Italy – Umbria & Tuscany

Despite years of obsessing over images of Italy on Instagram and in travel magazines – not to mention my love affair with Italian food – I had only previously visited the country once. So when a friend invited me to stay in their family home for a week, I just had to take the opportunity to squeeze in as much of this beautiful country as possible. The house is in the beautiful and quaint town of Citta Della Pieve, Umbria and from there we explored more of Umbria and Tuscany.

Travel
We flew into Rome Ciampino with RyanAir from Manchester. How I hate this airline. Yet again, our flight was delayed and when we did finally arrive, we collided with the runway as opposed to landing. Still, the flights were £110 return so I suppose you get what you pay for. From here, we got a bus to Rome Termini, a train from Termini to Chuisi and a taxi to Citta Della Pieve.

Eat
Despite lots of travelling around, we managed to eat in Citta Della Pieve most evenings and we didn’t have a single bad meal. On our first night, we ate in Cantina Del Saltapicchio. I have to admit I can’t offer the best review of this place; I was practically asleep at the table having been up since 3:45am and only had a Caprese salad. However, the service was outstanding and my friends who were a little more awake thought their food was divine. There were both vegetarian and vegan options on the menu but also lots of choice for meat eaters. On the second night, we went to Serenellas which was an authentic Italian if I’ve ever seen one, full to the brim with locals even on a Tuesday. Unfortunately, there was no English menu and staff spoke no English, so I had to take a stab in the dark and ask if one particular option was ‘vegetariano’. I would’ve loved to have taken my pick from the whole menu but unfortunately google translate was a bit slow for that. I ended up with a tomato and mushroom parpadelle which was good but nothing special.

Our third meal in Citta was at Zafferano Pievese and it was outstanding. I had the saffron risotto which was out of this world. The wine was also gorgeous. The service was fantastic and the prices really reasonable for such a great meal. If you’re in Citta, you need to eat here.

On our final night in Citta we ate at Bruno’s. Again, the food was divine. Two of us had Cacio e Pepe – spaghetti with pepper, served up from a huge cheese wheel. It was absolutely gorgeous even if it has massively increased my risk of a heart attack! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything quite so rich. The service at Bruno’s was brilliant and there was a waitress who spoke the most fantastic English and kindly talked us through the menu.

Do
I’ve been a bit torn on how to post about this trip, given that we visited so many places in a week. While I considered writing separate posts, I concluded that having it all in one is a good way of showing off just how much you can do from Citta Della Pieve. I’ll break our day trips down into sections so you can pick and choose what you’re interested in!

Città Della Pieve
As we had such a busy trip, the two days we were in Citta all day were spent mainly lounging by the pool. We strolled into the town for coffee or the odd tipple, sitting outside at lovely little cafes like Marconis. We also wandered into town on the Saturday morning for the food market which sold everything from clothes to cured meats and wine. Citta is a lovely quaint town and while there aren’t loads of ‘tourist attractions’ there are so many beautiful hidden corners, like this tiny weeny street.

 

Lake Trasimeno
Citta is only a matter of miles away from Lake Trasimeno and it seems to be a place that is massively underrated. We got the bus from Citta to Castiglione Del Lago. Be careful with public transport in this area – the buses don’t stick to the times at all and we ended up on a much later bus than planned, which took a lot longer than it stated on the timetable. Still, in 40 minutes – having done a big loop dropping lots of school children off – we were there. Getting back was the hard part as the buses had stopped and apparently there is no taxi rank in the town! We ended up paying a very kind Italian girl who offered to drive us back.

 

Castiglione Del Lago is a very small and quiet place with only a few restaurants. We sat outside and had a bite to eat before walking along the lake until we came across a sort of beach area. There were only a handful of families there despite the glorious weather, so we lay in the sunshine in peace and had leisurely swims in the lake. The lake wasn’t even particularly cold and it was so calming to bob along in such stunning surroundings. If you’ve read my blog you’ll know I adore Lake Bled – Lake Trasimeno reminded me a lot of Bled but was a lot less touristy and even more serene. I’d highly recommend a visit to Lake Trasimeno but recommend hiring a car.

Siena
After another unfortunate issue with public transport, we arrived in Siena at 4pm – a number of hours later than planned. Still, we were able to wander round the beautiful city and take some snaps of its gorgeous architecture.

We paid to go inside Siena Duomo and it was worth every penny. I didn’t think anything I saw that day would top the stunning, intricate exterior of the Duomo. I was quickly proven wrong when going inside. The inside of the cathedral is like nothing I’ve seen before, with immense detail but a very unusual style. Unfortunately, pictures don’t do it justice. I think the interior of Siena Duomo is the most staggering I’ve ever seen – big statement!

We fell into the tourist trap afterwards by having dinner outside one of the restaurants along the main square. Whilst we knew we might not have an amazing meal, we couldn’t resist eating with such a spectacular backdrop when we only had a few hours in the city. We were very pleasantly surprised, having tasty pasta dishes for around €8 each. The drinks were expensive – but come on, that view!

Siena is accessible by train from Chuisi station and the 1.5hr journey through Tuscany is breathtaking. The views were just beautiful from start to finish.

Florence
Florence is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a long while so having this stunning city in easy reach was a real bonus. Again, we got the train from Chuisi and were in Florence 1hr45mins later. We headed straight for the Duomo which, from the outside, is by far the most stunning building I have ever seen. The colours and details are phenomenal and I don’t feel photos do that justice. It’s also difficult to get decent shots of the whole building as it is just so vast and not easy to fit into one shot. Unfortunately, the queue to go inside the Duomo was crazy – it looked like it would literally take hours to get in. As we only had a day in Florence, we unfortunately forfeited a trip inside so that we could cover more of the city on foot.

We wandered down to the market where we each bought a few things to take home, including scarves, clothing and items from the food market. We then headed for some lunch, walking through beautiful streets with a few detours in shops on the way. Florence is certainly designer heaven so if you’re into high fashion shopping, you’re in luck. We had lunch at La Terrazza, the roof terrace of a department store. The views from the terrace are spectacular and I expected to pay a premium for them. However, prices were actually really reasonable and the sandwiches were lovely.

I was determined to get that iconic shot of the Florence skyline whilst in the city, so we trekked up to Piazzale Michelangelo as I had read that this offers the best view of the city. It was a hard trek up in the heat, through the hoards of tourists across the bridge, but oh so worthwhile. We spent a lot of time sat chatting and reflecting with the most perfect backdrop.

We arrived in Florence at 11am and stayed until 7pm, so while it was quite a long day it was still nowhere near long enough to do the city justice. I’ll definitely be returning to Florence for a few days at some point and going inside the Duomo is top of my list.

Rome
I’ve previously spent four days in Rome – you can read all about my trip Here. However, as our flights were in and out of Rome, we made the most of it and spent some time in the city either end of the trip. On the day we arrived, we paid to store our luggage at Termini station for a couple of hours and immediately went on the hunt for pizza and aperol spritz after a long day of travelling. With our bellies full and heads a little fuzzy, we walked the mile or so to the Trevi Fountain. I was amazed how heaving it was for May – there were hoards of tourists but luckily I was able to get some good snaps. We had our first gelato in Italy right by the fountain before heading back to the station.

As our flight home was at 11am, we opted to stay in Rome for the final night of the trip so we didn’t have such an early start the next day. Having stayed in Rome before, I am all too familiar with the high prices for city centre accommodation, so when I found Hotel Raganelli I was chuffed. We paid under £30 each for a night in this clean, comfortable and modern hotel. Granted, it is a little out of the centre but after a 20 minute walk to the local metro station we were well connected to the rest of the city. We picked a random stop to get off at and simply explored. We didn’t go out of our way to get to specific places but stumbled across a number of Rome’s finest buildings on our travels.

