If I could relive my 17-day European adventure, I absolutely would a thousand times over. If you want to know what I thought made the trip worth it and the things I wish I knew, click here to read my review! In this post, I want to give you an inside look at what my days were like to truly show the pace of the trip and the amount you're able to experience in such a short time. Since this trip was so action-packed, this blog will be posted in three parts and I can't wait to share everything!
To recap:
EF Ultimate Break is a group travel company for young adults aged 18-35. They offer just over 100 different trips across six continents, so chances are that they have an itinerary fit for you. On December 28th, I hopped on a plane and traveled solo with EF Ultimate Break across Europe for 17 days. The itinerary for my trip included London, Amsterdam, Paris, Lucerne/Swiss Alps, Venice, Florence, and Rome plus lunch stops at Lake Como and Orvieto in Italy.
Some notes:
A few things to keep in mind are that any EF Excursions are added to your trip at an extra cost. I didn't participate in every excursion, but I loved the ones I chose. Additionally, some extra activities were planned by my tour director at an extra cost (which was paid directly to him). I'll add an asterisk to signify those in the section headers. Also, keep in mind that all free time activities are organized independently and are out-of-pocket costs.
Part 1: Flying to London, London, & Amsterdam
Day 1: Overnight Flight to London
- Flight Information: I flew out of McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE) to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). From there, I flew to London Heathrow International Airport (LHR). It was definitely a long travel day, clocking in at close to 17 hours of travel. I got to MFE around 11:30 AM, hopped on my flight at 1:00 PM, landed at DFW around 2:30 PM, boarded my flight to London at about 6:30 PM, and arrived at LHR around 11:00 AM London time (which was 5:00 AM in Texas).
Day 2: Arrive in London, Exploring Covent Garden, Welcome Dinner, & Free Evening After
- Arrive in London: A driver picked me up at LHR at a scheduled time from a predetermined meeting point arranged through EF. This process was very smooth and the drive to the hotel took about an hour and a half. When I arrived, my tour director was waiting in the lobby to give me my room assignment, room key, and Oyster card (for the subway system in London). I had time to unpack some, take a short walk to grab a snack from Starbucks, and freshen up before dinner.
- Covent Garden: My tour director gathered the group and took us straight to the tube. A subway station was located just across the street from our hotel and it was definitely interesting at first. I almost never use public transportation, but I quickly became comfortable and learned to navigate not long after. Covent Garden was a gorgeous shopping area that still had a Christmas Market feel. There were the iconic telephone booths scattered in the streets and a cute Christmas tree up. Overall, I loved having some free time to shop and explore the gorgeous area.
- Welcome Dinner: The Welcome Dinner was included through EF at a local restaurant. We dined at The Wellington Pub not far from Covent Garden and had a set menu of fish and chips with two included drinks, plus dessert. I listed no seafood as a personal dietary preference, so my alternate meal was macaroni and cheese. I also had two glasses of wine with dinner and a hot fudge, ice cream-topped brownie. It was a great environment for getting to know the group and starting to form friendships.
- Free Evening After: I went on a walk with some other girls from my tour to a bridge overlooking the River Thames and we headed back to our hotel after. I remember it feeling so crazy that we were just wandering around the gorgeous city of London while rain was drizzling. It was definitely the first of many surreal moments.
- Guided Walking Tour of London: After breakfast, our tour group met up with a local guide to sightsee. The tour included St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and much more. I loved hearing about the city's rich history and learning fun facts, like about how dragon statues guard the old City of London and help distinguish it from Westminster.
- London Eye & River Cruise: This was another surreal experience. Be warned, the area around the London Eye is extremely crowded. The nice part about being with EF is that we didn't have to wait in an excessive line to board the London Eye. Our group along with another EF group hopped in a pod and saw the city from above. I also loved having high tea in London on the river cruise portion of the excursion. The tea itself was nothing special, but the finger sandwiches and scones were delicious. It was a relaxing cruise and a great time to warm up while seeing the city from a different perspective. There was a also little bit of free time between the two activities to explore the Tower of London area, as well as after the river cruise.
- Free Evening:
- Shopping at Picadilly Circus: I stayed with a group of girls in the evening. We headed to the Picadilly Cirus area to window shop, which was an overwhelming experience. It was extremely crowded and the variety of stores was neat to see. The Christmas lights were still up, so it was gorgeous at night.
- Covent Garden: Then, we went back to the Covent Garden area where I found a Glossier store and impulsively bought a delicious scented candle.
- The Alchemist: We wandered into a cool alchemy-themed bar called The Alchemist for a drink and headed back to the hotel afterward.
- English McDonald's: My friend, Maggie, and I decided to grab some McDonald's next to the hotel and set the goal of trying local menu items from McDonald's in each country (which is ironic because I never choose to eat McDonald's in the US). It actually ended up being a really fun goal and allowed for some cheaper meals along the way. I had a crispy chicken wrap with some sort of garlic sauce and little cheesy bites on the side. The wrap was 8/10 and the cheese bites were 4/10 (not very hot and not what I expected).
- Shoreditch Area: I went exploring the Shoreditch area with Maggie, which was a short tube ride away. Shoreditch gave kind of grunge hipster vibes with graffiti, record shops, vintage stores, and cobblestone roads- all in the drizzling rain. Some highlights were Flashback Records (where I found an original pressing of a Queen record) and Brick Lane Vintage Market, which is the biggest vintage market in all of London. It was underground, massive, and tons of fun to walk around with lots of vendors selling unique clothing, accessories, and vinyl records. We also had a light lunch at a super cute restaurant (I don't recall the name) in the Shoreditch area that we just happened upon.
