30ish Days in Europe
- digressaustralia
- Jul 13
- 11 min read
Fly to Rome (1 night)
The first stop was Rome. With an early arrival, we stayed local, allowing time for a quick rest before exploring. We stayed one night in central Rome, walking around the ruins, setting sight on Italian architecture and touring the Colosseum. (We found our tour guide and tickets in person on the day, just above the train station, which is next to the Colosseum. This allowed us to skip lines, etc.) We enjoyed a lemon spritz at the 4337 bar/restaurant.
Rome to Milan (day trip)
As we headed from the city (Rome) to Como via train, we stopped in Milan. Putting our bags in a locker for the day, we explored Milan. (I recommend pre-downloading the moped and e-bike apps.) One afternoon is more than enough in Milan to see the large cathedral (Duomo di Milano). If you have some extra time, you can also see the arch (Arco della Pace) along with some other surrounding monuments, only a few kilometres away.
Como (3 nights)
As central Milan was very busy, we were ready to continue by train to Como. Arriving in Como, you must sit by the lake and enjoy a glass of red, before trying to bus, taxi or Uber to your accommodation (book a ride in advance!). We stayed at the most gorgeous campsite in Como, near Bellagio. Located on the site is a fantastic restaurant, it is just metres away from the camping for practically. On the other side of the restaurant, there are camper van spaces, and there are also toilets and modern showers.
Spending 3 nights in Como allowed us to:
• Hire bikes to ride around. We caught boats to other islands to ride around those places as well. E-bikes cost around 55 euros per person per day.
• Hire a boat and drive around Como. Be aware that you are not allowed to partake in water sports in this area.
• Make dinner and play card games by the lake.
• Swim in the lake.
4. Como to Verona (1-2 nights)
We were fortunate enough to jump in a van and head towards Venice, stopping for one night in the beautiful Verona. Verona is like a little Rome; there is so much culture, beautiful food, and if you are lucky, there is music in the square.
5. Verona to Venice (1-2 nights)
From Verona, we headed to Venice via train. Spending one night near the Venice train station (this was a good spot to stay). We walked the streets and alleys, looking at monuments such as the Bridge of Sighs and St Mark's Cathedral.
Venice to Sardinia (7-14 days)⛵️🚤
We headed from Venice to Sardinia. To do so, we jumped on a train in Venice to Rome, then we caught a second train to Rome airport. We then caught a flight from Rome to Olbia. In Olbia, we did a week's worth of food shopping for 9 people! This was a lot to carry, so we got a local taxi to the marina and jumped on our catamaran in Cannigione. (Get a local taxi contact in Olbia - there are no working Ubers!) The first night in Sardinia was spent on land in accommodation, followed by a week sailing around. When we stayed in Olbia, we ventured down the street of Corso Umberto for a drink and dinner. We began collecting tiles at this point for the future home. On the boat we spent our time swimming, foiling, sailing and exploring. Over a week, we stayed on the boat in the following places (in order):
Olbia 
Food Shop Mission • Bay off of Le Salome
Bay off of Le Salome • Stefano Island
Mapping • Palau
• La Maddalena
La Maddalena • Island of Budelli
• Island of Santa Maria
• Cavallo
• Bonifacio
Sailing into Bonifacio 
Bonifacio Walk • Cavallo (back again)
Cavallo Sunset • Porto Pozzo
Walking the dirt track to the town of Porto Pozzo. • City of Case Dellabbatoggia
• Porto Massimo
• Cala Coticcio
• Porto Cervo
Porto Cervo from the Boat • Cala Granu
Cala Granu from the Boat Sardinia to Rome (2 nights)
We flew from Olbia back to Rome. Spending two nights in Rome. We explored the Pantheon on day one. The next day, we went to Vatican City, seeing the Pope at noon on a Sunday. It was very busy! On the morning of the third day, we went to the Vatican museum (pre book this, and be prepared it is very, very busy and long. If you want to see the Sistine chapel after the museum you have to get through the entire museum to do so - taking around 3 hours total). We also explored other places we didn’t have time to see when we first went to Rome, including the Spanish Steps. We found ourselves a local cocktail spot, great drinks, good company and great prices.