In just a few hours in the city we walked 19km and were very ready for some food and drink! We ate at Merulana which offered really reasonably priced meals – I finally got to have some authentic gnocchi and it didn’t disappoint. Drinks were on the pricey side, having got used to Citta’s prices, but I suppose this is just Rome for you.

The Verdict
What a trip. In just a week I saw so very much of Italy, from major cities to just taking in staggering views of Tuscany from the train. Citta Della Pieve is a great little base to explore from and there are even more places nearby that we didn’t get chance to visit. It was also a little haven after days in big cities battling tourists – Citta is authentic yet welcoming and I’d highly recommend visiting. I’m so glad I finally got to see more of Italy but I’m certainly not done yet – I’ll be paying a lengthier visit to Florence and there are lots of other places on my bucket list, including Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre and Lakes Como and Garda. I’m also lucky enough to be visiting Sardinia next month, so stay tuned..

How to: do Iceland on a Budget

If you’ve read my Iceland Guide you’ll know that Iceland is the most expensive place I’ve ever been. Everyone who comes back from this wonderful country says the same – ‘it was amazing but so expensive’. Sadly, I think it makes Iceland inaccessible to those who don’t have excessive amounts of money to spend. That’s why I decided to put some tips together to doing Iceland on a budget. When I say budget, I mean a smaller budget. Unfortunately, Iceland is extortionate and I really don’t think it’s possible to make it cheap. However, I think that following some basic rules will help you to make that dream trip to Iceland a reality.

1. Go Self-Catered
Staying in an apartment instead of a hotel will help you to bring costs down massively. Instead of paying £5 for a cup of tea multiple times per day, you can make one yourself for pennies. Being in self-catered accommodation also enables you to make your own meals. While I am a real foodie and love eating out when travelling, I just couldn’t justify spending £50 per evening on a mid-range meal. I ate in on all four nights I spent in Iceland and the money I saved doing this was enough to pay for a whole other weekend city break.

2. Take Supplies!
We travelled with IcelandAir and had a 23kg bag each included in our ticket price. Well, we really made the most of it! We took loads of supplies with us so that we didn’t have to pay for them out there, including tea bags, pasta, rice, porridge oats, tinned food and more. This meant that we only had to buy fresh produce – like fruit, veg, cheese and milk – to add to our basics when out there. Even the supermarkets are extortionate in Iceland so it made a huge difference buying staples at home.

3. Choose Bonus
On our first night in Iceland we went to the closest supermarket to our apartment and were absolutely floored by the prices. I’m talking £7 for a sharing bag of Doritos. We didn’t make the same mistake twice and instead hunted down our local Bonus supermarket  the next day following recommendations from friends. Bonus is a good, well stocked supermarket that is so much cheaper than any of the others. We spent a fraction of the price getting our fresh produce from Bonus and the quality of the food was great.

4. Take Alcohol
Alcohol isn’t readily available in Icelandic shops due to selling restrictions. When you do find it, it’ll cost you as it is so heavily taxed. We picked up a couple of bottles of wine in Manchester airport duty-free to have in our apartment. The cost of two whole bottles was only £3 more than a small glass of wine in a bar in Reykjavik.

5. Drink Water
There is absolutely no need to buy bottled drinks in Iceland. The tap water is some of the purest in the world and you’ll really notice it. Take a bottle with you that you can refill and take this with you on day trips – it’ll save you a fortune.

6. Do your Research
Turning up in Iceland without pre-booked tours is likely to cost you an arm and a leg. Spend some time before you depart researching tours with competitive pricing. My Iceland Guide highlights exactly which tour providers we used.

7. Avoid Taxis
Our airport bus cost an absolute fortune, so goodness knows how much we would have had to hand over for a taxi from the airport to Reykjavik. We pre-booked FlyBus for our airport transfers which we found to be the cheapest option after a lot of research.

8. Bathe with the Locals
This is a tip that I’m passing on from a local as opposed to one I advocate for myself. We spent a long time chatting with a local man who advised that public swimming baths in Iceland are fantastic and reasonably cheap. Swimming baths are used as a real social hub, with locals flocking to them to relax and socialise in the evenings post-dinner. The general consensus with locals seems to be that The Blue Lagoon is an overpriced tourist trap and that you can have equally good experiences at the local baths. That said, The Blue Lagoon was amazing and I’m so glad I ticked it off my bucket list, regardless of the inflated entry prices.

Finally..
While Iceland does cost a fortune, it is incredible and I think everyone should try to visit. Iceland was a dream destination for me and I was therefore prepared to spend a little more than I usually would when travelling. There’s a fine line between being savvy with money and scrimping to the point you don’t enjoy yourself. I think if you follow my simple tips and tricks for saving some pennies, you’ll cut down on costs significantly without spoiling your trip.

What are your tips for saving money whilst travelling?

Iceland

I am so excited that I can finally write this blog post! Iceland has been the top destination on my Bucket List for years and years; I’ve been desperate to see the Northern Lights and to bathe in the Blue Lagoon for as long as I can remember. When a great flights deal came up, myself and two of my friends booked the trip of a lifetime and eagerly counted down the days. I could talk about it forever (and have bored many people with my tales) but will try to keep this post as a fairly brief overview for anyone wishing to visit this amazing and unique country.

Travel
We flew to Keflavik from Manchester airport with IcelandAir. Flights were really cheap at only £125 return including a 23kg baggage allowance each. These prices were low for Iceland anyway but were particularly low for such a good airline. As I tend to fly with budget airlines, it was a real treat for me to have a decent amount of leg room and in-flight movies. I can’t fault IcelandAir. I must also note that Keflavik airport was great – very modern with great facilities and made the very early inbound flight a total breeze. We did the whole check in and bag drop process electronically without needing any assistance from staff.

We pre-booked our airport transfers through SkyBus which is apparently the cheapest option. It was still expensive but was a smooth process which took us door to door.

Stay
We stayed in Hlemmur Apartments in their two bedroom apartment. At around £190 each for four nights, Hlemmur was quite cheap for Iceland. The apartment was so lovely and we were all so glad we had found it. It was clean, comfortable and homely with some lovely extra touches like toiletries. The apartment had all the cooking facilities and equipment we needed as well as some generous additions like tea, coffee, spices etc. The location of the apartments – just off Reykjavik’s main shopping street – was perfect. All of the tour companies we used had a pick up point either just outside or a few steps down the road making early morning pickups stress-free. I honestly don’t have a single bad word to say about the apartment and would highly recommend Hlemmur to anyone visiting Iceland.

Weather
I’ve had lots of questions about the weather since returning from Iceland. We visited in December and the temperature was the same as back home in the UK – around 5-8 degrees Celsius during the day. We didn’t have any snow, although we were told this was very unusual for this time of year. However, it is worth noting that daylight hours are very limited at this time of year; it didn’t get fully light until around 11:30 and was fully dark again by 4pm.

Do
We arrived in Iceland late afternoon and opted to go straight out on our Northern Lights tour that night. We did this because the Gray Line Northern Lights Tour allows you to go again for free if you don’t see the lights on your first excursion. Our logic was that if we didn’t see them on the first night, we would have three more nights to try. As it happened, we saw the lights on the first night. The tour is a little strange as you just drive around Iceland randomly changing direction if there is information on the lights appearing somewhere. I think we had been out for around an hour and a half when we pulled up with about ten other coaches to see some aurora activity. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s dream of seeing the Northern Lights but I never realised that you don’t see anything like the photographs with the naked eye. I managed to get some great photos on my camera but what you can see with your eye is a very faint and slightly underwhelming version. It was still amazing to be there and be able to take some amazing photographs, but I was slightly disappointed not to be stood looking at an entirely bright green sky.

