GETTING THERE

At this point in my European tour, the days blend together and creep up out of nowhere. Consequently, I completely forgot to secure transportation to the airport in Rome.  My Ryanair flight (more on that later) was scheduled to leave pretty early, and getting there by public transportation would be a headache because I’d have to wake up super early.  After weighing my options, I decided to book a private car with my host, for 40 €!!! If you have been following my blog, then you know I was not happy about that price. Nonetheless, I booked it and forced myself to be content with the decision.

I arrived at the airport in about 30 minutes and stood in the line to check-in.  This marked my first flight in Europe, so I didn’t know what to expect.  When I arrived at the counter, the Ryanair representative looked at my luggage and told me I didn’t need to be in this line since I only had carry-on bags.  She told me to head straight to security.  So, imagine my surprise when I got to the gate and I was told my luggage was too large and I’d have to pay 50 € to check my bag!! I was not a happy camper!! I don’t even want to look at the getting there section in my budget because it will reflect the cost of the private car, the flight, AND the baggage fee. Getting to Porto was definitely what my friend and I refer to as a #FinancialWomp.

WHERE TO LAY YOUR HEAD ON A PILLOW

I stayed at an Airbnb in Vila Nova de Gaia, which is a quick trip to Porto.  My host was great and changed his schedule in order to pick me up from the airport. His generosity eased the pain of the aforementioned #FinancialWomp. My host was great and he provided great suggestions for ways to experience Porto like a local.

GETTING AROUND PORTO

In Porto, I walked a lot then took an uber if it was super late or when I was feeling lazy. Uber prices were super reasonable in Porto. For example, some of my rides were 10-minutes but only cost around 2 €.  So, I didn’t mind splurging on the occasional Uber.

WHERE TO EAT

Antigua Casa Ze da Guida.  I had some of the freshest salmon at this restaurant, which makes sense since it’s right by the water. I had an amazing salad, salmon, and sangria for 12 €. I visited this restaurant three times during my stay, so clearly I’m a fan.

Porto is known for Francesinha, a sandwich with layers of meat, topped with an egg, cheese, and special sauce.  I was told by several locals that Café Santiago makes the best Francesinha. When I went, it was pretty crowded; head to the bar if you don’t feel like waiting for a table.

If you partake in a Francesinha and need a break from the meat, check out Essencia for vegetarian options.  I had a three-course meal for 10 € and it was amazing!

THINGS TO DO

Instead of official activities, I wandered around quite a bit in Porto.  The view from The Dom Luis Bridge is amazing.  São Bento Train Station also makes the list of beautiful things to see in Porto. After that, head over to Café Majestic, a beautiful café that’s been around for nearly a century.

Livaria Lello was highly recommended but I didn’t make it inside due to the long line.  It’s a bookstore that J.K. Rowling frequented when she lived in Porto.  I’m told it provided inspiration for her books. I’ve yet to read a Harry Potter book (blasphemy) so I wouldn’t get the connection anyway.  The trip wasn’t a waste because it was a quick walk to Clérigos Tower.

BUDGET

Here’s a breakdown of my budget for five days in Porto.  

*I used an exchange rate of 1 € = 1.2 USD

I’m off to Lisbon.  Ciao for now,

Marissa

GETTING THERE
It took a little over 2 hours to get from Florence to Venice by train.  Nothing too eventful on the quick trip, which I’ve learned is a good thing.

WHERE TO LAY YOUR HEAD
I stayed at an Airbnb in Mestre.  Staying in Mestre was cheaper than staying in Venice proper.  From Mestre, it took about 15 minutes to arrive at  Piazzale Roma, which is a main square for buses, trains, and water taxis.

GETTING AROUND VENICE
I purchased the 48-hour tourist card, which covered unlimited travel on buses and water taxis.  Unfortunately, I didn’t qualify for the “Young Person’s Travel Card” for tourists up to the age of 29.  I attempted to use my student id, but it had to be coupled with a passport to verify my date of birth. So, no discount for me, womp. Still, 30€ for a two-day card was more cost-effective than buying tickets for individual journeys.

WHERE TO EAT
My trip to Venice was so quick, and I didn’t do much research on restaurants before arriving. I did stumble upon a place called Timon where you can eat on a boat, I guess that’s cool. Personally, I chose a table by the water because I have enough trouble balancing stuff on land.

THINGS TO DO
For me, a trip to Venice wouldn’t be complete without a gondola ride.  A 30-ish minute trip has a set price of 80€ per vessel and increases to 100€ after 7:00 pm. Up to six people can ride in a gondola.  I met up with 2 friends that I met at the first hostel, so we were able to split the cost.  We considered asking others to join (actually, I jokingly did ask) but a lot of people were enjoying a romantic ride, so that would’ve been awkward.

If you visit Venice, check out Fondaco dei Tedeschi, a department store near Rialto Bridge. Tons of shopping and there’s a free viewpoint from the top of the building.

BUDGET
Here’s a breakdown of my budget for three days in Venice.  

*I used an exchange rate of 1 € = 1.2 USD.

Ciao for now,

Marissa

GETTING THERE

It took about 3 hours to get from Sorrento to Florence by train, which was a nice break from my previous trek.  It was just enough time to watch Creed, which I’d downloaded before I left for Europe. Glad I did because I haven’t been able to download any movies or tv shows since…so please, no Power, Insecure, or Game of Thrones spoilers.

