17 Days , 14 Cities Across Europe

It was here that all the excitement and a bit of a hassle kicked in. We soo wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower,but with a 6 hour layover, I was kinda advised against it and yet the wanderlust kicked in. Being on a budget constraint travel , we did not wish to take the cab to the tower , which costs you around 50 - 60euros one way . The other option is to take the local train system I.e the RER B to Eiffel Tower with a change in trains at Notredame, at a price of 20 euro per person two way and generally takes an hour . CDG is a confusing airport and we had lost around half an hour in locating the train station but with 4and a half hour still with us , we could explore the Eiffel Tower , walk a bit besides the sienna and have the famous French crepe’s and hot dogs. We made it back to CDG airport with an hour still left for our departure to rome . I would still suggest that to have it all done in 6 hours is a bit dicey as a little error in judgment can cost you dearly but then again we did it...

We reached Rome at around 1130 pm at night, and the good part is there are shuttle services from the airport to the city all around the clock so here again I did not have to take a cab , as cabs are expensive in Europe . The shuttle takes around 11 euros per person . Checked in at our hostel Freedom traveller , at around 1 in the night.

The place of the pope is indeed special. We got a direct bus from the colloseum to the Vatican city, which is across the Tiber. Vatican City does not take more then an hour if you just want to visit St Peters basilica. Important Note: if you are a female , you need to wear a dress more then knee length and shouldn’t be a sleeveless as a lot of women were denied entry cause of this. Though they do sell stoles out there for 5 Euros each to cover yourself up.

After the Vatican we headed back to Rome to see the Trevi Fountain, the one where you throw coins in and make a wish. The fountain itself is beautiful but too crowded and to reach it , you need to take a bit of a walk . The walk from the closest bus stand is like 700 meters. The evening was a walk around the central Rome area which is bustling with some art and music showcases by the road . We ended the night with a quaint dinner at a beautiful pizzeria by the road.

The next morning we embarked on our journey towards Naples , the birthplace of pizza. We took a standard train from Rome that took about 4 hours and cost us about 25 euro for the two of us. We checked in at about 2 pm at our hotel BB la rue maison. Naples is more about the pizza and the pastas and it’ll be a sin if you don’t savour a pizza at Gino e toto sorbillo pizzeria at Tribunali cause that’s the original one. Your whole definition of a pizza is changed at that place and it’s not that expensive either around 10 euros. The only downside is the avg 1 and a half hour wait to get in the restaurant ,though till then ,you can also try pastas at many other famous pasta corners nearby.

We left Naples early morning to explore the city of Pompei which was on our way to Sorrento. Pompeii is an archeological roman ruins of a city devastated by the volcanic eruption of Mt Vesuvius . The entry is around 25 euros for two people. Though a great place which takes you back in time ,but would only advise for those who prefer a little dig in the history. Also yes : there still are human remains preserved over there ☠️

After our excursion of Pompei , we were on our way to Sorrento, one of the most notable places on the amalfi coast. There is a direct train from Pompei to Sorrento for around 7 euros for two people. We reached Sorrento by 4 in the evening and checked in at the seven hostel. After an hour later we took a walk to the famous “Regina Giovanna Bath” , which is a must if you are a water fanatic like me or if you love taking long scenic walks. It was a long but a beautiful walk and did not disappoint us at the end. Also will highly advise you to have dinner at la terraza...you’ll thank me.

The bus from sorento to Amalfi takes about 2 hours through some fo the best coastal routes ever . They charge you around 20 euros round trip for two people. You will be going through positano , which is the hub of club parties on the amalfian coast, and a very picturesque little town. After reaching Amalfi , we walked around the city for a while , exploring its lanes and admiring its beauty . You can hike up the stairs to see the old church and the naval museum or roam around near the bus stop , which is very scenic. After my fours hours in Amalfi I left back for Sorrento.