On our second day we went on the Golden Circle Tour seeing the three main attractions of Gulfoss Waterfall, the Geysir Geothermal Area and Þingvellir National Park. The tour also stopped at the Kerið crater lake and a smaller waterfall, the name of which I can’t recall. Again, the tour involved a lot of driving but was worthwhile. The guide was knowledgable and enthusiastic; we learned a lot about Iceland and it’s landscape even just when driving. I’ve never been somewhere with such an unusual landscape; you really have to visit and see for yourself. It was lovely to look out of the window at the bizarre terrain and Icelandic horses grazing away.

Gulfoss Waterfall is the largest waterfall I’ve personally visited. It is absolutely roaring and it was bitterly cold walking up to it. However, it was absolutely amazing to see. The nearby Geysir Geothermal Area was my favourite part of the tour and a highlight of my whole trip. There are several geothermal pools which you can walk round; they are like nothing I’ve seen before. However, the real highlight is Strokkur, a fountain Geyser which errupts every 6-10 minutes. It is really quite exciting waiting in anticipation for it to blow. We stood and watched it several times and it was just as incredible each time. Head over to my  Instagram to see a video of it erupting. We finished the tour off with a hike through Þingvellir National Park where you can literally walk through the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. At the end of the walk, we watched the sunset over the mountains; a very special end to a special day.

I can’t recommend the Golden Circle Tour highly enough. We had considered hiring a car and doing these things ourselves, but we never would have mastered seeing all of these places for the correct amount of time, all within short daylight hours. The tour was planned down to the minute and this enabled us to see everything in the right light for the right amount of time, ending at sunset in the most beautiful location. As with all Iceland tours, it wasn’t cheap. However, it was certainly worth every single penny.

Our second day was spent wandering around Reykjavik. Fran went on a walking tour which she said was great, while Zanna and I opted to explore ourselves. We had a lovely hot chocolate and cake in a cafe, wandered some (expensive) shops and took in the local architecture. We also stopped off at Hallgrímskirkja – a highly unusual church to look at from the outside. Inside, the church was underwhelming but there was a very impressive organist playing. Overall, we weren’t too impressed with Reykjavik. It is a slightly strange city with not an awful lot to do, particularly if you don’t have the budget to be buying things from souvenir shops. We found ourselves trying to fill time, which is unusual for one day in a capital city. However, you have to explore these places to find out! I’m glad we spent the day in Reykjavik but wouldn’t highly recommend it to others.

Our third full and final day was spent at the Blue Lagoon. We booked this excursion through the Blue Lagoon website and went for the comfort package which got us entry, two face masks, a towel and a free drink. We also added transport on to this package at an extra cost as public transport didn’t seem to be an option. The Blue Lagoon is an incredible and surreal experience; bathing outside in a natural geothermal pool that is like a hot bath. It is totally natural and the water replaces itself every 40 hours – incredible huh? The minerals in the water did wonders for our skin but not so much for our hair which was totally unmanageable after, despite following instructions and covering it in conditioner before entering. I wish I had thought ahead like others and bought either a waterproof phone case or a selfie stick so that we could have got some photos of ourselves in the lagoon. However, I must admit it was nice to not be technology focused for once and to just enjoy the experience. While the Lagoon is expensive, it’s a once in a lifetime experience and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Eat
Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know that I love eating out and trying new food whilst away. However, given the extortionate prices in Iceland (see below) I didn’t have an evening meal out during the trip. Instead, we made meals in the apartment. My friends did go out for dinner one night, but given the prices and limited vegetarian options I decided to stay in. They went to a middle of the range restaurant and paid £50 each for a lamb dish and a glass of wine so I was happy with my decision not to go!

I think the food that stood out most to me was our lunch on the golden circle tour – we had this at the Geyser food hall and shop. There are lots of different counters serving different food inside but we opted for a healthy, vegan fast food place. We all had different vegan soups and all thoroughly enjoyed them. Mind you, for £13 for a bowl of soup you’d hope it would be good! On the remaining days, we either had lunch at the apartment or grabbed a sandwich from the supermarket.

Drink
Something we weren’t aware of is that Icelandic supermarkets cannot sell alcohol – it is only sold in specialist shops. We only came across one of these during our trip and it happened to be closed. Luckily, we’d bought some duty-free wine in Manchester airport to have in the apartment. If you want to drink while you’re away and don’t want to pay the bar prices – I’m talking £12 for a glass of wine in a low-end bar – then I’d recommend taking some booze with you.

Read
As usual, I went for my trusty Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide. While the book was semi-useful, in hindsight I probably didn’t need a guide book given that I did online research beforehand and booked tours and excursions prior to arrival. However, the maps were useful for getting around Reykjavik.

Spend
Iceland was by far the most expensive place I have ever been. Luckily, we were aware of this before arriving and decided to make the most of our baggage allowance by stocking up on food such as pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes and porridge oats. This meant that we could make meals in our apartment and only buy fresh food whilst out there. I am so glad we did this as even the supermarkets were a fortune – I’m talking £7 for a large bag of Doritos in the supermarket closest to us. Luckily, a friend had told me about Bonus supermarket and there were two branches within walking distance – it is considerably cheaper here than other supermarkets.

I plan to write a whole blog post on keeping costs down when visiting Iceland so stay tuned for that. However, what I will say is that even with all the tips and tricks in the world, Iceland is extortionate and if you’re planning a visit, start saving.

The Verdict
Iceland didn’t disappoint. In just three and a half days, I had some of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had. We were really pleased with all the tours we went on and we were lucky enough that everything went to plan, including us seeing the Northern Lights. I think in hindsight, I would have swapped the day in Reykjavik for a whale watching tour – I didn’t realise that these still run in winter and it is something I’d really like to do. I can’t recommend Iceland highly enough to others and think everyone should try and go in their lifetime. However, you might want to think about taking out a loan or re-mortgaging..

My Year in Travel: 2016

I couldn’t let 2016 end without a round-up post of my 2016 trips. This year I’ve traveled more than in any other year, making five trips abroad. Not bad whilst managing a full-time job at home hey?! My travels included four countries which are new to me – this has brought my list up to 26 countries.

I had planned to try and rank my trips from best to worst but I just can’t – I’ve been so lucky in that I’ve enjoyed every place I’ve been to this year and I’ve ticked a good few things off my bucket list. Instead, I’ve decided to summarise my trips in the order I made them.

1) Malta
It’s quite rare these days that I return to a country I’ve already visited as there are so many new places to see. However, I hadn’t been to Malta since I was a young child and given that my Grandpa (and therefore my surname) is Maltese, I felt I needed to visit as an adult.

Malta was a lovely holiday for me and provided a nice mix of culture and relaxing in the sunshine. The trip came at the right time as I really needed a break and some time to reflect; Malta worked wonders. We stayed for five days and in hindsight I would have stayed for a week if not more as there were still things I’d like to have done. I’d highly recommend Malta to anyone wanting a bit of sunshine without going all out Benidorm style – you can enjoy the sun but there’s also beautiful nature like the blue lagoon as well as some exploring to be done in the city.

2) Slovenia
Lake Bled has been on my bucket list for a couple of years and it truly didn’t disappoint. Bled was absolutely stunning; it was calm and peaceful but there was still lots to do. We were lucky to have beautiful weather and made the most of it by walking, exploring and going summer tobogganing down a mountain. Bled is amazing for anyone who is outdoorsy and adventurous – I would have liked to have tried canyoning and white water rafting if we had stayed longer.

