Europe has endless destination possibilities and my wishlist was a mile long. It took two years of planning and countless inspiration boards to get to the final itinerary. In the end, I chose the countries (and cities) at the top of my list. I have to say, this trip was planned for adventure, not rest and relaxation. Eighteen cities and towns (spread across five countries) made the cut.
I used a mix of travel sites, apps and direct bookings to reserve tours, flight and hotels and I cashed in hotel and airline points to pay for hotels, flights and tours where I could. Some trips were only a few hours, others were days and each one was spectacular. To make the most of the short days this time of year, I booked the first flights into a city and the last flight flying out and I had more time to explore. The trip started on November 6th.
London, United Kingdom - 4 Days
- Flight: American Airlines - Dallas/Fort Worth to London Heathrow.
- Sightseeing: Notting Hill, Portebello market, Big Ben , London eye, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham palace, Liverpool street , Tate Britain, St. Paul's cathedral, Covent garden, Fulham, Leister square
- Tour: Day trip to Bath and Salisbury with Anderson tour group. My tour guide Rebecca was ah-mazing.
- Lodging: With friends
Nice and the French Riviera - 6 Days
- Nice was my base to explore the French Riviera.
- Flight: British Airways from London Gatwick to Nice Cote d' Azur
- Day trips to Monaco , Eze Village, Ville Franche Sur Mer and Antibes. I navigated these trips myself via buses and trains (more on that in another post)
- Lodging: Hotel Villa Rivoli, booked via American Airlines Vacations
- Flight: Air France from Nice to Paris Orly
Barcelona - 2 Days
- Flight: Vueling from Paris Charles De Gaulle to Barcelona El Prat Airport
- Sightseeing: La Ramblas neighboorhood , La Bouqueria, Plaza Catalunya, La Sagrada la familia, FC Barcelona, Port Vuell, Catalonia museum, Olympic park
- Tours: Booked Barcelona sightseeing and Montserrat tour with Barcelona Day tour Company and tour guide was incredible.
- Lodging: Internacional Ramblas Cool, booked via Expedia
Paris - 2 Days
- Flight: Vueling from Barcelona El Prat to Paris Orly airport.
- Signtseeing: Versailles and Petite Trianon ; Eiffel Tower, Le Cler neighborhood, Notredame, Arc De Triomphe, Paris Christmas market, Champ de Elysees, Lourve, Palais Royale.
- Lodging: Hotel Kleber, booked via Hotel Tonight App
Rome - 5 Days
- Flight: British Airways flight from Paris Orly airport to Rome Fuimicino Airport
- Day Trips to: Florence, Pisa, Ostia Antica and Tivoli
- Sightseeing: Coloseum, Ancient city of Rome, Vatican city, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo
- Lodging: Hotel Piranesi , booked via Hotels.com
London**** - 5 Days
- Flight: British Airways flight from Rome Fuimicino Airport to London Heathrow
- Sightseeing: Borough market, Tate Modern, Arsenal FC, Oxford Street, Canaberry street, Thames, Winter wonderland at Hyde park, Tate Modern Christmas market, Southwark, Kings Cross/St Pancreas, British Library, Platform 3/4, SoHo
- Lodging: with friends
****The plan was Greece after Rome, but some unexpected events, including a stolen credit card led to a change in plans. There was no downside to the change in plans, London is always a good idea.
Tuesday - December 2nd - London Heathrow to Dallas Fort-worth on American Airline. Back to Reality.
If I could do it over, without the unexpected events, I will:
- Day trip to Oxford and Winslow Palace
- Extend my time in Barcelona and include a day trip to Girona and Costa Brava
- Spend more time in France - include a stop in Marseille and Lyon
I hope you liked this run down of my travel itinerary and it was helpful for your travel plans. I feel incredibly blessed to have spent time in Europe. More specific details of each stop on the itinerary coming to this space soon.