Great Spot for Drinks (8 Euro Drinks) 
Vatican Square 
Spanish Steps 
Vatican Museum Rome to Pompeii 🚐 (1-2 nights)
After two nights in Rome, we got a van from Ponte Galeria La Pisana and headed to the coast. If you rent a van, definitely get a taxi to the van collection point, and do the weekly food shop after you have the van. We ended up carrying boxes of food in 35 degrees on very sketchy roads. Nevertheless, we got the van and drove 3 hours to Pompeii, welcomed straight away like never before by the campsite host. She sat us down as she talked about Pompeii, convincing us to have a limoncello shot. We then set up the rooftop tent, made tacos and hit the hay.
Mount Vesuvius The next day we explored Pompeii, sighting Mount Vesuvius via shuttle, followed by exploration of Pompeii ruins (both pre-booked). Funnily enough, on the bus ride to the volcano, we met some other people from WA! One legend happened to be a customer! In the afternoon, we jumped in the van and headed to the coast.
Sorrento and Positano (3 nights) 🏍️ 🚐
We ventured from the heat of Pompeii to the coast of Sorrento. We stayed at a large campsite with an iconic view of the night fireworks over the water. We went straight to the beach for a swim, but unfortunately, unless you are a local, the beach areas have opening hours, and it also costs.
In Sorrento, we rented a moped for two days, and a boat on the other day (to venture to Capri). As aforementioned, note that the main beaches in Sorrento have open and closing times, and the sun beds are not very affordable. We were lucky enough to have a private beach with more affordable sun beds connected to our campsite (10 euros per bed). This is where we spent one of our days in Sorrento.
On the other day, we rode the moped to Positano, and swam in the free pubic beach section. The scenery is incredible, colourful buildings on cliff faces. On the beach in this area, the umbrellas cost around 80 euros each. We got lucky and happened to purchase an umbrella locally for 20 euro… this was so worth it! We recommend. Also, wear your heatwaves or this pebble beach spot will burn your feet!
We then ventured to a local sandwich shop back towards Sorrento via moped. After a bite, we went down to another beach to spend our afternoon - Anagni Regina Giovanni (you must see both sides of the cliffs). We strongly recommend driving the moped down the path at this swim spot; otherwise, “it’s a long, long walk down”, we were told.
Capri 🛥️
From Sorrento, we hired a small boat for the day (pre-booked online). We called up our mates who happened to be in the area and headed to Capri. We anchored up and swam in the blue. Later, when parking the boat to explore the land, we were told we had to eat at a specific restaurant. In hindsight, we do not recommend going to the restaurant; the service was stressful. But Capri is incredible, stay on the boat and enjoy the water! We were lucky enough to celebrate two friends who had just been engaged two days before.
Driving around Capri 
Swimming in Capri Sorrento to Florence
Unfortunately, we had to end our trip early as the van's engine light was showing; instead of going to Amalfi, we had to drive back to Rome. This left us with 2 days with a new van, as the company made us swap vans in Rome. We were unsure where to go. The weather dropped from 36 to rain, so we ventured to Florence. We had the van, but for the same price as a campsite, we ended up doing 2 nights at a nice hotel for the same price! This was worth it. We booked a place with parking and used the van as transport. In Florence, we explored the square, walking and using electric scooters to get around. On the second day, we drove to Pisa for lunch by the leaning tower.
In Florence, I recommend walking down to the Centro Storico for a wine on the street, as well as a takeaway drink from one of the bars. In this area, everyone gathers on the street to enjoy one another’s company. It has a very nice atmosphere. Of course, for dinner one night, you must order steak with spinach. The Florentine Steak is famous in Florence. Florence is also renowned for the bridge, which accounts for several jewellery stores. One night we went to an event by the river, music, dancing, fairy lights and lots of fun.
