After our 2022 travels in Greece, we knew we wanted to return to Southern Europe. As much as we loved Greece, this time we knew we wanted to get some beach time in and some city exploring. I knew 10 days just wasn’t enough, so my original plan was actually 5 weeks and included Croatia, but with everyone's budgets and the amount of time we could all get off school/work three weeks ended up being what we could swing. The original plan was to spend a minimum of 3 nights in almost every spot, but we adjusted the itinerary to fit everyone's schedules. I honestly loved the pace of the trip, we got to see so much and travel so much ground, but if fast-paced backpacking isn’t for you then that’s no worries. This itinerary can totally be modified according to your needs. I’ll go through all of the spots and what we did and maybe that can help you pick which destinations are right for you. This is just an outline of the trip, for a more detailed blog, click here.
The best travel crew I am so thankful to have <3
The three-week Itinerary
Toronto to Lisbon - Flight
Air Canada
Departure: Saturday, May 6th, 2023 10:55 pm
Day 1, 2 & 3 - Lisbon, Portugal
Beautiful Lisbon :)
Arrival in Lisbon
Arrival: Sunday, May 7th, 11:10 am
To Apartment: The public transit in Lisbon is super cheap and easy to use, so I would recommend taking the metro over getting a cab. We took the subway from the airport to Martim Moniz Metro Station. This took about 30 minutes and cost about €2.50 each. We rode the pink line from the airport then switched to the green line until our stop.
Stay in Lisbon
Address: Martim Moniz Square
Lisbon Itinerary
Day 1
Castelo de S. Jorge
Touring the city
Dinner
View from Castelo de S. Jorge
Day 2
Tram 28
Belem
Rooftop Patio
Baixa District
Day 3
Lisbon to Lagos - Bus
Flix Bus
Departure: Tuesday, May 9th at 9:15 am
Bus stop: Gare de Oriente, 1990-203 Lisbon
Duration: 3 hours 50 mins, with two 5 min stops
Arrival: in Lagos at 1:05 pm at Largo do Rossio de Sao Joao Batista 2, 8600-315 Lagos
Walk 12 minutes from the bus stop to the apartment
Day 3, 4 & 5 - Lagos, Portugal
One of our fave destinations
Lagos
Address: Old Town
Lagos Itinerary
Day 3
Praia dos Estudantes:
Dinner in Old Town
Val’s Bar
Day 4
Kayaking:
Ponta di Piedade:
The Garden:
The Ponta di Piedade trail
Day 5
Lagos to Seville - Bus
Flix Bus
Walk 12 mins from apartment to bus stop
Departure: Thursday, May 11th, 8:00 am
Bus Stop: Largo do Rossio de São João Batista 2, 8600- 315 Lagos
Duration: 5 hours 35 mins
Arrival: at 1:35 pm
Bus station: Seville (Bus Station Plaza de
Armas)
Seville
Stay: Apartamento Centro Santa Catalina
Address: Santa Catalina
Day 5, 6 & 7 - Seville, Spain
Seville Itinerary
Cathedral de Sevilla:
Horse Carriage:
Lunch/Dinner:
Flamenca Show:
We were the BIGGEST fans of Sevilla
Day 6
Plaza de España
Dinner
El Rinconcillo
KOKO Discoteca
Day 7
Seville To Madrid - Train
Iryo
Walk 18 mins from apartment to train station
Train station: Sevilla-Santa Justa
Departure: Saturday, May 13th, 12:15 pm
Duration: 2 hours 32 mins
Arrival: 2:47 pm
Train station: Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes
Walk 16 mins to the hostel
Madrid
Stay: Way Hostel
Address: Centro
Day 7 & 8 - Madrid, Spain
The famous Puerta del Sol
Madrid Itinerary
*We were only here for 1 day so we absolutely PACKED our day full lol*
Plaza Mayor
Mercado de San Miguel
Puerta del Sol
Royal Palace of Madrid
Temple of Debod
Dinner in Plaza Mayor
Day 8
Madrid to Barcelona - Train
Ouigo
Train station: Madrid-Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes
Departure: Sunday, May 14th, 7:05 am
Duration: 3 hours 45 mins
Arrival: 9:50 am
Train station: Barcelona Sants
Day 8 & 9 - Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona
Stay: Hotel Pelayo
Address: Eixample Neighbourhood
GaudÃ's art at Park Güell
Barcelona Itinerary:
Coffee in Catalonia Square
Casa Batlló
Park Güell
Dinner in Eixample
Sagrada Familia
Day 9
Barcelona to Nice - Flight
Vueling Airlines
Departure: Monday, May 15th, 7:10 am
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
Arrival: 8:30 am
Day 9, 10 & 11 - Nice, France
This is your sign to visit the French Riviera <3
Nice
Stay: Alex Studio
Address: 5 Rue Flaminius Raiberti, 06000 Nice, France
Nice Itinerary
Brunch on Promenade des Anglais
Beach Day
May 10th -Day Trip to Monaco
The Monaco harbour
Breakfast and Coffee
Train to Monaco
Monte Carlo Casino
Monaco Harbour
Beach Time in Nice
Rooftop Dinner in Libération
Day 11
This day was a tough one. We had a teary goodbye with the girls, and then Cass and I had to get on a plane to Rome, Italy. We flew with Wizz Air, which seemed sketchy at first but ended up being a decent enough airline.
