Overseas Travel

, , , ,

Five Things To Add to Your Paris Itinerary

, , , ,

Five Things To Add to Your Paris Itinerary

Having visited Paris ten times, I’ve been continuously discovering new places to visit over the years. We all know you have to stand under the Eiffel Tower and see the Arc de Triomphe, but the City of Love is full of hidden gems that are just as memorable & impressive as its famous icons.

Here are five things you need to include in your Paris itinerary this summer, it also happens to make up the perfect day.

1.     Wander the streets of Le Marais

This is my favourite area of Paris, and it also happens to be the oldest. It is home to hidden alleyways, beautiful architecture, secluded gardens, amazing street art, the Jewish quarter & Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris.  You will also find Paris’ oldest covered market, Marché des Enfants Rouge here, which is well worth a visit. Also check out the impressive Sainte-Chapelle Chapel.

2.     Eat Falafel and take in the charm on Rue des Rosiers

Rue des Rosiers

In the heart of le Marais, this mostly cobblestone and pedestrianised medieval street is my favourite in Paris.  Along with it’s beautiful architecture, it houses incredible food with the best falafel in the city at L’as du Falafel, and Jewish bakeries selling mouth wateringly good pastries.  Don’t miss the cozy Le Loir dans La Théière café tucked away at the end of the street selling slices of pie and cake made fresh daily with seasonal produce – and great coffee.
Go earlier in the day to avoid the crowds.


3.     Visit Rue Cler: The most Famous market street in Paris

You might not read about Rue Cler in the guide books, but this beloved market street will give you one of the most authentic experiences in Paris.  This is where the locals go for their produce and daily needs. Uncover hidden treasures along this street which is brimming with cafes, boulangeries, specialty shops and every food stall you can imagine. The fruit & vege stalls are a destination all on their own.  
Stop at Amorino for an epic macaron gelato sandwich.

4.     See A Different Side of The Eiffel Tower

If you want to see a different side to the Eiffel Tower, hit up these alternate view points which offer the best views & photo opportunities. Start at Trocadéro and see the tower from across the Seine in all its glory. Then, take a leisurely walk to the Seine and along its banks to Pont de Bir Hakeim bridge for the most romantic views. Continue to the tower to see it up close. Lastly, head to Rue de l'Université for a view of the tower through this charming tree lined residential street.

Rue de l'Université

Trocadéro lower level

5.     Have dinner at Le Cafe de la Régence

This gem can be found on busy Rue Saint-Honoré, a quick 5 min walk from the Louvre. The food is out of this world good, ambiance lovely and staff friendly.  Try French delicacy Foie gras here – it’s the best I’ve had. I can also vouch for the Poulet Rôti (Roast Chicken) and Entrecôte and Frites (steak and chips). Top it off with the classic crème brulee for the perfect end to your perfect Paris day.

The days selection at Le Loir dans La Théière

, , ,

An Insiders Guide to Paris

, , ,

Paris is up there as one of my favourite places in the world. Technically I’m not an insider, but I have been there over 10 times so we are going to say maybe I’m almost one? I am so very lucky to have been there many times with my work, have enjoyed staying there for more than a few days at a time (my longest stint was 10 days) and I always love to go back. It holds a special place in my heart as it was the first place I ever went to in Europe and as a girl from NZ, my eyes just fell out of my head the whole week I was there.

I’d love to share with you my favourite parts of Paris - where I like to go when I have a day or evening spare, my favourite places to roam and eat. If you’d like help on how to get around in Paris, please see my ‘Navigating Paris for Beginners’ guide which includes how to use the Metro.

I’ll also share some recommendations on places to stay and good areas to base yourself as I’ve stayed all over in a range of hotels and AirBnBs at various times of year. So, if you’re off to Paris this summer (or anytime), I hope this guide will be useful and cover all the bases. Any questions? Just leave me a comment.

Click on the links below to jump to each section.

See below for my favourite must do's in Paris

Must DO’S in paris

Hotel Emile in Le Marais, as soon as you get off the metro at Saint Paul

I have many favourite places in Paris, but a few that really stand out. My absolute favourite thing to ‘do’ in Paris is to just to walk the streets, wondering about, discovering new places, cafes and parks. There are so many amazing spots in Paris and honestly I think its hard not to have a good time, but here are some of my favourite things to do. I have included rough time estimates on each of these including some half day options with a full guide of what to see and do, so you can then mix and match activities to create the perfect day(s) for you.

1.Visit le Marais / Half Day
The Marais is my favourite area of Paris, and it also happens to be the oldest. It is home to hidden alleyways, amazing street art, the jewish quarter, Place des Vosges (a must see park) and my favourite book store and pie shop / cafe. I would suggest catching the Metro to Saint Paul and heading towards Rue des Rosiers (the main jewish street). This street houses incredible jewish food with the best falafel in the city, jewish bakeries (out of this world, grab something to go) and down the far end, the coolest cafe selling slices of pie and cake made fresh each day plus your usual French cafe fare. It’s called Le Loir dans La Théière. Allow yourself a half day just to wander and soak up the architecture and culture.
Must see in le Marais: Rue des Rosiers, Place des Vosges, Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine, Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, Marché des Enfants Rouge (Paris' oldest covered market), Sainte-Chapelle Chapel, Musee Cognacq-Jay if you would like to visit a free museum.

2. The Louvre, Tuileries Garden & Arc de Triomphe / Half Day (excluding admission to Louvre)
The buildings of the Louvre are the most impressive i’ve ever seen. Anywhere. Take some time to walk around the outside, through some of the alleyways an just take in the splendour. Be on guard and careful here as there are loads of scammers around, but just be aware of your surroundings. If you plan on going in to the Louvre, book your tickets on their website ahead of time to save yourself HOURS lining up. When you arrive you can go straight into the pre booked tickets line.
From the Louvre, you can see right up through Tuileries Garden to Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. Head in this direction and take some time to sit at one of the fountains in the garden. At Place de la Concorde there is a great lookout towards the Eiffel Tower before you go down to to ground level. From here you can walk all the way up the Champs Elysees but it’s a long hike. You could catch the metro instead, getting off at George V and walking the short distance to the Arc de Triomphe (which you access via underground tunnel). There are loads of shops here, with some notable macaron shops. Both Ladurée and Pierre Hermé Paris can be found here, and both are incredible for macaron. However, I prefer the experience at Hermé (they have pastries as well that are just works of art) and recommend sitting at the bar, ordering a cafe & pastry - but be prepared to pay top dollar! Order some macaron to go on your way out.

3. The Eiffel Tower Experience / Half Day
You can’t come to Paris and not go to the Eiffel Tower, but I suggest not just going straight there. Hit up these alternate view points, as you may be disappointed if you just go for the in front of the tower spot. When I first went to Paris 13yrs ago, it was not all cordoned off and fenced like it is now. You used to be able to wander right under, but sadly no more. I would recommend starting at Trocadéro (catch the metro to the station with the same name) and seeing the tower from across the Siene. When finished here, walk down to Siene and over to Pont de Bir Hakeim bridge (not the one right in front of the tower, it will be packed and the view is not as good, trust me!). This bridge is super romantic and the views are incredible. Now it’s time to walk to the tower and take it in from below. Carry on walking through the park (its lovely in among the trees also) and navigate to Rue de l'Université. I love the view of the tower from here.
I then recommend walking a quick 5 mins to experience Rue Cler, which is in my opinion the vest market street in Paris. A street full of market stalls and every food you can imagine plus cafes, it’s magic. You can either end your tour here & metro back to your hotel, or continue to the very impressive Hôtel des Invalides and back down to the Seine through the garden to Pont Alexandre III. This bridge is super impressive, decked out in a lot of gold. If you want to cross it, you’ll end up back by Place de la Concorde.

