How to Travel in Europe for 3 Weeks

Traveling for three weeks was no small feat. We planned for months, researched locations and prepared as much at home so we could just enjoy our trip. I've been asked about our best travel tips, so here it goes.

Pack Light

Yep, those are our suitcases. I'm just as surprised as you are.
Even on the way to the airport my dad asked where our other suitcases were.

We ditched traditional suitcases because I couldn't imagine pushing through bustling European train stations as I wheeled a mammoth suitcase behind me. These North Face backpacks gave us the ability to be assertive in crowds and forced us to pack light.

Pack Smart

As a notorious overpacker, this was really tricky for me. But somehow we pulled it off.

7 Shirts and 2 undershirts
4 bottoms (jeans, shorts, skirt, leggings)
1 dress
1 swimsuit
1 hoodie
2 scarves
1 belt
2 pairs of shoes: Keds
and a pair of Sanuk flats


Toiletries (but not hairdryer or curling iron)
Snacks (granola bars, oatmeal, gummy bears)
Books (travel and leisure)
Garbage sacks (for dirty laundry)

(I bought a couple of shirts and a blazer while traveling that I wore as well)

The key here was to a) mix and match everything b) not look too touristy. My entire pack weighed less than 25 pounds, so minimalism was key. Every item MUST mix and match.

How I would have packed differently:

• Ditch two of the shirts in favor of a warmer jacket. Paris was soooo cold when we went! And bring a more waterproof shoe.
• Only take one book (or just my Kindle). We chatted and made friends on the train so I didn't have any time to read. 
• Bring a hair dryer. I didn't bring any styling tools and I wish I would have at least done the dryer. My natural hair was just too poofy.

Research

Read everything you can get your hands on. We didn't plan out every detail of our itinerary, but we knew enough that we never had to worry if we had a place to stay or if we missed out on something.

Favorite Travel Resources

• Library. Books upon books on almost any subject. Perfect for travelers.
• Podcasts. Favorites include
• Stuff You Missed in History Class
• http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/podcast.htm
• Language podcasts on iTunes, such as http://mydailyphrase.com/
• Guidebooks. We preferred Rick Steves' Guide Books because of the "inside scoop" feel and personable prose. I loved his advice on everything except for the food recommendations. Those were only so-so.
• Friends who have traveled or studied abroad. Incredible insight and real advice.
• Anything else you can get your hands on. Historical sites or artifacts mean more if you already know a little about them before visiting.
• Blogs. Through a blog we learned about Italy's train system and how there was a private/public train price war. Not reading Italian, we would have never figured it out on our own. With that help we got most of our train tickets in advance for at least 50% off. Ultimate score. 

Best Tips We Learned...

• Skip the lines. We snagged museum passes in Rome and Paris. Not only does it cover the entrance to many museums, you also get to skip the line. I am shocked more people do not use them. 
• Escape town. When we got sick of Milan, I had remembered the name of a town nearby I wanted to go to. With just a city name, we hopped on a train and fell in love with Lake Como.
• Get reservations. Viewing The Last Supper in Milan is RESERVATION ONLY, and often books up well in advance.
• Know when things are open. Museums are not open every day. What a bummer if you are in Florence the one day the museum housing The David is closed. (That happened to a girl we met. So sad.)

Spend Money Well

A three week vacation is not cheap. Since we aren't millionaires, we had to make sacrifices. My advice: figure out what is important to you.

• Don't skimp on sights. This was the main reason for our trip, so we didn't skimp here. Grab a city or museum pass to save money, or look for free or reduced price days at museums. Prioritize on the must sees and go from there.
• Eat smart. We had a simple breakfast, sandwich for lunch (infinitely better in Europe for some reason) and a killer dinner. I would rather have two cheap meals and one killer meal than two mediocre meals.  One thing we didn't sacrifice was gelato.
• Renting apartments rocks. It got us out of the tourist areas, plus we felt like we actually lived there, at least briefly. Many of the places we stayed had a kitchen and an actual resident who could give us priceless advice. My favorite place for apartment and/or room rentals is airbnb.com. 
• Be realistic. Plan ahead so you do not stress out on your trip and be realistic about what you will spend.
• Also, prepare to pay in cash. Most places will not accept credit cards, even some hotels.

Best Souvenir: photos 

I'm not a photographer, but I do have one philosophy: photos are your best souvenir. Here are my best tips.

• Don't forget about the details. 
• Put yourself in the photo. A picture of the Eiffel Tower is just a picture of the Eiffel Tower, unless you are in it. Make an effort to be in the photos or else it could be anyone else's pictures.
• Take an extra memory card/battery. Getting the dreaded "card reader full" warning is a nightmare on a trip. (Happened to a girl we met. She was forced to choose pictures of Croatia or new pictures in Italy. Sad.)

