congratulations on your impending marriage. I certainly don’t want to throw a wrench into your plans if you have your heart set on a cold weather honeymoon, but a little food for thought…my wife and I got married years ago in December. We took a 5-6 days trip to South Beach right after the wedding to get away, but then went on our honeymoon in late April/early May to Europe.
Obviously idea/option isn’t for everyone, but it actually worked well for us as it allowed us some post wedding time to plan our honeymoon.
Interlaken would be an obvious place then.
Interlaken is one of the towns just a short hop from Lauterbrunnen. We visited Interlaken as well, and loved it, though I found Lauterbrunnen even more stunning.
Great advice Sarah! You’re a mind reader. That’s exactly what I had pictured in my head. Where did you stay and eat and what other villages did you visit?
I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of detail to add. My parents organized that part of the trip, so we were on a budget and stayed somewhere pretty cheap, which was fine, but I couldn’t recommend it. It’s also not a culinary mecca, IIRC. There are probably many more options than we explored. I remember there’s a lot of rosti with everything. But the hiking was incredible and the scenery to die for. You can hear the cow bells echoing in that clear mountain air for miles. The people at any hotel or outdoor shop have special hiking maps and can help you with what trails are best at which time of year. You take a cable car up to the trail heads. It’s pretty neat. There’s a funny railroad that goes up the mountain from (I think) Lausanne called the Golden Rail or something like that - I’m sure Google can find it. It’s a gorgeous ride up that way, though slower.
Sorry - it was 2010 and I didn’t do a lot of research, certainly not for the sort of place one would want on a honeymoon.
Austrian kicks ass. Great honeymoon place. Salzburg, Vienna, and Hallstatt.
Please.
if you’re into Michelin starred restaurants and wine, you might consider the dolomites. We even booked a package where they shuttled you around to various 1 and 2 star restaurants at night while you hiked or skied all day.
So we’ve gone in a new direction. We are now fixed on Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. We are looking at 16 days total which leaves 14 full days with boots on the ground. Flying in to Rome ($430 round trip from LA!) and renting a car then driving up to the Tuscan countryside. Right now we have a small list of places to visit in each region but looking for some more detailed insight into the regions. Also how much time would be appropriate in each area? We have found a ton of beautiful AirBnB places so we have accommodations covered.
Tuscany:
-Assisi
-Montepulciano
-Montalcino
-Siena
Emilia-Romagna:
-Modena
-Reggio-Emilia
-Parma
-Bologna
What towns would you add as day trips or short stops to visit? What on my list would you cross off? What restaurants would you recommend both fancy and casual (my idea of fancy is not michelin stars but an upscale environment with well executed traditional dishes)? What wineries would you recommend in Montepulciano and Montalcino (ideally I’d like to visit up and coming producers who have little to no distribution here in the states)? What farms and artisans would you visit (think olive oil, honey, salumi, cheese, pottery, furniture etc.)? Any must visit stores in any of those towns that have stuff worth schlepping back? Any outdoor activities worth doing?
That’s all I can think of for now.
Thanks in advance!
check all of the producers this tour visits, then you can do almost all on your own without the tour
Thanks for the tip Paul. Any suggestions for Tuscany?
Have you been to Rome before? If not, you may want to allocate at least a couple of days there to see the most famous sites, and just experience the city. Same with Florence.
Last trip to Italy two years ago was for 2 weeks in Rome, Florence, and Cinque Terre.