Combine Number 2 & 3 for a great day circumnavigating some of the best areas of Paris.

4. Visit Notre Dame on Île de la Cité + Île Saint-Louis & Hotel de Ville / 2hrs
Notre Dame is currently not open to the public due to the restoration project after the devastating fires, but it’s still worth visiting and taking in the grandeur of this building. The next little island over, Île Saint-Louis, is a real treat and the Hotel de Ville is not far away. It’s lovely to walk through Île de la Cité & Île Saint-Louis. Pass by pretty Rue Chanoinesse.

5. Take a cruise on the Seine / 1-2hrs
Paris looks so different from the water, and the batobus is a great way to take in the sights, or you could go for a proper cruise or tour if you have time. The sights along the Seine are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so needless to say it’s pretty special.

6. Take a walk around the Latin Quarter / 2hrs
This was the first area I stayed in on my very first trip to Paris. It’s lively, and full of beautiful streets, sights & food. Home to the Pantheon and incredible Luxumborg Gardens, the area has long been associated with intellectuals, artists, and bohemians.

7. Visit one of the infamous Galleries / Arcades / 2hrs
Scattered throughout Paris are hidden arcades / galleries, a beautiful part of Paris history and well worth visiting if you’re going to be in the neighbourhood. My favourite is galeries vivienne.

8. Take a Day trip to Versailles / Full Day
I’ve never seen anything quite like the Palace of Versailles. it’s opulence is unparalleled in my opinion! If you have the time, like a day up your sleeve, definitely hop on the RER and visit Versailles for the day. There’s plenty to explore between the palace itself and incredible gardens.

Make sure you visit these beautiful Parisian streets!

A Summary of My Favourite Streets:

  1. Rue des Rosiers

  2. Rue Cler

  3. Rue Montorgueil

  4. Rue Chanoinesse

  5. Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine

  6. Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie

  7. Rue de Bretagne

I have stayed in a lot of places in Paris, some really great, some not so great. See below for my recommendations.

PARIS RECOMMENDED Accommodation

Here we go - I have 3 recommendations for hotel & apartment style accommodations in Paris. I’m going to keep the recommendations limited as these are really the only ones out of all my visits that I would recommend to friends. The 3rd suggestion also offers quite a lot of options.

Hotel du Lion Dor

  1. Hotel du Lion Dor
    My number one recommendation in Paris is this hotel. The location cannot be beat. It’s super close to the Louvre, so very central and close to so many amazing sights, but is on a quiet alley / street away from the noise. It’s also very reasonably priced. The breakfast is EXCELLENT and staff just incredible. Honestly, I’ve never experienced hospitality in Paris like this hotel before. The room (a Junior family room) was also really well sized. Tell them I sent you!

  2. Hotel Spended Etoile
    Views of the Arc de Triomphe from your room anyone? This hotel is in an excellent location, with clean, decent sized rooms an a good breakfast. Plus really great views!

  3. Cobblestone Paris / Apartments
    A great option if you’re staying a while and want to do your own cooking etc. This American owned company has a variety of apartments throughout Paris. They have English speaking greeters to let you in (at least at the ones I stayed at) and the two I stayed at were really great. The best one I had was called called Le Tresor Marais (not sure if still available)

Let's talk food! My favourite topic 😆

my fave Restaurants & cafes in Paris

I don’t think you can go wrong with food in Paris (or France). I’ve NEVER had a bad meal there, but I’ve also had some that really stood out. These are my favourites that I would return to, but honestly most places you stumble in to off the street will be excellent. Just stay away from super touristy spots to avoid paying sky high prices.

Le Cafe de la Régence

  1. Le Cafe de la Régence
    On our first night in Paris on a recent trip we happened across this place. WOW. The food was next level amazing. Make sure you try the Foie gras here, it’s amazing. , the Roast Chicken and Entrecôte and Frites (steak and chips!) was also incredible. .

  2. Le Hide Paris
    I got taken here by a French coworker and have returned multiple times. Tiny restuarant close to Arc de Triomphe with incredible food. A very intimate experience.

  3. Le Musset
    Wonderful food & service, plus really beautiful florals on the outside of the building. Recommend the escargot!

  4. Le Loir dans La Théière
    My favourite place for some quiche Lorraine for lunch, and a slice of whatever pie looks best on the day!

  5. Cafe de Flore
    A bit of a French institution that did not disappoint.

    As well as eating in cafes & restaurants, make sure you experience the delights at a Boulangerie, Patisserie and crepes from a street vendor.

Le Musset goodness - a great place to try escargot

Last but not least, lets check out my favourite spots for a photo op in Paris below:

FOR THE GRAM

We all want those great shots or the gram. Obviously Paris is full of photo opportunities so you don’t have to go far. I thought I’d show you a few of my favourite images, and where they were taken.

  1. Trocadero lower level / 2. Cafe Le Voltigeur / 3. Champs Elysees / 4. Cafe Emile / 5. Junot / 6. Patrick Allain Florest / 7. Rue de l'Universite / 8. Rue des Rosiers

, , ,

Navigating Paris for beginners

, , ,

Navigating Paris for beginners

So you’re planning a trip to Paris? I’m so excited for you to get to experience this amazing city!

Let’s start with the basics - how to get around and use the Metro. Make sure you also check out my Insiders Guide to Paris for where to stay, eat and must do’s in Paris!

Paris is actually pretty easy to navigate and get around, once you get used to the layout. I would familiarise yourself with the arrondissements (like suburbs) as you will often see the arrondissements marked out on maps. Each has it’s own unique character. The 1st arrondissement is considered ‘the heart’ with the rest spiralling out in a clockwise direction to the border of Paris, and you will often hear of ‘left bank’ (the side of the city on the left of the Seine) and ‘right bank’ (the side of the city on the right of the Seine).
I find the easiest way to get around is on foot, combined with the metro. On my first trip to Paris I spent a LOT of time walking which really helps you to get your bearings. For places a little further afield or getting from one side of Paris to the other, for sure use the metro. I get that it is a little intimidating, but I’m here to help as someone who has visited the city 10+ times and used every day.
I will put a metro map below, and also recommend cross referencing this with a map of Paris, so you can see how they correlate to one another.

This blog will focus on the Metro but there is also a decent Bus network if you prefer to be above ground, or the Batobus which go up and down the Seine. You are limited with where you can go with this obviously, but it is a super pretty way to travel!


The Metro In Paris:

Paris' train network consists of two separate but linked systems: the metro and the RER. The metro is the inner city system, and the RER is Paris’ Regional Express Network, you would use this service to go further out of the centre, like to Disneyland or Versailles. The Paris Metro is really simple to use once you get your head around the way it works. Below I’ll show you how to work the metro, price of tickets, some maps and have included some safety tips as well.

