the cities.

Rome

June 15-21

Rome, my first stop in Europe and my first destination solo travelling. Don’t get me wrong, Rome is an incredible place… it just was not my favourite. Its somewhere you have to see once in your life. Between the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, and so much more, there is a lot to see and explore in this ancient city.

My favourite sight – and my favourite place to take photos – was St Peter’s Basilica. I was one of the first to arrive on a weekday and the lighting was incredible. spent ages just wandering with my head tilted all the way back staring at the ceiling. It is absolutely incredible.

I also paid to climb the dome… very hard but so worth it. After 551 steps which get narrower the higher you climb, I reached the top. It is the tallest dome in the world making the views of Rome absolutely spectacular. I highly recommend this is if you are capable of doing so.

This was the first stop on my trip to Europe & I stayed in Generator hostel, a great place with great rooms and a really cool rooftop bar. I met a lot of people during my 5 nights here and it was a great place to start my adventure.

Naples

June 21-24

There are rumours about this city, and maybe they have some truth to them, but if you are sensible you will see how great Napoli really is. I stayed at NAP Hostel located right on Spaccanapoli, the street that cuts through the city. The hostel was very homey with room for just 35 guests. The staff are so great and are happy to recommend places to see or whip you up a delicious Limoncello spritz.

My favourite part – the street food. Everything from giant pizzas (Napoli’s specialty of course) to seafood cuoppo and arancini to gelato and cannoli, this city has it all.

The view of Mount Vesuvius is incredible from the coast and Pompeii is a must for a day trip.

I really wish I had spent another day in this busy place – the narrow streets with laundry strung above them, scooters zipping through crowds, and streamers hung from every surface celebrating the cities love of football – it really does grow on you.

Tip: if you are a solo female traveller, do take precautions like not going out alone at night. While common sense can get you a long way, there is always risk. But do not let that put you off experiencing the charm of this amazing place for yourself.

Florence

June 24 - July 2

This was hands down my favourite city from this trip. I spent 8 nights in Hostel Santi – a converted hospital… it was an interesting stay. While Florence is still full of tourists and quite busy during the day, it is quiet in the mornings and if you get into the smaller areas of the city. Don’t miss going to Piazzale Michelangelo for the best dance party and view of the sunset & try gelato at La Sorbettiera (they make new and interesting flavours fresh every single morning).

Sit on the wall of the river for dinner one night and listen to the street performers, take a walk across Ponte Vecchio for some gold shopping (or window shopping if you’re a broke backpacker like me), visit the Duomo before 10am for less crowds, be first in line for the Ufizzi or Academia galleries to avoid lining up for 2 hours, and take a day trip to Pisa and/or a smaller Tuscan town. Michelangelo’s statue of David is a must see when in this amazing city. I didn’t really understand how big this piece of art really was until I walked into the room where it is held. Standing at 17 feet tall, it is hard to understand how such a thing was ever created.

Florence really is incredible in every way, and I cannot wait to go back.

Venice

July 2-4

I only spent one full day in Venice and that was plenty. I loved this sinking city but it is pretty small so you can absolutely see everything in a day. I spent my morning seeing the sights, the middle of the day exploring the smaller areas away from the crowds, and my afternoon wandering through a photography exhibition I stumbled across.

I stayed on the smaller part of Venice, Giudecca, in my second Generator hostel. Again, the hostel was great – if not a little too cold – and the common area was great and had cheap drinks which you can have sitting on the waters edge. Giudecca is also much less crowded as tourists don’t tend to visit (other than those staying on the island).

I ate the most amazing spaghetti con vongole (spaghetti with clams) at around 7pm so the restaurant was empty. I sat right on the water with an Aperol Spritz and ate watching the sun go down over the main part of Venice. It was a perfect night.

Make sure you go and see the skinniest street in Venice which measures just 53cm wide. There was not a single other person there in the middle of the day. Oh, and if you’re a book lover like me, Libreria Acqua Alta is the perfect place for you!

Paris

July 24-31

I had low expectations going into Paris because everyone has something bad to say about it. Well, it’s safe to say my expectations were exceeded. Paris was absolutely beautiful. Seeing the Eiffel tower for the first time was absolutely surreal and seeing it at 1am on the dot is a must. The city is full of amazing art and architecture and the nightlife is something else.

Speaking of nightlife, I stayed at St Christopher’s Inn Gare du Nord – the party hostel of Paris. The sports bar downstairs is massive and when there’s a live band or DJ, the tables are moved out of the way to make room for the dancefloor (so much fun & cheap drinks too). The rooms are huge with curtains on each bed for privacy, the bathrooms are decent, and the staff are so friendly. I met so many people here and it is a week I will never forget… even if parts are a little blurry.

My favourite area had to be Montmartre – the artist district. With street art, street artists, galleries, and design studios, this really is the perfect place to walk around on a nice afternoon. Not to mention the Basilica on top of the hill has amazing views of Paris.

This certainly is a city full of love.

London

August 3-14

London has to take my #2 spot when it comes to cities. I’m not a city girl, but here was different. I spent a week and a half in London and still wasn’t bored by the end. While it is a bit expensive, there is so much to do (a lot of which is free). The copious amounts of food markets will keep you full, the history will keep you educated, and the galleries will keep your creative side in check. There really is everything you could want here.

Now, I had never been to any real theatre performances before, but I knew that it was something I had to do while in London. So, on my second last day, I got final rush tickets to see Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap, West End’s longest running play (70 years and counting). It did not disappoint in the slightest. I enjoyed it so much that on my last day, I hopped back online to get rush tickets for whatever I could.

This led me to the Palladium Theatre (incredible on its own) to see the Wizard of Oz. I may have cried when Dorothy was talking about home because I flew out the next day.

Safe to say, I am now a lover of the theatre and will absolutely be going to more shows whenever possible.