Florence to Paris (3 nights)
We drove the camper back to Rome and caught a taxi to the airport. From there, we flew for about 2 hours to Paris. On the first night, we ventured for a steak and wine around the 16th Arr. The next day we ventured around, the day started with a coffee and a pastry, followed by some shopping. We were lucky enough to have our close friend from Cambridge join us for the day. Paris is the place for shopping (it was the first time we went shopping on this trip- everything is well organised and fashionable). I highly recommend popping into Zara, Mango and all the surrounding clothes shops. As our shopping engagement never lasts too long, we headed to Notre Dame, sighting monuments along the way, including bridges and the octagonal water square. When we got to Notre Dame, the line was long, although it was the most efficient line yet, moving very fast… and entry was free (remember to wear something to cover your shoulders). After Notre Dame, we grabbed a coffee and headed to Luxembourg Gardens. We soaked up some sun and sat in awe of the clean, beautiful view. After this, we had a wine by the river (1st Arr), followed by a happy hour cocktail at Église Saint-Eustache 75001 Paris, France. We then jumped on lime bikes, rode home to get changed, grabbed some things at the shops and had a picnic under the Eiffel Tower (bring a small rug if you can). The lights sparkle in the dark for 5 minutes on the hour; it is a beautiful sight to see. The next morning, we woke up on a Wednesday and wanted to see the markets. The main markets were closed, so we ventured down to a lesser-known market-like area for some fresh watermelon and a coffee (5th Arr). Along the way, we found a nice coffee shop for an iced long black, it was called “The Coffee”. We then walked to the Pantheon (around $13 euro entry for an Australian Citizen). The Pantheon stored creative art that made us wonder and talk about what stories were being told. On the way home, we witnessed a lady and an elderly man trying to move a cupboard. We offered them assistance, which led to us being shown around their home-like workplace, which seemed to be a museum in recognition of a woman in the past who stood up for women’s rights. The man tried to pay us, but we refused. But we ended up sharing an unusual minty drink from his fridge, receiving a gifted mug, and chatting as best we could with one another, despite the language difference. It was a moment to remember. We also learned that the lady also moving the furniture had run many marathons in her time. She continues to do so at the age of 62. It was a beautiful and very random occasion where we concluded that “people should help people”. We ventured back through Luxembourg Garden at some point in the afternoon and ended the day with a visit to the Louvre (pre-purchase your tickets, the museum is not open every day). The Louvre was well organised and easier to explore than the Vatican Museum, as it was less crowded and condensed. Although keep an eye out for the grey exit signs, it is hard to find your way out. For dinner, we then went to Papilla, where we enjoyed the lasagna and risotto, followed by drinks at Bar Du Marche. It was the perfect way to end our trip as we headed home to Perth via Doha the next day.
Notre Dame 
Picnic 
Dinner in Paris
Advice
• Pre-book your sightseeing tickets! Whether or not you plan on having a tour guide, pre-booking monument tickets makes everything run smoothly. This ensures you get to see what you wanted to see, rather than everything selling out. This also ensures that you attend monuments during their opening hours.
• Budget a minimum of 100 euros a day for on-land travel (pre-booking and pre-paying for all accommodation). In reality, you will need more than you think. On the coast of Italy, it costs a lot to do the basics, for example, going to the beach, parking boats, having water with meals, city tax on arrival at all hotels, etc. Always have emergency money readily available.
• Learn simple phrases in Italian and French (please, thank you, sorry, yes, no). The French are very easy to talk to, they are easy to understand and very helpful, just learn how to say “I am Australian, do you speak English?”.
• Pack light! We packed 10kg for a month each! A large backpack allowed us to travel from place to place without having to walk carrying a suitcase up and down large staircases. We saw many people struggle in Rome, dragging their suitcases on the uneven pebble streets.
• Pack plenty of sun care and a hat. It is around 35 degrees most days in July! Bring a jumper for the flights, it can get cold.
• Bring laundry washing sheets, which easily dissolve in the washing machine. They can also be used for hand washing when needed. We always ventured to laundry spots all over Europe. Bring coins too!
• If you camp, get the simple tent, towels and bits from Aldi. We found Aldi gear small, simple and reliable.
• Bring a scarf. We purchased plain beige scarves in Venice. They were perfect for sun protection on the boat. They can be used as a towel, and can also wrap around shoulders for certain places (Eg, shops, and religious places such as Notre Dame).
• Pack slides that can be worn out and shoes you can run and walk in. This is a necessary combo! 🏃
• If you have a Euro passport, bring it! Things become much cheaper when sightseeing.
• If you shop in France, ask for tax receipts (they are not the same as they are in Australia - then at the airport in France, you can get that tax back if you fit in with the terms. I believe it is 100+ euros spent at that store on the same day.
• Get a travel safe bag where the zip locks in, admins never walk around with your passport, many people are pick-pocketed often! Also, be aware of tricks such as the free bracelet, especially in Italy.
-By Grace Wilkinson 13.7.25
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