Here are the main points for using the Metro:

Signs on the wall in the metro

  • The lines are all colour coordinated (super handy) and numbered. Each line has a final destination station at either end to help you with what direction you’re going. This is the most important thing to know when you head down into the station - know what colour / number line you want, and the what the final destination is in the direction you are heading.

  • As you head down into the station and get your ticket (more below), just follow the signs that shows the COLOUR line you want (the sign will show a circle with the colour and number inside), and the destination station.

  • In some stations you might only have to make 1 or 2 turns until you are at the platform, but at some of the bigger stations you could be walking for 5-10 mins. Just keep an eye on the signs with the colour you’re wanting.

  • When you arrive where you are going, keep an eye out for with Sortie / Exit you want as there may be several. For the smaller stations there will just be one exit usually.

  • TRANSFERS. Your ticket enables you to transfer (if you need to change lines), assuming you are within 90mins of when you entered the first station. Again, just look for those signs with the colour and number line you want and know which direction you’re headed and they will lead you to the correct platform.

Kiosk machines in the stations

  • BUYING TICKETS:
    Each station will have ticket vending machines which are easy to use and all have English available as an option. Use the scroller to select where you’re going, and how many tickets you want. I’m pretty sure all are also manned, so if you want to speak to someone you can.

  • TICKET PRICES:

    If you’re in Paris for more than a few days, I would recommend buying a ‘carnet’ of tickets which is basically a booklet of 10 at discounted prices. A single ticket as of Jan 2024 is 2,50 € and a carnet is 17,35 €. After you buy your ticket you will see the turnstiles you need to walk through - insert your ticket into the machine, it will pop out the other side once you walk through.

  • SAFETY:
    I’ve never had an issue on the metro, but I am hyper vigilant. Always keep your purse / wallet / bag close to your body with one hand holding on to it at all times. No phones or anything in your back pockets or bags swung around at your back. Bags in front at all times! Don’t engage with people asking for money or trying to sell you something or people trying to distract you.
    I would also recommend that you know what line and direction you’re traveling in before you head down the stairs in to the station. Its a good safety precaution to look like you know where you’re going, and recommend having an app on your phone to refer to rather than paper map fore this reason.

  • Download a Metro Ap
    I highly recommend downloading a paris metro ap that will help you with navigation, it makes it super easy. They all have a map you can refer to, or, a route guide where you just put in the station you are at and where you want to go and it will figure out the best route for you, and where to transfer etc. The one I have is just called Paris Metro Map & Routes

  • Consider Walking:

    Keep in mind that sometimes it’s actualy quicker (and more pleasant) to just walk. Because some of the big stations are huge, it can actually be quicker to just walk above ground and enjoy the sights as you go. Some of the stations are also really close together so I wouldn’t waste your money on a metro ticket. So I would save the metro for the bigger rides.

If you have any questions about how to use the Metro, let me know in the comments below!

, , ,

A Taste of Italy in 8 days

, , ,

Oh Italy. How I love you. I really think there is nowhere quite like Italy. From the food, to the scenery and the people, it is a magical place. It’s also very busy in the summer season, and bigger than it looks. On our trip to Italy last year, we had to make some hard decisions about what to see and what to leave out. It was my second time there, and there were a few places I’d been on my previous trip that didn’t cut the mustard the second time around. So, how do you decide where to go if it’s your first time?
The truth is that there really are no bad choices. I think whatever you choose will be wonderful.

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

For starters, I should point out that our style of travel is to be reasonably slow and try to spend at least 2-3 days in each place to really get a feel for it, and actually feel like we are on vacation instead of The Amazing Race. The trade off for this is you don’t get to cover as many miles as maybe going on a tour - but like I said above, there are no bad choices and once you’re in it and on the trip, you won’t be thinking ‘oh man I wish I was in XYZ place’. Spending a little time in each place also leaves some room for discovery for things that maybe aren’t in the guide books, and getting to experience what local life is like, instead of rushing from place to place and trying to catch your breath.

So for our trip in 2023, we chose 3 main centres to spend our time.
Venice, the Cinque Terre & Rome (in that order) offering us three really unique and different locations & experiences, with the Cinque Terre in the middle breaking up the big cities (although it was no less busy in some ways).

On previous visits I had traveled by train from France, through to Turin, Milan and Venice and also stayed 3 days in Florence & the same in Rome. I also visited Sienna and the hilltop towns in Tuscany, which I would do again in a heartbeat but we just don’t have time this time around, and were opting for trains only. Travel in Tuscany is difficult without a car, so make sure you consider this when planning your itinerary. If you have additional time to tack on Tuscany, I would seriously consider doing this. It is incredible, especially villages like San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Radda in Chianti & Siena. If you plan on staying a few days in the area, I would recommend making Siena your base. Most people base themselves out of Florence (like I did), but I really wish I had opted to stay in Siena. It’s a good sized town ammenities wise and boy, was it beautiful. I LOVED it there. Such rich history, really amazing vibe and incredible architecture. It’s super handy to all of the small villages around too.

OK, so back to our Summer of 2023 Itinerary. Here’s where we went, where we stayed and some must do’s on your trip! Detailed Itinerary with accommodation suggestions, transportation information & more handy links below.


SUggested Itinerary:

Day 1: Venice
Day 2: Venice
Day 3: Vernazza, Cinque Terre
Day 4: Vernazza, Cinque Terre
Day 5: Vernazza, Cinque Terre
Day 6: Rome
Day 7: Rome
Day 8: Rome

If you have 10 days, suggest 2 days in Tuscany.

Before you leave

Before you leave, I would recommend booking all of your major train travel (websites provided below) and tours you have your heart set on that you think might book out. For places like the Colloseum, tours are for specific times so if you want a morning slot, book early. For other tours, like Gondola rides in Venice, you can go ahead and book the night before as they are always running and you might even get a deal.

I booked all of our train tickets in Italy in advance on either ItaliaRail & Omio.

Download all of your maps for each city before you leave, I just use google maps offline maps or city mapper. See my blog on Recommended Travel Apps.

I also recommend getting a local sim when you land. I got mine in London upon arriving for data that could be used throughout Europe, saves huge roaming fees and keeps you connected.

Also recommend getting a WISE travel card for your spending. Read more about this here, and get my referral link for a free card.

Detailed Itinerary

Here’s how we spent our time, where we stayed and how we got from A-B, plus a few things to avoid.

VENICE - Day 1-3

I wish we had allowed more time for Venice. I had been there before and really thought we just needed 2 nights to whet our appetite, say we had been and be good to go. But I loved it even more than my previous trip, and it was Bill’s (my husband) favourite location of the whole European adventure.
The big difference in my two stays all came down to where I stayed. The first visit I stayed really central not far from Piazza San Marco and it was craziness. Venice is PACKED in summer and I found it a little overwhelming. On this trip, we stayed a little further out (but still central) in the University district of Dorsoduro and it was amazing. The district had a young vibe thanks to the University, but also plenty of families and locals about. It was a lot quieter than across the water and we really just enjoyed the local Piazza close to our AirBnB, the small eateries & cafes and wondering about. This is a great area to explore Venice from, with plenty of Vaporetto stops (public transportation boats in Venice) or easy walking distance to the big sights. It’s also more reasonable pricing wise (both accommodation and the cafes).