WHERE TO LAY YOUR HEAD ON A PILLOW

Somewhere with an A/C.  Florence was extremely hot and I was in an Airbnb without an A/C or fan.  My host attempted to buy a fan, but the stores were sold out.  According to the locals, they’d never seen a summer so hot. So, I guess there’s a reason the fans were out of stock. It was so hot I considered getting a little propeller fan that I could attach to my phone.  But trying to use that while sleeping didn’t seem like the smartest idea.  All that to say, look at the forecast and check the amenities before you book.

GETTING AROUND FLORENCE

I was able to walk pretty much everywhere I wanted to go.  I didn’t feel like rolling my bag on the cobblestone streets when I arrived, so I hopped in a taxi. Other than that, I relied on my feet to get around. So happy a few friends convinced me to invest in some good sneakers before I embarked on this journey.

WHERE TO EAT

Since being in Italy, I’ve been searching for a good aperitivo. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s like happy hour 2.0.  You pay for a drink then get free food.  So my plan to save money was to find aperitivos where I could purchase a glass of wine then eat for free. Most of the aperitivos I found offered potato chips. Now I love chips, but not for dinner. After traveling in Italy for two weeks, I finally found a solid aperitivo in Florence.  Golden View Open Bar has a great view of the water and an actual aperitivo spread. They offered cheese, meat, potatoes, tomatoes, you name it. So I purchased a glass of wine and went back to the spread several times. I decided to sip slowly.  Luckily, I didn’t order a beverage with ice, so my drink didn’t get watery.

THINGS TO DO

The highlight of my trip was a cooking class. Initially I wanted to take a wine tour under the Tuscan sun. Due to last-minute planning, that wasn’t an option. Luckily, there was one spot left in a cooking class. It was pretty expensive, but it was actually worth it.  The class started with a drive to Tuscany where we met our chef for the day.  If you take this class, try to book with Chef Isak, who is both knowledgeable and entertaining. We made bruschetta, pasta from scratch, roast pork, patata al rosemarino, pizza, and tiramisu.  Plus the wine was flowing. If I return to Florence, I’ll take this class again.  Perhaps I should say “when I return” because I visited Il Porcellino and rubbed the boar’s snout, which guarantees a return to Florence.

Chef Curry with the pasta

BUDGET

Here’s a breakdown of my budget for four nights in Florence.  

*I used an exchange rate of 1 € = 1.18 USD.

I’m off to my next stop! Did you click the subscribe button so you don’t miss a moment? You can also follow me on Instagram to see more travel pics. 

Ciao for now,

Marissa

After visiting Como, I changed my itinerary to go to the Amalfi Coast.  In my original plan, the route made much more sense as I wasn’t traveling from Northern Italy to Southern Italy so abruptly.  But I met some cool people at the hostel and decided that I’d have more fun with them than I would solo. Plus, I was able to afford a place in Sorrento as opposed to my original stay in the boondocks of the Amalfi Coast.  Though the route was not ideal, I’m confident I made the right choice.

GETTING THERE
This was a trek to say the least.  By “trek,” I mean a 13-hour journey — 12 hours to travel to Naples and another hour to get to Sorrento.  Taking an overnight train helped to maximize time and save money on a night of accommodations.  I didn’t get too much sleep, however.  In case my Mom is reading this, I don’t want to go into too much detail and freak her out.  I will say, if you take an overnight train book a window seat. If you’re lucky enough to travel with a friend, take turns sleeping.  There were some shady characters on the train, arrests were made by plain-clothes officers upon arriving in Naples. I made it safely and with all of my belongings, which is all that matters.

WHERE TO LAY YOUR HEAD ON A PILLOW
We stayed at an Airbnb in Sorrento.  It was walking distance to public transportation, and a 20-minute walk to the beach.  The proximity to the bus made it easy to beach-hop. If you’re new to Airbnb, you can use this code to get $40 off your first trip of $75 or more. If you’re not new, we’re in the same boat and I’ll let you know if I come across any codes for existing users.

GETTING AROUND THE COAST
To get around the coast, I relied heavily on the bus.  If you’re prone to motion sickness, you might want to consider popping a Dramamine before the ride.  A beautiful view, but curves galore…so plan accordingly.  To reach Capri, it was a smooth ferry ride from Sorrento.

WHERE TO EAT
In the Airbnb, we had access to a kitchen so we went to the grocery store to stock up on food and wine for our stay. The area is known for Baba, a dessert that reminds me of rum cake.  It’s not as easy to find in other places in Italy, so try it there and thank me later.  And, be sure to try some Limoncello …don’t be like me and attempt to take it as a shot.

THINGS TO DO
Similar to Como, day trips are the thing to do when visiting the Amalfi Coast. In 3 full days, I was able to get to Positano, Amalfi, and Capri.  For the most part, my activities during these day trips consisted of lounging on the beach.  

In Capri, I switched it up and did a boat tour of the island.  Honestly, I wouldn’t do it again.  Perhaps I was bored, or maybe it was the sleep debt catching up with me….either way, I fell asleep during the tour.  I did wake up here and there to snap a pic then go back to sleep.  I didn’t make it inside the Blue Gratto, as boats were waiting in a 45-minute queue.  Only two people on our boat of at least 30 chose to hop on another boat and wait it out. Hope they made it!   

BUDGET
Here’s a breakdown of my budget for three nights exploring the Amalfi Coast.  I was with 2 other people on this leg of my journey, so the prices reflect my share.

*I used an exchange rate of 1 € = 1.18 USD.

I’m off to my next stop! Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss a moment. Ciao for now,

Marissa