Everyone I know who has walked the Camino of Santiago (the Way) to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain raves about the experience.
My friend and guest poster Elizabeth Petrie is no exception. She and her friend, Cheri, walked the Camino from Pamplona to Burgos and from Sarria to Santiago, with train travel between Burgos, León, and Sarria.
Elizabeth shares her experiences and recommendations in three posts on Artsy Traveler. In this post, learn her top tips for enjoying the Camino of Santiago. To find out how Elizabeth and Cheri organized their walk, read A Camino Journal: Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela. Elizabeth’s recommendations for Burgos and León are included in Exploring Burgos and León.
Guest Poster Elizabeth Petrie
Retirement brings new opportunities, and one of my most cherished is having the chance to travel. New places, unique experiences, wonderful memories—what could be more enticing?
For a long time, walking across northern Spain on the Camino has topped my “bucket list.” My friend, Cheri, shared the same interest, so we decided to make plans to walk the Camino together.
Guest poster Elizabeth Petrie on the Camino of Santiago
Here are tips for helping you plan an awesome experience on the Camino of Santiago.
Prepare for the Camino of Santiago
Distance walking was new to me, so I started training about a year before leaving for Spain. Cheri and I began with modest treks of six to eight kilometers twice a week and worked up to walks of ten to twelve kilometers. By the time we left for Spain, we could comfortably walk about fourteen kilometers with our backpacks partially full.
Plan Your Itinerary
The Camino of Santiago extends across several countries and hundreds of kilometers. Start in France on the Camino Francés or complete all or a portion of the Camino del Norte like we did.
We put together an itinerary that included stays in four-star hotels in the cities we’d pass through: Pamplona, Burgos, León, and our final destination, Santiago de Compostela. We knew we’d appreciate a bit of luxury after days of slogging along and nights spent in the dormitory-like albergues.
An albergue is a hostel that provides accommodation only for pilgrims walking the Camino of Santiago. To stay in an albergue, you need to have a Pilgrims Passport.
Obtain a Pilgrims Passport
The Pilgrims Passport contains spaces for the sellos (stamps) that prove you’ve walked that day and are entitled to stay in one of the state-run albergues.
If you start the Camino from St. Jean in France or from Pamplona, like we did, you need to get one stamp per day. If you walk only the last 100 kilometers from Sarria, you need to get two stamps each day.
So long as you have sufficient stamps and you state at the Pilgrims Office in Santiago de Compostela that you’ve completed the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons, you’ll receive the Compostela at the end of the journey in Santiago.
If you state other reasons for completing the Camino, you receive a different certificate to commemorate your journey.
You can also get a passport at some albergues and pilgrims’ offices along the Way.
However, to save time, I recommend you obtain your Pilgrims Passport before you leave. To do so, connect with the Pilgrims’ Association in your home country.
For other organizations, search online for Pilgrims’ Association and the name of your country.
Choose When to Go
Consider walking the Camino in May or September. The weather from June to August is too hot, the hotel prices are higher, and the Way is much more crowded.
We found that May was perfect with regard to both the weather and the crowds (or lack of!). While you definitely won’t run into crowds in the winter months, be aware that many of the smaller albergues are closed from mid-October to mid-April.
Purchase a Guidebook
I recommend A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés): St. Jean – Roncesvalles – Santiago by John Brierley. The book includes all the information you’ll need: route and town maps, and the location of coffee shops, restaurants, and albergues. The book also lists telephone numbers of the albergues so that you can book ahead.
Plan Your Daily Walk Duration
Plan to walk no more than 15 to 18 kilometers in a day (about five hours), depending on the terrain.
This distance is long enough to give you a reasonable goal, time to stop for sightseeing and meals, and the best chance of finding accommodations. Also, we found that blisters started forming if we attempted to walk more than 22 kilometers in one day.
On most days, we left the albergue around 8 am and arrived at our next albergue in the mid-afternoon. The earlier you get to the albergue you plan to stay in, the better your chances of finding accommodations. Many albergues do not take reservations, although sometimes you can speak with the hospitalero and ask them to call ahead for you.
Book Accommodations for the Final 100 Kilometers
While you do not need to book accommodations along the early stretches of the Way (and often you cannot), you should book places to stay along the last 100 kilometers.
The Way becomes increasingly crowded the closer you get to Santiago. We used booking.com to book small hotels along the last stretch of the Way and were glad we did. Each place we booked was clean and conveniently located.
Here are some tips for helping you enjoy your time on the Camino.
Use the Send-Ahead Pack Service
Send your main pack ahead and hike with just a day pack. The send-ahead service was well worth the few extra euros (usually €3 to €5 per pack). You can send your pack from any Camino albergue in the morning to the albergue at your next stopping point. Call ahead to make sure the albergue you plan on staying at has available beds and will be open when the van arrives with your pack.
Take a Day Pack
Pack the following items in your day pack:
A full first-aid pack, complete with Compeed*and blister treatment, a needle and cotton thread, antibiotic ointment, Band-Aids, antiseptic spray, antihistamines, Afterbite, an elastic bandage, and sunscreen. You’ll find plenty of pharmacies along the Way in case you run out of anything.
A liter of water. If you sweat a lot, you will occasionally need to supplement your water with a local version of Gatorade.
A change of socks. Sweaty socks can bring on blisters.
A change of shirt and rain gear if rain threatens.
Fresh or dried fruit, nuts, protein, etc. Depending on your route for the day, you’ll usually find small coffee bars and restaurants along the Way where you can purchase lunch.
Your passport, credit cards, and other essential documents. Also, carry a day’s worth of currency and never flash around large amounts of cash.
*Compeed is a miracle blister treatment available in Spanish farmacias.
I suggest stocking up on Compeed before you leave by buying it online. As soon as you feel a friction blister coming on, put the clear plastic Compeed over it and leave it on. You’ll never have another blister!
Limit Technology
On the Way, consider forgoing technology as much as possible. If you take a SmartPhone to check weather reports and make hotel bookings, particularly in the last 100 kilometers, purchase a cell phone package for Europe from your service provider or pick up a SIM card at a local provider such as Vodafone or Orange.
Use your phone to take pictures instead of carrying a heavy, expensive camera. Also, I suggest not wearing earbuds while you’re walking or you’ll miss the bird song and conversation.
One of my lasting memories on the Way is the sound of an amazing variety of bird songs.
Enjoy the Pilgrim’s Dinner
Have the pilgrim’s dinner when it’s offered at the albergues. You’ll get a cheap and tasty meal that includes soup or salad, a fish or pork entrée, dessert, and a glass of local wine. The local soups are delicious and filling.
Use Other Transportation as Needed
Consider occasionally taking a taxi or public transit when you get tired rather than risking injury. Walking the Camino in short stages will help conserve your energy.
Take Good Footwear
Wear hiking boots that are well broken in. Also, pack a pair of lighter shoes, such as Teva sandals, to occasionally give your feet a rest. Wear flip flops in the shower and around the albergue at the end of the day.
Some markers are decorated imaginatively.
Enjoy Meeting New People on the Camino
A highlight of walking the Way is meeting many wonderful and interesting people. People in the albergues and elsewhere along the Camino could not do enough for us. We always left our packs closed, and they were never disturbed, even when we left them in dormitories to go sightseeing.
Slow Down
My best advice for walking the Camino is to slow down and savor the experience. In other words, stop and smell the roses!
Check out as many churches, shrines, historical sites, and civic plazas as you can. You’ll be amazed at the unexpected beauty and fascinating art and architecture.
Sign on the Camino de Santiago
Northern Spain has been home to human beings for tens of thousands of years, from Neanderthal times to the present. You can hardly take a step without passing a fascinating site of historical significance.
For example, on some sections of the Way, you’ll be following, if not actually walking on, the original Roman roads. And in some of the smaller villages where the Spanish Civil War was fought in the 1930s, you’ll still see bullet holes in the walls of old barns and houses.
Suggested Itinerary
For a detailed breakdown of our itinerary that started in Pamplona, Spain and included stops in Burgos and León,along with a few train journeys, see the post A Camino Journey: Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela.
I can’t imagine how our trip could have been any better. We enjoyed pretty much perfect weather, and we both kept well and healthy. In addition, we met interesting people, enjoyed delicious and reasonably-priced meals, and soaked up some of the rich history and culture of Navarra, La Rioja, and Galicia.
We also appreciated the spiritual nature of our journey to Santiago, taking time every day to reflect with humble gratitude upon our many blessings. Our trip was a pilgrimage in many senses of the word.
You’re in luck when it comes to finding great places to stay in France. In fact, some of our most memorable stays in Europe have been in family-run, country-style hotels in France.
In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in France and then list hotels I recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I favor a combination approach to booking hotels in France. Generally, I book most of the hotels on my itinerary before I leave home, and then while traveling, I make adjustments as needed. I like the security of knowing that I have a place to stay, but I also take advantage of cancellation options to ensure I can always change my mind.
To stay flexible, choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book, change, or cancel hotel reservations if your itinerary changes. Most sites offer a no-cancellation option at a lower price.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I will select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from because I know those locations won’t change.
Breakfasts in French Hotels
Breakfasts in France are generally of the continental variety and include croissants (both regular and chocolate-filled), fresh baguettes with wonderful butter and lots of jams and marmalades, and coffee. You may also find fresh fruit, dry cereal, cold meats, and cheeses. In large hotels, cooked options may be available.
In our experience, most breakfasts in small country hotels in France are continental breakfasts that are either included in the room price or are generally not too expensive.
If hotel breakfasts cost too much extra, I buy yogurt and fruit at a local grocery store and then go to a bar or café for my morning café au lait.
Recommended Locations
In France, I favor hotels on the outskirts of cities or in the countryside if we’re driving. I check the map showing the location of hotels and choose one that is outside town walls but within walking distance of the center of town.
I don’t recommend driving into Paris. We’ve done so several times, and it’s challenging, to say the least!
Traffic in Paris–not for the faint of heart!
Star Rating
I favor three- or four-star properties in France that offer amenities such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, pools, and WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters is too small for two people with luggage. I do my best to book rooms that are at least 20 square meters.
Reviews – Should You Care?
I recommend that you pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate review is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, consider taking a pass. Sometimes, the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property makes the extra money worth spending.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. A 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in France and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
For each destination, I describe properties I’ve stayed in. Click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Places to Stay in Paris
When you’re in Paris, you won’t want to stay outside the périphérique in what are pretty dull suburban areas. The périphérique is the multi-lane ring road that circles Paris. Mammoth traffic jams are not uncommon on the périphérique –we’ve experienced a few!
To avoid driving into Paris, we’ve occasionally stayed at a hotel near one of the portes on the périphérique. However, I don’t recommend doing so. The surrounding area can be quite dreary, and you’ll need to take a long Metro ride into the center.
If you’re driving, consider organizing your trip so that you either start or end in Paris. That way, you can be car-free in the city and stay at a place in an interesting and central area, such as the Marais or my favorite, Montparnasse, on the Left Bank.
Recommended Neighborhoods in Paris
We visit Paris frequently and usually stay either in apartments or hotels on the Left Bank. The Montparnasse area is far enough from the tourist crowds and the throat-tightening prices of Saint Germain but still within walking distance, or a short Metro ride, of the Seine.
Montparnasse these days isn’t the bohemian, majorly hip place it was between the World Wars when everyone who was anyone—from Hemingway to Picasso to the newly formed surrealist group— hung out there. However, it still has plenty of good restaurants (La Coupole, Le Dôme) with appropriately snooty waiters (I adore watching Parisian waiters work!) and amazing seafood.
Here are my accommodation picks for Paris, all of which we’ve stayed in.
Hôtel de L’Université on the Left Bank near Saint-Germain-des-Prés is lovely with spacious rooms and an awesome location just blocks from the Seine and the hip part of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. We will definitely stay there again.
Hôtel Le Chaplain in Montparnasse is a reasonably-priced budget option located near the Vavin Metro stop.
Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes is the first hotel we stayed in as a family. Located in Montparnasse on the same street as the Hôtel Le Chaplain and close to the Vavin Metro, the hotel is also a short walk to the Luxembourg Gardens where our daughter spent many happy hours in a smartly designed playground.
Hôtel Le Clos Médicis has a great location about a block from the Luxembourg Gardens near the Boulevard Saint Michel. The rooms are pricey and tiny but very well-appointed and comfortable.
Medici fountain in the Luxembourg Garden near the Hôtel Le Clos Médici
We’ve stayed in a few more hotels that don’t warrant a recommendation. Paris has its share of overpriced and underwhelming places. Take your time finding a place and be aware that you may need to adjust your budget upwards to get a comfortable room in a good location.
As mentioned, we usually stay in apartments. Good options are available on HomeAway and booking.com.
I recommend basing yourself in Honfleur and from there exploring the World War II beaches at Normandy, the charming town of Bayeux with its historic tapestry, and the soaring cliffs of Étretat.
Honfleur has several good choices, including the Hotel L’Ecrin where we stayed. The hotel includes free parking and is within easy walking distance of the Vieux Bassin.
We love traveling in Brittany! Over the years, we’ve visited a few times and have always found excellent, country-style accommodations.
Here are three hotels that I’m happy to recommend:
Trébeurden and Trégastel on the Côte de Granit Rose
Both Trébeurden and Trégastel are great choices if you want to spend time exploring the gorgeous Côte de granit rose (Pink Granite Coast). Both of these hotels are excellent options:
Trébeurden: Hôtel Le Toeno offers simple and comfortable accommodation with terraces that overlook the ocean.