Day 1 in Venice we arrive via air and caught a shuttle bus across to Venice via the ATVO bus. Once in Venice central it’s a bit of a zoo and very hard to figure out where to go and what to do. We looked in all directions for the Vaporetto ticket place, and honestly I think this is just a right of passage when arriving in Venice! We finally got our tickets and made the long walk around to where our stop was, not realising that we should have just walked to our accommodation. The Vaparetto’s are quite expensive, and I think we blew $50 just trying to get closer to our accommodation and in the end it only took us 2 stops. Lesson learned. We did everything on foot after that.

The inside of San Nicolò dei Mendicoli

A beautiful photo spot for the ‘gram

We spent the afternoon wondering the streets and popping in and out of Cathedrals that were open, followed by dinner in the Piazza where Aiden played football barefoot with the Italian locals who thought he was crazy.
Speaking of churches - our favourite was right next to our AirBnB, the San Nicolò dei Mendicoli which dates back to the 7th century. The inside was just beautiful.

Day 2 in Venice we had a little more structure to our morning, with a private Gondola ride booked for 9am to get our day started, which I just booked on Viator last minute. Yes this activity is really touristy, but we loved it and it’s a must do. Do a private tour if you can, its much better than the group one I did years before.
We then took a walk to the incredible Piazza San Marco (St Marcs Square) which is home to the incredible St Mark's Basilica. I recommend visiting in the morning before the crowds settle in. From there we walked to Rialto bridge, which is just as busy as St Marcs Square, if not more so as it’s a smaller space. It’s a great spot to view the Grand Canal! We then went looking for an instagram spot I had seen online / read about for some pics (had to do it, sorry not sorry) and it was well worth it. If you’re keen for a photo here, he’s a link to the location on Google Maps.
Day 2 ended the same way Day 1 did, with amazing food at the local Piazza (which I can’t even find on a map so can’t tell you where we ate, but that’s the beauty of it!) and Aiden playing football for an hour afterwards before gelato and home time.

Accommodation:

Venice accommodation comes highly recommended. 2 Bedrooms sleeping 4, nice and cool, right on a canal, great facilities and excellent location. Book Here


Cinque Terre - Days 3-6

Sunset views on the walk to Corniglia from Vernazza

The next day was a travel day, with us catching trains to Florence, and onward to La Spezia and then finally Vernazza. I booked all of our train tickets in Italy in advance on either ItaliaRail & Omio. It pays to book in advance to secure a seat, and the local train stations and ticketing can be a little confusing and you’re often rushed for time. Booking from outside of Italy is safe on the above sites. Do be careful through 3rd party websites as you often end up paying a lot more.

Vernazza is one of the super popular villages in the Cinque Terre. Each of the villages in the Cinque Terre offer something different, there are plenty of guides available online if you’re trying to figure out where to stay. For me, Vernazza caught my heart 10yrs before, so I wanted to return. It’s a great base, but it is very busy, but so are most of the towns here. You can opt to stay somewhere like Genoa and train in each day which would save you a fair bit of money.
Our little Apartment was really great. We opted to stay a little out of the centre up the hill which turned out to be a great idea. It wasn’t the quietest, but otherwise a fabulous stay with 2 bedrooms and a rooftop terrace that was perfection!

Although overrun with a LOT of tourists (especially Americans we noticed), Vernazza and the Cinque Terre is a magical place where you step back in time. We spent majority of our time walking, swimming, eating or napping it seems, and there were no complaints here. On our second day (which was my birthday!) we hiked one of the famed town to town walks, Vernazza to Monterosso. The track was busy, but we really loved it. The views are unlike anything I’ve ever seen making the hill climbs worth it. When we arrived in Monterosso we headed straight for Gelato and then the beach and swam for hours in the warm ocean. We trained back, napped and then headed out for dinner at a special spot for my birthday. Restorante Belforte, which is up a tower on the edge of town overlooking the water and village. Make sure if you’re booking here you request the very top of the tower. The food was also amazing!!

Vernazza to Monterosso Hike, at the first lookout

During our stay here, I also did a sunset walk up the hill on the side which leads to Corniglia (amazing views) and we took a boat ride to Riomaggiore which is very picturesque, loved it here. It’s all the town that the move Luca is based on :)
The Cinque Terre was the slow down in pace we needed before heading to Rome.

Accommodation

Our apartment in Vernazza also comes highly recommended if you decide to stay here. I loved the location and the rooftop terrace was super cool! I would recommend Vernazza or Monterosso as a base. Book via Booking.com here


Rome - Days 6-8

Rome! Rome is an assault to the senses, but in all the right ways. Get ready for cultural overwhelm, crowds, heat and incredible food and vibe. If you’re not a big city person, you might not warm to Rome straight away, but once the history gets under your skin, you can’t help but love it. We fit a lot into our 3 days here including a combination of tours and DIY seeing the sights.

For the tours we did the following. The hop on hop off bus is also a great option for Rome seeing as it’s so big.

Vatican City Tour - if you’re wanting to do this, do yourself a huge favour and buy a skip the line pass from a tour operator. The lines are HUGE. We were very thankful we got escorted in, and then were left to our own devices inside. The Sistine Chapel is not to be missed.
Colosseum & Palatine Hill Tour - again, there is only one way to see the Colosseum - skip. the. line. Make sure you book in advance to do a tour, but also beware of who you are booking with. I consider myself pretty savvy, but booked a tour on Viator and when we showed up at the address it was all bolted up and we had been ripped off. Viator was great and reimbursed us, but we wasted a lot of time and then had to try to book another tour on the spot and it’s CRAZY around there with the number of tour operators / scammers and people approaching you. Anyway, we found a good one and headed off on a waking tour that was great.

Some more highly recommended sights are:

  • Pantheon (very busy)

  • Trevi Fountain (very very busy)

  • Campidoglio (a hilltop square designed by Michelangelo)

  • The Cat Sanctuary is actually very cool. Right across from our hotel, ruins that are cordoned off and now home to many abandoned kitties. We visited our little one eyed, three legged friends each day.

  • Teatro di Marcello which we just happened upon by accident. These ruins weren’t in any guidebook we saw, but were free to roam around in and were seriously impressive.

  • Another little known spot is Isola Tiberina which is little island on the Tiber where the hospital is located, but it’s quiet and quite a cool spot to wonder around with great views and some neat old ruins

  • Trastevere - anywhere! We loved this little suburb. Beautiful streets lined with ivy and florals, great restaurants with some of the best food we had in Italy. Really charming spot.

Getting Around: We did a LOT of walking in Rome, but on the final day actually started using the busses which were really easy to use, and on time. I’d recommend. You can tap on and off just using your credit card too, so no tickets required. The trams are also pretty easy to use. You can see more at Rome.net.

Incredible dinner at Nannarella.

