Hello, my friends! I recently went on a pretty magical trip across France, Italy & Spain. I got a few messages requesting links to the apartments I rented/food recommendations etc., so I figured I’d write it all up in one place.
I spent the most time in Italy, followed by France, and sadly only had two nights in Barcelona, but I will still let you know all of the places I enjoyed during my short visit.
France:
Paris:
Where I stayed:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2188706
We stayed in this super cute airbnb- it was small but in a great location and had everything we needed. Did I book it for the turquoise bathroom? Perhaps…I also loved the industrial look it had.
*it was up 6 flights of windy steps, so be prepared to get your steps in!
(VIEW FROM THE BATHROOM WINDOW)
(there were two little balconies, which I very much enjoyed, as pictured)
Favorite places to eat + general reccomendations:
Ob-la-di: iced oat milk lattes (so nice to find in Europe!) + the chia pudding with toasted buckwheat (so good).
L’as du falafel: definitely lived up to the hype (get the falafel sandwich)
Wild + The Moon: juices & healthy food, right near Ob-la-di cafe. We went to both for breakfast every morning.
Comestibles & Marchand de Vins: we stumbled upon this little cafe near our airbnb- it was filled with locals and no seats were available outside (always a good sign). We sat inside and ordered a (very reasonably priced) glass of rosé and cheese plate. Everything there was to die for- we came back the next day to get some cheese and the same bottle of cotes de provence for our picnic on the steps of Sacre Coeur.
(Rue Crémeux, so pretty!)
Nice:
Where I stayed:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2658232
This place was unreal. Probably my favorite of the trip (ok, tied with Positano), the terrace + the views….amazing. It’s in a perfect location in old town Nice. You walk up and down the quaint little streets underneath the beautifully colored old buildings and there are little shops everywhere-it’s also super close to the restaurants and the beach.
Our front door in Old Town Nice
This place is also up many flights of steps- but it’s worth it! There’s a full kitchen too- this would be a place I’d love to come back to and stay for a week, we were only there for two nights unfortunately.
Favorite places to eat + general recommendations:
We didn’t get the chance to eat at many places but we found a little spot with healthy food that was such a nice surprise! It was owned by husband and wife and they made fresh juices, lattes with coconut and almond milk & more! Called ‘KOKO green’
We rented scooters and drove from Nice all the way up to Monaco- stopping in Villefranche-sur-Mer and Èze on the way- I highly recommend this! The views were unbelievable. We rented our scooters from a place called ‘Bike Trip’ address: 21 Rue de Rivoli, 06000 Nice, France.
(Jardin Exotique in Èze)
Italy:
La Spezia (Cinque Terre)
Where I stayed:
This airbnb was such a pleasant surprise- it was maybe a 2 minute walk from the train station (and the walk was adorned with orange trees and blossoms which smelled divine). This place was so spacious and perfect for the four of us staying there for the night to visit Cinque Terre.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/203226
Favorite places to eat + general recommendations:
It was wonderful that we were so close to the train stain, we were able to buy a cheap ticket and visit multiple towns of Cinque Terre.
(Riomaggiore was my favorite)
(We climbed across the big rocks below to sit and take it all in)
Chianti/Tuscany
Where I stayed:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4599259
Okay, where to begin. This airbnb was not just lodging- it was an *experience*. The host, Giovanni is quite a character. He picks you up from the little train station and drives you up the windy roads of Tuscany, heavily gesticulating and passionately pointing out the grapes he grows for wine and the olive trees he uses for his cold pressed olive oil.
This place was truly a dream- lemon and cypress trees upon entrance, fields of grapes and olive trees as far as the eye can see. Giovanni will bring you some bread, meats and cheeses to enjoy with the olive oil and wine he makes on the property. The wine was so very good. He drove us to one of the only restaurants in the tiny town and it was delicious. The actual room was great as well- super spacious for four of us, a full kitchen area and a nice modern bathroom.
(All of us + Giovanni)
Rome:
Where I stayed:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1555602?s=51
This place was so beautiful and in a wonderful location in the heart of Trastevere. I wish we were here longer! It had its own patio with orange trees- need I say more?
Favorite places to eat + general reccomendations
Our friend Marco is Italian and visits his family in Rome every year- so he had the low down on the best (and most affordable) restaurants. Our favorite was a trattoria called La Scalinata – order the carbonara, carciofi alla romana, bucatini all’amatricana, and insalata di Puntarella.
Best gelato: Giolitti
For healthy food options and a really good spritz: il Margutta
Amazing pizza: Pinsere
Amalfi Coast:
Where I stayed:
This place was seriously out of a dream. If you can book this place- do it. I was looking for airbnbs and hotels for so long and everything seemed pretty overpriced or had its downfalls. I don’t know how I stumbled upon this place but I’m so glad I did.
The terrace is ENORMOUS…like you could throw a party/wedding reception there enormous…and the view….I mean, the view is one of the best I saw while staying in Positano. I felt so lucky that I got to wake up and open the doors to this view.
It’s also a perfect place to stay because it’s located above ‘Bar International’ which is a stop on the bus route from Sorrento.
Favorite places to eat + general recommendations
Our place was pretty high up so getting down to the more touristy restaurants was a hike- luckily, we found an amazing and super reasonably priced restaurant that was right down the street from our apartment. It was called Ristorante C’era una Volta and went multiple nights. The seafood linguine and pitchers of wine kept us very happy.
We got espresso + baked goods every day from a place called Collina Bakery.
We enjoyed a day long boat excursion from Positano to Capri and it was a wonderful experience for 80 euros a person. They provided snacks, prosecco, limoncello and more! I can’t remember the name of the service we used- but if you walk down to the beach in Positano, it is the first stand there.
(sandwiches from a local market near the VRBO, so good)
(For healthy food in Positano: Casa e Bottega )
We rented scooters and drove up the Amalfi coast from Positano to Ravello, a great way to see all the towns
(in Atrani)
Spain:
Barcelona:
Where I stayed: We had a horrible experience with our airbnb in Barcelona- so I’m not going to recommend anything- but we did enjoy some wonderful meals and experiences.
We went around our first day and asked some locals their favorite places for authentic cuisine. We enjoyed every single place!
Bar Electrictat
We just asked them to bring us the most popular tapas- we got some type of shrimp salad with crackers (really good), tomato bread, and vermouth- the local specialty.
La Cova Fumada
Apparently this place has unpredictable hours, so I’m glad we were able to eat here during our short time. Super authentic little place- we got lots of good seafood and sangria.
Quimet Y Quimet
Tapas on bread (montaditos) and amazing cheese + wine, all in a small space filled with people standing at the counter. It was such a fun and delicious experience.
Brunch & Cake
This place was very up my alley- super colorful and healthy food presented in such a cool way. They even had oat milk lattes!
We also got amazing paella at a place by the beach called Kaiku.
Hope you enjoyed! Please don’t hesitate to reach it out if you have any further questions.
-Adeline