Embrace Culture

Culture shock index in Italy and France is really quite low, but things are different. 

Restaurants in Italy don't serve tap water, only bottled water (for an arm and a leg). Picnicking is forbidden near many monuments. Cash is king as many places will not accept credit cards. Everyone wears leggings as pants. Bigger isn't better. Portions are smaller, dinner is eaten way later, and not everyone will speak English. 

It is absolutely wonderful. Don't expect it to be like home. It won't be. And that is the point.

And my biggest culture advice is to not expect everyone to speak English to you. Many people do as it is a universal language, but we had a much better experience and response from the locals when we tried to speak in the native language first, no matter how dumb we sounded. It is not only smart, it is respectful.

Write Everything Down

My notebook that I kept detailed notes in during our trip is almost as valuable as the pictures we took. I spent our train rides journaling (hence my decreased need for books).

And all of those ticket stubs, train tickets and museum brochures now have a home. I took a disposable tape dispenser and taped those in as I wrote. It spices up the journal, plus those items won't collect dust in a shoe box.

Even after a few months, there were details that I forgot: names of restaurants we ate at, names of people we met, how many times we ate gelato, etc. This was the smartest thing I did.

Miscellaneous

• Don't try and "see" Europe in three weeks. It just can't be done. Pick a couple of countries (we chose Italy and France) or a region and immerse yourself. The more ground you cover the more time you spend traveling in a train and away from the real sights. My husband did a whirlwind European tour years ago (8 countries in 21 days) and kept saying how much better he enjoyed an independent trip. It is tempting to cram it all in, but resist.
• Safety: Europe is generally safe, but somehow people do strange things when traveling. All of the sudden they start petting stray dogs and following strange men down an alley to get a knock-off purse.  My safety advice is to just be smart, keep your purse close to you and always have an eye/hand on your bag. I also used a money belt just for peace of mind. 
• Travel books: I cut the spine off our travel books and spiral bound only the pages we needed. Why lug a 500 page book on France if you only need 100?
• Give yourself free time. There is such a thing as museum fatigue. Visit heavy hitters in the morning when your energy is high and see what you have time for in the afternoon. Sometimes a relaxing picnic is more memorable than seeing another so-so museum or cathedral. Find your balance. 
• Fake eyelashes. I got eyelash extensions right before the trip. I'm not sure if I endorse them or not. But I did love waking up on an overnight train and looking put together instantly. Mine were cartoon-ish long and it was misery when I took them after six weeks.
• Take a great travel partner. My favorite memory was Jacob and I laughing to the point of tears on the train. (Laughing even harder because we were trying to be quiet.) A great travel buddy is a must. 

If you have any questions, shoot me an email at stephaniefbenson{at}gmail{dot}com.

Read about our adventures in Italy and France.

Our Itinerary & FAQs

I am delighted by how many people are interested in our trip (welcome, Pinterest friends! I love you already!). For our detailed itinerary and FAQs, visit the Europe FAQ tab.


I'd love to hear about your trips! If you have blogged about your adventures, send me a link.

Bonjour, Paris!

Paris is wonderful.
It has so much history, is devastatingly romantic and is classic.
I felt incredibly under-dressed everywhere we went, but everyone we met was kind.

We arrived in the afternoon and started off Paris right with a picnic nearby the Louvre.
Our apartment was just down the street and the people watching was world class.
The PDA was also out of this world. I often didn't know where to look.

We toured the heart of Paris by visiting Notre Dame Cathedral which houses famous gargoyles and a mesmerizing stained-glass windows. In front of the facade, is "Point Zero" which is the center of France. The point from which all distances in France are measured.

Dinner was incredible: boeuf bourguignon and crème brûlée.

We strolled through the Latin Quarter (fun neighborhood) visiting little shops like Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

So pretty.

Our apartment was hysterical.
We grabbed it last minute and it was an incredible deal ($66 a night!) AND it was a few minutes walk to the Louvre.
Along with a teeny elevator and darling courtyard, our apartment was akin to a closet.
Barely livable for one person, let alone two for six days.
Our bathroom was down the hall which consisted of just a toilet and a timer light that often went out too early. (Above right: tiny water closet.)

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I can touch both walls with my arms.
Our sleeping situation was the saddest funniest part of the trip.
A previous renter called the room a capsule.
This was our version of a hostel.
Sleeping on a twin bed.

The room extended to include a small sink, shower and microwave.
It still gives me giggles just thinking about it.

In its defense, the location was killer. (The President of France had a parade down our street!)
But wow, it was cramped.

Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest flea market in the world.
It had knick knacks of all kinds, including vintage stamps.
I wish we had more time to explore and find treasures, but it was starting to get dark and the flea market is in a bad part of town.
This nutella crepe was delectable. The maker used to live in New York and had some good advice for us. 
(Biggest advice: get out of that neighborhood.)

