All Around Italy, Spain, Portugal, & More!
I spent 3 months traveling all over Europe. And about 6 months before that doing nothing but researching and planning. I found and stumbled upon SO many amazing hidden gems, the best of the best activities, and the yummiest food in every city and compiled them here.
Italy
Venice
Aperol Spritz at
Take a ferry to Burano
Tour the Chapels at San Giorgio Island
Cinque Terre
Hike between all 5 cities!! You'll wander through the most beautiful hillside vineyards and see the most breathtaking coastal views the entire way.
Eat / Drink at:
Nessun Dorma (famous for a reason, home of the homemade pesto cooking class!)
Bar e Vini a Pié de Ma (a hidden gem tucked away behind the train station but incredible ocean views and the best focaccia) I spent hours here hiding out from the rain and came back a second time!
Bar Terza Terra di Cadario Alison might be the best restaurant view of all time. After a long hike I was so excited to see this little hole in the wall bar and get a lemoncello spritz and cake and when I took it out to the patio my jaw was on the floor.
Rome
A night tour of the Colosseum. I can't put into words how cool it was to see one of the 7 world wonders on a private night time tour. There's usually up to 3,000 people visiting at a time and if you go during the day you'll see how crazy packed it is. Tickets are only 50 Euros and sell out fast!
A cooking class at... This was another of my top favorite experiences of all time. This restaurant is owned and run by a local chef and his wife. I was sold on the unlimited wine.
The Trevi fountain - If you find my picture above I went at the total wrong time in the middle of the day around noon. I had to squeeze through the crowd just to get a picture with a million people in it. It's worth it to get up at dawn to see it without the peak crowds.
The Spanish Steps.
Eat at Pastificio Guerra this might be the best hidden gem I stumbled upon on my entire trip. This was by far the best pasta I have ever had in my life. I went back 5 or 6 times, it was basically all I ate in Rome.
The Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
I didn't have time to tour the Sisine Chapel but wish I had made time! I was blown away by the architecture of St. Peter's Bascillica.
Tuscany
Florence
Gelato at
Photobooth
Get a glass of wine from the wine window
Pisa
I booked a train with a stop in Pisa and walked 20 minutes into the city to see the tower. It was totally worth it just to see all the tourists doing the famous pose. There was at least a hundred people (myself included) all doing the same pose at once it was hilarious.
Spain
Barcelona
Go to Platja de la Mar Bella (a clothing optional beach) and call over one of the passing salesman to buy frozen daiquiris.
VALENCIA
Eat at Barraca de Toni Montoliu - Paella doesn't get more traditional than this!! A 7 course meal. Easily the best dining experience of my life. The best way to access is to rent bikes and do a leisurely ride on the ___, x miles from the city.
Seville
Portugal
Lagos
My favorite city in Portugal. I could live there. It's a tiny little beach town.
Visit Benagil Cave. Take a bus and kayak to the cave. Or hop on a boat tour. (I opted for "party van" with a charismatic Australian expat who led a group swim to the cave and packed us a picnic lunch, it was a blast let me know if you want his number)
Lisbon
Watch an outdoor movie at Cine Society - I saw Little Miss Sunshine. Easily the best movie theatre experience of my life.
Wine with a view, Gelato, and Oysters
Menina e Moça - I somehow managed to find two bookstore bars!
Porto
Tour of Sandeman Wine Cellars & Wine Tasting
World of Wine
Livraria Lello - Known as the inspiration behind Harry Potter, it was packed but so worth seeing
Madiera
I did a super jeep tour all around the island to hit the highlights including:
The Funchal Forest
Baths
Waterfalls
The Coast of France
Nice
Eze
Monaco
Villefranche-Sur-Mer
Switzerland
Interlaken
Secret Waterfall
Grindewald
Lauterbrunnen
Eastern Europe
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Thrifting
Red Light District Museum & Sex Museum
Coffee Shops
The Tulip Fields
Budapest, Hungary
Thermal Baths
Champagne Danube Rive Cruise
Buda Castle
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Castle
Beer Spa - One of my favorite experiences of my trip.
Beer Museum - You can bottle your own beer to take home!
Ljubliana, Slovenia
Lake Bled Boat Cruise to the Castle - the city of Ljubliana was nice but I wish I had spent an extra day in Lake Bled instead. This was such a picturesque village. I spent an entire day here hiking, walking around the lake, and eating the traditional Blejska kremšnita cake.
Bratislava, Slovakia
72 Wines in 100 Minutes Tasting - This might not sound like the ideal honeymoon destination but might be worth a stop if you like wine. It's easily the best value for wine tastings in the whole world. You have an hour and a half to sample 72 different wines in all varieties from local regions. It's a self pour experience in an underground wine cellar. It's definitely a challenge to sample every single one but I gave it my best shot and don't remember how many I got to!
Vienna, Austria
Kunst Haus Wien. Museum Hundertwasser was my favorite museum of the whole trip. He was such a talented and unique artist creating in so many different mediums from paper to the building itself.
Phil is one of the coolest bars I've ever seen. It's tucked away within a bookstore.
General Travel Tips & Resources
Capital One Venture X - The best credit card ever ever. Most cards charge a $100 annual fee with no benefits. This one has a $400 annual fee but it cancels out because you get a $300 travel credit and 10k miles every single year. Plus great points on everyday purchases and 5x points on travel. I got a 70k miles bonus which paid for my fight home. You get free Global Entry & TSA Pre Check which saves so much time. And the best part? Free Airport Lounge Access. This is an absolute game changer for travel. I love love love an airport lounge (especially a Turkish Airlines lounge I dream about the food and traditional coffee)
Capital One Shopping Extension - Free and you don't need a C1 card to use. I have saved over $1k over the years using this. It's especially great for travel site discounts. If you view a site, a few days later you'll get up to 30% cash back.
Get Your Guide & Viator - My two favorite places for booking excursions and finding fun stuff to do. I found and booked 90% of my activities using these two sites. You can also check Airbnb Experiences and Trip Advisor.
Eurorail - Depending on your trip duration you can save a ton of money on train tickets. They also have a pass for the greek islands (I'm planning a trip for summer, detailed blog post to follow)
Skyscanner - my favorite site for booking flights.
Zoo Travel, Groupon for incredible trip deals.