We took a bus directly from sorrento , which leaves from near the train station . You can book the busses for travelling through Europe through flix bus app. Anyways the bus was a comfortable one, and got us to Venice in like 11 hours . We reached Venice by 11 am . Too be honest it’s one city i could leave off my iternary . Too crowded and touristy , people are kinda on the ruder side though i think that’s cause of the high number of tourists . The grand canal , the basilica and dogge’s palace are places you can visit on foot . While place like murrano , Burrano and torcillo need to be done on boat . The gandola rides aren’t really that suitable on a hot Sunday afternoon but still can be doable , cost around 80 euros per boat . I would highly advise you to book these activities through the Klook App , good discounts there and easy to process. I had left Venice by the evening for Greece . Also to get to Venice city from Marco polo airport , I will advise you to take the water taxi ( not expensive plus give you the Venice feels) , takes about an hour from the airport .

A small town near the Athens airport , a good place to stay if you have a early morning flight from Athens , as the airport is approx 40 kms from the city of Athena or Athens. Would advise you to stay at the waves apartment by Nikolai, one of the best places I stayed for my entire duration. From their you can easily walk to the sea side and explore the many restaurants (suggestions : Kasba Bar , tiki tiki and mokkas)

Took an early morning flight from Athens to Santorini ...the magical city of Greece . Stayed at the Perissa beach( black sand beach) .The travel within the city can be done through a local city bus . A must in santorini is a visit to oia village (the white and blue dome place) or directly booking a room there which btw is on the expensive side. Santorini is magical and you can definitely take a hike of the nearby volacano if you have a day to spare. Also don’t miss the sunset at oia, considered the best in the world.

Took a ferry from Santorini to Mykonos via paros. 3 and a half hour journey and would definitely advice you to book the ferry (90 euros for two) through ferry hopper. Mykonos described in a single line : beautifully wild , energetic party island of Greece and by wild I mean wild . Its an island where people let go off their inhibitions and party like there is no tomorrow (that’s why I loved it). Would definetly recommend the paraga beach hostel for your stay , close by the prasadise beach, which itself doesn’t need any introduction. Mykonos I guess is the costliest of all the paces I visited in Greece. Would recommend Club Tropicana and Club Paradise for your late night ventures. I stayed at Mykonos for two days as one night of partying away wasn’t enough. For in city travels use the local buses . Also paraga hostel provides airport and port transfers for free.

Left for Corfu by an early morning flight . Corfu lies completely on the other side of Greece , near the Albanian border. Places of interest is the old fort and canal d’amour beach ( Near Sidari) . Though I did not explore Corfu much as it was a hot humid day and I was dead tired but walked a bit around the old town to experienc the city . The busses in Corfu are a bit confusing and I didn’t find the people that great either, but the main highlight was this Indian restaurant I went to , The Tandoori Bites . The food was really good and quite the boost we needed to continue our travel. It is just opposite the international port .

Here started my most awaited part of the trip , The trip to AnjunaDeep Explorations (deep house music festival ) in Dhermi , Albania . Took a ferry from Corfu to dhermi , through the festival organisers but you can also take separate ferries from Corfu to sarande. Will not give out a lot of details about the festival as it is yours to discover , but the place it was held was not less then paradise . Dhermi is a quiet little coastal village on the Ionian sea , with the bluest water I have ever seen (better then Greece) . Took a boat to the secluded Gjipe and the grama bay beach as well , partied between huge clifs , on a white sandy beach. Though majority of the places take euro but would recommend you to convert them into lek ( you’ll love the exchange rate ) . Stayed and partied here for 5 days straight , my longest stay at one place . Left for Tirana after that to catch my flight to mumbai via Dubai.

Note : Albania is a beautiful country but would still warn you about being alert and vigilant , when travelling alone , as the country is still run by the notorious Albanian mafia.

A ten hour layover at dubai meant we could go around the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall . The whole excursion takes around 6 to 7 hours I.e if you have included the dubai mall aquarium in your visit. The ticket of the aquarium is around 175 dirhams , though cheaper if you book online . Also its better if you take the metro card , available at the airport itself . The same card is applicable for the busses as well .

Note : As an Indian traveller you are issued a visa on arrival only if the stay is less then 48 hours and that you are traveling by Emirates Airways .

Otherwise you need to have a dubai visa .