A hard goodbye with these girls
Nice, France to Rome, Italy
Wizz Air
Departure: May 17th, 1:25 pm
Airport: Nice Côte d'Azur Airport
Duration: 1hr 15mins
Arrival: 2:40 pm
Train to Rome City Centre
Rome Stay
Stay: Roma Carina
Address: Via Nino Bixio 74 Central Station 00185 Rome Italy
Day 11, 12 & 13 - Rome, Italy
Rome Itinerary
Colosseum
Dinner in Bed
Day 12
Trevi Fountain
The Vatican
Lunch near The Vatican
Day 13
Rome to Naples
Flixbus
Departure: Friday, May 19th, 8:30 am
Bus Station: Rome Tiburtina Bus Station
Duration: 2 hours 35 mins
Arrival: 11:05 am
Bus Station: Naples (Metropark Centrals)
Naples to Pompeii
Flixbus
Departure: Friday, May 19th, 11:35 am
Duration: 30 mins
Arrival: 12:05 pm
Pompeii
Pompeii is a must-see!
Pompeii to Sorrento
Circumvesuviana Train to Sorrento
Sorrento
Stay: Hostel Santa Fortunata
Address: Via Capo 39/A 80067 Sorrento Italy
Day 13, 14, 15 & 16 - Sorrento, Italy
Cheers to Italy!
Sorrento Itinerary
Pool
Dinner
Day 14
Brunch
Vallone dei Mulini
Leonelli's Beach and Port
Shopping in Piazza Tasso
Night Out in Sorrento
Much love for Sorrento!
Day 15 - The Amalfi Coast
Transportation
Amalfi
Bomerano/Path of the Gods
Positano
Dinner at Fauna
The Path of Gods was a trip highlight!
Day 16
We ventured back to Naples on the bus and hopped on a plane for Catania, Sicily.
Naples to Catania
EasyJet
Departure: 3:05 pm
Airport: Naples International Airport → Fontanarossa, Catania
Duration: 1 hour
Arrival: 4:05 pm
Catania Airport to Apartment
Airport shuttle
Catania
Address: Via Guglielmo Oberdan 73, Catania, Città metropolitana di Catania, 95129
Day 16, 17, 18 & 19 - Sicily
There is nothing quite like the Sicilian sun
Catania Itinerary
Dinner
Dessert
Day 17
Fish Market:
Playa di Catania:
Dinner
Etna Wine >>>
Day 18 - Day trip to Taormina
Train to Taormina
Lunch
Piazza IX Aprile
Villa Comunale Gardens
Charming Streets and Boutiques
The Ancient Greek Theatre
Dinner and Drinks on Via Santa Filomena
We could start a Taormina fan club!
Day 19
Brunch
Final Beach Day
Catania to Rome
Ryan Air
Departure: 8:40pm
Airport: Fontanarossa (Catania)
Duration: 1 hour 25 mins
Arrival: 10:05pm
Day 19 & 20 - Rome
Rome
Stay: Casa Donna di Cuori
Address: Via Colle del Miglio 9 00054 Fiumicino Italy
Rome to Toronto
Air Canada
Departure: 11:35 am
Airport: Fiumicino International
Duration: 9 hours 30 mins
Arrival: 3:05 pm
This truly was the trip of a lifetime and I got to experience it with some of the greatest friends a girl could ask for. I would like to say a GIGANTIC thank you to my best friends who go on these adventures with me, I really couldn’t explain how grateful I am for these trips and these people. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for my girls.
I hope this blog series has been helpful, I have absolutely loved writing these pieces and have given a little piece of myself and this trip with every post. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions, and stay tuned for my next travel series. Yes, there will be another, I may or may not have another 3-week trip planned for January;)
There is literally nothing better than beach hair and freckles for Euro Summer :)