Eating Out
We ate at some really great restaurants in Travastere & around Rome, many of which I don’t even know where we were… but here are a few of our favourites I can recollect!
Nannarella, Piazza di S. Calisto. Book early, otherwise you might have a bit of a wait. But worth it!
Come Na Vorta, Vicolo del Cinque. Must have the panna cotta! And lasagne.

In our experience, you can’t go wrong with food in Italy. Stay away from the main touristy areas where you will pay more and not get authentic food (a red flag would be food like cheeseburgers or fish and chips on the menu).

Accommodation - Hotel Barrett

Our accommodation in Rome was an absolute HOOT. The welcome we got was like something I have never experienced in my 20yrs of traveling. We got taken up to our room and got given an incredible speed tour on all the ‘features’ of the room including so much free food I could’t believe it. The guy was speaking a hundred miles a minute and he was so endearing, the whole thing was hilarious. And yes a FULLY stocked mini fridge full of all the food you can eat with restocking each day, plus wine. It was in a great spot right across from the famed Cat Sanctuary. Also very reasonably priced, but also I feel like I should mention, the rooms are small. We didn’t care, only there to sleep and eat all the snacks 😂

Have the best time in Italy! There are so many places to see, next time we will head further south as I’d love to see the Amalfi Coast. Let me know if you end up using any of the info in the blog and happy travels. You can also see my highlighted instagram stories from this trip on instagram.

Justine x

, , ,

Must See Outlander Film Locations!

, , ,

Helloooooo Outlander fans, welcome! I am your people, lets have some fun. This is an outlander kinda-crazy-lady safe space, so don’t worry, no judgement here if you want to fly to Scotland to see all the Outlander things. It’s kind of what I did 🤷🏻‍♀️

Last summer my family and I took a trip to Europe from New Zealand, and the last 10 days was to be spent in Scotland. What a dream! I was so excited to get there, for many reasons, but one of the biggest being my love for Outlander. Now I know there are many reasons people want to visit Scotland, it’s an incredibly beautiful place of course, and many of us have ancestral connections there (including my husband and I) and I would highly recommend anyone visit. It IS super beautiful, the people are lovely, it’s down to earth and just sticks with you. I have a blog specifically for our 10 Day Trip to Scotland if you need some itinerary help (including the Outlander locations) but this blog is just for all us fans who want the DL on the filming locations.

This was a family vacation, so we didn’t go overboard on the film locations - but it was just enough to wet my appetite and satisfy the Outlander itch, so if you’re headed there soon, here are the locations I highly recommend you visit.

Bakehouse Close / Jamie’s Print Shop

While in Edinburgh we took the opportunity to visit Bakehouse Close, the location of Jamie’s print shop in Edinburgh. If you’re already planning on taking a walk along the Royal Mile, then this won’t be far out of your way. As this was our first full day in Scotland, I was so excited to see a filming location. It was pretty cool and my first insight into the magic of TV and angles. You walk through a little tunnel to get there, and out the other side the steps of Jamie’s shop are unmissable. Oh to be where the cast and crew were, I loved it, location one done!
(more photos at the bottom of the page)

Midhope Castle / Lallybroch

The holy grail! If you’re wanting to visit Outlander locations, this is the cream of the crop. Lallybroch. We all want to walk up the path whispering ‘take me home to Lallybroch’ (yes, I did this) and trust me, it will send shivers down your spine. I LOVED it here. From the warm welcome from James at the gate to walking up ‘that’ road to the castle, it was just really special. The castle is in beautiful condition and looked as pretty as a picture. We were VERY lucky to be the only ones there for the first 15-20 mins, and then joined by only 2 other people. I loved sitting on the front steps just as Claire did, and getting to wander around the property. I would recommend booking online prior to your arrival, it’s around 7pounds and you select a time slot when you book. Even though it was quiet when we visited, there are buses and tours that frequent, so better to be safe than sorry.

Midhope castle is 30 mins from Edinburgh, or 45 mins from Glasgow and is easier reached by car.

Doune Castle / Castle Leoch

I was really keen to visit Doune Castle, otherwise known as Castle Leoch, and as it was kind of on our way heading to the highlands we took a quick detour to visit. We were driving from Glasgow, and the castle is only around 40mins away and the drive is pretty. Funnily enough on the drive we passed Cumbernauld and Wardpark studios where Outlander is filmed and produced completely by accident. The castle is abandoned, but you can go in. When we visited there were people there selling tickets, but we opted for a quick walk around the gardens as we needed to head off. You could totally do both castles in a half day trip from either Glasgow or Edinburgh as they are not far apart.

Doune Castle is in the small town of Doune, around 40 mins from Glasgow or 1 hr from Edinburgh. Free to visit the exterior, a charge to go inside.

Wardpark Studios / Cumbernauld

Ok so if you’re a die hard fan, you might just want to see the studios where Sam, Catriona and the cast and crew frequent during filming. I mean, there’s not a lot to see, but I still enjoyed getting to see the Outlander and Blood of my Blood office signs and got a kick out of it. We found it purely by accident while driving by on the highway, but seeing as we were going by I shot off at the next exit to take a peak and get a little photo with the sign. hahah why not! Was crazy to see how huge it was too, what an operation.
If you put in 2 Wyndford Rd into your GPS, you should get to the main gate.


Kinloch Rannoch / Craigh na Dun

This location takes a little more commitment as it’s further out, around 2hrs from Edinburgh but if you have the time I recommend it. It’s really only accessible by car. The location for Craigh Na Dun doesn’t look exactly as it did in the show as of course the stones were replicas and built for filming, but everything else is the same - the hill with beautiful views out either side plus the unique trees. As soon as we pulled up, I knew where I was.
This location is on private property and a working farm. The farmer who owns the land (as far as my knowledge at time of writing) lets people on to the land to visit. Please be respectful and shut the gates etc.
Getting to Craigh na Dun is a bit of effort as it’s remote, but it’s a really beautiful day drive. It’s a part of Scotland that you likely wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s remote on farm roads, not really on the way to anywhere. I thought it was a magical place. Directions wise, thankfully there is a location already saved into google maps that you can use. Here is the LINK for you to use.
Have fun recreating some fun Outlander photos! Free to visit.


Culloden Moor

Ok, so I wouldn’t really deem this a filming location (although there are scenes set there), but a very significant place in Scotlands History. I had never heard of the Battle of Culloden before watching Outlander, but was very moved by the story and the history of what happened there. We decided to visit and thought it would be a good place for our son to see as well. Plus we wanted to visit the burial stones of our ancestors. Culloden is not far out of Inverness, with ample parking and an incredible visitors centre. We spent most of our time just walking the lines of the Scottish and the British armies and reading all of the plaques. It’s incredible that this place has been protected and is available to visit. I found it really eerie and sad, especially to see where members of my family stood and fell, but I am also so glad we went. If you are a fan of Outlander, I’m sure you will be looking for the Fraser stone, which as we visited was cordoned off due to too many people standing around it. I’m not sure if it is permanently like this, but please be careful when visiting. Free to visit the battlefield, a charge to see the additional displays in the visitors centre.