After three nights in Bled, we moved on to Ljubljana for a day and night before flying home. Ljubljana is a lovely, calm city; there isn’t loads to do but I’d definitely recommend tagging a day here on to your trip. A river tour was probably the highlight of our day.

Again, in hindsight I would have spent longer in Slovenia as there is so much to see and do. I was desperate to go to the Postojna Caves but there just wasn’t enough time. Slovenia is definitely somewhere I would return to and I don’t say that lightly!

3) Montenegro
Montenegro was a recent addition to my bucket list having seen stunning photos of Kotor plastered all over Instagram. I found insanely cheap flights and a cheap apartment – a deal too good to miss. The views of Kotor Bay are every bit as staggering as the photos and more. We also spent half a day in the beautiful Perast which was very sleepy in October but stunning nevertheless. I think three days in Kotor was plenty as there isn’t an abundance of things to do. I’d definitely recommend tagging another destination on if you are wanting a trip longer than three days – I have visited nearby Dubrovnik before and can highly recommend it.

4) Latvia
My best friend and I booked Riga as somewhere cheap to have a girly weekend together. My expectations weren’t high I must admit, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Riga’s Old Town is filled with charming and unusual architecture. It was thick snow when we arrived and the first day it continued to snow non-stop, making it a total winter wonderland. It’s the first time ever I’ve traveled to somewhere snowy so Riga was a very memorable trip for me. I’d say that three days was the perfect amount of time.

5) Iceland
Ahh, I still can’t believe I’ve been. Iceland has been on my Bucket List for years. I’ve been desperate to see the Northern Lights for as long as I can remember and have looked at photos of the Blue Lagoon in total awe. Iceland was every bit as amazing as I had hoped. We did get to see the Northern Lights, although I wish I had known that you can’t see them anywhere near as brightly with the naked eye as you can on camera! The blue lagoon was also amazing, if rather expensive. I also absolutely loved the Golden Circle tour, with the Geysirs being an unexpected highlight of the trip. It is so incredible to see it in person. We were in Iceland for four days and I don’t think I’d change that in hindsight; while there was much more to do in Iceland, I couldn’t have afforded to stay longer! Iceland is by far the most expensive place I have ever been.

The 2016 Awards
Cheapest destination: Riga
Most expensive destination: Iceland
Best accommodation: Hlemmur Apartments, Reykjavik
Worst accommodation: Hotel Emonec, Ljubljana
Best airline: IcelandAir
Worst airline: RyanAir
Best airport: Reykjavik
Worst airport: Tivat & Ljubljana – both equally awful!
Best for vegetarian food: Bled
Worst for vegetarian food: Riga

Overall, a fantastic travel year for me. I have been so lucky to have been to five countries which I have loved; it’ll be hard for 2017 to top this year. If you are visiting any of these places, have a look at my destination guides for tips on accommodation, what to do and where to eat (linked below). Where did you travel in 2016?

Destination Guides
Malta
Bled
Ljubljana
Kotor
Riga
Iceland – Coming Soon 

Riga, Latvia

I’ll be honest, I booked Riga because it was cheap. Cheap flights, cheap accommodation. I didn’t expect it to be all that different to other cities – just a nice opportunity to eat food, drink wine and natter with my best friend who I don’t see as much as I’d like. Well, it totally exceeded every expectation.

I must say that I was perhaps naive about the weather. I expected it to be very cold, but didn’t consider snow. There I was, panic buying a sturdy pair of boots the morning of the flight, and boy am I glad I did. We landed to piles of snow on the runway and woke up on our first morning to thick snow that pelted down all day long. It was stunning, but so so cold.

Travel
We flew to Riga from Doncaster Sheffield with Wizz Air. This was my first experience of Wizz air having been recommended by the lovely Maddy over at Talesofelsewhere. We opted to buy an annual membership which worked in our favour – for 30 euros we received a 40 euro discount on our flight fares. What’s more, we can use it again and again for a year and will save €40+ each time. I feel some cheap flights coming on..! Wizz Air were a decent enough airline. We were delayed both ways but considering the thick snow, that can be forgiven.

Piles of snow on the runway

As we were due to land at midnight we asked the hotel to arrange transport. We had a very formal driver in a very fancy car collect us which was a godsend at that time of night having been travelling for hours. This was quite reasonable at €22. For the way back, we asked them to book us the cheaper taxi option which cost €17. We may have been able to get a train or bus, but dragging our case through thick snow would have been a nightmare. While in Riga, we moved around by foot.

Stay
We stayed at Hotel Opera Spa and Hotel booked through Booking.com as always. At £165 for two people, for three nights, they were practically giving it away. Ok so it was still £82.50 each, but for three nights accommodation, three breakfasts and spa access, it was dirt cheap. The hotel was lovely, central and staff were accommodating. Breakfast was decent enough although not the best I’ve ever had. The spa was lovely – a real treat to be able to go to after long days out in the cold. We don’t normally go for such luxury on our trips, but decided we would like to treat ourselves to some r&r during this trip.

Eat
Turns out, being vegetarian in Riga isn’t the easiest thing in the world. At the end of our first full day (Sunday) we spent around an hour looking for somewhere with just one vegetarian option. The majority of places had nothing at all or were closed. We eventually found one place but, alas, it was full. We ended up walking back through the thick snow to a place we had seen near our hotel, Forest, which thankfully had a couple of options and was totally empty bar us! We had a fantastic meal at Forest. The wine was good and we both had tagliatelle with creamy vegetables which was divine – exactly what we needed after spending so long searching for somewhere to eat. We were also brought lovely homemade bread and a little appetizer, compliments of the chef, before our main. We finished off with mulled wine which they added Disoranno to – yum. The service was impeccable and as the meal was so lovely, we weren’t too sickened by the rather large price tag. Perhaps not a place to visit on a tight budget, but a lovely meal.

 

Creamy Veggie Pasta with Parmesan

Lunches we really struggled with. It was quite difficult to find places that did sandwich type food, particularly with vegetarian options. We got by, but the lunches were nothing to write home about. We did, however, find a great coffee and cake spot. Pienne is a shop and cafe, to be discussed more in the shop section below. We actually visited the cafe twice during our stay in Riga as it was such a lovely escape from the snow outside. We had gorgeous stir-in hot chocolate spoons (the ‘Winter’ flavour is to die for) as well as the most gorgeous almond and chocolate cake. In fact, it was so good we had the exact same when we returned! The staff were lovely and spoke the most fantastic English.

Coffee and Cake at Pienne

We also had lovely (and cheap) hot chocolate in Regensis, a gorgeous little bakery. If we fancied something a little more, erm, warming.. we stopped off for mulled wine. A highlight was vegetarian and vegan restaurant Fat Pumpkin where we had mulled wine with great service. I wish we’d found it earlier than our last day as I would’ve liked to have eaten there.

Regenesis

Our final dinner was had at La Kanna having planned ahead after the disaster of our first night. What a gem – La Kanna is cosy, quaint and the service was good. I had the most gorgeous beet and goats cheese strudel with the most lovely, fresh vegetables. Given how nice the main was, I just had to sample the chocolate fondant! The cherry on the cake was that the bill was more than reasonable for such a great meal. I highly recommend.

 

Beet and Goats Cheese Strudel 

Chocolate Fondant

Do
We were so lucky to have visited Riga when it was a total winter wonderland, so a lot of our time was spent taking photos of the snow! I must admit, it did slow us down a lot as it’s difficult to march around without risking breaking a leg. We spent lots of time just wandering around the old town, popping in and out of shops and taking in the beautiful and unusual architecture.

