My mom turned 70 this year, and my aunt & I planned her first trip to Europe. Bucket list trip! We signed up for the Expat Explore tour - Best of Western Europe tour. We spent 14 days in Europe, traveling to 8 countries. London / France / Luxembourg / Germany / Austria / Liechtenstein / Switzerland / Italy TRIP COST FOR 1 Duration: 14 days, 13 nights (9/6/19-9/20/19) Flight: $528/pp (ORD <> LHR) Expat Explore Tour: $1445/pp Everything Else: $1553/pp Total = $3,526/pp VIEW THE TOUR & INTERARY: Best of Western Europe Tour with the Rome Add On. Let me explain the Expat Explore Tour a little bit more:
Note: jet lag is so real, and it will hit you hard. Note: jet lag is so real, and it will hit you hard. DAY 1: LONDON
Met up with the tour at the hotel - took a 30 minute powernap and struggle-bused on:
LODGING ibis Styles London Excel DAY 2: DRIVE TO PARIS
LEARNED THE HARD WAY: I had to pay for all the optional excursions for 3 of us with CASH. I had an ATM limit of $200/day. This made for a pretty stressed out girl as I didn't have enough funds to support us all. Highly suggest having multiple people with ATM bank cards that work internationally - or extend your ATM limit if you can! Also, inform your bank your traveling! LODGING B&B Hotel Paris Porte De Lilas DAY 3: PARIS We decided to do the tour's Paris' two optionals.
LODGING B&B Hotel Paris Porte De Lilas DAY 4: CHAMPAGNE REGION, FRANCE / LUXEMBOURG / HEIDELBERG -Champagne for breakfast, everyone?
LODGING Hotel Bayrischer Hof DAY 5: BLACK FOREST-TITISEE LAKE / RHINE FALLS / LUCERNE
LEARNED THE HARD WAY: This morning, mom fell in a hallway from a tiny lip in the ground covered in black & yellow warning tape. She didn't see this bump, and almost split her head open on the edge of the wall. It was a rough morning, and I saw it all in slow motion as she fell. Thankfully she was okay, but said she felt like someone beat her with a bat. This trip has taken a toll on her, and this was the cherry on top to really scale it down. Glad I got Allianz travel insurance for all of us, even though I really fought it, since I never bought it before for any other trip. You never know what can happen. Secondly - that bump would never be okay in America, safety-wise. LODGING Holiday Inn Express Luzern-Krienz DAY 6: MT PILATUS / LAKE LUCERNE CRUISE This day was magical. My favorite of everywhere we visited.
AN ABSOLUTE MUST DO! We went back to the hotel briefly, and headed to the Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise.
DAY 7: LIECHTENSTEIN / NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE / INNSBRUCK Today was a hike! Morning stop in Liechtenstein for an hour
LODGING Alpin Park Hotel DAY 8: MODENA / SIENA Started our day off Balsamic tasting at Acetaia Villa San Donnino
LODGING Four Points by Sheraton Siena DAY 9: PISA / FLORENCE
DAY 10: ROME Today started with a walking tour, that worked us to the bone around the city.
We skipped the included dinner, and got pizza & gelato near the hotel to call it a night early! LODGING: Hotel American Palace Eur DAY 11: VATICAN CITY Woke up early for Vatican City. The Vatican is huge! You could spend all day there! Our highlights:
LODGING: Hotel American Palace Eur DAY 12: VENICE Time to say goodbye to our family for 10 days. We're on our own now! We check our bags at the hotel and head to termini station to catch a high-speed train to Venezia. It is a little bit over 4 hours each way from Rome, so it will be a short but worthwhile day trip to Venice. Venice
Rome Trains
A night by the Trevi Fountain
LEARNED THE HARD WAY Everything is more of adventure, and navigating yourself is a challenge when your on your own. The tour is great, but mindless. You don't have to think. On your own, you have to think about everything. I love being in charge of my own time, but also if the train stops and you have to figure out how to get home, it brings it's challenges. LODGING - HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Airbnb by the Trevi Fountain HIGHLIGHTS:
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