This summer, we had our first big international trip post-pandemic. As always, there are a million places we want to go around the word, but this time it had to be Europe. I still can’t quite believe how wonderful this trip was. Our itinerary was full of destinations that felt so different from one another, yet we didn’t spend too much time travelling and we never felt rushed. We visited new countries together (Ireland & Scotland), and re-visited cities that one of us loved & the other hadn’t spent much time in (London & Paris), and visited new places in favourite countries for the first time (Burgundy, Alsace, Zurich and Crete).
We were lucky to be able to take 4.5 weeks off, spending all of June in Europe, and had a lot of flexibility with our itinerary. We knew we wanted to visit friends in Zurich, and return to Greece, and spent months deliberating over where else to include!
We seriously considered shoe-horning in Mallorca or Lake Como, but it would have meant a busier itinerary. You can’t go everywhere at once, and we were happy to let returning to Spain and Italy wait for a future trip. It is always tempting, especially with Europe, to squeeze more in, but I’m really happy with where we landed and how much time we had in each place.
Itinerary: 1 Month in Europe
- 4 nights in Dublin
- 4 nights in Edinburgh
- 5 nights in London
- 5 nights in Paris
- 2 nights in Beaune (Burgundy)
- 2 nights in Eguisheim (Alsace)
- 3 nights in Zurich
- 5 nights in Crete
Ireland: Dublin, Wicklow & Kilkenny
This was my first trip to Ireland, and now I know I’ll definitely be back! We spent most of our time in Dublin, which is a beautiful city that is full of character and history that still feels modern, young and dynamic. We spent 3 days in Dublin, including a day trip to Wicklow and Kilkenny. I loved seeing the gorgeous Wicklow countryside and visiting the Glendalough Monastic Site & Upper Lake. Kilkenny has a gorgeous medieval town centre, and the stately Kilkenny Castle, which was a great afternoon stop. Thanks to jetlag, we were up and about very early on our last morning in Dublin, so we took the DART (local train) to the seaside village of Howth, just outside Dublin.
I’d love to spend at least 2 weeks travelling around more of Ireland, it was an instant hit with me and is such a special place.
Ireland Highlights:
- Discovering friendly, lively Dublin – such a fun city!
- Gorgeous, green Irish countryside & the Upper Lake at Glendalough
- Irish pubs – the original, and the best!
Explore More:
- 3 Days in Dublin: Cead Mile Failte to the Emerald Isle
- Glendalough: Ireland’s Ancient Monastic City
- Kilkenny: Ireland’s Colourful Medieval Capital
- 8 of The Best Pubs in Dublin
Scotland: Edinburgh, The Highlands & Loch Ness
This was my first trip to Scotland, as well as my first trip to somewhere in the UK outside of England. Edinburgh is a very grand and historic city, quite unlike anything I’ve seen before. A real highlight here was catching up with our friends, Lauren & David, who have moved home to Edinburgh after living and working in Australia for the better part of a decade. I knew that JK Rowling had written much of the first Harry Potter book in Edinburgh, but I didn’t expect to find that so much of the Harry Potter aesthetic comes directly from Edinburgh itself!
Scotland is a very small country, but I was still surprised by how far north into the Scottish Highlands we could go on a day trip from Edinburgh. The landscapes in the highlands are absolutely spectacular, and absolutely worth a day or more. We stopped in Glencoe, which has a tragic history and is some of the most magnificent countryside I’ve ever seen, and in the town of Fort William to cruise on the famous Loch Ness.
Scotland Highlights:
- Seeing our friends Lauren & David, & their two adorable little girls
- Hiking Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh
- Harry Potter-esque streets of Edinburgh, particularly Bow St
Explore More:
London
I’ve been to London a couple of times, but only for a day or overnight, on the way to somewhere else. London is David’s favourite city, so I was excited to have 5 nights here with him and to get to know it a bit better. I’m completely in love! In less than 24 hours, I was seriously debating with myself about whether we should move.
London is such a diverse city, that we wanted to spend most of our time exploring on foot and wandering through different neighbourhoods. We had plenty of picnics in the parks, and limited our major historic sights and attractions to the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, all of which were worth the entrance fee & the precious time they took.
London Highlights:
- Catching up with my friend Bridget, for dinner at Jacuzzi
- Eating our way around the Borough Market
- Plenty of picnics in London’s beautiful public gardens
- Bookshop heaven – particularly Hatchard’s & Daunt Books
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Paris
Paris was my first big international trip when I was 18, with my family. This was my fifth trip to Paris, and it was hard to believe it had been 10 years since I’d last visited. I love Paris, and I was so excited to finally visit with David. I revisited favourite places, saw familiar places with fresh eyes (and a bit more maturity) and discovered new places. Perfection!
