If you know me even a little bit you know I'm an extensive planner so much so it is almost a detriment to me. LOL. But MOST of the time it comes in handy like when I'm planning a trip. My Europe trip over the Summer was an extensive trip that had a lot of boxes to check and so going in unorganized and without a plan just wasn't an option. I wanted to utilize every minute and literally map it out to ensure we maximized our time in each destination. Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome are huge cities that you could easily visit time and time again and still have things to see and do. I have been to Paris twice now and still have things that I haven't got to experience and both times I've had a plan. I spent, I would guess, upwards of 40 + hours building this custom itinerary, buying city passes, and researching transpiration to ensure my Mom and I were fully prepared.
How I made the itineraries? Well I first made lists regarding each destination of must eat restaurants, sights, and experiences I wanted to do. I then bought the necessary tickets like our Crazy Horse dinner and show tickets as well as the opera tickets in Venice and booked our AirBnb experience in Florence. Once I had all the MUST have items booked I pulled up my map application on my Mac and grouped each day's sights and activities in a general area of one main item on my must do list. Of course some items just weren't important or didn't work out but I tried to maximize our days in each destination by grouping activities in the similar vicinity and then mapping out detailed transportation when we needed to travel further around the city. After building the itineraries and then putting them to use I can say now I am SO glad I went in so prepared. We accomplished so much but also felt relaxed doing it. We also were able to stumble upon things as we went along with our plan.
So here is the nitty gritty of my Europe trip over the Summer in detailed itineraries
**Legend**
Didn't Complete
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Paris, France
Arrived by: air at CDG (Charles de Gaulle airport)
Dates: Arrived June 8 left June 11
Must get: Paris Pass for museum entry and public transport easy access- purchase HERE before your trip
Tips:
- Book Eiffel Tower tickets in advance
- Utilize the subway system- it's the best
- get to Notre Dame before opening time and be prepared to stand in line if you plan to enter
- Study and book in advance the correct ticket to skip the line and enter Versailles
- Ask your hotel for dinner recommendations they always have great suggestions nearby
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Venice, Italy
Arrived by: air from CDG (Charles de Gaulle airport) to VCE (Venice)
Hotel: Al Sole Hotel
Dates: Arrived June 11 left June 14
Must get: Purchase shuttle bus ticket from airport to Piazzale Roma in Venice HERE, purchase water taxi pass at one of the water taxi terminals. I bought us each the 3 day tourist pass and we utilized it A LOT. If you plan on going to Murano and Burano make sure your ticket fare includes those stops as some do not.
Tips:
- pack light as you will more than likely have to walk from bus station to hotel
- the private water taxis are VERY expensive. We used one to dinner just for the one time experience but other than that utilize the public transit water taxi system
- make sure your phone battery is charge fully and if possible have a portable charging station as you will use maps a lot and it kills your battery life
- If you have any restaurant musts be sure and make reservations for entire stay because of the dense tourist population during high season restaurants usually only go off of reservations and they book up FAST
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Florence, Italy
Arrived by: train from Venice
Hotel: Ginori Al Duomo Hotel
Dates: Arrived June 14 left June 17
Must get: If you want to climb the Duomo book WAY in advance if possible it was booked over a week out when we were there. Book THIS AirBnb experience!!!!!
Tips:
- get a seat early and stay until dark to view the sunset over Florence at Piazza Michelangelo
- Get a Firenze card, Florence city pass. HERE this pass was worth it ALONE for getting into the Uffizi
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Rome, Italy
Arrived by: train from Florence
Hotel: Andreotti Hotel
Dates: Arrived June 17 left June 20
Tips:
- I didn't figure out a good transportation plan before hand in Rome and also didn't realize it is super spread out. Utilize public buses as taxi's are very expensive and can add up quickly
- DON'T go in the Summer months of May- August
- Go into any church/ cathedral you come across. There's more than you can image and all worth a look.
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Welp...you should be set if you want to visit any of these cities for at least 3 days or more. These itineraries are very jam packed and if we were slow movies or gallery gawkers it could have easily made us not be able to accomplish as much.