Planning Our Third Annual Summer Away!
Happy Saturday!!! Just sitting here with my laptop in my lap eating way too much Halloween candy while everyone else in the family is watching college football all. day. long. My sweet little niece is running a fever and we are still in Orlando so we decided to stay put here in the condo while she rests and while the daddies watch UGA play. For me that means lots of chocolate, a glass of red wine or two and my very favorite thing to do… trip planning!!! This time around for our third annual Summer away, I have decided to get feedback from all of YOU! Every time we have been away, you guys always chime in with the best ideas so I decided to let you guys help me with the planning!
Our very first Summer away we spent six weeks in the Pacific Northwest from Portland to the Pugent Sound. Last Summer we started in Paris, ventured along the southern coast of France and ended in Switzerland. This Summer I am playing around with a general idea of going from Spain to France to Italy and then possibly Greece… BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!!!
Here’s the thing… THE MAIN THING… I do not like miserable transportation experiences. As I chatted about in my “How to Plan the Ultimate Long Summer Trip Adventure” post, I talked about how I always start my plans with transportation. The ultimate goal is a direct flight from Atlanta to the first location and then a direct flight home from the last location. From there, I plot each spot in between with easy train or plane routes with a goal of no more than four to five week long spots for this Summer.
Here’s a little peek at the GENERAL IDEA which may or may not work…
Barcelona -> Cassis -> Antibes -> Amalfi Coast -> Santorini
Here are my questions…
- What are your experiences with the best “fly into and out of” spots in these general areas?
- Is the Amalfi coast and Santorini “worth it” or just an IG’ers dream? I want something that will be a great spot for at least a week!
- What coastal (or slightly inland) French cities do you love? WE LOVED Antibes last year and are thinking about making that a stop again this year since Mark wasn’t with us there last time!
- Any other areas in this general trek that you guys suggest?
THANK Y’ALL!!!!!!!
Liz says
Hello hello! Santorini is very worth it. It is my strong recommendation when you go NOT to stay in Oia! Instead, I recommend staying in Imerovigli. You can hike a beautiful trail from there to the famous Oia. It is much easier to get all around Santorini while not staying in busy Oia. Specifically, I can’t recommend Anastasis Apartments enough. But overall, Santorini is a dream with so much to do! Just don’t try to spend all of your time in Oia!
Jen says
Agree with staying in Imerovigli!!! Enjoy – it’s GORGEOUS!
Vicki Leuck says
You will love the wine in Cassis
Kharolds says
http://drippingwithpassion.blogspot.com/search?q=Cassis&m=
Great blog about travel
Megan says
We are going to Greece next summer for a month with 2 girls ages 6 and 8. We will be staying part of the time with a friend who has a house on Paros and she is from Greece. She recommended 2-3 days in Santorini with kids. It’s easy to ferry from island to island and from what she’s told me and what I’ve researched Paros is much more family friendly as well as affordable. Santorini is a must see for me but I’ve been told island hopping is easy and affordable.
On another note- I can’t wait to see your wardrobe choices. I’ve started a capsule wardrobe for Greece for my daughter’s and I. I hope to see more of what you pack for your girls as that has been the hardest for me to plan! I also am curious about what you pack for the girls for entertainment on long trips? We also are a non technology family and I can’t imagine lugging all our books and art supplies all over Greece.
Shelley M says
Amalfi coast…. specifically Ravello is amazing. And your husband would love a visit to Mamma Agata cooking school. It’s amazing, was probably my favorite thing we did. Her home is overlooking the coast & they grow everything they use to cook along the hillside. It’s absolutely unreal & worth the trip.
Nicki says
When I was traveling through France to Barcelona I took a train (from Montpelier). One thing I did not know beforehand was that the time between stops is super quick, like 4 minutes. I learned that the hard way on a train from Paris to Barbentane. I personally liked seeing the countryside by train. Uber works in Barcelona now so I used that for a lot of getting around. Make sure you get tickets for anything Gaudí beforehand. Or go first thing in the morning, by the afternoon they are usually sold out.
Sarah says
Just got back from Italy- Amalfi is amazing – you either have to fly in to Naples and then drive or train from there. Do not rent a car there! Every town is so close to one another, you can walk them or get a taxi. Great food and beautiful! Take a day and head to Capri on a ferry!
mary says
Rome is amazing, and Florence is very special, too. Love following along, thanks for sharing your summer adventures! : )
Since your last trip when you said you could speak French fluently I’ve wondered, how did you learn? Always been a dream of mine : )
Mary
Katie says
Cinque terre is also a beautiful coastal town in Italy. Lots of hiking and beautiful sights. My personal favorite was Levanto (which isn’t technically part of Conque terre, but is a short regional train ride away.) Levanto was the most authentic, least touristy town we visited during our trip (we did Rome, Florence, Venice, and Cinque Terre/Levanto) Good luck with planning, can’t wait to follow along.
TJ says
I studied for a summer in Spain and traveled the country. Sevilla was far more enjoyable than Barcelona. Barcelona was nice, but not amazing, could have been the places we visited though.
Caitlin Clemenson says
The amalfi coast is so worth it!! We stayed for two weeks! You can take a ferry to Naples, capri, and positano! It was amazing!!
Brooke Pate says
It sounds amazing! Have you considered adding in a Disney Mediterranean cruise or Adventures by Disney itinerary? I’m a vacation planner specializing in Disney and I would recommend both. If you would like my help, I can send my information, however, I know you like to do your own planning It’s amazing to me how Disney’s storytelling is intertwined in every destination on the itinerary. There are so many stories of tourists surpassing lines at the Vatican and other popular places in Europe.