Trégastel: Le Beauséjour also features sea views in addition to an excellent restaurant. Our room had a very fancy spa bath with more jet settings than I’ve ever seen.
View of the Côte de Granit Rose near Trégastel in Brittany
Pont Aven
Spend some time in lovely little Pont Aven where Gauguin was inspired to paint some of his most memorable works.
We stayed at Le Domain de Pont Aven Art Gallery Resort–quite a posh place that was worth the cost. Set in beautiful grounds and within walking distance of Pont Aven, the resort is a good choice for a splurge.
Places to Stay in Provence and the Côte d’Azur
Provence and the stunning Côte d’Azur are, hands down, my favorite areas of France. Well, why not? Provence has it all–fields of lavender and sunflowers under brittle blue skies, swims in the warm Mediterranean, excellent meals enjoyed al fresco, and that special light that has inspired artists for centuries.
Pretty much every time we’ve traveled to Europe in the past several years, we’ve squeezed in at least a few days in the south of France. In 2021, we plan to settle into a place near the Mediterranean for three months.
Here, I’ll describe some of the places we’ve stayed in Provence. Areas include van Gogh country around Les Baux-des-Provence on the western edge of Provence, the charming towns of Roussillon and Gordes in the Luberon area, the relatively undiscovered Var region, and finally, the fabled Côte d’Azur.
Les Baux-des-Provence in Van Gogh Country
By van Gogh country, I mean Arles and the surrounding areas where Vincent van Gogh painted during the few years he lived in the region. Because we always have a car in Provence, we book places in the countryside in this area rather than within the Arles city limits or in difficult-to-navigate Les Baux-des-Provence.
Les Baux-des-Provence is close to both recommended properties
But if you’re not driving, find a hotel in Arles so you can enjoy wandering this delightful city in the warm, Provençal evening.
Here are two places I highly recommend, both in the countryside near Les Baux-des-Provence:
Du Côté Des Olivades is outside the small town of Paradou, but it’s in the vicinity of Les Baux-des-Provence. This place is Provence with a capital P, with plenty of 4-star luxury and a gorgeous country setting. We walked from here to nearby Paradou where we enjoyed one of our favorite meals in Provence (which is saying something!).
On our most recent trip to the area, we stayed in Domaine du Mas Foucray in a rural setting near the small town of Maussane-les-Alpilles and within sight of Les-Baux-de-Provence. Billed as an aparthotel, the one-bedroom suites include a kitchen and sitting area and a private terrace. In early July when we were there, we picked fresh apricots off the trees.
I took this video on the grounds of the property. If you’re looking for a relaxing, Provençal experience without the hefty price tag of some of the properties in the area, then you can’t go wrong with the Domaine du Mas Foucray.
Domaine du Mas Foucray near Les Baux-de-Provence
Luberon Area (Vaucluse)
On one of our first family trips to Europe when our daughter was nine years old, we rented a house for two weeks in the hill town of Saignon, located near Apt in the Vaucluse region of the Luberon.
With lavender season in full swing and beautiful vistas everywhere we looked, not to mention warm summer days and lots to see, we fell in love with the area.
Saignon in the Luberon in Provence where we stayed for two weeks
Pick one of the gorgeous little towns and settle in for as many days as you can manage. We’ve home-based in Bonnieux, Roussillon, and Gordes. Other good options are Menerbes (where A Year in Provenceby Peter Mayle is set), Lacoste, and tiny Saignon with its ruined fortress and sweeping views.
One of our favorite family-run, country-style hotels is Les Sables d’Ocre in Roussillon. The place is also one of the two French properties I include in 10 Family-Run Hotels in Europe I Recommend.
Here are two highly recommended hotels in the Luberon, one in Roussillon and one in Gordes.
Les Sables d’Ocre – A 15-minute walk from the village of Roussillon, this place sets the bar for what a country-style, family-run, low-key, easy-on-the-budget place should be. Book one of the rooms that includes a terrace. You’ll have your own private outdoor space and be steps from the pool.
Domain de l’Enclos – This place close to Gordes–one of the most beautiful hill towns in the area–is wonderful. We snagged a room with a terrace which Gregg made use of to do some drawing. The views from the garden over the Luberon are spectacular.
Gregg drawing on the terrace at the Domaine de l’Enclos near Gordes, Provence
The Var
If you’re driving from Aix-en-Provence to the Côte d’Azur, you pass through the spectacular–and relatively undiscovered–region of the Var. We’ve stayed in the Var a few times while Gregg had exhibitions at the gorgeous little village of Seillans, a hill town not far from Fayence, one of the principal towns in the area.
Here are two recommended properties in the area around Seillans.
Hôtel Restaurant des Deux Rocs – Situated at the edge of Seillans and including a lovely restaurant with a terrace overlooking the view, this place is a great choice if you want to stay in the village of Seillans.
La Bastide de Negrin – This place is a good example of a typical small bed and breakfast in the area, with comfortable rooms and of course, a pool. Each of the four rooms is named after a different artist: Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, and Cezanne.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence and Vence
This area of the Côte d’Azur is one of our favorites, particularly the town of Vence. You’ll find plenty of gorgeous properties in the area. Here are three that we’ve stayed in.
La Petite Maison: This two-story apartment has a spectacular view over Saint-Paul-de-Vence and the Mediterranean beyond. You are also within easy walking distance of the village.
Gregg surveying Saint Paul-de-Vence from the terrace of Le Petite Maison
Hôtel Marc Hély: We enjoyed a room with a view over Saint Paul-de-Vence and a tasty breakfast in the courtyard. This is a great choice in La Colle-sur-Loup, which is about a ten-minute drive from the Fondation Maeght.
Wine on the balcony at the Hôtel Marc-Hély
Miramar: This hotel is in Vence, which is just up the hill from Saint-Paul-de-Vence and a larger town with more services. FYI, we had the best pizza in an outdoor café in the Old Town of Vence! The Miramar is a reasonably-priced and well-located property that is great for drivers.
Port Palace Hotel in Monte Carlo – On a recent trip to the Riviera, we arrived at the house we’d rented through HomeAway for three days high above Monte Carlo to find no one there. A quick call to the HomeAway folks confirmed that our reservation had never been confirmed, despite emails to the contrary. What to do? Fortunately, HomeAway responded to our predicament by booking us into the Port Palace right on the harbor in Monte Carlo. The first night was comped, but we loved the place so much that we stayed for another two nights. Although a bit on the pricey side, the massive room and the harbor view along with fabulous breakfasts and really friendly staff made our stay at the Port Palace once of our most memorable in France.
Hôtel de l’Esterel in Agay overlooking the Mediterranean and not far from Saint Raphael is located right smack in the middle of a Pierre-en-Vacances, otherwise known as a holiday village. From our room we overlooked one of the largest hotel pools I’ve ever seen. The holiday village was hopping with French families and included several restaurants, a row of shops, and numerous activities.
Massive pools at the Holiday Village where the Hôtel de l’Esterel is located
Places to Stay in Dordogne and Languedoc
Like Provence, both Languedoc and the Dordogne have many gorgeous properties set in idyllic countryside. Here are two in the Dordogne and one in Albi in Languedoc that we’ve stayed in and recommend.
Château le Tour is a fabulous choice in the middle of the countryside east of Bergerac and near the tiny village of Faux. We stayed for several days and enjoyed evening meals served outside to all the guests, swims in the infinity pool, and lots of lounging around the grounds. If you want a country experience in the Dordogne and you’re touring France by car, you can’t go wrong at this place.
Château de Tour in the Dordogne region of France
The Hôtel Archambeau in the tiny village of Thonac not far from Montignac is another great country-style choice. Take a walk around the village and out into the bucolic countryside.
We recently visited Albi in Languedoc for the first time and were very much taken with it. La Cabane Albigeoise is a self-contained, two-floor minihouse located in a large garden above the river and right across from the iconic Albi Cathedral. Here’s the view from the terrace.
View of Albi Cathedral from La Cabane Albigeoise
Conclusion
Do you have recommendations for great places to stay in France? Please share your experience with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments section below.
Once you’ve secured your accommodations, check out what there is to see in the places your visiting. Here are some posts to help you choose:
For North Americans accustomed to wide roads, grid patterns, and lots of traffic lights, driving in Europe poses several challenges. The trucks on the freeways are massive, the streets in old villages are often little more than passageways, traffic can resemble snarled spaghetti, and the drivers are skillful and aggressive.
People drive in Europe; they don’t just cruise.
In this post, I share my tips for driving safely and enjoyably in Europe. After reading the post, you may decide not drive, but on the other hand, it may put your mind at ease. We always drive in Europe and highly recommend it (with a few caveats!).
Over the years, my husband Gregg and I have taken at least 20 car trips in Europe—most of them involving a lot of driving. On our most recent trip, we logged over 6,000 kilometers on our drive from Amsterdam through France down to Rome and back up to Lyon. Over the past 25 years, we’ve learned a few things.
To Drive or Not To Drive in Europe
First off, should you drive in Europe at all? Trains in Europe are frequent and efficient, particularly for covering long distances relatively stress-free. Also, if you’re traveling solo, trains are cheaper than cars.
However, if you’re traveling as a couple or with three or more people, car rentals can be more economical, depending on how far you plan to travel.
Rail Travel vs. Car Travel in Europe
Rail Travel
Car Travel
Cheaper for solo travelers, particularly with a Eurail pass
Cheaper for three or more people traveling together
High-speed trains whisk you quickly between cities
Massive traffic jams and long hours at the wheel are stressful
Trains take you into the center of a city
Driving in cities can be challenging and parking is expensive
Great if you travel light
Great if you don’t travel light
Train service can be sporadic in rural areas
Explore remote corners of Europe with ease
Your itinerary is constrained by train schedules
You have complete freedom to go where and when you please
More eco-friendly by a country mile
Not eco-friendly, although hybrid rental cars are available
Rail/Drive Strategy
A good strategy if you want the best of both worlds is to hop on a high-speed train to cover a lot of kilometers quickly and easily (for example, from Paris to Nice), and then rent a car to explore the local area.
On several trips, we’ve taken a train to the area we want to explore then rented a car. We didn’t save much money because fares on the high-speed trains are expensive. However, we reduced the stress of driving long distances on the autoroutes.
If you decide to drive at least part of the time while in Europe, consider these recommendations to ensure a positive and safe driving experience.
Get an International Driving Permit
To drive in western Europe, you’ll need your passport and the driver’s license issued by your country. Do you need an International Driving Permit? You’ll hear conflicting opinions, and in 25 years we’ve never been asked to show one. However, for minimal cost, you’re wise to get one just in case.
An International Driving Permit (IDP) is an official translation of your driver’s license. Contact your local Automobile Association to apply. The cost is about $20 along with two passport-sized photos.
If you get into an accident, having an IDP will make your life easier, especially if the local police officer doesn’t speak English. Technically, you’re required to carry an IDP in Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Spain.
Get the IDP well before you leave for
Europe. Once you’re in Europe, you can’t apply for one.
Choose Your European Rental Car
Your first task, once you’ve decided to drive in Europe, is to find and rent your car. I favor the Auto Europe site; it’s a one-stop shop where I can find both short-term car rentals and long-term leasing arrangements.
Following are suggestions for selecting the best car for the best price.
Pick up your car at the airport
On the Auto Europe booking site, you
specify where you want to pick up and drop off your rental car. I suggest you
avoid picking up your rental car in the center of a city.
Driving a new car is stressful enough without also having to navigate unfamiliar streets and roundabouts (more on roundabouts later). Leave the weaving in and out of local traffic until after you’ve experienced a few solid hours of highway driving.
When you choose an airport pickup, you almost always get right onto a highway within minutes of exiting the rental car area. Driving along a straight highway gives you breathing space to get accustomed to the car and traffic flow.
Avoid picking your car up as soon as you land in Europe. Instead, grab a taxi into the city and spend the first day or two recovering from jet lag and enjoying some stress-free, driving-free sightseeing.
After a few days, take a taxi or shuttle back out to the airport, pick up your rental car, and head out on the open road.
Drop off your car
at the airport
Dropping your car off at an airport is usually a breeze. At most airports, as you approach the Arrivals area you’ll see a Rental Car Return sign. Follow the sign, find your rental car company, unload your stuff, throw away the accumulated debris of a great vacation, and you’re good to go.
Follow the signs to pick up your car at an airport.
I suggest you drop off your car at the airport in the city where you plan to spend your last few days before leaving Europe. From the car rental drop-off, trundle your luggage over to the taxi rank outside Arrivals and ride into the city in style.
I guarantee you’ll feel incredibly relieved to have returned the car and survived another car trip without incident.
On a recent trip to Europe, we flew to Amsterdam and spent two days in the center of the city. We then caught a taxi directly to the Renault office about twenty minutes away and picked up our Renault Dacia Duster. Eight weeks and many, many kilometers later, we dropped the car at the Renault office on the outskirts of Milan, took a cab into the city, enjoyed two days touring Milan, then flew home.
Go open-jaw in Europe
And speaking of picking up a car in Amsterdam and dropping it off in Milan, why not consider the open-jaw rental? By open-jaw, I mean picking up your car in one city and dropping it off in another. This option works well if you’ve also booked open-jaw flights.
Most car rental companies will charge a fee for dropping off a car in a different location. On the Auto Europe site, you can enter various scenarios to determine costs.
Consider the cost difference between dropping off your car in another location and driving back to your pick-up point. Often, you’ll find that the cost of driving back to where you started is significantly more than the one-way surcharge.