Clava Cairns (Standing Stones)

Technically not a filming location at all, but it has Outlander relevance if you’re into the whole standing stones/travel through time to find your highlander thing! Which, if you’re here reading this, I’m guessing you are. I recommend visiting here while you’re in the area visiting Culloden as it’s really not far, and it’s a really interesting place. It is also said to be the inspiration for Craigh Na Dunh and I’m pretty sure one of the main stones there is a body double for the one in the show. It’s a dead ringer! I did try, like I’m sure many thousands of others have, to pass through, but hubby grabbed me just in time ;)

Are you there Jamie?

So that’s it. I know there are many more spots and maybe one day I’ll get back there to see them, but this was certainly enough to satisfy my Outlander fantasies!

Have fun, Sassenach.

, , ,

Ten Day Scotland Itinerary

, , ,

To say I had been itching to get to Scotland feels like an understatement. 

A few years ago I started watching Outlander, a little late to the party I know, and fell in love with the dramatic landscapes. I was desperate to see it for myself.  I then took an interest in Scottish history after listening to Clanlands by Graham McTavish & Sam Heughan, and then even moreso after reading Sam’s book, Waypoints where he walks the West Highland Way. It all sounded to lovely, and I wanted to see & experience it for myself. It turns out Bill, my husband, and I both have Scottish heritage (Bill is 50% Scottish) so we decided to include Scotland in our European trip in June 2023.

The hard part was deciding where to go. I didn’t really have any idea about the different regions or where anything was, but google was my friend and the research began. I realised from my Outlander education that I knew a few things – I really wanted to see some of the filming locations and to walk at least part of the West Highland Way, to see the Highlands and Edinburgh, so that was a good starting point.

We only had 10 days, and there’s so much more to see on future trips, but if you’re after a highlands highlight tour, I highly recommend this route! It covers Edinburgh, Glasgow, The Highlands & The Isle of Skye. A great taster trip! If you’re not wanting to spend 3 days hiking like we did, there are plenty of other things to do in the Glencoe area.

Trip Summary

Day 1: Edinburgh
Day 2: Edinburgh & Glasgow
Day 3: Glasgow to Bridge of Orchy
Day 4: Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse (includes Glencoe & Glen Etive)
Day 5: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven
Day 6: Kinlochleven to Fort William
Day 7: Fort William to Isle of Skye
Day 8: Isle of Skye
Day 9: Isle of Skye to Laggan via Inverness & Culloden
Day 10: Laggan to Glasgow

Detailed Itinerary Below!

Day 1: Arrival in Edinburgh at Midday, explore Edinburgh
We spent the afternoon taking in Edinburgh. Recommended things to do if you don’t have a lot of time like us - stroll the Royal Mile, visit Bakers Close (Outlander print shop location), get amazing views of Edinburgh Castle from The Vennel, eat at a pub in Grassmarket (we loved Greyfriers Bobby) & take a walk up Victoria Street, walk up to Edinburgh Castle
Accommodation: A 2 Bedroom AirBnB with views of the castle in the grass market area, great find. LINKED HERE.

Day 2: Edinburgh to Glasgow by train
We spent the morning visiting some Harry Potter locations in Edinburgh (The Elephant House & Greyfriars Kirkyard) before hopping on a quick train to Glasgow. We spent the afternoon exploring central Glasgow and the river before catching a train up to the West End area for a wander around there as well.
Accommodation: Clayton Hotel, Glasgow.

Day 3: Glasgow to Bridge of Orchy
We picked up our rental car first thing and headed for the highlands! En route we visited the Fallkirk Wheel (amazing) and on to Doune Castle, otherwise known as Castle Leoch in Outlander. Super cool getting to see this! We drove through some lovely scenery, past lochs and small towns, getting a hint of what we were about to experience in the Highlands.
Accommodation: The Bridge of Orchy Hotel is a great stopover in the highlands, great hospitality, hearty, excellent food and comfortable accommodation.

Day 4: Bridge of Orchy to Kingshouse - by foot, day 1 of the West Highland Way
My 12yr old son and I set out early after a hearty Scottish breakfast for Day 1 of our hike. My husband was recovering from Long Covid so didn’t join us, instead he drove the care between each waypoint which was actually really handy. The scenery was beautiful, for more information on the hike see my blog post on Walking the West Highland Way. We arrived at the Kingshouse hotel hot and worn out, but happy. The hotel is in a stunning location, we got to see the famous stags as we arrived. We decided to head off up towards Glen Etive to see the infamous SKYFALL road and were so happy we did. The road was STUNNING, plus we found an amazing swimming hole to cool off in. If heading toward Fort William on the A82, just after the Kingshouse Hotel is a bridge. Over the bridge and on your left is a road that takes you to Glen Etive. The location of the photos is a few kms up, the GPS coordinates are 56°37′10.31″N 04°55′51.23″W.
Accommodation: Kingshouse Hotel.

Day 5: Kingshouse to Kinlochleven - Day 2 of the West Highland Way
Heading deeper into the highlands on this day, we got to pass the very famous wee White House along the way before we turned inland to climb the Devils Staircase. If you’re not walking, what you will get to experience along the A82 is some stunning mountainous landscape. Passing first impressive Bauchaille Etive Mor, and then the Three Sisters, this road is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever been on (we drove it after we completed the hike as I didn’t want to miss it!). I highly recommend also turning off and heading up Old Glencoe Road. It was super pretty, very quiet and special. Also, great swimming holes to be found once again.
Kinlochleven is a beautiful wee village in the highlands that is also worth a visit or stopover. We finished Day 2 of our hike here and enjoyed staying here.
Accommodation: The Tailrace Inn. Classic little inn with inexpensive, modest, clean rooms with a great pub downstairs.

Day 6: Kinlochleven to Fort Wiliam - Day 3 of the West Highland Way

As we walked our final day of the West Highland Way (and the longest part), we weaved our way out of Kinlochleven and up into the highlands deeper. What a beautiful part of the world. The hike was nothing short of spectacular, with an incredible view of the UKs tallest peak, Ben Nevis as we ascended into Fort William. As we walked, Bill drove down Loch Linnhe through some pretty villages towards Oban, which I hear is incredible. If you weren’t hiking, I would for sure pay Oban a visit while you’re in the area.

Accommodation: Nevis Bank Inn Fort William

Day 7: Fort William to Isle of Skye, via the Jacobite Train
With tired legs, our very big Harry Potter fan was surprised with a Harry Potter excursion. We took a very excited Aiden on the the Hogwarts Express / Jacobite Train from Fort William to Mallaig on the coast. I would recommend this trip, it was great - especially crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct, but do make sure you book really early. It was a very coo experience, and Mallaig was pretty. When we got back at 4pm, it was straight to the car to start our road trip to Uig on the Isle of Skye. A big day, but doable. We loved the landscape as we drive to Skye, and stopped at Eileen Donan castle to stretch our legs along the way - well worth the visit.
We crossed the bridge to Skye and the change was instant. It was love at first sight for me. Driving through sky to our little pod for the night in a remote area was something I’ll never forget, it was breathtaking. We had a beautiful day and could see for miles. I loved the coastal views and wee white houses all over, I just loved it.
We arrived at around 8.30pm but the sun was still high in the sky, so we were happy.
Accommodation: Fairy Retreat Skye. These were 3 tiny homes in a row, and when I say tiny, I mean tiny - but the views were amazing and it had everything we needed.

