Our first multi-country vacation all started when we decided to do a European vacation to London, Paris, and Rome. It was also our first time flying business class. We haven’t looked back sense.
British Airways is still the best airline to date that we have flown. Their customer service was impeccable and the flight attendants made sure we were great throughout the flight.
I’ve included our day to day for 10 days, which you can use as a travel guide. We spent 4 days in London, 3 days in Paris and 2 days in Rome with a day of travel.
Days 1 – 4: London, England Travel Guide
For our European vacation, the first stop was London. I really enjoyed everything about London. Since living in Washington, D.C., I love the feel of city life. London gave me all the feels of city life and I loved it. There was some normalcy there for me, I guess I should say.
Hotel
Our first evening there, we immediately checked into our hotel (Apex London Wall Hotel), got cleaned up, and walked to Burger and Lobster for dinner. We chose Apex because of it’s location. It is pretty close to a ton of restaurants but still away from the touristy areas. We walked around the city for a while and saw a few people enjoying Happy Hour. It felt so much like Washington, D.C. (Washingtonians love a good Happy Hour).
City Tour
The next day, we took a city bus tour to get an overview of the city. I recommend the Red Route with Big Bus. This route takes you to the main sites. You will ride by Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Buckingham Palace just to name a few. You can hop off if you want to see things up close and personal. We did a lot of hopping off because we really wanted to get a close up of the main sites.
We Are Chelsea
On our third day in London, we took the Tube to west London (Chelsea). Being that my husband is a huge Chelsea fan, we took a tour of the stadium. You can get your tickets here. He had a ball. I was just happy to see him enjoy himself!
Tower of London
On our fourth day, we toured the Tower of London which comprises of a one-hour Yeoman Warder tour. This is a must visit destination in London as I learned quite a bit about London’s history and events that occurred at the Tower of London. We booked our tours via Thank You Rewards through Citicards.
Transportation in London
When in London it is much easier to take public transportation. London’s subway system is reasonably priced for an all day pass and easy to access.
Days 5-7: Paris, France Travel Guide
After spending a few days in London, we flew to Paris and spent a couple of days there! In Paris we decided to stay at Le Meridien Etoile; mainly because of it’s location. A mall was across the street and there were many restaurants in walking distance. We used Uber a lot more in Paris than we did in London and Rome. Whenever we could, we walked to most places in Paris.
City Tour
So while in Paris, we enjoyed a tour of the city using Big Bus, where we saw the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame Cathedral just to name a few. Although I added the link for Big Bus Paris, we booked our bus tour via Thank You Rewards through Citicards.
Winery
There are so many wineries in Paris, but I really enjoyed Les Caves Du Louvre which is a 18th Century Royal Wine Cellar. It’s literally underground. I have been to many wineries in other countries, but this one is easily one of my top 5. Our winery tour was booked via Thank You Rewards through Citicards. And of course I took a couple bottles home with me!!!
From the winery (I love a good winery), we walked to a cafe and later walked to Musée du Louvre. And of course, we shopped at the flagship Louis Vuitton store!!!
The Paris leg of our vacation was more for relaxation and shopping. We didn’t do tours of the museums. We were saving our energy for Rome.
Days 8-10: Rome, Italy Travel Guide
The last leg of our vacation ended in Rome! Rome is one of my favorite places! We stayed at the Hotel Principessa Isabella.
Our activities were jammed packed. The first day there, we roamed the city just taking everything in. We stopped at a few shops, took pictures of some of the sites, and ate gelato. We typically like to spend a day roaming the city to take in the culture without a tour guide. It gives us time to see everything without rushing.
Transportation
As far as transportation, we used their metro train system. Tons of graffiti and looks super suspect, but we didn’t have any problems.
Tours and Sites in Rome
Our second day on vacation in Rome, Hubby thought it was a great idea to book a tour in the morning and another after lunch. Our day was jam packed. The day consisted of a tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Museums of the Vatican City. A trip to the Vatican Museums culminates into a visit to the Sistine Chapel! We booked both tours through Viator.
Colosseum and The Roman Forum
I can’t remember our tour guides’ names but they were both so wonderful. The young lady gave us a tour of the Colosseum and The Roman Forum. She’s a native of Rome. We are able to skip the entrance line at the Colosseum. On this walking tour of Ancient Rome, we saw amphitheater’s first and second levels, and listened to tales of gruesome gladiator battles. We visited the Roman Forum to see its ancient ruins like the Temple of Julius Caesar. It was so awesome!!!
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City and Sistine Chapel
Our second tour guide is an archeologist and knew so much about every inch of Rome and Roman history. He was our tour guide for the second leg of our tour; a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Museums of the Vatican City, and the Sistine Chapel. We were able to skip all the entrance lines to explore halls such as the Gallery of the Maps and Raphael’s Rooms; step inside the Sistine Chapel to admire ‘The Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo; and hear little-known tales about the sacred St. Peter’s Basilica while walking through the church and St. Peter’s Square. Ah-mazing!!!!!
Once our tour ended, we couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and nap! We were exhausted!! That evening, we walked the city again and stopped at more shops, and took pictures of a few more sites. Truly grateful for this experience!
Dobar Doris
Our favorite restaurant in Rome was Dobar Doris!! I call it Restaurant in the Alley. It’s literally in an alley, but most of the restaurants and shops are. The sea bass was the best I have had and my husband’s pasta…can’t be duplicated! He has yet to find pasta as good as this place. We ate at many different places in Rome but this one stood out to us. The service was great and the food is something we still talk about. The best thing about Rome is their food and wine. Although Hubby isn’t a wine person, I took it all in and drunk as much wine as I could (Drink Responsibly)!!
Rome is definitely a gem. It was my favorite place among the three.
What places did you go for your European Vacation? I hope this travel guide gives you great ideas on how to spend your time during your next Euro vacation.
