Deep Dive on New Year's in Amsterdam: European Road Trip with EF Ultimate Break (Part 2)

Welcome back to Part 2 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.

Click here to view the trip on EF Ultimate Break!

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!

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 2: Paris, Switzerland, & Venice

Day 7: Travel via Bus to Paris, Free Time at the City Center, & Seine River Cruise*

• Travel via Bus to Paris: We boarded the bus to Paris (from Amsterdam) after breakfast. The ride was pretty uneventful, taking about six hours. In some ways, it was a long ride but it was a good chance to catch up on sleep. 
• Free Time at the City Center: After briefly stopping at our hostel, the group headed to the city center of Paris by metro. Our tour director gave us free time to explore and eat before the river cruise, so I went with a group to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. Despite the ongoing construction, it was gorgeous. I really wish Point Zero would have been outside of the construction zone, but it gives me a good reason to go back. We had a quick dinner and drinks at a restaurant next to the Notre Dame called Cafe Panis. I would 10/10 recommend stopping here if you're in Paris. 
• Seine River Cruise: I enjoyed the evening river cruise and was able to check off the bucket list item of seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night. It was very cold on the river in January and I recall really wishing that I had taken gloves with me. Other than that, the cruise was a fun time and a great way to see Paris. A highlight of the entire trip was our tour director meeting us at the end of the cruise with champagne just in time to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle once again. It's definitely a core memory for me now and an insane "is this real life" moment I'll always remember. 
• Free Time After: Afterwards, I went with a group to see the Arc de Triomphe. We got gorgeous pictures and watched the traffic surrounding the area. We finished the evening with a nutella crepe before heading to the hostel for bed. 

Day 8: Guided Sightseeing Tour of Paris by Bus, EF Excursion (Versailles), & Free Evening

• Guided Sightseeing Tour of Paris by Bus: Paris is a city with sights near and far, so EF opted to arrange a guided bus tour for the group. We used the private bus that had driven us to Paris, so there was plenty of room to be comfortable. This was the tour that I got the least out of if I'm being honest. It had nothing to do with the tour guide, it had more to do with the fact that we were sitting on a bus with reclining seats and I was sleep deprived. I napped for most of the tour, but we did make a stop at a cafe where I got a cafe creme to wake me up and we also got off to walk around a Parisian park.
• Versailles: After the tour, the bus took those of us going to Versailles to Versailles, France which is less than an hour from Paris. We had lunch at a local cafe and had time to explore the gardens before entering. Plainly put, Versailles was a dream. I didn't expect it to be as interesting as it was, especially in the winter when the gardens were frozen over. The sheer size of the property and the opulence that surrounds you inside is insane to witness. We were also told that we got fairly lucky because our visit was on a less busy day. My favorite room was Marie Antoinette's, as it was so lavish and feminine. After, we stopped at a Laudere on the property before leaving. 
• Free Evening: I wandered around Paris with my new friend, Maggie. At the start of the evening, we went to an interesting and very upscale shopping district in the Gaillon area. We tried the McBaguette at a French McDonald's, and it was absolutely horrible. You would think the sandwich would be hot but the hamburger meat was kind of lukewarm with cold cheese, toppings, and bread. The macaroons were also hard and almost frozen (although supposedly also made by Laudere). The only good part of the meal was "potatoes" which are basically just potato wedges with frites sauce. That was sadly the only part of the meal we ate. After, we went walking to see the Lourve. I wish the Lourve had been open during my time in Paris, but sadly it was closed both days because of the holidays. I still got to marvel at the sheer size and see the glass pyramid, though. To finish off our night, Maggie and I wandered into a French cafe for some French onion soup, wine, and dessert. I don't remember the cafe's name or the name of the wine, but I had three glasses for around $15 total and it was the best wine I've ever tasted hands-down. 

Day 9: Travel to Switzerland via Train, Free Time in Lucerne, & Bus Ride to Hostel in Interlaken

• Travel to Switzerland via Train:
• Train to Basel: The process of getting from the hostel in Paris to the train station went much more smoothly this time around. It was fairly uneventful, with security being easy as we were already in the EU. I was able to get some lunch prior to the train ride and slept for the majority of the 3-hour ride. 
• Bus to Lucerne: Once we got to Basel, we were transported to Lucerne on a bus that stayed with us until we arrived in Rome (where there was no longer a need for private transportation). It took around an hour to get to Lucerne.
• Free Time in Lucerne: This was a gorgeous, scenic stop. We had enough time to shop, eat, and explore without feeling rushed. Our tour director arranged pre-ordering custom, engraved Swiss Army Knives that morning so they would be ready for pick-up upon our arrival in Lucerne. I got my dad, brother, and boyfriend each their own. I also bought all the Swiss chocolate I could and tried Swiss McDonald's. It was so much better than French McDonald's, but it was also $16 for a single meal because of how high the food quality standards are in Switzerland. I had a homestyle chicken sandwich with paprika sauce and potatoes. 8/10, would eat again. There was a gorgeous, storybook wooden bridge in the heart of Lucerne and a church at the top of the hill that are must-sees. 
• Bus Ride to Hostel in Interlaken: The hostel we stayed at in Interlaken was the most minimalistic of all our accommodations and I was in a 6-person room. Honestly, it wasn't terrible and the backpacker-style hostel added to the surrounding mountain vibe. It was about an hour's drive from Lucerne on some very, very windy roads. If you're prone to getting carsick, popping a Dramamine is ideal before this ride. That night, I did some laundry and got to bed early for the big day that was to come.