Rent the smallest car you can manage
Over the years, we’ve noticed European cars getting bigger and bigger. Now we never have trouble renting an SUV-sized vehicle, which works well because often we’re transporting boxes of paintings.
The car we rented for our 2019 trip across France, Spain and Portugal
But you’ll save money if you opt for a smaller car. Your gas costs will be lower as will your carbon footprint. A small car will squeeze through narrow streets in towns and villages but can be cramped if you’re driving long distances.
Rent a car with automatic transmission
Yes, I know that automatics cost more
than standards. Believe me, I know. And many times, I’ve opted for a car with
manual transmission to save money, but I don’t recommend it unless the driver
really loves shifting gears and is good at it.
Gregg, who does all the driving on our trips, loves driving standard, but even he concedes that automatics are preferable if our budget allows. Too many times, we’ve found ourselves stuck on precipitous hills with the clutch screaming and the heavy car inching backwards towards a sheer drop into a deep canyon. I close my eyes tightly and hang on. Prayer is sometimes involved.
On one memorable trip, Gregg couldn’t figure out how to put the car into reverse. The guy at the car lease place had explained the tricky reverse mechanism (a little ring under the gear shift), but he’d explained it in French. We thought we’d understood the instructions, but it turned out we had not.
A week later, we nearly ended up sliding into the ocean beneath the parking area near Mont Ste. Michel. I still break into a cold sweat whenever I think about it.
Another reason for getting an automatic transmission is that Europe is not a flat continent. Many times, we’ve found ourselves driving up switchbacks so steep the back of my skull dented the headrest. Gregg had to gear down to first, and even then, it was touch and go.
So yeah, pay the difference and get
an automatic. You’ll add years to your life.
Consider Leasing a Car in Europe
If you’re traveling in Europe for more than three weeks, consider leasing your car instead of renting it. Leasing is much cheaper for long-term rentals. When you sign a lease contract, you essentially buy the car, drive it for the specified period, then return it.
We’ve saved thousands of dollars by leasing a car because first, the lease rates are lower than rental rates, and second, all the taxes and insurance charges are included in the lease rate. When you rent a car, the price quoted is typically exclusive of insurance costs which can be high.
We use the Auto Europe website to find companies that offer leasing deals. Most of the time, we’ve leased from Renault and have never been disappointed.
Navigating in Europe
You’ve picked up your car, learned how to operate the windshield wipers, started the GPS, and found the plug-in for your phone. Time to set off!
Leave the GPS to the passenger when driving in a European city.
If you’ve picked the car up from the
airport, you’ll be out on the open road in no time. Merge onto the highway and
head to your first destination.
When you’re trip-planning, make your first destination one that’s a few hundred kilometers along a main highway from your pick-up point. At the beginning of your car trip in Europe, you’re not yet familiar with European traffic patterns. Driving on a main highway is much easier than navigating unfamiliar roundabouts and turns.
Use GPS and Google Maps
The most challenging thing about driving in Europe is navigating the vast network of roads. Driving in Europe is a two-person job—one person to drive and one person to navigate.
I use both the Google Maps on my phone and the Global Positioning System (GPS) that’s often included with the car rental or lease. To minimize confusion, I mute the car GPS and listen to Google Maps with one earbud in. I then direct Gregg.
This method avoids the confusion that can arise when I decide to override the GPS. The driver has to keep up with traffic, change lanes, and have eyes in the back of his or her head. The less GPS chatter, the better, we’ve found! Also, those GPS voices can be annoying.
In our experience, GPS has its benefits, but it does not prevent getting lost. Many times, we’ve driven in circles, me yelling at the GPS lady (like she’s real) and Gregg weaving in and out of traffic, his hands clenched in a death grip on the steering wheel.
Supplement GPS with paper maps
When you’re driving long distances in Europe, pick up a paper map from a gas station. Zooming in and out of Google Maps on your phone can get tiresome. With a paper map, you see the big picture of your journey at a glance.
Choose your routes wisely
Pay attention to how the road looks on Google Maps. If it twists and turns like a demented roller coaster, reconsider your route.
Some mountain roads in Europe are extremely steep and treacherous. You won’t get far, even after hours of driving. Also, if the route is scenic, the poor driver will be so busy trying to keep everyone alive that s/he won’t be able to enjoy the view.
A very steep and twisting road in Norway
Super-winding and steep mountain roads are also narrow and can be nail-bitingly difficult to drive. If you want to explore the mountains, park the car in a nice, flat lot and go for a hike.
Check GPS for road slow-downs
On Google Maps, the route changes color to reflect the traffic flow. Ideally, you want your route to be green. If the route ahead turns red and stays red for a long distance, find a different route, if possible.
Sometimes, construction on major highways can delay you for hours.
Driving on Highways in Europe
Gas up frequently
And speaking of slow-downs from
construction, always make sure your gas tank is at least half full. Imagine
getting stuck in a three-hour traffic jam (oh yes, we have!) and discovering
that you are almost out of gas.
Make it a habit to top up your gas tank as soon as it’s half empty to avoid nasty surprises.
Watch out for radar
Picture this: three months after you arrive home from your European vacation, a letter arrives. You open it to find a speeding ticket written in several languages and with a hefty fine attached.
Depending on the country that issued the ticket, you may be able to pay online with your credit card. Other countries require you to go to the bank to arrange an expensive wire transfer.
Either way, you’ll be out a fair
whack of dough, usually about €80 or more. I know. It hurts.
Radar is everywhere in Europe. Even if you have GPS that warns you about an upcoming speed trap, you’re not safe. The only way to never get a speeding ticket is to always drive the speed limit, even when other cars are whizzing past you.
Drive defensively
European highways are generally
wonderful. In some countries, such as Portugal, the highways are virtually
empty. In other countries—notably the Netherlands and Belgium—the highways can
be plugged solid with massive trucks.
We’ve learned to avoid the Antwerp
area when we’re driving from Amsterdam into France. For some reason, every time
we’ve driven near Antwerp, we’ve ended up in a mammoth traffic jam, often
sandwiched between trucks the size of Tyrannosaurus Rexes.
Aerial view of traffic jam in Europe
Here are tips for driving comfortably on highways in Europe.
Stay out of the passing lane
You’re driving along a typical three-lane highway in Europe. You check your rear-view mirror and see nothing for miles, so you signal and move into the passing lane to pass a slow-moving truck. Seconds later, a sports car is right on your bumper, so close you can see the driver gesticulating and cursing.
Yikes!
Pull over quickly and hope you don’t
need to pass another truck until your heart rate slows.
The passing lane on European highways is intended to be used to pass slower moving vehicles, but, in reality, it’s the playground for the fast and furious, particularly in Italy and Germany. Just keep your wits about you, and as soon as you pass a car, move back into the middle lane.
Stay out of truck areas in rest stops
When driving on the major autoroutes in Europe, you’ll come across rest stops that typically include a gas station, restaurant, play area, and picnic tables. Over the course of many European driving trips, we’ve become fond of European rest stops. The French ones are our favorites—good food, clean facilities, and even gift shops selling local specialties.
Parked trucks at a rest stop in Europe
When you exit the autoroute to enter a rest stop, follow signs to the parking area for cars, rather than the separate parking area for trucks. If you enter the truck area by mistake, you sometimes aren’t able to double back and are forced to re-enter the highway and drive on to the next rest stop, which could be 50 or more kilometers away.
Use toll roads wisely
Tolls are an expensive fact of life in several European countries, most notably France and Italy. You pay tolls on the autoroutes (freeways) according to the distance you travel.
Take a ticket when you enter the autoroute, drive to where you want to exit the autoroute, and then pay the toll according to the distance you traveled.
Do not lose your ticket! If you do, you’ll be charged for the entire length of the autoroute, regardless of how far you actually traveled. Losing your ticket is an expensive mistake.
I know because we’ve made it a few
times!
A good practice is to put the ticket in the same place every time, preferably in a spot where it won’t blow away or drop between the seats. The ashtray is a good choice.
Approaching toll booths on a European autoroute
When you exit the autoroute, insert your ticket into the machine, and then use your credit card or cash to pay the required amount.
On a long trip, autoroute tolls add up. For example, to drive from Paris to Nice on the autoroute, you’ll pay about €78. And that’s in addition to gas costs which are roughly double what you pay in North America.
Avoid tolls by driving on regular roads instead of autoroutes. You’ll see more of the countryside at a slower pace than you will whizzing along on the autoroute. We use the autoroutes to get from A to B (for example, Paris to Nice), and then take secondary roads for sightseeing.
Driving in the Country in Europe
One main reason to rent a car in Europe is to explore some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. Explore off-the-beaten-track attractions, stop to have a picnic on a deserted beach, park outside the walls of a medieval village, then stroll through tiny cobbled streets to the town square.
Driving country roads like this one in France is delightful.
Drive country roads
Some of the roads you’ll drive on in the country will be one lane only and will have more turns and bends than feels decent. Slow down and watch for mirrors attached to poles at blind corners. Check these mirrors to see if another car is barreling toward you.
If you see a car, pull to the side and let it pass. The driver is probably a local who knows where s/he’s going.
If you come to a blind corner and
don’t see a mirror, tap your horn to warn anyone coming in the opposite
direction.
And if you do round a corner and see
someone coming straight at you, don’t panic. Pull to the right and know that
the other driver will do the same. European drivers are accustomed to driving
in tight spaces. They know how to swerve to avoid collisions—most of the time!
The best way to keep your sanity and avoid having a heart attack in a foreign country is to drive slowly and carefully. Expect someone to be coming around a blind corner and be prepared to pull over. Just because the locals drive fast on narrow roads doesn’t mean you should.
Learn roundabout rules
Roundabouts are ubiquitous in Europe,
particularly in France. To drive safely in Europe, you need to become one with
the roundabout experience.
Watch other cars and carefully follow their lead. If you come to a roundabout and see a vehicle approaching from your left, wait until it’s passed you. The rule is that you never enter a roundabout until your way is clear.
The cars in the roundabout have the
right of way.
Once in the roundabout, get into the correct lane for exiting. Sometimes this isn’t easy to do. Rather than risk an accident, stay in the roundabout and go around again until you figure out how to exit.
Aerial view of a roundabout in Europe; Photo by KML
Many times, we’ve circled a roundabout more than once. Sometimes, I’m not sure which exit Gregg should take, so I tell him to go around again while I figure it out. At other times, Gregg can’t get into the correct lane in time to exit.
No one’s keeping score! Just go
around again (and again).
Navigating in Cities and Towns
Avoid driving in cities
Even with GPS, driving in European cities is incredibly challenging. Traffic is generally horrendous, the drivers are impatient, one-way streets abound, and road works often contradict the route suggested by the GPS.
We’ve driven into the heart of Paris a few times, and I don’t recommend the experience. One memorable time, we drove through the pedestrian-only plaza behind the Pompidou Center into a tiny one-way street going the wrong way. It wasn’t pretty.
When we visit cities, I usually book a hotel on the outskirts, and then take a taxi, bus, or tram into the center to see the sights. Such hotels often have free parking and are close to the autoroutes. While the hotels may not be as authentic and interesting as the ones in the center of an old town, the convenience outweighs the lack of charm.
Sometimes, sacrificing charm for
comfort makes sense and saves relationships.
Never drive into a medieval village—ever!
European villages are not made for cars. The streets are narrow, often cobbled, and generally steep. Many European villages are hill towns, because back in the olden days people liked to fight, so building villages on hills that could be defended made good sense.
But in olden times, people were not trying to squeeze an SUV into a space designed to accommodate a mule. Before you get to a village, check your GPS for public parking lots. These are usually conveniently situated at the base of hill towns. Elevators, escalators, or even shuttles are sometimes provided to transfer people up the hill into the town.
Driving Safely
Don’t drink and drive
When you’re in Europe, you could be forgiven for thinking everyone drinks all the time. Wine and beer flow freely, and drinking appears to be the national sport of pretty much every country.
But penalties for drinking and driving can be severe. Leave the car at the hotel and walk to your restaurant for dinner or grab a taxi. In some eastern European countries, such as Hungary and Romania, the permissible blood alcohol level is 0. In France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, the permissible level is 0.5%, and in the UK, the level is the highest at 0.7%.
Avoid driving at night
Even with GPS, driving at night can be challenging in Europe, particularly in the countryside.
More than a few times, we’ve gotten lost returning to our hotel or rental house after dark on poorly lit and unfamiliar country roads. Watch for landmarks when you drive a route during the day that you know you’ll be returning on at night. If your GPS doesn’t work, you need to know where you are or risk missing turn-offs.
Getting
lost at night in the wilds of Europe is not fun.
Coping with accidents
and theft
Thankfully, we’ve never been involved
in an accident in Europe.
If you are, immediately call the emergency number provided with your rental or lease car. As a tourist, you’re not in a great position to deal with police in a foreign country. Having an International Driving Permit will be helpful, which is a good reason to shell out the $20 to purchase one before you leave.
Theft is a concern in Europe. Never leave anything valuable in your car. Even at autoroute rest stops, we always take our laptops into the café with us.
We also avoid sightseeing when we have our luggage in our car. Instead, we go directly to our hotel, unload the luggage, and then drive to whatever we want to see—castle, gallery, beach, etc.
Parking the Car
Book hotels with parking garages
In cities, you’ll pay a pretty euro for parking, usually at least €30 per day. When possible, book hotels that include free parking. These hotels are usually located on the outskirts of big cities. We’ve never found free parking at hotels in the middle of European cities.