We were lucky enough to go to church while we were in Paris.

The main sacrament meeting is in French and it is translated to a different room for English and Mandarin.

It was a wonderful meeting and my favorite talk was from a missionary from Canada who was called to Paris- Mandarin speaking.

delightful macaroon shop | the most menacing policemen ever

political demonstrations on our street | parade for the new president on our street

The streets of Paris are perfectly charming, especially in the neighborhood near the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower.

The big Kahuna.

I did not "get" the Eiffel Tower before. I thought it was cheesy, lame and cliche.

OK, OK, I get it.

I fell for the Eiffel Tower instantly.

I too wanted Eiffel Tower t-shirts, key chains and underpants. Gimme, gimme!

We timed our visit perfectly to see the magic of the tower in all three lights. (It is kind of far away from other sites in Paris, so we wanted to hit it in one trip.)

We saw it in daylight, hiked the 669 steps to the top (yep, we hiked steps again and this one was a killer) and watched the sunset from the observation deck, all before rushing down in time to watch it sparkle at 10 p.m.

The field just around the tower was perfect for a picnic and people watching.

A charming town troubador played on a guitar and sang for hours.

One of my favorite moments was when he played Wonderwall by Oasis and the entire crowd chimed in. 

All of the sudden we all felt interconnected, a bunch of strangers from who knows where singing along to 90s English rock. I adored it. 

OK, cheese-fest officially over.



Forgive my sideways video. I just discovered the video option on my camera and turned it thinking I would rotate it later.
Yep, can't rotate a video. D'oh!

At least it sparkles!

                                                      picnics | delicious French pastries

the souvenir that got away | freezing

France has wonderful parks, ripe for picnics.

You can actually get fined in Italy for eating near monuments, so we took full advantage of parks and picnics in France.

On the third day, it was freezing and we were the only fools dumb enough to picnic.

It was just us and crows the size of small children (in the top left photos).

Our streak of good weather turned sour and we began to freeze.

My biggest travel regret was not bringing a warmer jacket.

It was wet, windy and moody.

The sun peeked out for us long enough to stroll the Avenue des Champs-Élysées a famous street known for expensive shops and cafes, shopping and futuristic car showrooms.

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument at one end of the street.

Once again we hiked a spiral staircase for a view of the city.

It was especially chilly at the top.

I was bundled, looking cold when another traveler noted how cold I looked and asked if I was used to the weather. 

I replied, "Actually, I'm from Utah so I understand cold."

We discovered he was also from Utah, his travel companion and I went to HS together (different years) and our parents live in the same neighborhood. We exchanged travel stories and a few laughs.

The next morning we hit Versailles and finished off our Paris adventures at the Louvre museum.

The massive art collection is housed in a former chateau that spans more than 652,000 square feet.

Not familiar? DaVinci code fans might recognize the pyramid. Thankfully, no one was murdered for the secrets of Christianity while we were there. Dodged a bullet on that one.

The Louvre is a cultural buffet. Come early, wait in line, indulge for hours and leave feeling stuffed.

Do not expect to see everything or even try. It is just too big.

Do, however, grab the Paris Museum Pass. We walked right passed the line and were whisked right in.

We did a highlights tour and then picked a couple sections to explore.

 Venus de Milo |  Winged Victory of Somathrace 

 Just a few of the 35,000 artifacts housed in the Louvre, including the largest painting in the museum.

The Mona Lisa.
I am probably the only tourist who was overwhelmed by the painting.
I kept hearing how tiny it was and how it didn't live up to people's imaginations. Plus, da Vinci traveled with the painting so I assumed it was small like a 8x10.
We once again fought the crowds for this one. I'm glad we did.

Our final dinner in Paris was hilarious.
We ate at Le Marché , a small restaurant with cozy tables.
The table of Germans next to us recommended a couple of things, including the beef appetizer.
That turned out to be RAW meat. That red in the top photo, that is beef.
Jacob is a champ and ate it, probably to save face because we had no idea it would be raw.
Watching him eat it was enough for me.

We stopped by a darling candy shop for treats and gifts before falling asleep one last time in Paris.

Le Marché exterior.

The next day, we bid au revoir to Paris.

After three weeks in Italy and France, it was time to head home.

I could have kept going. 

After a while it felt like eating good food, visiting museums and planning what historical sights we would see is just what we do now. But reality must come.

It was the best trip of my life.

It was wonderful. 

And I can't wait for our next adventure.

Excursions From Paris

With Paris as our home base, we visited the chateaux nearby.

Loire Valley

We spent the day touring the chateaux in the Loire Valley.

First off was Chateau Chambord, a massive often stark structure featuring an incredible double helix staircase.

The details are extraordinary.

