It's finally time for Part 3 of my deep dive into my New Year's in Amsterdam: European Road Trip experience! In this post, I'll continue 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.
Part 1 of my deep dive into my New Year's in Amsterdam: European Road Trip experience covered flying to London, London, and Amsterdam. If you missed part one, just click here to read it! In Part 2, I covered Paris, Switzerland, and Venice- which you can read here.
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 3: Florence, Rome, & Flying Home
Day 13: Travel to Florence via Bus, Guided Walking Tour of Florence, & Florentine Steak Dinner*
- Travel to Florence via Bus: Following Venice, we hopped on our bus bound for Florence. We made a fun photo stop on our way to Florence at an overlook with a beautiful view of the entire city. There happened to be a Vespa meetup at that exact place, so the parking lot was crammed with hundreds of Vespa scooters- what's more Italian than that?
- Guided Walking Tour of Florence: Prior to the tour, we were given time for lunch. We didn't have long enough for a sit-down meal, so we had an Italian staple- a focaccia prosciutto sandwich. It was just okay in my opinion, however, I'm not big on cold sandwiches. The walking tour of Florence was well-paced and took us through most of Florence's main sights like the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
- Florentine Steak Dinner: This was quite the experience. The food was overall delicious, with the appetizer platters being the star of the show in my opinion. What I didn't expect was for an almost raw steak to be placed on the table. Apparently, traditional Florentine steaks are cooked to be very rare but it's completely safe to eat. It was surprisingly really good and the vibes at this family-style dinner were great.
Day 14: Travel to Rome via Bus, Lunch Stop at Orvieto, & Guided Walking Tour with Dinner in the Trastevere Area of Rome*
- Travel to Rome via Bus: The bus ride from Florence to Rome was about three hours with an incredible stop in between at Orvieto.
- Lunch Stop at Orvieto: Although just a lunch stop, this may have been my favorite place in Rome. The little town was on a hilltop and so quaint, exactly like a storybook. We had an affordable lunch, wandered around the narrow streets, found a stunning overlook (with cats), and took in the Duomo di Orvieto. In my opinion, the Duomo di Orvieto was the most gorgeous and intricate we saw- especially considering how small the town was. A 10/10 experience for sure.
- Guided Walking Tour with Dinner in the Trastevere Area:
- Roman Walking Tour: I loved the tour guide on this walking tour. He was actually an EF tour guide based out of Rome who lead our evening in the city. We saw all the dreamy Roman sights with plenty of time for photo ops at the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon. I had my Lizzie McGuire moment that I've always dreamed of that night throwing coins into the Trevi Fountain.
- Opera Dinner: If there's one thing I learned in Italy, it's that you should bring your appetite. Italian meals are huge, often with two entree-sized plates. We had wine, a cold plate of mozzarella and prosciutto, cacio e pepe, and dessert. There was an opera performer, but the room was split into two areas so I wasn't very close to the show.
Day 15: EF Excursion (Vatican), Guided Walking Tour of Imperial Rome, & Free Afternoon/Evening
- The Vatican: This was incredible. I'm not Catholic and don't follow the Catholic church closely, but this was an amazing place to observe the religion and history. Our visit was following the funeral of the late Pope, making Vatican City surprisingly empty. We met up with a local guide and entered as soon as the Vatican opened for the day. There are countless museum buildings, gorgeous rooms filled with tapestries, and sculpture gardens. The crown jewel, in my opinion, is the Sistine Chapel. I will forever hold getting to witness such a sight in real life close to my heart. In person, the Chapel ceiling is massive and it truly makes Michelangelo's art that much more captivating. Of course, St. Peter's Basilica was breathtaking as well. A neat perk of visiting with a tour group getting to walk to the Basilica through a special corridor used by the Pope.
- Guided Walking Tour of Imperial Rome: We had time for lunch in the Jewish Ghetto, where I had great pizza. After, we walked Imperial Rome with a local guide who showed us must-see sights like Palatine Hill, the Theater of Marcellus, and the Colosseum from the outside. Rome has an interesting way of making you feel so small in the grand scheme of things.
- Free Time: After a long morning and afternoon, my roommates and I decided to rest. Later that night, we went with most of our tour group to Mr. Brown's Pub. Let's just say I ended the night eating amazing roasted chicken while sitting on the cobblestone streets. We also had to wait at least 30 minutes for the bus back to our hostel's area, but it was a great night nonetheless with people who had become like family during the trip.
Day 16: Free Day in Rome
- Wandering Rome: This was my favorite day. My last full day in Europe was the day that I proved my independence to myself by wandering Rome alone. I started the morning off at a cafe with an omelette and cappuccino. Surprisingly, I think this was one of the first times I've sat at a restaurant and eaten by myself. Then, I went back into the heart of Rome to go inside the Pantheon. It was surreal to experience the busy city on my own. I marveled at the Trevi Fountain, shopped on street corners, and ate one last gelato.
- Inside the Colosseum: Getting a ticket to enter the Colosseum was a last-minute decision I made while sitting in the Pantheon that morning, but I'm so glad I did it. I had wanted to walk the old arena myself since I saw a Kara and Nate video years ago. It was so massive and had incredible views of the city. Plus, on the way there I walked through Imperial Rome again and saw it from a different angle which was amazing in and of itself.
- Farewell Dinner: Saying goodbye to people I had created such a unique bond with was bittersweet. I had the best time on my trip and the last meal was delicious. It was a short walk from our hotel and calm enough to have good conversations.
Day 17: Fly Home
- Flight Information: To get back home I flew from Rome to London, London to Dallas, and Dallas to McAllen. My morning flight was at 6:30 AM, so I woke up at 3:30 AM to catch my EF taxi at 4:00 AM. I had a six-hour layover in London and a four-hour layover in Dallas. After all was said and done, I made it home at midnight Texas time after a 24-hour travel day.
Want more travel content?
In the *near* future, I'll be sharing packing tips and my personal reviews of the accommodations that EF arranged during the trip. Stay tuned for more!
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