 

Monument of Freedom

We did pay to go into the Riga Cathedral and while I’m glad we saw it, it definitely wasn’t as spectacular as lots of cathedrals I have been into. Talking of spectacular, the Nativity Cathedral – the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the Baltics, was absolutely staggering, inside and out. Sadly, we weren’t able to take any photos but please, make sure you visit even though it’s a little outside of the old town.

Inside Riga Cathedral

The Orthodox Cathedral

On our last morning we visited The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. The exhibition is currently in a temporary building but was still so, so worthwhile. It was informative and hard-hitting – I gained so much knowledge from the experience. The museum works on a donation only system. When we were at the museum we learned about the KGB Building which sounded fascinating. I was so disappointed we had only heard about it then as we didn’t have enough time to visit before our flight home. Gutting.

Shop & Spend
As mentioned above, my favourite cafe Pienne is joined to their shop where you can buy reasonably priced environmentally friendly gifts, from soap to slippers. We both picked up some little bits to bring home. I also bought a lovely wool jumper from a market stall in the old town, while Caroline picked up some amber jewellery from another stool. We also  couldn’t resist bringing back some local honey and beeswax candles from Honey Room.

Riga, overall, was pretty cheap. Not quite on par with Poland but cheap nonetheless. I took about €220 with me as I had lots of euros left from previous trips. With that, I paid for all of my food, entrance fees, transport, a massage at the spa and some souvenirs to bring home. Despite all of that, I still had €55 remaining to put towards the hotel bill instead of paying by card. Bonus! I think if you wanted to visit Riga on a tight budget, it’d be more than possible.

Read
Guide books for Riga are still few and far between so for this trip, I had the Wallpaper City Guide – the first time I have used this series. Unfortunately, it was rubbish. Oh, it was packed with lots of trendy photos of hotels in Riga, but what good was that to me when I had accommodation and wanted to explore? I didn’t take anything positive from this guide at all. I’d recommend saving your money and just using my tips instead ;).

The Verdict
Riga was such a pleasant surprise – I was expecting a nice weekend away with my best friend but came back having fallen in love with yet another city. I’d highly recommend a visit.

Kotor, Montenegro

Montenegro was a fairly new addition to my travel list having recently seen photos of the stunning views of Kotor plastered all over Instagram. It is most definitely an ‘up-and-coming’ destination, having been named Lonely Planet’s number one city in their Best of Travel: 2016. I made the most of a flight sale and bagged myself a bargain, jetting off to Montenegro for a long weekend this October with my mum.

Travel
We flew from Manchester to Tivat with EasyJet. As I say, I bought the tickets during a sale and we paid just £68 each, flying hand baggage only to save some pennies. Upon arrival in Tivat we grabbed a taxi to Kotor and (we later discovered) were totally ripped off at €20 for 8km. On our return to the airport, we got a much more reasonable rate of €10 from a Kotor based taxi company.  Little tip – pre-book your taxi prior to arriving in Tivat.

Kotor itself is very small and you can easily explore the whole town by foot. During our trip, we also visited Perast; we got the bus from Kotor for €2 return. The buses run once per hour and pick up by the market on the main road, just outside of the old town.

Stay
We stayed in Apartment Filip, a one bedroom apartment that sleeps three. The apartment was lovely; it was clean, spacious and had a well equipped kitchen. The location was absolutely fantastic, right in the centre of the old town. The apartment was a good price at €165 total for three nights.

Unfortunately, the lovely apartment is surrounded by awful neighbours. The man next door screamed at his child for hours on end each day. When I say scream, I don’t just mean a raised voice following bad behaviour. He sounded absolutely deranged and we became so concerned about the safety of the child that we tried to contact the owner and almost rang the police. We also heard a major argument in an apartment below which ended in a man wailing at the top of his lungs. I must admit this did put a dampener on the trip; it’s quite hard to relax with constant screaming around you. A real shame, as the apartment was otherwise fantastic.

Eat
We were exhausted on our first night in Kotor having been up since 4am, so didn’t venture far from our apartment. We went to the neighbouring Hotel Astoria for dinner and sat outside under blankets by their lovely outdoor heaters. We both had salads at Astoria and while this is often a slightly less exciting meal choice, these salads were lovely. The ingredients were beautifully fresh and tasty. We also had hot chocolates after which were Italian style; more like a pudding than a drink! Prices here were reasonable for such a lovely meal. I popped inside to use the toilet during our visit and realised that the inside of Astoria is somewhat spectacular. A unique, trendy bar that I imagine is a great place to be if you’re looking for nightlife.

 

On our second day we took advice from the apartment owner and had coffee and cake (for lunch!) at Cafe Forza. The cakes here are absolutely gorgeous- there are so many options and it was a big decision choosing which to have. In fact, the cake was so good that we returned on our final day and shared a slice. The Ananas Torte is to die for. I highly recommend a trip to Cafe Forza.

 

On our second night we had a rather special meal at Galion which came highly recommended on TripAdvisor. We popped in earlier in the day to reserve a table and I’m glad we did as this was the only remaining table. The restaurant is beautiful inside with a glass dining room which provides stunning views of the bay. We had the most gorgeous meal at Galion and it’s making my mouth water just thinking of it. We shared the feta rolls with honey and walnuts to start – they were demolished before I even thought about taking a photo but were absolutely divine. I had a lovely celery and root vegetable risotto for my main while my mum had sea bass. For dessert, we shared a chocolate parfait with hazelnut sauce and a hazelnut crumble. All of the food was absolutely gorgeous and the service was fantastic. I can’t recommend Galion highly enough – a really special meal.

 

On our final night in Kotor we ate at The Harbour Pub. The food was nice enough but it was nothing to write home about.

 

Do
You can spend hours in Kotor just wandering round the winding streets of the old town, stumbling upon beautiful churches on your way. There are so many lovely churches in Kotor and I’d recommend taking the time to go inside.Our first day in Kotor was spent just wandering around and taking in the beautiful architecture. An interesting fact we learned along the way – cats are sacred in Kotor. Huge amounts of effort and money goes in to caring for the abandoned cats of Kotor – they are a really big part of the town’s culture.

On our second day in Kotor we decided to make the most of the dry weather and climb up to the Castle of San Giovanni at the top of St John’s Mountain. This was the highlight of our time in Kotor. My fitness at present is poorer than I care to admit but the challenging climb was so worth it for such spectacular views. Be prepared to walk up around 1,300 steps and be warned – health and safety isn’t a huge priority here, with some loose steps and a lot of crumbling rock along the way. You can access the walk up to the fortress by the river gate to Kotor – there is an entrance fee of €3 per person. Half way up the climb you will find The Church of Our Lady of Health which you can enter for free. Just a couple more flights of steps up from this are – in my opinion – the most staggering views of Kotor Bay.

On top of the world 

 

We used our final day in Kotor to take a trip to nearby Perast, another stunning old town in the Bay of Kotor. Perast was a rather sleepy town at this time of year but we were lucky enough to have glorious weather and even ended up catching the sun. We spent an hour just wandering along the water, taking in the beautiful views. There are two little islets off Perast – The Island of St George  and Our Lady of the Rocks. There were several different companies offering boat trips across to the islands, but we opted to sit in a restaurant right by the water and take in the spectacular views whilst reading our books and eating some lunch. What a beautiful, relaxing day we had in Perast.