If you decide to stay in a hotel in the center of a city, make sure that secure parking is available, even if you have to pay for it.
Take pictures in parking garages
In underground parking garages, make a habit of taking pictures of your parking stall, the floor number, and even the exit. More times than I care to admit, we’ve wandered frantically around multi-storey underground lots in search of our car.
Have your credit card ready to pay for parking. The machines often don’t take cash. Take a ticket when you enter the car park. Before returning to your car, insert it in the machine, pay what you owe, take the receipt, then use it to exit.
The system works well – just don’t lose your ticket.
Driving in the UK
In the UK, always look both ways
several times before pulling out, particularly on busy roads.
If you’re from North America or any country that drives on the right, you’re in the habit of looking left before you pull out to turn right. If you do that in the UK without also looking to your right, you could be killed. I’ve had a few close calls.
Also, in the UK, be careful driving on country roads with no lines. You may naturally drift over to the wrong side of the road, with dire consequences if you encounter oncoming traffic.
Last Words on Driving in Europe
Driving in Europe is challenging. You need steady nerves, good reflexes, and a good navigator. If you enjoy driving and have plenty of experience driving in heavy traffic and finding your way on unfamiliar roads, then go for it.
If you choose not to drive, there are options for exploring the countryside. Book the occasional small group tour or, if you’re traveling with three or more people, hire a driver for the day. Even doing so three or four times during a trip will cost much less than renting a car and paying for gas, tolls, and parking.
Driving a country road in Provence in lavender season
When I travel solo, I never rent a car. I take trains and busses between cities and towns, hop in taxis to get to my accommodations, and book small group tours to explore the countryside.
When Gregg and I travel together, we almost always rent a car because we like the increased freedom to go where we want when we want. That said, we breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief every time we return the car unscathed.
Have you rented a car in Europe? Share your experiences and recommendations with other artsy travelers in the Comments section below.
We’ve found accommodations in Germany to be clean and reasonably priced. But not always comfortable. Get used to single duvets on double beds! For reasons we don’t understand, each person gets their own duvet, and double beds are often two single beds pushed together.
In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in Germany and then list hotels I recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I book almost all the hotels on my itinerary before I leave home so I know I have somewhere to stay in every location. Then, while traveling, I sometimes alter bookings to follow a new route or in response to hearing about a cool location I hadn’t known about.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
Choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book, change, or cancel hotel reservations if your itinerary changes. Most sites offer a no-cancellation option at a lower price. I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I’ll select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from, because those locations won’t change.
But overall, stay flexible. I’ve learned that sticking to a rigid itinerary with no-cancellation accommodations can end up costing a lot more money than you save.
Breakfasts in Germany
In addition to the usual fruits, cereals, and eggs, hotel breakfasts in Germany always include meat, cheese, and a great selection of breads and pastries.
The abundance and quality of some of the buffet breakfasts I’ve seen in Germany defies belief and stomach capacity. Usually, I opt for the hotel breakfast only if it’s included in the room rate.
Breakfast with bread, buns, croissants, coffee, and juice
Star Rating
I favor three- or four-star properties that offer amenities I value, such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, and in-room WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters will be very small, with a child-sized shower stall and barely enough room to wedge your suitcase against the wall.
Reviews – Should You Care?
Yes, I pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate review score is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, I usually pass. Sometimes the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property is worth the extra money.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. Check the star rating and realize that a 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star, and proceed accordingly.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in Germany and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
To help you plan your travels in Germany, here are my recommendations. I describe properties I’ve stayed in and provide a map of some destinations to help you choose additional properties.
Click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Berlin
During our recent week in Berlin, we rented an apartment in the Kreuzberg area. While relatively central and close to a U-Bahn stop, I didn’t find the area as interesting as the Prenzlauer Berg in northern Berlin.
I suggest looking for a small hotel in Prenzlauer Berg or in the Mitte (the historic core). Apartments can be a good choice if you’re staying for several days.
The map below shows accommodation options in Berlin.
We stayed close to the river in the area of Cologne that was rebuilt in the old style. I wholeheartedly recommend the Hotel Drei Kronen, a comfortable three-star property. From our room, we enjoyed a panoramic view over the Rhine.
Area near the Hotel Drei Kronen in Cologne
Have a look at the map below for additional accommodation suggestions in Cologne. I recommend staying by the river.
In St. Goar, I recommend the Hotel Rheinfels, which overlooks the river. The room was large and comfortable, the breakfast excellent, and the proprietor very friendly.
Trier
In Trier, we stayed at the Hotel Estricher Hof on the outskirts of the city and overlooking the Mosel River. We were driving and didn’t want to navigate the narrow streets of the city.
As it turned out, we drove into Trier for the evening with no problems, so consider a hotel in Trier proper so you can walk to the various sights.
The Hotel Estricher Hof was adequate but nothing special.
We stayed one night in Nuremberg at the TIPTOP Hotel Burgschmiet Garni , located outside the city walls. The room was tiny and the parking tight, but the breakfast was incredible!
If you’re not driving, consider something more quaint and interesting inside the city walls. Nuremberg is a pretty town with lovely views over the river and its fair share of half-timbered houses.
In Leipzig, we splurged on the Radisson Blu Hotel Leipzig, located across the road from the Gewandhaus concert hall where we attended a Chopin piano concert (sublime!). The hotel was close to the center of Leipzig and easy to drive to.
Our room was enormous, with great views over the city. Usually, we don’t choose chain hotels, but the Radisson was comfortable and stylish.
In Munich, we scored an excellent deal at the Hilton Munich Park. Sometimes, you can find surprisingly reasonable rates at Hilton properties. I’m not sure why.
We enjoyed a large room that overlooked the English Garden. The hotel is a 14-minute tram ride from the Marienplatz and includes an indoor pool and possibly the largest breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen in Europe.
Do you have accommodation recommendations to share? Please let me know in the Comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Germany.
I don’t think we’ve ever stayed in a bad place in Portugal. Hotels and apartments have been comfortable, reasonably priced, and well located.
In Portugal, you can choose to stay in a palace such as the Palace Hotel do Bussaco located north of Coimbra and pictured above. I haven’t stayed there, but if you have, please share your experience in the Comments section. The Palace Hotel do Bussaco is a 5-star hotel housed in the hunting palace of the last Portuguese kings. It looks amazing!
In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in Portugal and then list hotels I recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I book almost my hotels before I leave home so I know I have somewhere to stay in every location on my itinerary. Then, while traveling, I sometimes change bookings to follow a new route or in response to hearing about a cool location I hadn’t known about.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
Choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book, change, or cancel hotel reservations if your itinerary changes. Most sites offer a no-cancellation option at a lower price. I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I will select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from, because I know those locations won’t change.
But overall, stay flexible. I’ve learned that sticking to a rigid itinerary with no-cancellation accommodations can end up costing more money than you save.
Breakfasts
In addition to the usual fruits, cereals, and eggs, hotel breakfasts in Portugal pretty much always include the wonderfully creamy Portuguese egg tarts called Pastéis de Nata. Save money by picking up some tarts at the local bakery or going out to a café to enjoy a few with your morning coffee.
Pastéis de nata (custard tarts), traditional Portuguese pastry
Pousadas
Consider spending a few nights at one of Portugal’s historical pousadas. Similar to the paradors in Spain, the Portuguese pousadas are government-run properties selected for their historical and artistic merit or their location in a beautiful landscape.
Some pousadas are converted castles or palaces. The pousada experience can be pricey but worthwhile and interesting. You can book pousadas on booking.com.
Below is a picture of the Pousada Castelo de Alvito in Portugal, a 15th- century castle in the village of Alvito east of Lisbon. It looks awesome. I haven’t stayed there. Have you? Let me know in the Comments section!
Pousada Castelo de Alvito in Portugal
Star Rating
I favor three- or four-star properties because I appreciate amenities such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, and in-room WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters will be small, with a child-sized shower stall and barely enough room to wedge your suitcase against the wall.
Reviews – Should You Care?
Yes, I pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate score is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, I usually pass. Sometimes the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property makes the extra money worth spending.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. Check the star rating, keep in mind that a 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star, and proceed accordingly.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in Portugal and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
To help you plan your travels in Portugal, here are my recommendations. For each destination, I describe properties I’ve stayed in and provide a map to help you choose additional properties.
Click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Lisbon
Downtown Lisbon is expensive. On our most recent trip in 2019, we stayed in the Vincci Baixa, close to the Praça do Comércio. The location was perfect. We could walk everywhere in downtown Portugal and were only about two blocks from the plaza and its many outdoor cafés. The room was small but with four-star appointments befitting the price. The Vincci chain offers reliable premium accommodation. I’d stay there again.
On our extended stay in Lisbon when Gregg had an exhibition there, we rented an apartment in the Alfama district. The interior of the apartment had been beautifully renovated and included a tiny terrace with a view over Lisbon. On another trip, we rented an apartment in the Bairro Alto area. The apartment was huge and well-appointed, but the neighborhood was rough.
In Lisbon, splurge on a place in the super-central Baixa-Chiado area. You want to be able to walk as much as possible in this very walkable city.
Check the map below for other accommodation options in Lisbon.
In Porto, we chose the Douro Apartments Rivertop and were thoroughly satisfied. The gorgeously renovated studio apartment on the fourth floor of an old, narrow building overlooked a panoramic view of the Douro River. A carafe of port was left for us on the table, and every morning, a basket filled with breakfast items, including my favorite pastéis de nata (custard tarts), was delivered to our door.
If you’re driving into Porto, do not try to drive to the office where you pick up the keys for the Douro Apartments Rivertop.
Park the car in the large car park on Rua do Infante d. Henrique (the main drag as you drive into lower Porto). The car park is called Parque estacionamento SABA – Infante.
View from the window of the Douro Apartments Rivertop
Have a look at the map below for additional accommodation suggestions in Porto. I recommend staying by the river. You’ll have to walk uphill to reach some of the sites in Porto, but you’ll be close to the restaurants lining the riverside and just across the river from Gaia where you can go for a spot of port-tasting.
We stayed at the Vila Gale Coimbra, a modern property overlooking the Mondego River in Coimbra. The location was convenient for drivers and the rooms comfortable.
We splashed out for the Eurostars Oasis Plaza Hotel, a brand new modern hotel dubbed “The Titanic” by the locals. At least, that’s what the friends we visited in Figueira da Foz told us. The rooms are spacious and the view over the Atlantic stunning. The location right across the street from one of the main beaches is excellent.
Algarve
Tavira
In Tavira, we stayed in the hills at a gorgeous country house called Herdade da Corte Lodging. The place is perfect for drivers because it’s 15 kilometers from Tavira. The large room had rustic décor and a sloped, wooden ceiling. When we stayed, dinner was served, which was great, because there weren’t any restaurants nearby, and we didn’t have a car.
Luz
The Aparthotel Vila Luz was a great find just outside the village of Luz. The large suite included a terrace overlooking the ocean. We did our share of lazing by the pool and enjoying the buffet breakfast. The village of Luz was a scenic ten-minute walk along the top of the cliff.
Alentejo
Évora
The 4-star Albergaria Do Calvario, just inside the city walls in Évora, was a worthwhile splurge. Housed in a 16th-century olive oil mill, the hotel featured bright, airy guest rooms and suites, decorated with local art. We loved this place!
In all our travels, one of our favorite country hotels is the Monte da Fornalha, located a few kilometers outside Estremoz. Surrounded by cork trees and cows, the rural property has simple rooms, fabulous breakfasts, and a tiled pool that, even on the hottest days in July, was refreshing enough to raise goosebumps. If you’re in the Estremoz area, consider staying here for a few days to totally relax and soak up the Alentejo beauty.
Tours & Tickets in Portugal
Here are some options to explore through GetYourGuide and Tiqets.com, both companies I’ve booked with several times, and had good experiences.
Do you have accommodation recommendations to share? Please let me know in the Comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Portugal.
I’ve had great luck finding marvelous places to stay in Spain. Hotel proprietors are friendly, and almost all of them speak English.
In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in Spain and then list hotels that I’ve stayed in and can recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I book almost all the hotels on my itinerary before I leave home so I know I have somewhere to stay in every location. Then, while traveling, I sometimes change bookings to follow a new route or in response to hearing about a cool location I hadn’t known about.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
Choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book, change, or cancel hotel reservations if your itinerary changes. Most sites offer a no-cancellation option at a lower price. I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I will select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from, because I know those locations won’t change.
But overall, stay flexible. I’ve learned that sticking to a rigid itinerary with no-cancellation accommodations can end up costing more money than you save.
Breakfasts in Spain
Breakfasts in Spain generally consist of pastries, fresh fruit, dry cereal, cold meats (lots of ham and salamis), cheeses, and coffee. I only eat the hotel breakfast if it’s included in the room rate or if I didn’t get a chance to buy food before checking in.
If hotel breakfasts cost extra (and the cost can be exorbitant), I buy yogurt and fruit at a local grocery store and then go to a bar or café for my morning cappuccino.
Location
In Spain in particular, I stay in the center of a town or city only if I’m not driving. As I’ve mentioned frequently, driving into medieval towns can be a nightmare, and driving into cities like Barcelona is not recommended!
The advantage of traveling in Spain by public transit is that you can choose to stay in picturesque and historic town centers. Grab a taxi from the train station and let your driver negotiate the tiny alleyways. In Cordoba, even our taxi driver had a hard time finding our hotel deep in the Jewish quarter.
