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Hello from the verdant Santiago de Compostela, Spain! The picture above is the view from the kitchen table in my Airbnb, overlooking Alameda Park, just a five minute walk from the famous Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. This town in Galicia is the end of the famous Camino de Santiago (or The Way of St. James), a pilgrimage that millions have made to visit the shrine of the apostle St. James (in said Cathedral).
Yesterday I traveled on a four hour bus ride from Porto, Portugal (recommended over flying, the drive was gorgeous!), where I spent four nights and five days wandering around tiny alleys of the historic part of town, admiring beautiful buildings and churches covered in colorful tiles, biking along the river and coast, and eating sardines and every other fresh seafood and shellfish I could get my hands on.
Prior to Porto I spent a few days and nights in Madrid, settling into my trip, checking out art museums, and stuffing my face with tapas and vermouth.
Before I get any further along in my travels, I want to reach out to my biggest resource of travel knowledge–you guys! This is where I’ll be over the next five weeks:
- Ireland
- Dublin
- Wicklow
- Galway
- Roundstone
- Connemara
- Clare
- Ring of Kerry
- Dingle
- Baltimore
- Cork
- Italy
- Rome
- Perhaps the coast of Italy somewhere?
- Maybe Croatia or Montenegro?
- Split or Dubrovnik?
- Kotor?
- Norway
- Bodo
- Lofoten
As you can see, not all of this trip is defined. I will 100% be in Ireland until June 16 as I’m renting a car with friends to drive around all the aforementioned places, and will 100% be in Rome June 16 through the 19 as I have a flight and Airbnb booked. Then I have two weeks that are relatively unplanned, when I’m thinking to leave Rome and head down to the Italian coast, and then cross over to Croatia.
The final destination is defined as I’m meeting some friends to camp in the Lofoten region of Norway in July. I’ll travel to the United States after that to visit friends and family for a while before heading back to Buenos Aires in the beginning of September, when the weather starts to improve down there again.
Tips? Pointers? Suggestions on where to spend that two week period in the end of June? Restaurant/food recommendations are especially welcome as I basically live to eat.
GO!
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Many years ago I went from Rome to the Amalfi coast. I took a train to Naples and then another to Sorrento. From there you take a bus on the winding, narrow road to Positano and Amalfi.
Positano is very upscale and expensive. I found a BnB right on the water in the charming little town of Amalfi. It was wonderful.
Thanks! Sounds lovely. Any towns you know of on the coast of Italy that won’t break the bank?
If you end up in Positano, I thought Restaurante C’era Una Volta was the best restaurant I ate at, while also being the cheapest. They also offer a shuttle service so you don’t have to walk. We made friends with the family that ran the hotel that we stayed at and they seemed genuinely excited that we choose to eat there!
While I didn’t visit, it appears that Ischia may have a wider range of offerings in terms of cost than the Amalfi Coast. Seemingly it is the local choice vs. Capri. If I return to the area, I think I would definitely check it out! Can’t go wrong with natural hot springs!
It was 13 years ago when I was there so I’m sure many things have changed.
I chose the town of Amalfi because it was much less expensive than Positano or Sorrento.
Amalfi was once home to 80,000 people until an earthquake wiped out the town a hundred years ago.
Head to Dubrovnik..I was there several years back and fell in love with the place.We had rented a studio just outside of the walled city for 5 days and just explored the history and soaked in the Culture. At that time, it was very affordable. We also took a car north to Split and spent a few more days there, also very nice but still prefer Dubrovnik. Take tie to tour the many islands, rent a kayak and explore the coastline.
Enjoy
Perry
Suggestions? Get a job and contribute to society. “I basically live to eat”?? So it would appear.
I know Rome. I go every year in November.
As for food:
If you are near St Peters, find Borgo Pio. It’s just on the other side of the Passetto. Look for Tre Puppazzi, Borgo Pio, 183. Good steak and pasta. It is on the same street as our apartment.
If you are near Piazza Navona, find Pizzeria Baffetto. Legendary pizza. The owner, Baffetto, now probably in his 80’s, will likely seat you. Via del Governo Vecchio, 114.
If you are near Campo de Fiori, look for Baffetto 2. It is run by the daughter of Baffetto. A variety of dishes. All good and locals eat there too. Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo, 18.
If you are near the Pantheon, don’t miss Giolitti. The best Gelato in Rome. Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40.
If you are near the Trevi fountain, find Antica Birretia Peroni for good beer and authentic Italian food. Frequented by locals. Via di S. Marcello, 19.
If you are near the Colosseum, find the Oppio Caffe, just above the Colosseum metro. At the metro, look for some stairs to the right to get above the metro station and it should be a block to your right. Via delle Terme di Tito, 72.