Paris was extremely crowded this year, and some of the most popular precincts were quite unappealing because of this. I was so glad we stayed in Montparnasse, which is a gorgeous area and firmly off the tourist trail, despite bordering the trendy St Germain. It’s the fourth time I’ve stayed in Montparnasse in Paris, and I’ll definitely stay there again next time (or in the 16th, where I stayed on my first trip). Both beautiful areas, with a healthy local:tourist ratio.
I’m also a shameless Emily in Paris fan, so naturally I had to hunt down her apartment, her office and a few other locations from the TV series.
Paris Highlights:
- Celebrating our anniversary in my favourite city – a picnic in Place des Vosges & dinner at Allard
- Lazy afternoons on la terrasse
- Returning to Montparnasse, one of my favourite neighbourhoods
Explore more:
- Paris 2nd Arrondissement Guide: Bourse, Sentier & Montogueil
- 5 Days in Paris: A Return to My First Favourite City
Burgundy: Beaune & Surrounds
It had been 10 years since I’ve been to France, so I was very keen to see some new regions of the country. I’ve been to Champagne, Provence & the Cote d’Azur, so this time we settled on Burgundy & Alsace, on our way to Zurich.
Burgundy is France’s premier wine region, rich in beautiful food, architecture and of course, wine. After London & Paris, it was delightful to slow down and enjoy the good life in Burgundy for a few days! We stayed in Beaune, which is the largest and prettiest town in the heart of wine country, and hired a car to explore the region.
Burgundy Highlights:
- The quality of the food in Burgundy – the birthplace of haute cuisine
- Obviously, the wine! Big fan of both red & white burgundy, but a white burgundy (chardonnay) is my new ultimate glass of wine
Explore More:
Alsace: Colmar, Eguisheim & more
Alsace was a logical stop on our route between Burgundy and Zurich, but it ended up being so much more than that. It was one of the most magical places that we visited, and I am SO glad we visited. I expected the fairytale villages, but didn’t expect them to be so genuinely enchanting. I’ve never seen anywhere like it, and we were both so grateful that we’d added this region to the itinerary!
We stayed in Eguisheim, a village of just 1700 people, and spent the days exploring nearby villages including Riquewihr, Kayserberg and Ribeauville.
Alsace Highlights:
- Joining the festivities for Fete de la Musique on summer solstice in Eguisheim
- Exploring Alsace’s fairytale villages, especially Kayserberg and Ribeauville
- Our hotel, with an infinity pool overlooking the vineyards – heaven!
Zurich
This was my second trip to Switzerland, but my first time to Zurich – and my first time visiting in warm weather! We stayed with our friends Tim & Nat, who have been living in Switzerland for more than two years now. It was so much fun seeing them, and they were such amazing hosts – it was the best few days. We went to the Lindt Factory, spent a day out on Lake Zurich on their friend’s boat, went up into the mountains, and spotted Roger Federer himself at the badi (a lakefront bar). The perfect few days in Switzerland! We didn’t want to leave, would love to go back!
Zurich Highlights:
- Spending time with our friends Tim & Nat
- A day spent on a boat on Lake Zurich – the definition of bliss
- Spotting Roger Federer at the Richtersville badi, after a day on the boat
Crete
Greece is my favourite travel destination in the world, and we were both keen to see a different region of Greece on this trip. We’ve spent time in Athens and the Cyclades islands of Milos, Paros & Sifnos, and we actually changed our minds multiple times on where we’d go this time. Initially we were thinking Kefalonia, or another island in the Ionian islands, but it is difficult to travel between islands. There are direct flights from Zurich to Crete, and the island is so enormous that there would be more than enough to explore for 5-6 days.
We both loved Crete. We stayed in Rethymno, which is a gorgeous town on the north coast, between the larger cities of Chania and Heraklion. We hired a car, which is absolutely essential, and found a perfect balance between exploring and relaxing. As it was our last stop of the trip, we were both happy to take a slower pace.
Crete is unmistakably Greek, yet still feels a little like a country of its own. It’s much farther south than the Cyclades islands, and the south coast of the island borders the Libyan Sea. The Venetian and Arab influence on the island is evident everywhere, making it a beautiful and intriguing destination. It was the perfect place to end our trip.