 

Spend
When there, I’d say Kotor is mid-range in terms of prices. I spent around €150 over three days. That included shop bought breakfasts, snacks and drinks in cafes and bars, lunch in restaurants each day and dinner in restaurants each evening. It also included our taxi costs which, as discussed above, were higher than they should have been. I also bought a couple of pairs of handmade earrings – I do love having something to remember a trip by in addition to photos and memories! So, overall, I got a fair amount for my money but I wouldn’t say Kotor is among the cheapest places I’ve visited.

The Verdict
Kotor is beautiful and I’m really glad to have ticked it off my bucket list. I’m glad we went at the time of year we did as it was so cheap. However, it very much felt off-season. During the days, hoards of tourists arrive from cruise ships. However, come late afternoon and evening, the town is deserted. Very few people seemed to stay within the town itself, which may not be great if you’re looking for nightlife. However for us, this wasn’t an issue and it was actually very peaceful.

I think three days in Kotor was perfect and would definitely recommend this trip length. It was enough time to explore and have some time to relax; any longer and I think we would have become a little bored. Overall though, Kotor is simply stunning and I can see why everyone has been raving about it.

Liverpool: The Food and Drink Round-up

Something you may not know about me – I lived in Liverpool for four years whilst studying for my undergraduate and Masters degrees. I loved many things about this city but one thing I really loved was having so many different cafes, bars and restaurants on my doorstep. Having lived in small towns for the rest of my life, I really made the most of having so many different cuisines available within walking distance. There are loads of great places to eat and drink in the city but here are my top picks if you have a day or two to spend.

Breakfast
There is nowhere quite like  Moose Coffee for breakfast in Liverpool. Tucked away in the business district, Moose offers huge portions of various dishes including pancakes which are to die for.

If you’re willing to venture a little further afield, Greendays Cafe offers vegan and vegetarian food and drinks for very reasonable prices. I highly recommend the vegan full English!

Coffee and Cake
Going out for coffee and cake with friends is one of my favourite things to do socially so there aren’t many cafes in Liverpool that I haven’t sampled! However, there are a few that stand out. Rococo is right in the centre of town on Lord Street but is a little hidden gem. Above a mobile phone shop, Rococo offers a surprising amount of space with a lovely interior. Each time I go Rococo seems to get bigger and bigger; the popularity has clearly led to several extensions. Rococo offers lovely homemade cakes and has a good loyalty scheme.

Filter and Fox is a new discovery to me – a friend took me along during a recent visit back to my old hometown. This quaint little cafe is on Duke Street – right behind Liverpool One but with a real calm feel that you struggle to find in the heart of the shopping centre. I had this gorgeous jammy dodger cake.

I couldn’t finish this section without giving a mention to Cuthbert’s Bakehouse which is slightly out of town on Mount Pleasant. Cuthbert’s is a small but characterful cafe which is amazing for cakes. I often used to treat myself to a cupcake from here on a Friday – very naughty. Cuthbert’s does get very busy and unfortunately the last time I went, we couldn’t get a table. I’d recommend booking in advance if you’re wanting to go for something more substantial like afternoon tea.

Lunch
One of my favourite lunch spots in Liverpool has to be Bakchich. Bakchich serves Lebanese food for really reasonable prices. There are lots of vegetarian options and portion sizes are huge. I can remember being too full to move all day after visiting for lunch once with a friend. Bakchich is on Bold Street, right in the heart of Liverpool.

Dinner: Casual
Also on Bold Street you’ll find Lucha Libre a gorgeous Mexican restaurant. Lucha Libre is quite casual and you can’t make bookings for small parties – you just have to drop in. However, their quirky bar downstairs – Maya – is perfect for while you wait. They serve great cocktails. Lucha Libre is again quite reasonably priced. I can’t recommend the vegetarian sharing platter highly enough.

Dinner: Upmarket
Liverpool houses my favourite restaurant – Chaophraya. Chaophraya started my love affair with Thai food and is very special to me as we spent my graduate night here. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with a huge fish tank separating the ladies and gents toilets – yep, just like Romeo and Juliet. Chaophraya is linked to Palm Sugar, a very fancy cocktail bar. If you have a special occasion, I’d definitely recommend eating and drinking here.

Chaophraya’s Fish Tank Wall 

Drinks: Cocktails
Is there anything better than drinking cocktails with friends? Liverpool has somewhere to suit every taste and budget. The Font is situated near the university and is very popular with students. But with an extensive £2 cocktail menu, it’s not hard to work out why. The bar also stocks some slightly more upmarket cocktails, costing a whopping £3 or £4. I’ve never known cocktails so cheap.

A slightly more mid-range choice is TriBeCa. Their cocktails are to die for – some of them even have sweets in them. I haven’t been for years but can still taste their pear cocktail – absolutely gorgeous. TriBeCa is at the top of Bold Street and there are plenty of bars nearby to move on to once you’re done.

If you’re feeling like splashing the cash, Alma De Cuba is a rather fancy bar with a great range of cocktails. Myself and a friend treated ourselves to an evening here when finishing our Masters – I’m not sure who we thought we were! Champagne lifestyle, lemonade budget springs to mind! If you have a special occasion, Alma is great.

Drinks: A Heavy Session
I couldn’t finish this post without giving Ca Va a mention. Ca Va is a tequila bar with all the flavours you could imagine for £1 each. We started nearly every student night out here. Your feet will stick to the floor and the toilets are grim, but if you’re planning a heavy drinking session this is a great place to start.

— I’m constantly thinking about my next trip back to Liverpool as it really is my second home. If you have any recommendations for food and drink in Liverpool, I’d love to hear them!

Rome, Italy

Italy is a country I had wanted to visit for years and a long weekend in Rome was my first trip to the country. Rome doesn’t come cheap, so it took a lot of work to make this trip achievable on what was a student budget at the time. Still, we managed to get a deal on flights that was too good to miss, so we made it work.

Travel
We flew to Rome from Manchester with Jet2. On arrival, we opted for a shared shuttle bus to take us from the airport to the city centre. Well – this was the most terrifying journey I’ve made while travelling! Italians really do have a rather unique driving style – think road rage mixed with street racing with a mobile phone thrown in the mix. I think we only just survived the journey. It’s safe to say that when it came to the return journey to the airport, we opted to get the train.

Whilst in the city we got around mostly by foot but also used the underground on occasion. While the network is limited, the service was easy to use and cheap.

Stay
Finding cheap hotels in Rome in the height of summer is no easy task. After a lot of searching, we came across Hotel Andreina, a two star hotel located near the Termini Station. At £277 for two people for four nights, this hotel was about as reasonable as it gets for Rome. The hotel was difficult to find; it was one floor of a very old building. The inside of the building housed the oldest, scariest lift I have ever seen so we ended up lugging our case up about four floors – not an easy job! The tiny hotel itself was lovely; the room was small but full of character. The en suites were particularly lovely. Breakfast was very, very limited but this isn’t surprising for a hotel with only seven rooms!

The chance of me using this lift..?! Zero

The tiny (but lovely) breakfast area 

While the location of the hotel was convenient being so close to the station and to other attractions, it wasn’t a particularly nice area. Unfortunately, as two young females travelling alone, we got a lot of unwanted male attention, particularly in the area around the hotel. We later researched this and it turns out that the area surrounding Termini Station isn’t a particularly safe area of Rome. Unfortunately, we felt really uncomfortable in the evenings and ended up returning to our hotel room at 8pm latest each night.

See
We didn’t venture off the beaten track much during this trip, instead doing all the typical tourist things that you just have to do when in Rome. Our first stop was The Trevi Fountain. Despite being extremely crowded, this is a beautiful monument and is definitely worth the visit. There are lots of gorgeous Gelato kiosks nearby too, so it’s the perfect opportunity to have a treat in beautiful surroundings.