For Sites:
Vatican, St Peters, Castel St Angelo, Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori, Colloseum. Those are the usual.
In Rome:
http://www.latavernadeiforiimperiali.com/
Maybe we just hit it on 2 great nights, but it was some of the best, authentic italian food we ever had.
Get ready for crowds in Rome. We were there April 28 – May 2 and there were lots of people so by the time you get there it will be really peak season. That being said, I highly recommend gelato from Frigidarium, short walk from Piazza Navona. May encounter lines before dinner, but not so much after dinner. If you like dark chocolate, the fondante is incredible, esp. if paired with lampone (raspberry) – awesome combo.
Realize you won’t have time for Sicily, but it’s a place to explore – we spent 10 days there before heading to Rome and just loved it.
Cannot recommend Split enough. Beautiful. Diocletian’s Palace comes right down to the sea. Visit the Ivan Mestrovic gallery. Trogir is a short bus ride away. Dubrovnik also beautiful – you can go across to the small island of Locrum or take a boat ride to Cavtat. But we were there 11 years ago, so I don’t know how touristy they might be now – weren’t so much when we were there.
Montenegro is amazing, a bit off the beaten track !
I’ve tried all the best restaurant options in Dublin as I travel there for work a lot, and Chapter One is far and away the best.
We were in Croatia – travelling between Dubrovnik and Split — last year and could not recommend it more highly. Much like Italy, but with smaller crowds, and just as pretty. Great seafood and pasta everywhere we went.
We liked Split a bit more than Dubrovnik — more manageable in size, and the cruise ships stop and drop off in Dubrovnik, so it can get pretty crowded at times. If you go to Dubrovnik, we actually thought the town just south of there was even nicer. But even better than both of those cities or the mainland are the islands that you can ferry to across from the mainland. Hvar is probably the biggest and best known, with major jetsetters and nightlife if you like that, but our favorites were the quieter Brac and Kortula islands. The Adriatic water was as clean as any we’ve seen.
Would highly recommend Budapest, if you have never been. The Schenzy bath house is by far one of the best things I’ve every done. That plus the Danube river/night life/safety makes it’s an ideal spot to visit.
Took a group of clients to Sorrento and stayed at the Grand Hotel Sorrento, on a bluff overlooking Mt. Vesuvius and a 5 minute walk to town. Yelp was helpful on restaurants, but the food and wine was reasonable and some of the best ever. We rented a car- paid a little extra for a driver- and did the Amalfi Coast. I drive in most countries, but driving the Amalfi Coast is best left to professionals. When I go back to Italy next time, I’m skipping the big cites and just going here. Sorrento is fantastic. Amalfi is a beautiful little town. Best olives in the world and nice limoncello.
Take the ferry to Capri and spend the day. Take the chair lift up to the top- the view is magnificent.
For Ireland, we had our group at the Europa Hotel in Killarney-next door to where they play the Irish open. It’s situated on a beautiful lake offering up some of the best salmon you’ve ever tasted. It’s a short cab ride into town. Take the Gap of Dunloe tour via pony carts- some of the most beautiful scenery is Ireland. We rented a car and did the Ring of Kerry one day and Dingle Peninsula the next, it’s really worth the effort. Just use good old Yelp and Tripadvisor to help. I use Garmin with a Euro chip and it really helps. GPS with phone is spotty and expensive.
“Somewhere on the Italian coast” should be Cinque Terra, arguably one of the most amazing and beautiful places in Italy. You owe it to yourself to see this area – I would be happy to forward some photos if you would like!
Id recommend a stop over in Denmark on your way to Norway! So much to do in Copenhagen if you have not been there!
Agree w/ Malik. Scott, it’s time for a trip to Budapest. It’s beautiful, cheap, exotic, has great food, sites, history, nightlife and everything in between. The people i’ve sent there always come back and say it’s their favorite place in Europe and they’ve never eaten better for so cheap.
You won’t be disappointed. It’s time!
I wrote this post–Sarah Page–not Scott! But thanks for the recommendations!
A million thanks to everyone who left comments here/sent suggestions along via email. Much appreciated!
I would second the cinque terre suggestion. Probably like what the visitor to the amalfi coast experienced decades ago. Vernazza won’t break any banks… you can hike, swim, sun on the rocks, and run into very few other tourists. The fish is always fresh and priced fair. Also makes for a pretty train ride from Rome via the slow regional train that follows the coast…
Many photos available on schoeffphoto.com
We enjoyed Montenegro, beautiful walled town, not many tourists.
[…] had plans through mid June that took me from Spain, to Portugal, Ireland, and then finally Rome. I asked your advice for a two week whole in my agenda after Rome, and those of you that mentioned Italy recommended mainly the Amalfi coast or Cinque Terre. While […]