Europe Travel Guide
Being a newbie to traveling out of the country, I was a nervous wreck trying to plan and pack for Europe. I spent hours googling “What do I wear in Europe”, “What kind of shoes should I wear in Europe” or “Should I really pack my designer stuff for cute pictures or is it honestly a waste?” Yes, I actually googled that. I also texted all of my friends who have been to Europe multiple times to get their advice. At the end of the day, it’s honestly your personal preference on what you want to bring but I’m happy to share with you what I packed!
Packing:
Matt and I packed 4 suitcases, 2 carry-ons and my purse. Multiple people told me to purchase travel packing cubes. I will link the ones that I purchased here. The packing squares honestly made everything so much easier. It was convenient having everything separated in an organized way; bikinis in one, socks/panties in a small one, dresses folded in another, so on and so forth. I loved having everything so organized that way if I needed to grab my swimsuit out of the luggage, I could easily grab it without messing everything else up in the bag. I was honestly not going to bother with getting packing cubes until last minute I decided it was worth a shot to try them out and now I won’t travel without them!
Our trip to Europe was 10 days long so I knew I needed to pack a good amount. A lot of people advised that I just pack a few things that I can mix and match throughout the trip. If you know me though, I’m an outfit changing queen and love to dress the part no matter where I am at. Therefore, it only made since to pack multiple outfits!
During the day, you are walking a lot! We had a private driver and still managed to walk a ton! Ladies, dresses and sneakers are so in style right now so definitely take advantage of that. During the day I either wore a casual dress with sneakers, a romper with sneakers or a cute top and shorts paired with sneakers. I wouldn’t advise wearing flip flops! I packed nice sandals and one pair of heels to wear to dinner on the cruise ship. I honestly wouldn’t pack any heels.
Shoe Recommendations:
INSERT WIDGET
Three words: IT IS HOT. We went at the end of August through the first week of September and it was so hot! There is no need to pack any jeans. Matt packed jeans for the cruise because it was a requirement for some of the restaurants on the ship. But during the day, you will want to be in a short dress, romper or shorts.
Forget about wearing makeup! I dolled up two nights with full hair and makeup. Other than that, I simply wore tinted SPF moisturizer and lash extensions. Doing your makeup over there is simply a waste of time. No one in Europe really wears makeup in the first place and if you do wear it, you’ll just sweat it off.
What I wish I wouldn’t have packed:
Looking back, I honestly only needed 1-2 swimsuits… not 5. I also only needed one pair of pajamas. I packed 3 pairs of shorts when I honestly should’ve packed my 1 favorite pair of denim shorts.
If part of our trip wasn’t on a cruise, I would not have packed anything fancy for dinner. I also would’ve only brought one purse. Europe honestly is super casual. I was intimidated packing because I saw all of these other bloggers on IG posting pictures in Europe standing in the street with their designer items and looking fabulous. I had this false assumption that everyone in Europe would look like they just walked off the runway. Like I said, looking back, if our entire trip was in Europe and not partially on a cruise, I wound not have packed so many designer/dressy pieces.
Here are a few random things that I suggest you order from Amazon for your trip:
INSERT WIDGET
Hotel:
We originally booked our stay at the St. Regis in Rome, Italy. They accidentally overbooked and put us at Palazzo Naiadi. The hotel was very nice and walking distance to restaurants and shopping. Our hotel had a roof top pool and bar which was super cool to hang out at in the evening. I was told that most hotels in Rome do not have pools so this was a nice bonus.
INSERT WIDGET
Restaurants:
Tip: (Most places will not give you ice unless you ask for it!)
Dal Bolognese – Rome, Italy
We had lunch here on the first day.
Santi E Briganti – Rome, Italy
Stopped here for a glass of wine. We came to this area to get away from all the tourist!
Pagnanelli – Rome, Italy
GORGEOUS views! I mean honestly, it is breath taking. There is also a very impressive wine cellar museum here too.
Target – Rome, Italy
https://www.targetrestaurant.it/en/
We had dinner outside here on night #2
Café Excelsior – Portofino
We stopped here for a snack and drink while walking around Portofino.
Hotel Splendido – Portofino
https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/portofino/belmond-hotel-splendido/about
Breath taking! This was by far our favorite spot. The view is drop dead gorgeous. You can sit outside overlooking the ocean and villages while enjoying a drink and snack. I wish we could’ve stayed here longer.
Borgo Antico Firenze – Florence
Though I am gluten sensitive, I split a pizza and pasta with Matt! There was no way I could go to Florence and not try pizza and pasta! (Surprisingly, I did not have a crazy reaction! They say it’s because everything is fresh in Europe! There are no additives, preservatives, etc. Bread is simply bread)
I hope this guide helps you a little bit when traveling to Europe! I saved all of my pictures and videos under my “Europe” highlight on my Instagram.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day.
xoxo
Ayla