We then spent some time wandering around the city and stumbled upon some ruins. I have to be honest and admit that I have no idea what these particular ruins were!

Next we found ourselves at the Parliament Building which is nothing short of staggering.

On day two we decided to make the trip to The Vatican City. We travelled there using the underground from Termini Station. Again, The Vatican was very crowded which is only to be expected. There were lots of tour operators trying to attract us to various museum tours but we opted to go it alone and walk around unguided. Walking around St. Peter’s Basilica was an amazing experience; it is just stunning inside and its beauty is difficult to capture on camera.

St. Peter’s Basilica 

We then made our way to Castel Sant’Angelo and took in the spectacular views from by the water. We spent a long time wandering along the bridge where there were various street vendors. My friend bought some beautiful paintings to take home.

Castel Sant’Angelo

Our third day in Rome was mostly taken up by our visit to The Colosseum. As it was the height of summer, there was a fairly lengthy queue but this actually moved quite quickly and wasn’t too much of a hassle. The Colosseum is simply incredible; everyone should visit here in their lifetime.

A rather unattractive bandaged knee with a token photobomber! 

After a very hot walk around The Colosseum, we wandered around The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. This is one of the most amazing travel experiences I have had – the views are absolutely breathtaking.

On our last day, we headed over to The Spanish Steps. Again, this iconic site came with big crowds. At the bottom of the steps you’ll find a rather luxurious shopping area, housing the biggest designer brands. Our budgets didn’t quite stretch to this experience so we didn’t stay long!

Eat
My visit to Rome came in the days when I would just pick restaurants from what they looked like on the outside. We didn’t take recommendations from TripAdvisor or other blogs and instead simply ate where it was convenient. Of course, we spent most of the trip eating pizza, pasta and gelato – when in Rome! There’s no place like Italy when it comes to vegetarian food. We had good meals everywhere we went but nothing in particular stands out to recommend.

I also fell in love with a new sweet treat when in Rome – Italian Cannoli. These pastries filled with chocolate and ricotta were SO good and came very cheap from a bakery just around the corner.

Spend
Rome is expensive. It is possible to cut costs but you need to be quite savvy. We quickly realised during the first day that we had spent at least €15 each just on bottled drinks to stay hydrated in the summer heat. Street vendors will rip tourists off charging up to €3 for a small bottle of water or juice. We realised how much money we were wasting this way and went to our local supermarket to buy large bottles of drink for under €1. We then decanted the drinks into smaller bottles from the day before and took these out with us. This saved us an awful lot of money over the four days.

As mentioned above, we were students when we made this trip and we made the most of this – attractions such as The Colosseum offer concession prices and we therefore saved a bit of money this way. We didn’t pay to enter all the museums on offer and instead opted to see Rome by just wandering around the city and taking in all the stunning architecture.

The Verdict
Visiting Rome is an incredible experience and I would encourage anyone to go. It is a city like no other and it is amazing to take in the ruins and architecture in person. However, as a trip, this wasn’t our most enjoyable. As you may notice from my Colosseum photo, I injured my leg quite badly in Rome. Within an hour of arriving, I tripped on some uneven pavement and went flying. I cut my knee open quite badly and was in a lot of pain. We struggled to find antiseptic cream or decent dressings and I spent hours during the trip attempting to dress it to avoid infection. Not the best experience when walking miles per day in 35 degree heat! I could never forget this trip even if I wanted to as I now have a huge scar to tell the tale!

Secondly, as mentioned, we got a lot of unwanted attention during this trip, particularly in the area our hotel was in. This was unlike anything I’ve experienced abroad. Not only did we get the wolf whistles that often come with being young females abroad, we had men constantly invading our personal space. On one occasion, a man came up and began to blow on Caroline’s neck and shoulder. This was beyond creepy and behaviour like this made us feel unsafe and really very angry. I still feel infuriated that people like this stopped us from making the most of our time in Rome as we ended up back in the hotel a lot to get away from it. I’d recommend not visiting Rome as lone females or, if you are, staying in a different area.

Overall, I wouldn’t change the fact that we picked Rome as our yearly trip together and I feel very lucky to have been able to tick this one off the bucket list. However, it definitely wasn’t the most pleasant experience at times and I don’t think I’d return in the future.

*Photo credit for many of these photos goes to my lovely friend Caroline who snapped lots of the sights while I hobbled around on my sore knee!*

 

Krakow, Poland

My trip to Krakow was the start of my major love affair with European city breaks. My best friend and I visited the city in 2012 and fell head over heels in love with it. Since then, I’ve traveled at every opportunity. As this trip sparked my passion for travel, I just had to write up a destination guide for Krakow.

Travel
We flew with RyanAir from Leeds Bradford.When we arrived in Krakow it was late at night and we therefore got a taxi in to the city for a reasonable price. On the way back to the airport we used the train which was even cheaper. Whilst in the city itself we traveled everywhere by foot, except our two excursions which will be discussed below.

Stay
We spent our four nights in Krakow in Aparthotel Pergamin, a charming hotel in a fantastic location just a few minutes’ walk from the main square. The room was modern and clean and we had no issues during our stay. Breakfast was very small but we managed just fine with what they did have on offer.

Aparthotel Pergamin’s extensive breakfast spread… 

Do
We pre-arranged both of our excursions with Krakow Tours. We were students at the time and therefore got significant reductions on prices. The tour company was really good value and was reliable. We were picked up from a hotel only a couple of minutes’ walk from ours and were dropped off at the same point. We were looked after throughout our trips and both guides were very knowledgeable.

Our first excursion was to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Visiting Auschwitz was something I had wanted to do for a long time and was the reason we originally chose Krakow as a destination. There aren’t many words to describe a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau but I believe everyone should try to visit in their lifetime. This half a day tour takes you to both camps; lesser known Birkenau is the camp with a train line running into it as we so frequently see in images. It was glorious sunshine during our trip to the concentration camps which did make it harder to digest the horrors that happened here. I can imagine it is a different experience entirely visiting on a dreary, cold day. While this was a very difficult and draining trip, I am so glad that we visited – it is so important, as summed up in the quote below.

Birkenau, where thousands of jews were taken to their deaths by train

Our second excursion was to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. We initially weren’t sure whether to bother taking this excursion but I am SO glad we did. Wieliczka is a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the oldest mines in the world. Deep underground, you will find a whole other world where almost everything is made of salt. There is even a chapel in the mines in which everything from the chandeliers to the alter is made of salt – a rather unique wedding venue! Wieliczka is absolutely fascinating and I can’t recommend a visit highly enough.

We spent our remaining time in Poland exploring Krakow itself. The Wawel Castle area is well worth a visit and boasts some beautiful architecture. We also spent a lot of time wandering around the main square, browsing in the central market hall and taking regular food and drink pit stops. St Mary’s Basilica sits just off the main square and is simply stunning inside.

 

Inside St Mary’s Basilica

Eat
We fell into the tourist trap of eating around the main square the majority of the time. While potentially a little pricier, we enjoyed food that was still very cheap in beautiful surroundings. Surprisingly, the Polish do Greek salads better than Greece (in my opinion) and we had lots of these outside on sunny days. We had one particularly nice lunch at Green Way Vegetarian Restaurant.

As for evening meals, one in particular stood out – Da Pietro. Da Pietro serves gorgeous Italian food in a central location. This restaurant was recommended to me by a friend who loved it during her own trip to Krakow and I have since recommended it to another friend who went after me. Both loved it as much as we did!