Tips for Drivers in Spain
When driving in Spain, I book places on the outskirts of the town or city and then take busses or taxis into the townfor sightseeing. In rural areas, such as Andalusia and Asturias, I search out places located in the gorgeous countryside so I can take walks and, if it’s hot, enjoy a dip in the pool.
Paradors
Consider spending at least a few nights of your vacation at one of Spain’s gorgeous paradors (paradores). A parador is a government-run property selected for its historical and artistic merit or for its location in a beautiful landscape. Over 90 paradors are located throughout Spain.
Some of the paradors are converted palaces, medieval castles, or other historic buildings. The parador experience can be pricey, but it’s definitely worthwhile and interesting. Check the official website to view all the properties available. You can book paradors through the website or on booking.com
Parador de Cuenca in Cuenca, east of Madrid, is located in an ancient monastery.
Star Rating
I favor three- or four-star properties that offer amenities such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, and WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters will be small, with a child-sized shower stall and barely enough room to wedge your suitcase against the wall.
Reviews – Should You Care?
Yes, I pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate review is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, I usually pass. Sometimes the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property makes the extra money worth spending.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. Check the star rating, remember that a 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star, and proceed accordingly.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in Spain and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
To help you plan your Spain getaway, here are my recommendations. For each destination, I describe properties I’ve stayed in and offer suggestions for alternate properties that look good.
Click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Barcelona
Barcelona is not a budget town by any stretch. Be prepared to spend more than you might like to; fortunately, in my experience, the quality of the accommodations is high.
I recommend two excellent hotels in Barcelona. Both are centrally located and comfortable. The Hotel Emilia is a bit farther from the center of the action, and the rooms are spacious.
The Cram Hotel in the Eixample district has earned a soft spot in my heart, for obvious reasons. It was a splurge, but the rooftop pool, views over Barcelona, and the convenient location made the extra cost well worth it, particularly because I was traveling solo.
Check the map below for other accommodation options in Barcelona. I favor the upscale Eixample district, but you’ll also find good choices in the Barri Gòtic and other areas.
The Hotel Virxe da Cerca by Pousadas de Compostela was a marvelous find in Santiago de Compostela. We stayed almost a week when Gregg has his exhibition at the Granell Museum. The hotel is next to the Plaza de Abastos market and an easy walk to the cathedral in the old town. I loved hanging out on the terrace, sipping wine and enjoying the view. The rooms were traditional, with heavy furniture and lots of space. Highly recommended!
Santiago de Compostela attracts thousands of visitors every year, so you’ll find plenty of accommodation options. Santiago de Compostela also has a parador that looks amazing if you’re in the mood for a splurge.
Have a look at the map below for additional accommodation suggestions.
We stayed at the Don Paco Hotel, a three-star property set in a restored convent dating from the 17th century. The high-ceilinged dining room that had once been the convent chapel is magnificent! The hotel is within walking distance of central Llanes and includes free parking (always a bonus!).
Bilbao
We enjoyed staying for one night at the Hotel Meliá, a posh splurge but perfectly located for walking along the river to the Guggenheim Bilbao and easy to get to from the highway. The hotel includes an underground parking lot, stylish rooms with a great view over Bilbao, a soaring lobby, and a riverside terrace where we ate breakfast and lunch.
San Sebastian
The Hotel Mercure Monte Igueldo, high atop Mount Igueldo overlooking enchanting San Sebastian (Donostia), is well worth a few extra euros for the view alone. You’ll need a car to stay here and to go down into San Sebastian.
If you’re traveling without a car, here are other options:
Book a place in the Old Town, even if it means leaving your car in a carpark and walking. You’ll be steps from the Cathedral-Mosque and in the thick of history. We stayed in a boutique hotel with a tranquil inner courtyard.
Check the map below to find properties in the center of Cordoba.
I heartily recommend Suites Gran Via in Granada. The location is convenient to the center of Granada, and the rooms are large and comfortable. A small kitchen is included, which is handy for making breakfast.
The map below shows more options in and around Granada.
We’ve had great luck in Seville–once staying at a hotel in the old town and most recently staying in an apartment overlooking the river. I recommend you stay in the old town if you’re not driving. The Hotel Amadeus & La Musica is a wonderful choice right in the heart of Old Seville. There’s a rooftop terrace with a stunning view of Seville Cathedral. Gregg spent quite a bit of time up there drawing.
On our 2019 trip, we were driving, so we booked a hotel across the river from downtown Seville. What a great choice! We parked in a public parking lot about half a block from the apartment and enjoyed a spectacular view of the river and Seville Cathedral in the distance. Check out Betis 7 Luxury Apartments. The cost was surprisingly reasonable for an apartment that included a bedroom, kitchen and living room, a jacuzzi bath, and glorious air conditioning (a necessity in July).
One of the hippest places to stay in Ronda is the Parador de Ronda, pictured at the top of this page. Its spectacular location at the edge of the Ronda gorge comes at a price–but what a splurge!
On our recent trip in 2019, we opted to stay in the countryside about a 15-minute drive from Ronda, and we’re glad we did. The weather was hot, and we needed a place to chill in. The Hotel Cortijo-las-Piletas perfectly fit the bill. They even provided an excellent dinner served in the courtyard on one of the evenings we were there. The proprietor was exceedingly friendly and accommodating. I can’t recommend this place highly enough.
Following are suggestions for hotels in Madrid, Toledo, Zaragoza, and Salamanca.
Madrid
The Suites Viena are spacious and well located near the Plaza España that featured lots of cool booths filled with jewelry and other gift items.
I also highly recommend the ApartoSuites Jardines de Sabatini located just to the west of the center of Madrid and across the street from the Royal Palace.. It’s located just outside the Limited Access zone on a main road easily accessed from the motorway, and a short walk from the historical center of Madrid.
The Abad Toledo at the base of the hill and very convenient to a massive multi-level car park is a great choice for drivers. If you arrive by train, choose a place in the Old Town that you can get to by taxi.
On the map below, choose places on the city side of the river.
The NH Collection Gran Hotel Zaragoza is a comfortable business hotel in Sangallo Palace that includes balconies, views, and what looks like a lovely ambiance near Perugia.
Salamanca
Treat yourself to the Parador in Salamanca. The rooms are large, the pool inviting, and views over Salamanca breathtaking. The Parador is a great choice for drivers because it’s on the outskirts of the city. You can walk into Salamanca or take a bus or taxi.
Tours & Tickets in Spain
Here are some options to explore through GetYourGuide and Tiqets.com, both companies I’ve booked with several times, and had good experiences.
Do you have accommodation recommendations to share? Please let me know in the Comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Spain.
Make some of your travel adventures gastronomic ones. You can definitely eat well on a budget in Europe if you follow some simple guidelines.
The key to eating well in Europe is to eat like a local person. Dine in small eateries, shop in the markets, cook when you can, eat picnics, and slow down.
Eating is an art form in many parts of Europe. Yes, you’ll find lots of fast food and mediocre, microwaved dinner specials. But you’ll also experience memorable meals that you’ll talk about for years.
We still reminiscise about many of the meals we’ve enjoyed in Europe over the past four decades–the gorgonzola gnocchi in 1999, my birthday dinner in Paris in 2012, the Indian meal in Berlin in 2015. The list goes on and on, and none will be forgotten!
What can I say? The Artsy Traveler loves good food! Here’s how to eat well on a budget in Europe so you’ll have money left over for the occasional big meal out.
Don’t Pay Extra for Hotel Breakfasts
If you want to eat well on a budget in Europe, forget hotel breakfasts. I’m amazed at how expensive breakfasts have become—often €20 each or more on top of the room rate. Sure, most of these breakfasts are fabulous buffets with tons of choices, but €20, even €30? No thanks!
Breads and pastries at a buffet breakfast
Some hotels charge a lower rate for a continental breakfast of a few croissants and coffee, but even these can be overpriced. I eat the hotel breakfast only if it’s included in the room rate or if we’ve arrived very late and haven’t had time to get to a grocery store.
Here’s what I suggest you do to avoid paying for overpriced hotel breakfasts:
At the start of your trip, buy a couple of bowls and a few pieces of real cutlery, or bring them from home. Carry them, along with your food, in an insulated, collapsible bag. I tell ya, that handy bag has been a godsend on trip after trip.
Every few days, buy individual cartons of yogurt, a small bottle of milk, a box of granola, and a few pieces of fruit from the local grocery store.
After enjoying a light breakfast in your hotel room, head out to enjoy coffee and maybe a croissant or two at a local bar. If the weather’s fine, sit outside at a sun-drenched café and get your caffeine jolt from a fresh cup of coffee that’s usually miles better than the machine-made coffees services at most breakfast buffets. In fact, even in super posh hotels, I’ve never had a really good coffee at a breakfast buffet.
When you enjoy your coffee at a local cafe, you’ll not only save money – you’ll also get to watch locals, instead of fellow tourists, greet the new day.
Put Together Picnic Lunches
A great way to eat well on a budget is to eat picnic lunches. Fill your insulated bag with plenty of cheeses, spreads, fruits, and vegetables from local markets. Visiting markets is always fun, and even more so when you’re hungry. Buy fruits that are fresh and in season, sample local cheeses, and get a few hundred grams of charcuterie made at the farm down the road.
Find fresh fruits at local markets all over Europe
Drop into a bakery and pick up a baguette or a few fresh buns. You may also find bakeries that sell pre-made sandwiches. Surprisingly, the best ones I’ve found on my travels have been in England. And while you’re in the bakery, pick up one or two pastries or sweet treats. They are usually to die for!
If you’re driving, enjoy your picnic lunch at the tables found at every rest stop along your route. If you’re traveling by train, find the seats in blocks of four that include a table or a single seat with a puol-down tray on the back of the seat in front of you. Fortunately, train trays are generally roomier than those of their airline sisters.
Why not munch your picnic lunch while
relaxing on a park bench or sitting next to a fountain? All European cities feature
great parks that are perfect for resting your weary sightseeing bones and
inhaling some good, fresh oxygen.
Cook Some Meals at “Home”
If you’re staying in apartments or holiday homes, you’ll be better able to stick to your budget when you eat some of your meals at home. For sure you’ll eat breakfast at home, and then you can pack a picnic lunch to take along on your sightseeing forays.
For dinner, pick up local food at the markets and enjoy the challenge of cooking in a new kitchen. When we home-base, I make a lot of omelettes, pasta dishes, and salads that are easy to whip up with local ingredients.
Sausages in a French market
In many markets and supermarkets, you can buy the components of a fully cooked meal so you all you need to do when you get to your place is set the table.
Take care with unfamiliar appliances and cooking methods. For a sobering tale of a cooking disaster in a holiday rental, check out Siena Explosion, one of the stories included in Pastel & Pen: Travels in Europe that combines my writing with Gregg’s art.
You don’t want to cook all your meals at home. After all, you’ve come to Europe to explore new places and new cuisines. Consider cooking “in” two or three times during a week’s stay. You’ll save money, and by shopping local, you’ll find new ways to enjoy European food.
Eat Where the Locals Do
Locals eating out generally avoid tourist traps–and you should too. If a restaurant is full of tour groups, keep on walking. Also, if the restaurant is located in an iconic location such as overlooking the Eiffel Tower, on the Piazza Navona in Rome, or at Nyhavn in Copenhagen, keep walking.
We’ve made the mistake of eating at “high rent” restaurants in touristy areas and then regretting it. You’ll find ho-hum and very over-priced food, rushed service and often a verbal request for a tip at the end of your meal. Also, every table will be filled with other tourists.
Yeah, you’re a tourist too, but it’s more fun to be surrounded by locals, even if often can’t understand what they’re saying (even, sometimes, in English-speaking places like England and Scotland). When I was in Birmingham, I sat next to a couple enjoying their dinner and my eavesdropping efforts were poorly repaid. I couldn’t understand one word in ten of the Brummie accent!
Get Recommendations from Hotels
To eat well on a budget in Europe, ask your hotel to direct you to local places where the prices are generally reasonable and the food is hearty and authentic. We’ve always had good success when we ask for recommendations.
Hotel managers know their neighborhoods and sometimes have relatives who run local restaurants. It’s in their interest to direct you to good places that you’ll rave about when you’re writing a review of their hotel.
Go Off the Beaten Path
Explore the back streets. During a two-week stay in Rome in October 2022, we found a small restaurant on a quiet street a few blocks from our place in an area not far from the Colisseum. The restaurant was family-owned and packed with locals. It had a small menu and nightly specials. Prices were good, the food was wonderful, and the ambiance nigh on perfect.
We loved it so much, we returned three times. By the third time, we were welcomed in like old friends.
Make Use of Rating Apps
Use review apps on your phone to check reviews before you venture into a place. This advice is given for a reason!
I ignored it during a sudden downpour in Rome when we had to duck into the first restaurant we came to on the Piazza del Popolo. Read about what happened in Bella Roma Rip-off, also included in Pastel & Pen: Travels in Europe.
Thanks to my Piazza del Popolo experience, now I always check my phone for places to eat, and I read the ratings. As a result, my success rate for finding good meals has skyrocketed.
You have to eat, so you may as well
make sure your hard-earned money pays for meals as tasty and memorable as
possible.
Checking reviews ensured an excellent lunch in Denmark
Use QR Codes
More and more, restaurants in Europe are putting their English menus online so you can access them via QR codes either stamped on the tables or printed on the main menu. Make sure your phone can read QR codes (usually the Photo app works) and have a quick check of the English menu before you order.