Day 10: EF Excursion (Swiss Alps) & Free Evening

• Swiss Alps:
• Mount Titlis: This was my favorite experience of the trip. Mount Titlis, partially located in Engelberg, was the most incredible thing I've seen. It was the best time from start to finish. We rode cable cars up two levels, where we then took a larger cable car to the summit that slowly rotated to give 360° views. The summit was freezing and I wish I had brought a scarf with me, but I would still do it over and over again as it was. There was a suspension bridge and some overlooks, but that day was so snowy and icy at the summit that it was hard to see anything but white. We went back to the upper level and had lunch at one of the ski lodge's restaurants, where I had the beef goulash I think of daily now. After we walked through a glacier cave and then took the most incredible hike near a frozen lake on the first level of Mount Titlis. All in all a 100/10 day.
• Engelberg: Once we took the cable car down and were fully off the mountain, we had just enough time to walk across town to see a local, practicing monastery. I bought some candies and pasta to take home that was made there. Engelberg had lots of charm and was very similar to Interlaken, other than the fact that it had access to Mount Titlis. 
• Free Evening: The bus ride back to Interlaken was about an hour long and a great chance to warm up again. I ended up walking with Maggie to a local burger restaurant across town after we rested some. The burger was so, so delicious and the walk was scenic. The towns in Switzerland are all relatively small and simple to navigate. 

Day 11: Travel to Venice via Bus,  Lunch Stop at Lake Como, & Wine Tasting*

• Travel to Venice via Bus: We left Switzerland early in the morning, Italy bound. The bus ride was once again pretty uneventful and very restful. After around 3 hours on the road, we arrived at Lake Como.
• Lunch Stop at Lake Como: Seeing Lake Como and the Duomo di Como was incredible. The stop was quick, but there was enough time to walk some of the lake, shop at a local market, and have a quick taste of Italian McDonald's. I had some sort of a cheeseburger that really reminded me of In-N-Out and some pizza bites to share. The cheeseburger was so good, it may have been the best McDonald's of the trip coming in at a 10/10 item. (Pizza bites were 3/10 and did disappoint.)  
• Wine Tasting: This night was crazy. After another three hours on the bus and a little time to freshen up at the hostel, we were off to a local vineyard for a wine tasting and dinner that had been arranged by our tour director. I sampled authentic Italian pizza, pasta, and of course wine. In Italy, apparently, wine tasting means drinking five full glasses of wine. My favorite was a peach Moscato dessert wine. The bus ride back to the hostel was wild and the hostel's club was even wilder somehow.

Day 12: Boat Ride to Canals of Venice, Guided Walking Tour of Venice, Free Time, Boat Ride to Mainland Venice, & Free Evening

• Boat Ride to Canals of Venice: I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this was my least favorite day. In some ways, it was because Venice wasn't quite what I thought, and in others, there were personal factors also impacting my mood. I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me that you would ride a boat to picturesque Venice, but the boat itself was sobering. I felt like a hostage sitting on the lower level of the small boat on a bumpy, bumpy ride. 
• Guided Walking Tour of Venice: The walking tour was beautiful and our Venician tour guide had lots of knowledge to share. She showed us some interesting places that only locals know, like the palazzo (which means spiral steps). We also watched a glass-blowing demonstration at the end of the tour. This was probably the highlight of the day.
• Free Time: There was LOTS of free time in Venice and no way back to the mainland on our own (where the hostel was located). Logistically, staying on the island would've been a nightmare given the luggage situation. I had a pleasant lunch with some of the other girls (I didn't love what I ordered, though) and we did some shopping after. There are lots of opportunities to buy blown glass and authentic Italian leather products here. It was fun getting to shop and eat in Venice, but that's quite literally all there is to do other than seeing St. Mark's Basilica (where there was a multiple-hour-long line). We had several hours of aimlessly wandering around seeing a lot of the same things.
• Boat Ride to Mainland Venice: There were less of us on the boat back because some people opted to add on a gondola ride activity. It was overall uneventful and we made it back to the bus, which drove us safely to the hotel. 
• Free Evening: At this point in time, I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I hadn't loved Venice and it was the one and only day I was homesick during the trip. I ended up napping for hours and waking up to everyone being out at dinner without me. The day before was my boyfriend's birthday, so I called him crying because I felt guilty for missing it and sad that I had slept while people were out having fun. Somehow talking to him and just crying was exactly what I needed. Maggie brought food back to the hostel for me and I had a chill night in. I recharged and was ready to have a great rest of my week in Italy.

Next week... 

Come back next Friday to read Part 3 of my deep dive into my New Year's in Amsterdam: European Road Trip experience! It'll cover days 13-17 of the trip which includes Florence, Rome, and flying home (and yes, it did get better after Venice). For now, happy Friday!