You really can’t leave Krakow without checking out Karmello chocolate shop. This little cafe does the most gorgeous range of hot chocolates in rather interesting flavours. You can also buy gorgeous truffles to eat while you’re there or to take out. You can make your own box up for dirt-cheap – this proved to be a lovely gift to bring home and was a fraction of the price of even mass-produced boxes of chocolate.We also couldn’t resist a visit to Cupcake Corner Bakery – I mean, who can resist a window full of freshly baked cupcakes?

Hot chocolate and truffles at Karmello

Shop
Amber, Poland’s native stone, is everywhere in Krakow. The central market boasts stall after stall of unique pieces of jewellery. I didn’t realise until this trip that amber comes in different varieties. There is the classic brown/orange amber, but the stone also comes in yellow and green. As amber is sourced in Poland, it was incredibly cheap to buy. We spent hours wandering around the market hall until we found pieces that were just right; each stall sold different pieces, all unique and full of character. I bought myself a gorgeous yellow amber ring, an orange amber necklace and two pairs of green amber earrings, one for me and one for my mum. The market vendors are happy to negotiate on price and I got myself some really good deals. The jewellery comes with the proper certificates. I have since had my ring valued at home; I paid around £18 for it in Poland and a jeweller offered me £65 for it. Of course, I would never dream of selling it but it is good to know that I got such a fantastic deal.

Inside the Central Market Hall 

Spend
Krakow really is dirt cheap. I took £150 worth of Zloty  and this covered lunches, dinners and snacks each day, entrance to a few sites (except the excursions which were pre-paid), several pieces of amber jewellery and several other shopping purchases including a jacket, a scarf, a skincare product and a clock. Having bought all of this, I still came home with some change. My mind was blown by how cheap Krakow was – it’s definitely the cheapest place I’ve been to in the world.

The Verdict
Krakow was one of my favourite places in 2012 when I visited and it continues to be now. The city is absolutely beautiful and so very relaxed – we loved spending our days just strolling through the city, browsing the market and eating and drinking more than we should have! I cannot recommend Krakow highly enough and I will definitely be returning one day.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana wins the prize for most difficult destination to pronounce on my travel map so far. Having spent two lovely days in Bled we spent a day and night in Slovenia’s quaint capital prior to flying home.

Travel
We visited Ljubljana from Bled and accessed the city by public bus. The bus cost €6.50 and took around an hour and a half. It was a nice, modern coach with lots of luggage space so made for a more than comfortable journey. Don’t be ripped off by the shuttle companies who charge extortionate prices.

Stay
We only stayed one night in Ljubljana and had to leave at 5am so opted for as cheap as possible. Hotel Emonec was in a fantastic location but sadly that was all it had going for it. The room was absolutely tiny to the point we could barely move around. There was no air con and the facilities were totally basic – there was a fan but not much else. There wasn’t even a towel rail! The lady on reception went out of her way to offer us a pack up as we would be too early for breakfast, stating we could get this from the night guard. However, at 5am he had no idea what we were talking about – why offer something like that and then not do it?! Finally, the most annoying thing about this hotel – the shower, which was hooked less than four feet off the ground. WHY?? What use is this to anyone!? This perhaps riled me much more than it should but is completely illogical and it was irritating having to hold the shower head up for no apparent reason.

Why?!?!

Overall, I suppose you could say you get what you pay for and the location was fantastic. However, I’ve stayed in much better 3 star hotels and I can’t help but think there may be better options in Ljubljana.

Do
We initially just had a wander around the city and took in the stunning architecture, including the triple bridge which was just steps from our hotel. I was particularly taken by the bizarre weather circle nearby in which it was raining, despite blazing sunshine everywhere else. I still haven’t got to the bottom of this but it certainly kept me interested!

The strange circle in which it was raining

We were tempted into a river cruise and went with  Boat Zala which seemed to be offering the most competitive prices. For €8 we got to spend the best part of an hour on a very comfortable and nicely furnished boat. It was lovely to take in Ljubljana from the water and I’d recommend doing this while you’re in the city.

Dragon Bridge

We also had a wander round the central market which sold mainly fresh produce; there were fruits and vegetables we’d not even seen before. My favourite part had to be the vending machines selling cheese and fresh milk! I could do with one of those near home..

We then headed up to the castle but on our way, stumbled across St Nicholas Cathedral which is accessed by a rather unusual door. The cathedral is free to access and is absolutely stunning – a must-see while in the city. When we finally made our way to the castle area we noticed the funicular railway. For €4 each we opted to use this and save our legs. We decided not to pay to enter the castle itself but did go up to the lookout tower and took in Ljubljana from above.

I’d also recommend a stroll in the city after dark when Ljubljana becomes all the more beautiful.

Eat
We ate lunch at Barbarella, a vegan place in the heart of Ljubljana. The food was lovely – we had vegan Caprese toasts which included vegan cheese (to die for!). These were also very cheap, albeit small, at €2.80. I have to recommend the berry spritzers made with rosé – so refreshing. I’d definitely recommend stopping here for a bite to eat regardless of whether you’re vegan.

Our mid-afternoon pit-stop was made at Cacao which lured us in by the amazing looking cakes and ice cream selection. Unfortunately, the waiters seemed oblivious to our presence and only came over when a kind man pointed them in our direction when he was seen to. However, the cakes were potentially worth the wait. We shared a forest fruit cake and a more healthy raw strawberry cake. Prices were reasonable and it’s clearly a popular spot.

Our only evening meal in Ljubljana was had at Vodnikov Hram which we spotted when heading up to the castle. The menu here was extensive with lots of authentic choices as well as other cuisines. There were a good few vegetarian options including the mushroom and pumpkin seed risotto I opted for. This did apparently come with shrimp which wasn’t stated on the menu (strange!) but the waiter was very considerate and made me aware, offering to make it without. The food was lovely, the portions huge and the prices reasonable. The service was also warm and speedy. I’d definitely recommend eating here while in the city.

Spend
While not dirt-cheap, Ljubljana was noticeably cheaper than Bled in terms of food and activities.

Warning!

If you’re leaving Ljubljana by air, please be aware that the airport is absolute chaos. Our flight departed at 7am and we were initially advised to leave the city at 05:30. However, we went for the earliest shuttle possible which left at 05:15 (and cost €9 per person). We arrived at the airport at 05:45 to masses of people; it turned out all check in desks were open to all flights. This created one huge queue with absolutely no order. If this wasn’t bad enough, about ten minutes in a number of (rather handsome) men arrived in matching clothes. It turned out they were the Slovenian national ice hockey team along with their trainers. Their status was clearly recognised by the airport as they hopped straight to the front of the queue, holding up all the rest of us even more. Once we finally checked our bags on, we then joined the also enormous queue for security. At this point, everyone everywhere was panicking about missing their planes. There were no accessible staff members and no advice as to whether you should attempt to go through as priority for certain flights. Some people took it upon themselves to use the priority lane while the rest of us waited anxiously in the main queue, unsure whether we’d make it. We finally got through security at 06:50 and our flight took off at 7am – a few minutes longer and we would have missed it. Never have I known an airport to be such carnage. I’m not even sure what we could have done differently as we used the earliest available shuttle but just be warned that you’re in for a stressful experience at Ljubljana airport!

The Verdict

I rarely squeeze a destination into a day but for Ljubljana, this seemed to be a reasonable amount of time. I probably would combine Ljubljana with other places in Slovenia as I feel  that if I’d have spent a long weekend in the city, I’d have perhaps become bored. I really enjoyed my day here though and would say it’s definitely worth a visit.