Day 8: Exploring Isle of Skye
One of my favourite days on the trip was just driving around seeing Skye. We drove north from Uig stopping often for lazy sheep who could have cared less they were blocking the road (I loved them, what a vibe!). We went Dinosaur footprint hunting at Duntulm beach (somewhat successfully) and then carried on around the headland to see The Quiraing. Just wow. This place is nothing short of spectacular. After winding up the narrow road, we arrived to a busy carpark… but the people were scattered on hikes in every direction, as it was really quiet. Thats the thing about Scotland, even when it was busy, it just felt like there was enough wide open space for everyone and it never felt overrun. We couldn’t stop admiring the view and took it in on a short walk (wish we had time to hike!) before heading down to the coast again, this time to Staffin to see the Dinosaur Prints - which we found! YAY! Beautiful beach too. We ate our picnic lunch here and Aiden dipped in the Atlantic for the first time. After here we headed to The Brothers Point, a walk / hike I had read about that was much less popular than Old Man Storr and The Quaraing so was super quiet. I don’t know why it’s less popular or well known, because it was amazing. We loved it. We hiked for an hour an a half and then headed off to see Old Man Storr. It was impressive as well, but after climbing for a while on the walk, we decided to head back as we were already worn out from the heat and hike we had just completed.
We drove back around through Portree to the Uig Hotel for dinner and enjoyed some amazing hospitality, cold drinks and fish and chips caught in the bay. We couldn’t come to the area and not see the Fairy Glen, so we visited after dinner. A special and magical place.

Day 9: Isle of Skye to Laggan via Inverness & Culloden
Another day on the road visiting some pretty epic places. We decided to drive to Inverness via Loch Ness and drive along the banks which was pretty neat. We didn’t get as many views of the Loch as I had expected, but it was still nice and seemed to go on forever. We didn’t see a lot of Inverness but it was a pretty town (must go back!) as we passed through on our way to Culloden. This is a must do in Scotland. A really powerful, Erie place that holds a very important piece of Scotlands history. We spent quite some time here, and visited the headstones of our ancestors and I shed a tear or two.
After Culloden we went to Clava Cairns. The standing stones and cairns are pretty amazing to see, and of course I loved the Outlander connection. We had some fun recreating walking through the stones, and thought this was well worth a stop. Our accommodation that night was further south, in Laggan (seemingly middle of nowhere) and the drive here from Clava Cairns was something pretty special. This whole area which borders Cairngorms National Park is really pretty country. Again, I wish we had more time to experience the park itself.
Accommodation: A lovely little B&B called Tigh an Each B&B & Laggan Glamping, we stayed in the house in a family room. It was super comfortable and quiet.

Day 10: Laggan to Glasgow via Kinloch Rannoch
Our last day on the road was a bit of an Outlander Day, yay! We left Laggan and headed into the country side deeper to Kinloch Ranch area, where the filming location for Craigh na Dun is. Really loved getting to see this location and actually the drive there was pretty cool and remote, so we all enjoyed it. We left there and headed for Midhope Castle before returning to Glasgow. Midhope Castle is like the pinnacle of Outlander Locations if you ask me, as it is Jamie’s family home - Lallybroch. I was absolutely giddy as we drove up and I got my first sight. We met James, the lovely man at the gate who was happy to entertain and chat for ages about Outlander things (much to my delight). As we walked up to Lallybroch I realised we were there alone. ALONE! It was magic to get to experience it with no one else around. One for the memory bank for sure.
From here we drove back to Glasgow for our final night, and it was back to London on the train the next day.











, ,

How to Plan A Trip to Europe - All You Need To Know

, ,

Traveling as a family of 3 with our 12 yr old son.

Not long ago we returned from our INCREDIBLE European adventure. We spent just over a month traveling through some beautiful places in Western Europe, and I think it was the perfect itinerary! A mix of city and country, inland and coastal towns with Mediterranean beaches and even some Scottish highlands and lochs. This was our idea of the perfect vacation.

Now I should tell you, I am ALL about the planning. I love to plan holidays, even though it can be overwhelming in the beginning with where to start and knowing what to do or where to go, I love the research phase. I am the girl with spreadsheets, apps… ALL the things. It’s part of the joy of travel for me. So all of this trip, I organised myself. I understand that this is absolutely not everyones jam, so don’t worry, I’ve got your back to help you plan your next adventure, wherever it may be.

In this blog I’ll be sharing our 30 day itinerary, recommended accommodation, plus a bunch of tips and tricks on how to organise your trip and some things you need to remember. It doesn’t actually matter where you’re going, the methodology of how to build your trip is the same.

So let’s get started. I’m going to cover how to build your itinerary and choosing where to go, our 30 day itinerary with recommended accommodation, Travel Tips & Tricks including great Travel Apps to download before you go.

choosing where to go / build your itinerary

Gordes, South of France

Europe is huge with SO much variety that I believe the absolute hardest part is deciding where to go as there are literally countless options of amazing places to visit. For us, we were going on a family vacation (my husband and I plus our 12yr old son) and we really love nature and history, so we wanted an itinerary that spoke to us personally. We could have easily done any number of versions of our itinerary and added other places and it still would have been amazing - I think there really are no bad options.
BUT, how you plan your trip and putting extra thought into the kind of holiday you want is really important. Do you want to lay on the beach? Do you want big cities with culture and shows? Do you want to explore ancient ruins or visit vineyards? Maybe you want to do a little bit of each, which is totally doable. Most importantly, think about the PACE you want to have for your trip. If you don’t want to to really rushed, then I suggest sacrificing the number of places you want to visit for being able to take things a little slower. Which is what we did. Instead of trying to fit 10 countries in to 30 days, we chose 4 main areas / countries with the idea we could spend roughly a week in each: We chose London, France, Italy & Scotland.

Our 30 Day Europe Itinerary for uk, france & italy

First up, here is our itinerary outline that I used to share with my instagram audience and put in to our travel journals. I use Canva to create these types of graphics and it’s great - really easy to use too. When I got home I replaced the stock images I’d used with our own to personalise it. Having an outline is the best place to start, then you can move into organising in more detail.

Below this is the REAL itinerary where you get to see how my brain works - and how much I love excel for travel planning! 😂

On the excel spreadsheet I just started with dates, and then broke down into days / nights and added more and more detail as I booked things.

We absolutely loved our itinerary and everything we did. This was the first time both my husband and son had been to the Europe and UK, so I wanted to take them to all of my favourite places. The only place new for me was Scotland, which was an amazing experience for us all. The trip was a great mix of seeing the bigger cities with hustle and bustle and so much to see and do, with relaxing and quiet(er) places. I planned it so that following each huge busy city, we had somewhere quiet following. The South of France was such a lovely slow pace after being in London & Paris, and likewise, the Cinque Terre was welcome after Nice & Venice and preparing us for Rome! Although, the Cinque Terre is very popular, but still a relaxed vibe. Rome was the busiest, hottest place we went, but we followed it up with 10 night in Scotland which was truly magical with so much space to roam.