Crete Highlights:
- Returning to my favourite country in the world
- Greek food & Greek hospitality – the best
- A perfect lazy day on a secluded beach
Practical Details: Transport & Accommodation
We had three internal flights, from Ireland to Scotland, Switzerland to Crete, and Crete to Athens. Otherwise, we caught trains between cities, which is still my favourite way to travel.
We hired cars in Burgundy, Alsace and Crete. Initially we thought we might be able to drive between Burgundy, Alsace and Switzerland, but it’s much more expensive to have different pick up & drop off locations. The train was faster and cheaper, so it made more sense just to hire cars within destinations.
Flights
- Melbourne to Dublin with Qatar – We flew via Doha, and it was the best international economy flight I’ve had. Doha airport is new and quite easy to navigate, and has an indoor garden oasis which was a nice spot to sit with a coffee between two long haul flights. I would absolutely fly with Qatar again, the food was great, the staff were lovely and the seats were comfortable.
- Flying into Dublin rather than London was one of the best decisions. I’ve never flow into a small international airport before, it was such a breeze! We were off the plane and into a cab in less than 20 minutes. We were the second person in queue at Immigration, which took no time at all, and it was a very short walk from plane, to immigration, to baggage.
- Dublin to Edinburgh with Emerald Airlines – It was extremely busy at Dublin airport, but it was the most efficient process I’ve ever seen, and again it wasn’t a drama. Emerald Airlines is an Irish carrier, and owned by Aer Lingus. Flights were cheap, on time & everyone was really friendly. Edinburgh Airport is also tiny, so again, getting in & out was super quick!
- Zurich to Crete with Aegean Air – Aegean remains one of my favourite international airlines, everything went without a hitch. We flew into Heraklion airport and hired a car, before driving 1 hr to Rethymno.
For my next international trip, I’m definitely going to try and plan my itinerary so that we fly in & out of smaller international airports, it was a dream compared to the bigger international hubs.
Hotels
We got very lucky with our accommodation – I would stay everywhere again. They were all very comfortable and well located. The best of the trip was a three way tie between our hotel in Paris which had a stunning view towards the Eiffel Tower, the hotel in Alsace which had an infinity pool overlooking the vineyards, and in Crete which was a gorgeous two-storey loft style apartment in the heart of Rethymno.
- Dublin – The Address Connolly
- Edinburgh – Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh
- London – Rove Hotel, Paddington
- Paris – Hotel Raspail, Montparnasse
- Burgundy – Hotel Belle Epoque
- Alsace – James Vignoble Hotel
- Crete – Pal Calma Suites
Trains
European and British trains are the envy of the world, and I’m certainly envious that I can’t get around Australia as easily and comfortably by train as we did in Europe. So easy, so fast, usually affordable, and so comfortable.
- Edinburgh to London – This trip went so fast! It’s a 4 hour train trip but it felt like 2, I’m not sure how. I can see why people love this train trip. There are a few stops along the way which would be worth a detour, like York, but we went straight through to London
- London to Paris – The Eurostar is still the best way to get from London to Paris, but it was a few hundred dollars each – not as cheap as other trains. Unlike other internal trains, you need to get there a couple of hours early & there’s more queuing involved as it’s an international trip.
- Paris to Beaune via Dijon – The French trains were so roomy, and economy felt like business class. We had a brief stop in Dijon while we changed trains. I would have loved to spend a few hours here, but we only had 2 nights in Beaune so we went straight through. We bought the tickets to Dijon in advance, and bought the regional Beaune train ticket at the station.
- Beaune to Colmar via Dijon – Despite going back through Dijon, this didn’t take long at all. From Colmar, we picked up a hire car, spent a couple of hours looking around and having lunch and then drove 10 minutes to Eguisheim, the tiny village we stayed in.
- Colmar to Zurich via Mulhouse – This was a super short transfer at the Mulhouse train station.
Car Hire
- Car Hire in Beaune with Hertz – This was the nearest car hire place we could find to Beaune, it was a 20 minute walk from the city centre. Understandably, the staff here didn’t speak much English. This office wasn’t as professional as the other car hires we had, it was fine but I was a bit nervous when we had to pay a 1500 euro deposit (for a $100 car hire!), which we were told would be returned within 30 days. It was all fine in the end.
- Car Hire in Colmar with Avis – Avis has an office at the Colmar train station, so this was super easy. We liked the car & had no issues
- Car Hire in Crete with Hertz – We flew to Heraklion, and picked up the car from Hertz at Heraklion airport. It was really convenient!
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