Back in the day, menus printed in six languages were a red flag that the restaurant was oriented only for tourists and that the food was likely to be sub-par. Fortunately, a multi-lingual menu isn’t necessarily a turn-off any longer, particularly if it’s discreetly provided via QR code.
And thank goodness!
Years ago, before QR codes and Smart Phones, I made the mistake of ordering a dish in France that I thought was beef. Yes, it was beef – beef kidneys. And they were not tenderly-cooked-in-a-scrumptious-cream-sauce beef kidneys, but kidneys swimming in a thin, gray gravy with bits of what might once have been vegetables. I managed one bite.
Since then, I always check the English of any unfamiliar words. If the restaurant doesn’t offer an English translation, get a translation app on your phone.
Enjoy Splurge Meals
One of the reasons why I forego hotel breakfasts, eat picnic lunches, and dine at “home,” while traveling is so I can build room in our food budget for splurge meals.
For us, a splurge is no more than €100, which won’t get us in the door of the top restaurants but will get us a darned memorable meal in great surroundings. Most of the time, even on our most recent trip post-pandemic, we were able to dine well for about €80. Only a handful of times did we spend €100, and each time we enjoyed tasty food and excellent service.
And yes, there were times over the years when we’ve spent €80 for mediocre food (thankfully, never €100), but that’s easy to do on any day at home, so we can’t complain.
Make Reservations for Splurge Meals
Find highly-rated places on your phone or tablet and then call to make a reservation. In my experience, the person who answers the phone generally knows enough English to get your drift.
Prepare by learning how to say the number in your party and the time in the local language. For example, if you’re in France and don’t speak much French, you could say “Réservation. Ce Soir. Deux personnes. Huit heures to reserve dinner for two that evening for two people.
Throw in a ‘s’il vous plaît’ and a few ‘mercis’ and they’ll get it.
And when your beautifully prepared and presented food arrives, should you take a picture? Absolutement!
My dessert at a restaurant near Cagnes-sur-Mer in the south of France
If you’re nervous about talking on the phone in a foreign language, ask someone at your hotel to make a reservation for you. Also, check the restaurant’s website. You may well be able to make your dinner reservations online in unilingual comfort.
Eat at Fancy Places for Lunch instead of Dinner
If you want to sample the cuisine at a highly rated, Michelin-starred restaurant, consider making lunch your main meal of the day. Often, the same meal served in the evening costs much more. Of course, you’ll be too stuffed for sightseeing for the rest of the day, but so what? You’re on vacation! Find a sunny spot to bask while you digest your fine meal.
Explore New Cuisines
Yes, hamburgers are readily available in Europe, as is Starbucks coffee, Pizza Hut, and KFC. But why not try something new?
Seek out local restaurants that serve food typical of the region. One of our best gastronomic experiences in Europe was the evening we spent cruising the pinchos (pintxos in Basque) bars in San Sebastian, Spain.
OMG! In every bar, we picked out one or two pintxos, washed them down with a cheap (but really good) glass of wine, and then moved on to the next place. Here’s what a selection of pintxos looks like in a San Sebastian bar.
Bar groaning with pintxos in San Sebastian, Spain
You don’t need to eat the fermented
shark in Iceland to enjoy local cuisine. Ask the server what’s typical of the
region. They’re usually pleased to tell you and to make recommendations.
And at the end of the meal, order a shot of the local liqueur. Every European region has its specialties, from limoncello in Italy to port in Portugal. Heaven!
Sample limoncello in Italy.
Explore World Cuisines
These days, every major cities and most towns have plenty of restaurants run by people from all over the world. You’ll find Indian curries in Berlin, Thai food in Rome, and sushi in Paris (and pretty much everywhere else!).
Sometimes, we enjoy a break from local cuisines (e.g., pasta every night in Italy) and branch out to sample other cuisines. One of my more memorable meals on a recent trip to England was a curry at a Himalayan restaurant in York.
So, What’s a Good Budget?
There was a time in my life when I ate cans of baked beans in Youth Hostels to save money. Those days are long, long past. Now, I budget about $100 a day for the two of us for food. Some days we go over if we’re eating out for both lunch and dinner, and other days we spend much less because we buy groceries and eat in. But $100 a day is a reasonable budget that should allow you to have one good splurge meal a week and three or four regular meals plus a few lunches.
You may need to up your budget a bit if you also like to have a few cups of coffee during the day (plus local pastries of course) and some wine with dinner. We spend less when we don’t order alcohol with our dinners but, to be honest, that rarely happens in Europe!
Relax and Enjoy!
Europeans live to eat rather than eat to live. They enjoy good food and long conversations. We’ve had many dinners out with Europeans and have been amazed at how many courses and drinks they’re able to consume, and also, how much they love to sit and chat for hours.
What’s the rush?
Do
you have tips about eating well and memorably in Europe? Please share them in
the Comments box below. I love hearing about other travelers’ experiences—good
and not-so-good!
Finding awesome accommodation in Europe takes time and patience, but the rewards are worth it. Your enjoyment of travel increases immeasurably when you stay in memorable hotels and apartments that don’t break your budget.
I’m not talking about student hostels and cheap hotels here, because for me, comfort is key. While I recommend keeping track of your euros when you travel, I also recommend that you not sacrifice comfort to save money.
Let’s be honest! I’m not a student anymore, and my back appreciates a comfortable mattress. In addition, I like my accommodation to include WIFI in my room, a well-appointed bathroom with nice towels, air conditioning if the weather is hot, and plenty of space to move around.
My Accommodation Philosophy
After decades of traveling in Europe, I’ve come to believe wholeheartedly in spending a little more to get awesome accommodations that I still rave about.
Sometimes, the difference between a mediocre 3-star property and an incredible 4-star property is negligible. The trick is to focus on value for money. I’d rather spend €200 on a fabulous hotel with a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean than €175 on a dumpy place with a broken ceiling fan overlooking an industrial park.
On Artsy Traveler, I recommend accommodations in Europe that are comfortable and in the three-star to four-star range. My preferred budget is between €150-250 per night, depending on location, for two people sharing. You’ll pay more in cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen and less in the countryside.
Methods for Finding Accommodations
Use a variety of methods to find properties in the European destinations you’re visiting. I favor booking.com because they keep track of all my bookings and because I can book and cancel easily. Several other agencies offer the same service, including Trivago, TripAdvisor, Hotels.com, and Expedia.
I also check the websites of individual hotels and refer to guidebooks. Fortunately, there’s no end of places to look for accommodations!
The challenge is how to get the biggest bang for your accommodation euro. And that’s the whole point of my six steps to accommodation awesomeness.
Step 1: Consider Location, Location, Location
Check maps to determine the location of the hotel you’re considering. If it’s on the outskirts, check the surroundings. Will you be staying in a dreary suburb or a park-like resort?
Thank goodness for Google Maps! Use it to check out ground views of the hotel. You’ll quickly figure out if the hotel looks run-down or if the neighborhood appears to be on the sketchy side.
If you’re driving, do not attempt to drive into the center of old historical towns and villages. The roads are very narrow, you may get ticketed, and finding parking can be horrifically difficult.
Either park your car in a nearby car park and walk with your stuff to the hotel or choose a place outside the city walls.
If you’re traveling by train, avoid hotels near the train station. They can be a bit scuzzy compared to hotels in the historic center that are typically several minutes’ walk or a taxi ride away from the station.
When I’m traveling by train, I always go for the coolest, quaintest hotel I can find in the historic center. I want to make up for the times we traveled by car and had to opt for modern, outside-the-walls convenience.
Step 2: Identify Room Size
Sites like booking.com always specify the size of the room in square meters. 15 square meters (about 160 square feet) or smaller is too small for two people and their luggage to fit comfortably.
In the middle of the night, I want to get to the bathroom without breaking my leg tripping over a suitcase.
I search for the largest room available within my budget and location options. Usually, rooms over 20 square meters are fine, but the bigger the better!
Step 3: Select the Accommodation Type
We favor hotels for one- or two-night stays and apartments for longer stays. Hotels are great in big cities when you wish to take advantage of in-house restaurants and bars and want access to the services of the front desk staff.
When we drive into a city, we choose hotels that either include parking garages or offer valet parking so we don’t need to search for a spot on the street.
Apartments work well when you want to settle in and live like a local. Buy food at local stores, cook a meal, and really stretch out.
Where to Find Apartments
You’ll find apartments on websites such as AirBnB and HomeAway. Lately, I’ve favored the apartments listed on booking.com because the booking and cancelation requirements are not as stringent as they are on other sites.
On sites like booking.com, the apartment rentals are more like hotels with staff and other amenities available.
On a recent trip to Porto in Portugal, we rented an apartment on the top floor of a lovely old house with a view overlooking the river.
View from our apartment in Porto, Portugal over the Douro River
I booked the hotel through booking.com and paid a few euros more to have a fabulous breakfast delivered to our door every morning.
Spectacular!
Step 4: Check Accommodation Amenities
At a minimum, I want wireless networking (WIFI, pronounced WEE FEE in Europe) available in my room. Read the fine print. Some hotels offer WIFI only in the lobby and public spaces.
I also prefer bathtubs to showers, although they’re becoming increasingly rare. When traveling in the summer, I choose rooms with air conditioning, even when I’m traveling in the north and definitely when I’m traveling in the south. Summers are, regrettably, getting hotter. If you choose to travel during the summer months, do yourself a favor and make sure your room is air conditioned.
A fridge is also a necessity to store breakfast and picnic food.
And I like rooms with a balcony or terrace overlooking a view or at least a garden.
TIP: Pack a soft-sided, collapsible insulated bag. You’ll find it invaluable for keeping food cool-ish during transit. We fill ours with yogurts, cheeses, vegetables, and fruits, and buy fresh buns at local bakeries to make picnic lunches.
Step 5: Identify Cancelation Options
Choose rooms with free cancelation options until or unless you’re 100% sure you’ll be staying there. You never know what can happen, and to me, the money saved by choosing the no-cancelation option is not worth the risk.
I’ve been burned before!
Step 6: Pay Attention to Accommodation Ratings and Reviews
I pay attention to the reviews and the rankings on websites like TripAdvisor and booking.com. A hotel that has an average rating of 6.8 out of 10 is a hard pass.
Occasionally I’ve chosen hotels in the high “7’s”, but 8.0 is typically my cut-off.
I also read a selection of the reviews. If a fair number of people grumble about cleanliness or unfriendly staff or funny smells, I move briskly on to the next listing.
Again, the key to making great accommodation choices is searching for value over price within your budget. If the difference between a hotel with a 9+ rating and one with a 7+ rating is not appreciable, always choose the hotel with the higher rating.
Make the Final Selection
Don’t wait too long to book your accommodation. I usually start at least six months in advance of my trip, and even then, I can have trouble finding exactly the properties I want.
If a property is not available on one website, try another website or go directly to the hotel’s website. Sometimes a property is listed as ‘sold out’ on a website like booking.com when rooms are available on other sites.
Enjoy relaxing in the countryside. Here I am in Normandy in France.
Stay flexible and be choosy.
Happy hunting!
Accommodation Recommendations
Here are links to my accommodation recommendations in several of the destinations featured on Artsy Traveler:
Do you have tips and suggestions for finding great places to stay in Europe? Do you have recommendations that you’d like to share? Please let me know in the Comments section below.
Nine steps? Don’t let the number worry you. Each step in the Europe travel planning process flows naturally into the next, and several steps overlap.
Work on creating an itinerary for a perfect European trip with the same spirit of adventure and curiosity you will bring to the trip itself.
Over the years, I’ve developed a trip planning system that I return to again and again.
Your first thing to do (even before Step 1!) is to decide which countries you want to visit.
Changing your mind is never off the table, but once you have some idea about where you want to go, you’re ready to get cracking with creating your itinerary.
Ready? Let’s plan!
Step 1: Determine Your Time and Travel Budget
How much time and money do you have for the trip you want to take? Calculate total travel expenses of about €135-225 per person per day to travel in Europe, not including airfare and transportation costs.
I provide a general cost breakdown below. These costs presume you’re on the go most days. If you home-base in a destination for a week or more, your per-day costs will be lower, depending on your transportation needs and the price of your accommodation.
Accommodation Costs
Budget about €150-300 per night for 2 people. I wish it was less (it used to be!) but it’s not anymore, especially in western Europe.
Within this budget, your accommodation costs will likely vary widely, depending on where you’re staying and how much comfort you want to pay for. Count on closer to €400-400 per night in cities or for resort properties and €90-110 per night in the countryside for small guest houses.
Apartments are a bargain if you’re traveling with three or more people. For two people, apartments work out to about the same price as hotels. However, you get much more room, you can cook some of your meals (thereby saving on restaurants), and you get the experience of living like a local.
Gregg puts together his portable fan in our two-floor apartment in Lisbon, Portugal.
Budget at least €45 per person per day. Again, this amount can vary a great deal. Save money by renting apartments and cooking some of your meals. We generally spend about €60 per person per day for three meals when we’re on the road because we eat in restaurants more often than we do when we’re home-basing and eating in.
Sightseeing Costs
This cost varies from place to place. In big cities, budget at least €45 per person per day for museums. If the city has a lot of interesting museums and other sights, you’ll spend more. When you’re staying put and enjoying the scenery, you’ll spend less.
One way to save money is to buy a museum pass, city pass, or a combination. Most major European cities have several options to choose from. Match the time you have available with what you want to see and then determine if you’ll get your money’s worth out of any of the passes on offer.
Total Basic Costs
At about €270 per day for two people traveling together, a one-month trip to Europe costs close to €8,500, not including airfare and other transportation costs. But let’s be real. You’ll likely pay closer to €13,000 for your trip once the smoke clears.
