Honeymoon plan critique – 3 weeks in Europe in Aug/Sept 2024

Hi all,

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We're planning a 3 week honeymoon that ends in a friend's wedding near Athens, Greece, and so we wanted to travel around there for 3 weeks beforehand. We're flying from NYC, USA.

Positives for what we're looking for: Food, Cleanliness, Uniqueness, Culture, Walkable

Things we don't care as much about: Beaches, Water activities, Nightlife, Drinking culture

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Tentative itinerary:

NYC–>Lyon (3 nights) –> Rome (3 nights) –> via train to Florence (2 nights) –> via train to Venice (3 nights) –> Budapest (3 nights) –> via Ryanair flight to Mykonos (3 nights) –> via ferry to Santorini (3 nights) –> via flight to Athens for wedding (3 nights) –> NYC

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Some notes:

1) I've been to all the above locations in Italy already so I have a pretty good sense of pacing/timing and it will be slightly rushed (lots to do), but the intention is the first half of the trip is more cultural where we're seeing more things whereas the second half of the trip is more relaxed and we can take the time to unwind once we hit Greece.

2) We were split between Budapest or Prague but Budapest had a direct ryanair flight to Mykonos whereas Prague had a much longer flight that arrived in Myk/Santorini after midnight which wasn't ideal.

3) Our budget is $10-15k, we haven't really done the exact math out yet. But we're willing to splurge on unique accommodations (rather than biz/first class flights which would take us instantly out of our budget).

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Questions for everyone:

1) Any suggestions/improvements to the itinerary?

2) Any recommendations for great guided tour experiences of these cities or excursions outside as well?

3) If there are any recommendations on really unique places (hotels, resorts, etc.) to stay at, that would be appreciated as well!

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Thanks!