Colleen says
I had no issues flying in and out of Barcelona. Your girls will love Barcelona, such a kid friendly city too. The Gaudi exhibits are amazing!
I’d add Florence for sure! Like take time away from Rome and add it to Florence. Rome is a big, dirty city with rude tourists. You can do the coliseum, trevi fountain, and vatican in a day. Book a Context Travel tour of the vatican, its so worth it!
I think you hit the nail on the head with Amalfi Coast and Santorini. They’re also big honeymooner/adults only/get away from our kids destinations. (See recent Studio McGee post!) I think you’ll have to work extra hard to keep the kiddos entertained while avoiding the side eye from parents who worked really hard to get away from kids.
We honeymooned in Santorini, there really isn’t much to do. I don’t even think there’s a museum….hence the big honeymoon destination! ; )
As for Greece, I’d suggest flying out of Athens (its direct to ATL but its a 15 hr flight!). Nothing but puddle jumpers to the islands and some with limited hours/days. You’re better off with ferries. Definitely do Athens, the history alone is amazing. Your girls will love it. I’d probably look into a ferry tour of the islands but not actually stay there. Dare you send the girls home alone, so you and Mark can go to Santorini…that I’d recommend!
Kate says
Hi Brittany,
I wonder if you have considered Japan? As an avid traveler, it is truly one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever been.
So different. Incredibly clean. Lovely people.
I have to say, it always bothers me a little bit when friends and acquaintances say I’m going to spend the summer abroad, or I’m off to see the world, and Europe is the only place they ever go. Is Europe wonderful, full of good food and history, of course. But Europe is such a small part of the world, and there is SO MUCH MORE TO SEE. So you speak French, I do too, though I am not entirely fluent, I also speak a bit of German. I would suggest, go to a place where you don’t speak the language, and not many there speak English. You will be amazed and truly touched at the many ways you can and will find to communicate with people. Talk about a true lesson for your daughters. Go to South America, Africa, Vietnam. Another beautiful place, very different, very hot, but indescribable. Thailand, oh my gosh.
And even though you spent some time out west, don’t ever forget the USA. Incredible history and scenery here in this country as well. My guess is, many people don’t know the true history of this beautiful country here in our backyard. I mean no disrespect whatsoever by saying this, but in my humble, and I recognize, unsolicited opinion, travel should never be just about pretty instagram pictures or swanky hotels. 0r the best restaurants and shopping. Learn, truly, the history, the culture, the customs. Eat foods you might never eat, stay in someplace less than 5 star, sweat, get bug bites, get dirty, don’t be afraid that if it isn’t Europe (France or Italy) that it is somehow less a vacation, and therefore, holds less value. Wherever you go, I’m sure you will have a wonderful time, but as a mom who tried to educate my children through travel, sometimes the road less taken, is the best road taken.
Ellen says
My husband and I just honeymooned on the Amalfi coast this past September. It was AMAZING! We stayed in Positano and would take day trips to other towns (Ravello, the island of Capri, etc.) It was super easy to travel by ferry between the towns along the coast and we found it made sense to stay in one place and just do day trips. The scenery is unbelievable and the food was to die for. We took two cooking classes while there and have since put our new skills to use! One thing I can say is that it definitely seems to be a more romantic and couple-y area. I don’t recall seeing too many families, but it may be different in the larger cities (Amalfi, etc.) Lots of what you do is eat, drink, and relax, with lots of walking in between. Your trip looks amazing and have fun!
Nicole says
So did a lot of research on France, Spain, Italy, and Greece. Ended up going with Naples to amalfi to Capri. (Based on best bang for our buck) We’ve already done Rome, Florence (love) Tuscany (loves) Milan, Pisa, and Venice. This trip will finish out Italy for us. So, What i noticed about Greece is a lot of the cliff side residents say not safe for children under the age of 12. Or children are not allowed. Santorini based on extensive reviews does seem quite “couple oriented” . So Mykonos is the “party island” however i did see that even families had a great time there. I even think the beaches there are even better. Might i suggest zakynthos or Crete! I’ve had friends go to both and rave about them! Plus one of their families is from there. Check em out. Zakynthos has incredible beaches! Overall, I’d just do research on the best family Friendly Islands really. Anyway! Have a great time! I wish i could get that much time to hop around. So many places to see! Somewhere in Asia is on my mind for the next adventure 🙂
Shannon B says
Always so excited to see where you plan to go! I’ve travelled to most of these places and love them all and would highly recommend them all as well but do agree with some of the comments that Amalfi and Santorini are both a little more “romantic/coupley” but I think you’re girls seems very mature and I am sure would have a great time! Renting ATVs to explore the island in Santorini is a must. However, since you plan to travel every summer anyways, I would maybe suggest cutting Greece (because you could easily do a whole 2-3 weeks there alone) and saving it for another trip (maybe combined with Croatia and/or Montenegro) and instead this trip do more of Spain and Italy (and the couple destinations in France) instead of adding a while other country. Just a thought since there are so many amazing places in both those countries (if you want more islands, Mallorca in Spain is also amazing and you could maybe do this instead of Santorini). You could do something like Bacelona, Mallorca and Seville in Spain, the couple destinations in France if those are a must (since you need to go through France anyways makes sense to me ;)) and then a bit more in Italy including the Amalfi! Just some thoughts! Oh the one comment I disagree with above though is renting a car in the Amalfi. We rented a car and it was amaaaazing to have the freedom to go from town to town when we wanted without taxi fares and bus schedules. The driving is a little nerve wracking on the side of cliffs but we enjoyed it :)! Just try and make sure the place you are staying has available parking as parking spots can be tricky! Have a great summer!
Lori says
I will be traveling with my family to the Amalfi Coast in May! I would love to hear of any airbnb’s you have considered!!