- Buckingham Palace: Obviously, seeing Buckingham Palace was a must. After dropping off our shopping bags and freshening up at the hotel, we headed straight for it.
- Dinner in Chinatown: Maggie and I met up with another group in the Chinatown area, which was really cool to explore. We ate at a Korean barbeque restaurant. It was my first time trying Korean barbeque and soju, but I had a blast! The food was genuinely good and it makes for a unique "first time trying something" story.
- Hamilton: One of two things I planned prior to my trip was seeing Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre. I went solo, sipped on an old fashioned, and loved every minute of the musical. I'm a big Hamilton fan, so it was yet another surreal experience. I navigated to the theatre on my own from Chinatown and back to the hotel afterward without ever feeling lost or unsafe.
- Traveling to Amsterdam via Train:
- Getting to the Train Station: I will never forget the start of this day for as long as I live. The bus that was supposed to drive our group to the train station wouldn't start upon arriving at our hotel. So, our tour director decided that the best course of action was loading us all onto the tube with luggage instead. As someone who heavily overpacked, I almost cried when my tour director started walking us down to the tube where there were escalators, stairs, gaps between the platform and subway cars, and more obstacles. I had two rolling suitcases and a stuffed backpack. My only saving grace was Maggie, who happened to be a firefighter trained in heavy lifting. She generously carried my heavy suitcase when I couldn't and it may sound dramatic, but I am eternally grateful. It was totally a group struggle experience and I can't say that anyone had a particularly good time, but it was the only way we were going to be on time for our train. Our tour director adapted quickly and got everyone from point A to point B in one piece.
- King's Cross Station: Leaving London was less eventful once we arrived at the train station with all of our belongings. King's Cross station was gorgeous and I was geeking out a little bit as a Harry Potter fan. We were able to buy cold food at the train station to take for lunch on the train and my chicken Cesear wrap was surprisingly good. Getting through security felt kind of like being at an airport. England isn't part of the EU, but France is. So, we had to go through metal detectors and run our bags through the x-ray machines like with airport security, as well as having our passports checked. The train ride itself was around 4 hours on the high-speed Eurostar.
- New Year's Eve Dinner: We had plenty of time to settle into the hostel, change, and rest upon arriving in Amsterdam. Our tour director warned us that things can get crazy on New Year's Eve, so staying aware and vigilant was a must. We took a bus and then walked straight to the city center and ate a three-course meal at De Bekeerde Suster near the Red Light District. I had a Caprese salad, a (massive) vegetarian burrito, and chocolate cake. Dinner also came with a glass of champagne, plus two glasses of wine. The restaurant was cute and had yummy food.
- Celebrating the New Year: After eating, we went to the bar on the ground floor of De Bekeerde Suster to hang out. I briefly walked through the Red Light District with a group just to have that unique experience. It was honestly a little scary at night and very overstimulating with the amount of neon lights and people everywhere. A friend I made on the trip had her phone pickpocketed in that area, which was really unfortunate. We made the most of the rest of the night, though, and watched fireworks and the countdown to 2023. All in all, it was an eventful, great night full of memories I'll keep forever.
- Guided Walking Tour: After breakfast, we took a walking tour of Amsterdam bright and early. The tour guide was really kind and had great free time suggestions. The city center area was filthy from the night before, but I don't blame the city or think that it's a true reflection of Amsterdam the other 364 days of the year. I really loved getting to see the tall, skinny houses and walking along the beautiful canals.
- Free Time:
- Nine Little Streets: Our local tour guide recommended walking around the Nine Little Streets, a shopping district in Amsterdam with local shops. Unfortunately, since it was New Year's Day, most of the shops were closed. Maggie and I did get some yummy fries in a cone with frites sauce while we walked.
- Red Light District: We also decided to see the Red Light District by day, which was a lot more enjoyable. There were lots of novelty shops lining the canal and we stopped at the Erotic Museum (a very interesting experience).
- Coffee Shop Experience: I won't say much about this, but we wandered the city and stopped at a coffee shop called Funky Munkey. It's a staple experience for the city and was super chill.
- Dutch McDonald's: On our way back to the hotel, we grabbed McDonald's. It was honestly nothing special, but the Toblerone McFlurry was pretty good. Overall I would rate Dutch McDonald's a neutral 5/10.
- Anne Frank House: Prior to the trip, myself and two other girls purchased tickets to visit the Anne Frank House. When we booked our tickets, only later time slots were left- so definitely purchase as much in advance as possible. Walking through Anne Frank's attic was harrowing but 100% worth seeing. The history was so rich and the museum was tastefully laid out, with the option to use a self-paced audio device as you walk through. Returning to the hotel, it was surreal to pass by streets that used to divide Jewish and Nazi areas as we had just learned about. In hindsight, I would definitely recommend ending your day at the Anne Frank House so you can have the time to properly reflect.
Come back next Friday to read Part 2 of my deep dive into my New Year's in Amsterdam: European Road Trip experience! It'll cover days 7-12 of the trip which includes Paris, Switzerland, and Venice. For now, happy Friday!
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