Traveling is not cheap these days.
On the up side, traveling in eastern Europe is less expensive than in western Europe, and country stays will cost less than city stays. Tweak your destinations according to your budget.
Other ways to cut costs include staying in budget hotels, rarely eating out, and doing a walking or biking holiday instead of renting a car and taking trains.
Transportation Costs
I don’t include transportation costs in my estimated per-person-per-day calculation because these costs vary so much depending on your transportation needs.
Following are guidelines about transportation costs depending on the type of transportation you choose.
Car Rental & Gas
Renting a car makes sense for two or more people traveling together. I estimate about €90/day for car rental and another €45/day for gas when you’re on the road doing long point-to-point drives.
On extended driving trips across Europe, gas costs skyrocket, so make sure to factor estimated costs into your budget. Also factor in costs for toll routes that can range from €10-50 per day, depending on where you’re driving and for how long.
Gas costs vary across the continent but figure on spending about €1.70/liter, on average.
Rail Pass
Rail passes might make sense if you’re planning to travel long distances across several European countries; for example, from Stockholm to Rome. Pass costs vary depending upon the number of days you travel within a given period, the class of travel you choose, and even your age.
High-speed trains in Europe make rail travel a pleasure.
For example, a Eurail Global pass good for five travel days in one month in a 2nd class train car will cost a 60+ traveler $383 USD. Note I quoted this price in dollars because you must purchase your pass before you arrive in Europe. Find out more on the Eurail website.
Before you purchase a pass, check the countries included and calculate costs.
Use the Rail Europe site to check costs for individual trips and then compare the total to the price of the pass. Bear in mind that pass holders are often required to purchase seat reservations separately.
Sometimes (actually, very often), flying between destinations is faster and less expensive, although your carbon footprint is greater.
Flight Costs
I use Cheapo Air to check flights and to purchase my airline tickets. Their prices often beat those of their competitors.
Departing from the west coast of Canada, we can count on a flight to Europe costing around $1,500 CAD for an open-jaw ticket. On top of the basic cost, we pay for extra baggage if we’re taking an exhibition of Gregg’s paintings to Europe, and we always splash out for extra leg room.
Comfort over cost is my motto! (within reason, of course).
Vacation Packages
Research vacation packages available through companies such as Expedia and Flight Center. You may save money by bundling your airfare, car rental, and accommodation costs.
Vacation packages are a good option when you’re going to one or two destinations for a relatively short time (for example, a two-week vacation in Italy).
Step 2: Select Your Travel Mode
You have two choices—escorted tour or independent travel. If you choose independent travel, consider purchasing the occasional day tour. You can relax and enjoy the attractions without the headaches of navigating.
I have traveled on guided tours and independently, and both methods have benefits and drawbacks.
The remaining steps relate primarily to independent travel.
Step 3: Set Up Your Itinerary
Once you’ve determined how much time and budget you have and you’ve chosen to travel independently, the real fun begins!
Launch Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets on your Google drive, or the spreadsheet app of your choice and set up your itinerary.
In the first column, enter the start date for the trip and then add each date of the trip’s duration on subsequent lines.
TIP: Set the format for each date so that the day of the week (Monday, Tuesday) is displayed to help you when you start filling in information about events, transportation connections, and day tours. Travel on Sundays can be limiting if you’re planning to use public transit, or you may discover that the museum you want to see is closed on the day you’ve allocated to visit.
Add headings for Destination, Transportation, Activity/Event, Accommodation, and Cost.
The start and end dates may shift when you start looking into flight options, but your goal at this point is to create a ‘big picture’ view of the trip.
Enter as many costs as possible as you create your itinerary. Set up the spreadsheet to calculate totals. I often add columns for costs incurred each day; for example, Accommodation Cost, Transportation Cost, Event Tickets, etc.
Step 4: Choose Your Destinations
For me, this step is the most challenging and the most satisfying of the planning process. How to figure out where to go and what to see?
Head first to the library or go online to find guidebooks about the destinations you’re considering. Also explore the posts and pages on the Artsy Traveler website and search for destination ideas on the Web.
Enter search terms such as “what to see in London” or “itineraries for Scandinavia” and then start surfing. Over the course of several days, a picture starts to emerge of the main sights and points of interest in an area.
Start filling in the itinerary spreadsheet with your preferred destinations. This phase of trip planning is a lot of fun because you’re discovering new ideas and letting your imagination run free.
For Gregg and me, part of the decision about where to travel is made for us because Gregg is exhibiting his artwork (see My Story) in a particular location. We plan the trip around the exhibition location and dates.
Step 5: Find Events, Exhibitions & Tours
Once you know where you want to go, search for information about what’s on. This step puts the ‘artsy’ into artsy traveling.
For example, on a trip to England, I wanted to see a play at Stratford-upon-Avon. When I check the Royal Shakespeare Company website, I discover that I can’t see the play I want to see on the date I’ve allocated for Stratford.
Back to the drawing board! I rejig my itinerary until finally I can see everything I want to see and catch a performance of Richard III!
Find out what’s happening in the locations you’re visiting using search terms such as “concerts in Vienna”, “what’s happening in Amsterdam,” “exhibitions in Paris”, etc.
Also visit the websites for specific institutions, such as the Uffizi, the Louvre, or the Rijksmuseum. To find concerts, check the websites of concert venues, such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, and so on.
What’s on at the Musée D’Orsay while you’re in Paris? Check the website!
If you’re visiting London, check the theater listings and choose the plays and musicals you want to see. By the way, theater in London is both fantastic and a bargain, especially compared to New York.
Every time I visit London, I set aside time to attend as many performances as my schedule will allow. I can often get good deals by going to the theater the day before the performance to see what seats are available.
Step 6: Calculate Transportation Needs
Flights
Your first job, presuming you’re traveling to Europe from elsewhere, is to determine which city you’ll land in and which you’ll leave from.
I’m a big fan of the open-jaw itinerary – that is, flying into one city and flying home from another city.
You save travel time between cities and cover more ground. We generally fly into Amsterdam and then fly home from somewhere in the south, such as Nice or Portugal. The cost of open-jaw tickets is surprisingly reasonable, often not much more than the cost of a regular return ticket.
SkyScanner offers a wide range of open-jaw flights and cheap flights. Booking an open-jaw flight is easy. Just click the Multi-City option when you enter your departure cities.
Once you’ve chosen your arrival and departure cities, you need to determine how you plan to get around.
Car Rental
If you plan to drive in Europe, your selection of an open-jaw flight will depend on whether you’re able to purchase an open-jaw car rental.
You’ll pay a premium to drop off the car in a different location from where you picked it up. Do the math to determine if the extra cost is worth it, considering the gas and accommodation costs required to drive back to where you picked up the car. We usually find that the one-way stipend is much less than the cost of taking an additional few days to drive back to our starting point.
If you’ve planned your itinerary as a circle tour, you’ll pick up and drop off your car in the same location, thereby saving money.
To help you plan your car rental needs, check the car rental sites like Europcar and AutoEurope.
Rail Travel
Your best resources for train travel are the Rail Europe and UK Rail websites. Enter your start and end cities to find out schedules, durations, and costs. Note that these sites only allow you to view tickets within a six-month time frame, so if you’re doing your planning in January for travel in August, enter dates in May or June to get some rough data to work with as you build your itinerary.
The big decision when it comes to training it around Europe is whether to buy a pass or pay for point-to-point tickets. Which choice is better depends on how far you plan to travel and for what duration. If you plan to travel from Paris to Berlin to Rome to Madrid in a one-month period, a train pass likely makes sense.
As mentioned above, Eurail passes must be purchased before you leave for Europe. Find out more on the Eurail website.
If you’re home-basing in Siena and planning to use busses and local trains to explore the area, you don’t need a train pass.
Make use of the trip planners on the train websites to calculate costs for point-to-point tickets, then compare them to the cost of a rail pass.
For a great analysis of rail passes vs point-to-point tickets, check out this article by Rick Steves.
Ferries
Check ferry fares and times if your itinerary takes you over the water, for example, from Italy to Greece. Confirm when and from where the ferries sail and enter the options into your itinerary.
Day Tours
Check guidebooks and the Web for information about day tours in the destinations you’re visiting. When I travel solo, I usually travel by public transport which means touring the countryside can be challenging. My solution is to train it to a central location and then purchase a day tour that takes me into the countryside. I always opt for small group tours and have yet to be disappointed.
You’ll want to ensure that the day tour you’ve chosen is available on the day you want. If not, keep revising your itinerary!
This process is not done in a day, that’s for sure.
Step 7: Revise and Replace
How long you spend on Step 7 depends on the information you discovered during Steps 5 and 6. I’ve been known to spend a few weeks jigging and rejigging an itinerary until finally I’m satisfied that I’m seeing the maximum number of concerts, theater performances, art exhibitions, etc., and visiting as many places as I comfortably can in the time available.
Err on the side of spending more time in a destination rather than less. Avoid creating an itinerary that has you on the move every day. That pace gets extremely tiring after just a few days.
Plan to spend at least two nights in a destination – preferably three – to settle in and really get to know the area. And make sure you build in time for relaxing. When I’m in a bit city, I often return to my hotel in the afternoon for a restorative nap.
Step 8: Book Accommodations
Once I’ve more or less set my itinerary, I’m ready to start checking and booking accommodations. I never consider my itinerary completely set until I’m home from my trip! I frequently change the itinerary during a trip after learning about new exhibitions and events or meeting new people.
Use a booking agency, such as booking.com, to find and book your accommodations and select the Free Cancellation option. You can always return to the site closer to your trip time and change the booking to the cheaper ‘no cancellation’ option. Your goal at this stage is to secure places to lay your head. Hotels and apartments book up fast in Europe.
Over the months leading up to a trip, I book and unbook accommodation until I’m sure I’m getting the best pillow bangs for my euros.
Step 9: Book Transportation
If your transportation options don’t allow free cancelations, you’ll need to wait until you’re 100% sure of your dates before booking.
However, typically, the sooner you book your flights, the better the deals, so don’t wait too long. You can also save on car rentals by booking early. Some car rental companies allow you to cancel your reservation right up to the day before.
We had to do this in Spain once. We were scheduled to pick up our car at the crack of dawn in Madrid and drive for six hours to Cordoba. Unfortunately, both of us had come down with nasty colds, and the thought of driving for that long was not a pleasant one.
I was able to cancel our car reservation without penalty hours before we were to pick up the car, and then purchase train tickets that whisked us south. The other people on the train may not have appreciated the hacking and coughing, but at least we could doze off before arriving in Cordoba.
You can purchase train passes at any time prior to your departure. However, you can only buy point-to-point tickets within three to six months of your travel date.
Complete Your Itinerary
In the weeks before your trip, fine-tune your itinerary so it becomes your personal guidebook as you travel around Europe. Enter every possible detail, including contact information for all your hotels, information about your car rental and train trips, performance times for events, etc.
Format the itinerary so it’s easy to read and then print a few copies.
Print? Yes. Print!
You never know when you’ll hop into a taxi to be taken to your hotel only to find your phone has died. If your driver doesn’t speak English, you can pull out your paper itinerary, point to the address and, voilà! You’re on your way.
By the time I return from a European trip, my paper itinerary is in tatters. Now, that’s a trip well taken.
I’ve had great luck finding marvelous places to stay in Italy. Hotel proprietors are friendly, and these days almost all of them speak English.
In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in Italy and list hotels I recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I book almost all the hotels on my itinerary before I leave home so I know I’ll have places to stay in every location. While traveling, I sometimes change bookings to follow a new route or in response to hearing about a cool location I hadn’t known about.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
Choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book and then cancel hotel reservations as your itinerary changes. Most sites offer you a no-cancellation option at a lower price. I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I’ll select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from because I know those locations won’t change.
But overall, stay flexible. I’ve learned from experience that sticking to a rigid itinerary with no-cancellation accommodations can end up costing you more money than you save.
Breakfasts – Prima Colazione
Breakfasts in Italy usually consist of scrumptious pastries, fresh fruit, dry cereal, cold meats and cheeses, and coffee. I only eat the hotel breakfast if it’s included in the room rate or if I didn’t get a chance to buy food before checking in.
Buffet breakfast at an Italian hotel
If hotel breakfasts cost extra (and the cost can be exorbitant), I buy yogurt and fruit at a local grocery store and then go to a bar or café for my morning cappuccino.
Location
In Italy in particular, I only stay in the center of a town or city if I’m not driving. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, driving into medieval hill towns can be a nightmare, and driving into cities like Rome is definitely not recommended!
A great advantage of traveling in Italy by public transit is that you can choose to stay in picturesque and historic town centers (centros). Grab a taxi from the train station and let your driver negotiate the tiny cobbled alleyways while you enjoy watching the passing throngs and imagining yourself back in the Middle Ages.
Tips for Drivers in Italy
When driving in Italy, I book places on the outskirts of the town or city and then take trams or taxis into the centro for sightseeing. In rural areas, like Tuscany and Umbria, I always book places located in the gorgeous countryside so I can take walks and, if it’s hot, enjoy a dip in the pool.
When selecting a hotel outside a city, I usually opt for a modern business hotel that includes free parking. Chains such as NH, Blu, and Best Western are generally reliable.
TIP: For a taste of la dolce vita, consider booking an agriturismo property for a week or more in a rural area. Attached to a working farm or vineyard, these properties provide you with opportunities to meet local families and to sample local food.