ACCOMMODATION planning recommendations

Accommodation is one of the biggest expenses when you travel. We chose middle the road options. We certainly could have gone cheaper, but are at the age we didn’t want to compromise comfort. I have done the backpacking thing and am beyond that now. I do a LOT of research when looking for accommodation, reading many reviews and even going to google maps to street view the locations so I know they are in a good spot. Booking.com is my favourite website for booking accommodation although I occasionally use AirBnB as well. I create a seperate tab on the spreadsheet where I have all of our accommodation listed, including booking confirmation, pricing and if breakfast was included. I will happily share the result of all my research below but have removed the two places we stayed that I would not recommend. Everywhere else is recommended, those with a rating of 5 were absolutely incredible and very special at what I thought was a reasonable rate. A rating of 4 was still really really good, just something could have been better (for example, in Rome, if the room was a little bigger it would have been perfect - so quirky and fun! And in Vernazza, Cinque Terre, the apartment was AMAZING with a rooftop terrace - but noisy at night). I’ve also included where I booked through to help you find them.

Travel Tips & Tricks

Pre Booking Attractions & Transport

Harry Potter World, book well in advance

I always pre book attractions for two reasons - a lot of the major ones sell out months in advance, or saving time in line. For example, if you want to go to Harry Potter World in London or do the Harry Potter Express (Jacobite Steam Train), you simply have to book well in advance. At the Louvre, you can go and stand in line for a ticket - but you will be there for HOURS. We paid a little extra for skip the line tickets, and it was well worth it. For HP world & the train, we booked around 3 months in advance, for the Louvre, about 2 weeks. There are a lot of queues / lines in Europe at big sites, so being prepared with a little research is going to be really helpful and ‘Skip the Line’ tickets are great. You pay a little more but are get to choose an arrival time which is so convenient when you’re traveling and have lots to see and do. Places we went that I would recommend buying tickets for in advance:
Harry Potter World, Jacobite Steam Train, The Colosseum (there are plenty of tours but be careful, we got duped on Viator), The Louvre (Skip the Line), Vatican City (Skip the Line).

Trains / busses and trains between cities and towns within Europe I leave until a little later, but I still book in advance. You can rock up and get tickets on many of the trains, but for the popular routes where you need a seat reservation - it could be fully booked up. We decided not to risk it. I started booking the biggest routes first and combined booking where possible. ie. in Italy, I booked our train from Venice to La Spezia and La Spezia to Rome on one booking.
Recommended booking sites we used are below. Do price check as there are lots of sites selling tickets at inflated rates.

ItaliaRail & Omio for Italy
SNCF & Omio for France
Scotrail for Scotland
National Rail for UK (regional trains)
Rail Europe is also a trusted site, but not always the cheapest.

Money & Communication

The biggie! We all want to be able to share our IG stories and stay in touch with loved ones easily when overseas without paying huge roaming rates. There are a few different options, you can get a local SIM when you arrive, or get an esim which I don’t know much about but you can google to find out more. I got a local SIM in London as soon as I landed from EE and it was absolutely perfect. The one I got was around 30 pounds / 60 NZD for 500gb data for 30 days and some texting and calling allowed for as well. I was mostly just concerned about data. I told those close to me at home the new number and put a voicemail on my NZ number to contact me via email. Perfect! EE are a service provided and have stores all over the place, and at Heathrow.
The other issue I lost sleep over was money. I really didn’t want to be carrying around a bunch of cash, and I didn’t want to be stung with heavy fees while trying to spend overseas or withdraw money. In the past I have just used a combination of getting cash out in country with my eftpos card and paid the $8 each time and used my credit card the rest of the time. But there is a better way! I researched travel cards and found a few, with the best overall seeming to be a Wise Card.
I had a wise account already for doing overseas banking transactions, and it seemed like it would work perfectly - and it did.
The major benefits are: 1. you can load money into different currencies at todays rate, OR, if you are not sure what the rate is doing, just leave the money in your NZ currency and it will take from there when you spend overseas. I liked loading different amounts into pounds and Euro’s so I could track a little more. 2. There is a really handy app for viewing transactions, loading and transferring funds. 3. You can can also load into Apple Pay. It’s just like a regular credit card but with VERY low fees. Amazing! You can sign up for a wise card HERE, for a limited time the $15 card fee is waved if you use my link. Note that I get a kick back when you spend your first $175. Also notes that we used our card and I recommended it before their referral link came available :)

Recommended Handy Travel Apps

Visit my dedicated blog on Recommended Travel Apps - my top tips of must have apps for navigation, currency, itinerary building and transportation apps plus more.

,

Recommended Must Have Travel Apps!

,

must have Travel Apps

I don’t like to get too bogged down with 100 apps on my phone when I travel, and there are SO many out there to choose from, BUT I do have some favourites that were a life saver at one time or another during my travels! Here are some that were really useful while on the ground during our recent trip to the UK & Europe and in North America last year. Do you have some faves that I’ve missed? Leave a note in the comments.

  • WISE travel card. So this is more than just an ap, it’s how you will use your money when you’re overseas.I research loads of travel cards and this one came out on top. There is a really handy app for viewing transactions, loading and transferring funds. 3. You can can also load into Apple Pay. It’s just like a regular credit card but with VERY low fees. Amazing! You can sign up for a wise card HERE, for a limited time the $15 card fee is waved if you use my link.

  • XE - Currency exchange calculator. So good for figuring out the cost in your own currency! Probably my most used app overseas. You can pre set your top currencies too.

  • Apple Maps or Google Maps - OK, so you likely already have this on your phone... but did you know you can download offline maps to use when you’re out and about with no data? I also use google maps on my laptop a lot when in the planning phase to figure out distances and time between destinations.

  • Maps.Me - an alternative if you’re not a google maps fan, this is a great app that has offline maps for all around the world. Pre download the ones you want and away you go!

  • Citymapper - A public transport app with live timing for most major European cities. I didn’t actually use as much as my old faithful apple maps as I found google had this as well, but a great alternative and a bit more in depth. Definitely download if you intend on using a lot of public transport.

  • TripIt - If you want to put your Itinerary into an app that’s free, this is a great one. It’s super easy to add items in the app or on your desktop, or you can just forward your confirmation emails from bookings to a special email address and it adds everything for you. Format is great, nice and clean - can also be printed.

  • Uber - have this downloaded and ready to go. Uber is not available everywhere but for the places it is, it’s handy from the standpoint of where your destination is already loaded by the time you get in the car, so you don’t need to worry about a language barrier.

  • Transportation apps - I always download train or route planner apps for the country or city I’m going to. For example, if you’re going to Paris, download a Paris Route Planner and it will help you on the metro to figure out what lines you need. I do the same for the London Underground. If you have booked regional train tickets its also a good idea to download the national rail app so you can load in your booking and be updated with any changes.

  • Google Translate - A life saver sometimes! No frills, great app.

  • BlaBlaCar is a ridesharing app that I haven’t used, but its a great concept. Kind of like Uber, but for longer journeys. You can book in someones car who is going the same place as you.

  • Happy Cow - an app to find Vegan and Vegetarian restaurants in our location. This was great for us seeing as my hubby is allergic to dairy, which can be a little tricky in France.