Next up was Chateau de Cheverny.

This was my favorite chateau. We practically had the place to ourselves and the grounds were immaculate.

It is a living and working chateau with a family who lives there (in the part of the home you do not tour) and it houses hunting dogs who are smellier than you might imagine. 

If you time it right, you can plan your visit for the feeding of the dogs. I had no such desires, but still thought the dogs were cute-ish.

exterior of chateau | hound dogs

beautiful gardens | idyllic homes

town of Blois | the best souvenir pillow ever

macaroons | pastry shop of my dreams

Versailles

On a different morning we visited Chateau de Versailles, which is just outside of Paris.
It is monumental with an even more monumental line. Go early, I say.

Inside was a zoo. I had to fight that crowd {right} to get the photo on the left.
I made it out unscathed and only slightly ruffled.

Crowds are herded from room to room as we are given an idea about the validity behind the French Revolution.
To say it is ornate is to call a ball gown kind of dressy.

Once in the gardens we were able to breathe.
The manicured gardens and peculiar shaped bushes.
Marie Antoinette's village so she could escape and pretend to be a village girl was fascinating and strange all at the same time.

The chateaux we visited were extravagant, gorgeous and colorful. 

The change of scenery did us some good as we tried to conquer the City of Lights.

Day 14 & 15: Mont St. Michel

France

Are you still with me? If you are, you are a true champ. Thank you for indulging me! It is wonderful to get this all down.

Even with an eventful night on our overnight train, we arrived rested and ready to take on France. Out stop in Paris was just for a hot minute until we quickly hopped onto another train to visit Northern France.

France was a tad bit of culture shock. I had just gotten used to Italian and recognizing Italian words.

French is hard. While it is beautiful and all dainty- like, I could not pick out a single thing anyone was saying aside from Bonjour and merci. Any efforts to remember my learned French phrases were fruitless and I resorted to my stand-by: a lot of smiling.

With all of our language challenges, let me tell you this: We encountered really nice people in France. People warned us how rude the French were and that they would spit on us if they knew we were American (yes, a weirdo told us that). Our trick was to always try and speak French. We knew that we sounded like damn fools, but we always tried to communicate in French first. And then I smiled a whole lot. Somehow we managed to get everywhere we needed to and make friends along the way. I had a wonderful impression of the French people we encountered. And if they thought we were idiots (we probably were), they never showed it. Or we were too oblivious to take notice. Either way, I love them.

Our first meal in France was a simple one that came from the train station grocer before our next train. But, it was tasty. The French know how to do food, even if it is from a train station marche.

Our train conductor in Normandy was the spitting image of the conductor on The Polar Express. Mustache and all.

The countryside in France is beautiful. I kept commenting on how green everything was. Simple yellow flowers dotted the countryside. I was already smitten.

We arrived in Normandy (after another train change) in the idyllic town of Rennes. The hospitality in Rennes was world class.

The trip to Normandy was a quickie. We were told to visit Mont St. Michel late and early, as it is a popular day-trip location. Our arrangement, while quick, was the perfect way to avoid the hoards of tourists.

I saw a picture of Mont St. Michel a few years back and I have been determined to visit ever since.

Mont St. Michel was everything I hoped it would be.
The abbey is located on a small island connected to mainland by a half-mile causeway.
We convinced a shuttle driver from another hotel to give us a lift to the abbey. Oh, she was nice. See what I said about world-class hospitality?

The island hosts a petite village (only 30 full-time residents). The tiny street above is the main street that is lined with touristy shops try to hawk medieval wares (swords, knight toys, etc).

The centuries old abbey (originally built between the 11th and 16th centuries) is soaring.
The interior is dark and a bit cold. A monk walked by and I could just imagine monks filing through the abbey in the Middle Ages.

The island has so much charm.
Crepe shops galore!

We met a delightful older French couple in the cloisters of the abbey.
The husband offered to take our picture and this is what we ended up with.
It has become one of my favorite photos.

Our first official French meal was just below Mont St. Michel.
I stuck with the crepes (salmon filled for dinner and chocolate drizzled for dessert).
French food is just great. Even mid-range French food is delicious.

The sunsets in France took my breath away.
The sun seemed to just fall off the edge of the Earth.

I desperately wanted to see Mont St. Michel at night when it is lit up.

The sun set much later than expected (we're talking after 10 p.m.) so we wandered the (very small) village, trying to keep warm as we waiting for darkness.

And it was freezing.

But it was worth it.

We slowly walked back to our hotel.
I tried to walk backwards the whole time because I couldn't stop looking at it.
Without anything nearby, the abbey just pierces the sky.

This shot was taken after 10:30 p.m. and there is still a sliver of sunlight at the bottom.

We got one last look of Mont St. Michel in the morning before taking the train back to Paris.