Star Rating
Over the years, I’ve stayed in many clean and well-run budget hotels in Italy, but these days I favor three- or four-star properties because I appreciate amenities such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, and in-room WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters will be small, with a child-size shower stall and barely enough room to wedge your suitcase against the wall.
Reviews – Should You Care?
Yes, I pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate review is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, I usually pass. Sometimes the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property makes the extra money worth spending.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. Check the star rating, remember that a 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star, and proceed accordingly.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in Italy and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
Accommodation Options by Region
To help you plan your Italy getaway, here are my recommendations. For each destination, I describe properties I’ve stayed in along and suggest alternate properties that look good.
You can click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Northern Italy
Turin
The Parco Hotel Sassi, located 4 kilometers from Turin, worked well for us when we were driving from France to Italy. We checked the pictures of the hotel and noted it was surrounded by the greenery of the Po Natural Park. When booking hotels on the outskirts of a town, make sure you don’t end up in a dreary suburb. Parco Hotel Sassi is situated in an attractive area outside of Turin.
We appreciated the large rooms, beautiful grounds, and proximity to a family restaurant that served one of the best meals we’ve had in Italy. We left the car in the free car park and hopped the tram to get into Turin.
On another trip to Turin, we stayed in an apartment in the heart of the city. This was a great choice because we were staying in Turin for ten days and wanted to be able to walk everywhere. We parked our car in an underground lot nearby.
Called the Casa Vittoria, the two-0bedroom, well-appointed apartment was great value and in an excellent location for exploring lovely Turin.
Milan
I can’t recommend the nondescript 3-star hotel we stayed in while visiting Milan a few years ago. It was located near the train station and was a bit on the dark and small side. I don’t recommend getting places too close to the train station in big cities. In my experience, such hotels tend to be rather soul-less!
I’ve provided two options located in the lively center of Milan for travelers who are not traveling by car (take a taxi from the train station). If you are traveling by car, check the maps and select a hotel located near the main highway of your route into the city. Note that Milan is not as crazy to drive in as, say, Rome. However, it is a big city, and, as a rule, steering clear of big cities is the less stressful option. After all, you’re on vacation!
I once stayed in a teeny tiny room in a business hotel near Malpensa airport, but I can’t recommend it unless you have an early flight to catch.
In central Milan, Antica Locanda Dei Mercanti looks like an excellent, relatively high-end choice located close to the Sforza Castle and featuring terraces and views. The reviews are excellent, and the rooms appear quite spacious. The hotel includes an airport shuttle, but parking is €38 a day so probably not the best choice for drivers.
Also in central Milan, Hotel Gran Duca Di York is a three-star hotel in an excellent location near the Duomo. Ratings are good, although room sizes are not specified for all room types, and some look small. However, the price is reasonable, considering it’s Milan..
Have a look at the map below for additional accommodation options in Milan.
The Hotel Magdalener-Hof, high on a hill above Bolzano, was a perfect stop for us when we were en route to Venice after crossing into Italy through the Brenner Pass from Austria. We had a dip in the pool overlooking the view and then caught the local bus into Bolzano to wander its colorful streets before enjoying dinner at a restaurant on the town square. At the end of the evening, we grabbed a taxi back to the hotel for about €5–much easier and less stressful than driving into town and looking for parking.
Dolomites
We drove up into the Dolomites to the picturesque Alpine village of Seis and stayed in the Parc Hotel Florian. The view from our balcony of needle-sharp Mount Schlern looming above the village was fabulous–exactly the view of the Dolomites I’d hoped for. The hotel included a hearty dinner, which was great because restaurant options in the area were limited. The hotel makes a good home base if you plan to spend a few days in the area and take lifts up to the Alpe di Siusi to go hiking.
Venice and Ravenna
Venice
If you have the time, rent an apartment in Venice and stay for a week. Live like a local, not that you’ll see many locals these days. Venetians are moving out of the city at an alarming rate. But at least you’ll experience shopping in tiny local grocery stores and get to know your way around a neighborhood.
If you’re staying in Venice for two or three days, consider the Dorsoduro district across the Grand Canal from the Piazza San Marco. I recommend you avoid the area immediately adjacent to Piazza San Marco. Hotels there can be expensive, and the tiny streets in the area are wall-to-wall tourists during the day.
Here are suggestions for hotels that we have stayed in–one in the Dorsoduro and one near the Rialto Bridge.
Hotel Canaletto: We stayed there a few years ago and loved it. The rooms were small, but that’s par for the course in Venice. The location, just 200 meters from Rialto Bridge, was fantastic as was its situation on a charming side canal.
Hotel Messner is a more modest option, located in the Dorsoduro neighborhood close to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. It was quiet, and the area was peaceful and uncrowded, particularly at night.
For other options in Venice, check the map below. Resist the temptation to stay on the mainland. The savings will be minimal once you take into account train fares and your time. Stay in the middle of Venice and enjoy this unique city.
We were driving when we visited Ravenna, so we stayed at the Grand Hotel Mattei, about a ten-minute taxi ride from the center of Ravenna. The hotel was large and modern and included free parking–a perfect choice! When we’re driving in Italy, convenience usually wins out over charm.
The map below shows more options in and around Ravenna.
We’ve stayed in marvelous hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in Tuscany–some in the countryside and some in the towns. You’ll find amazing villa properties in Tuscany and pay equally amazing prices. Most of my suggestions are in the modest €80-150 per night range.
Florence
One of the best weeks I spent in Florence was at a rented house high above the city, near Fiesole. While swimming in the pool, we could see the Duomo shimmering in the distance. If you have the time and a car, consider renting a house a few kilometers outside Florence. You can then drive to one of the parking lots on the perimeter of the city and catch a bus into the centro.
Here are two suggestions for hotels I’ve stayed at in central Florence.
Hotel Pitti Palace at Ponte Vecchio is a great choice because it’s across the Ponte Vecchio in the atmospheric and marginally less crowded San Giovanni district. I stayed there on a solo trip to Florence and was especially taken by the views from the rooftop bar. Highly recommended.
View from the rooftop bar at the Hotel Pitti Palace in Florence
The Hotel Alba Palace is an elegant property in a good location near Santa Maria Novella Basilica.
If you’re driving, you do not want to drive into central Florence. Instead, find a place on the outskirts and take a bus. Here are two places we’ve stayed in that I recommend.
The Hotel Ungherese is a two-star, budget option that includes a statue-filled garden, views over Florence, spacious rooms, and easy parking. It’s a good bargain and not far from Florence on the local bus. The Hilton Garden Hotel Florence Novoli is a four-star, reasonably-priced property a 15-minute bus ride from the center of Florence. The hotel is slick and modern and lacking in charm. However, it’s easy to find, and parking is underground and secure.
For other accommodation options in Florence, check the map below.
I heartily recommend three places outside the walls of San Gimignano that I’ve stayed in over the years. My favorite is the Hotel Pescille which I’ve stayed in at least four times since we discovered it back in 1999!
Hotel Pescille: This three-star establishment has a killer view over the valley to the towers of San Gimignano. I keep returning to the Hotel Pescille for its simple but comfortable rooms, its fabulous location in the Tuscan countryside, and the rustic furnishings. The walls in the common areas are decorated with farm implements, and ceramic pumpkins adorn niches and stairwells. The Hotel Pescille is located about a five-minute drive south of San Gimignano.
On our most recent trip, we took several walks near the hotel to admire the view. Here’s a shot of San Gimignano from a vantage point close to the Hotel Pescille. Look at those clouds!
I give you San Gimignano!
Relais Cappuccina: On the north side of San Gimignano, the Relais Cappuccina affords a different–and equally stunning–panoramic view of San Gimignano than that of the Hotel Pescille. The pool at this hotel is lovely, thanks to its situation overlooking San Gimignano. Our room was spacious and bright and included a terrace.
The swimming pool at the Relais Cappuccina with San Gimignano in the distance
Villa Ducci: I stayed here on my own while researching my novel, The Towers of Tuscany, and loved it. The staff were friendly and helpful. They even allowed me to view the cellar with its 14th-century foundations that later played a role in the novel. The Villa Ducci, like the Relais Cappuccina, is located on the north side of San Gimignano. Here’s a sunrise view of the town I snapped one morning.
The map below shows more options for staying in or near San Gimignano. If you’re traveling without a car, consider one of the hotels in the center of the town so you can enjoy moonlit strolls around the medieval streets before turning in.
Palazzo Masi: This small bed-and-breakfast in the center of Siena is steps from the Campo and located in a building that dates from the 14th century. I stayed here while researching The Towers of Tuscany. It’s a great choice if you’re not driving in Siena.
Athena Hotel: This is a wonderful choice if you’re driving because it’s located just inside the city walls and easily accessible. The rooms are large and the views over the countryside spectacular. We’ll stay there again, for sure.
Check the map for more accommodation options in Siena. If you’re driving, choose properties at or near the city walls rather than in the center of the city where access is tight and parking at a premium.
Casale Dinelli: This is a lovely agriturismo property near Tarquinia, consisting of two small guest cottages set in beautiful grounds that included vegetable gardens we were welcome to raid.
Charming cottage accommodations at the Casale Dinelli
Breakfast food supplied; strawberries fresh from the garden
Umbria
We stayed for ten days in Umbria in an amazing apartment attached to the gallery where Gregg had an exhibition. Located outside the lovely little town of Gualdo Tadino, the place made a wonderful home base for exploring the principal towns of Umbria.
Because we chose a homestay for our Umbria visit in 2018, most of my recommendations for these towns are based on user reviews rather than personal experience. We did, however, stay in the Hotel Valentino in Orvieto the first time we visited Umbria.
Assisi
The Vico del Poeta looks like an excellent, medieval bed-and- breakfast in Assisi. Reviews are good, and free parking is included (always a bonus!).
Grand Hotel Assisi: I like the look of this place–panoramic views, a swimming pool, and a reasonable price.
Orvieto
Hotel Valentino is situated in the centro storico (the historical center) of Orvieto but is accessible by car. We loved being in the middle of the medieval action here–able to stroll the cobbled streets after all the crowds were gone. The hotel itself is old and rather dark but comfortable and clean. A solid choice.
Agriturismo Podere Pescara is located in the countryside near Orvieto. The surroundings look amazing! Very Tuscan.
Perugia
Sangallo Palace includes balconies, views, and what looks to be a lovely ambiance near Perugia.
Marche
I have to put in a plug for the Hotel Emilia, high on a cliff overlooking the Adriatic Sea on the east coast of Italy. If you drive east through Umbria, you’ll likely end up in the Marche, the biggest city being Ancona on the coast. Once a bit off the tourist track, the region is getting more popular and for good reason.
The Hotel Emilia is wonderful; stunning views and fabulous modern sculptures and paintings decorate the grounds and public rooms. We stayed for two nights, relaxing in the gardens overlooking the misty view of the legend-shrouded Adriatic, taking long walks along the cliff top, and enjoying a beachside dinner in the village of Portonovo a few minutes’ drive down the hill. We were there in May, which is still the off-season. I gather that in the summer, the beach is mobbed!
View from the grounds of the Hotel Emilia
On the sandy beach at Portonovo
View over Portonovo from the Hotel Emilia
Rome
We tend to favor apartments when staying in Rome. Our favorite location is in the tiny streets leading into the Piazza Navona. One year we had an apartment that included a rooftop terrace! Hotels are plentiful but not budget-friendly in Rome. Here are two hotels and one apartment I’ve stayed in that I recommend.
Deko Rome is a small bed-and-breakfast located close to the Borghese Gardens in a lovely residential area of Rome. I stayed there when I traveled to Rome on my own and found it comfortable and budget-friendly.
Hotel Paba is a small, two-star hotel that occupies the second floor of a residential building conveniently located on the Via Cavour, not far from the Colosseum. In fact, you can see the Colosseum from the street. The decor is old-fashioned and cosy and the price reasonable, considering the central location.
Viam 16B Suites is probably my very favorite suite hotel I’ve stayed in anywhere in Europe. It’s stylish, includes a private terrace, and is located in a great area of Rome – close to the Piazza Popolo and the Spanish Steps.
Check the map for more accommodation options in Rome. I suggest the area around the Piazza Navona or the less touristy Trastevere.
We stayed in the Hotel Paradiso. Located on Posillipo Hill, the hotel has a commanding view across the Bay of Naples to Mount Vesuvius. Relax on the terrace and enjoy! The hotel is comfortable and reasonably priced.
Sorrento
The Hotel Eden has a central location in Sorrento, with rooms on the upper floors overlooking the stunning view of the Bay of Naples. Lush gardens and a pool provide a welcome oasis. This is a good choice for Sorrento, although not budget-friendly.
Positano
We didn’t stay in Positano, so my recommendations are based on what I think looks good. Prices are high in this holiday mecca, so if Positano is above your price range, consider staying longer in Sorrento and taking a day tour down the Amalfi coast.
In Positano, the über posh Sirenuse Hotel is über expensive, but if you’re budget runs to it – wowee! Scenes from Only You were filmed there.
A more budget-friendly option is the Villa Antonietta that still has sea views but is much more modestly appointed.
Paestum
The Hotel Savoy, steps from the beach near Paestum is an awesome place to stay. It’s super luxurious and yet surprisingly affordable.
Tours & Tickets in Italy
Here are some options to explore through GetYourGuide and Tiqets.com, both companies I’ve booked with several times, and had good experiences.
Do you have accommodation recommendations to share? Please let me know in the Comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Italy. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Italy.
Here are some more posts to enjoy while you’re planning your trip to Italy:
