Best of Croatia - Our Road Trip
Saturday morning we started our Road Trip to Croatia in order to see the BEST OF CROATIA. So we knocked out a whopping 650 km before we made our first stop in Graz, the second largest city in Austria. Graz is absolutely beautiful and it doesn’t surprise me that the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arriving to the city we ordered a couple of Döner kebabs and enjoyed a little picnic in park before it was time to get back on the road.
We drove straight through Slovenia and our next stop was Varazdin in Croatia. Upon entering the city we didn’t expect to see very much because Varazdin is a very small city but we couldn’t have been more wrong. During our exploration of the town we stumbled upon the city center and had dinner at a nice restaurant, called Restoran Dominico. The food there was so good and the portions are huge.
After dinner we continued on to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. We arrived in Zagreb at 11:30pm and booked a small room with Roo Rooms which was close to the center. After a long day on the road to see the best of Croatia it was nice to finally relax.
Check out all the other blog posts about Croatia here: Croatia
Prague
Prague’s history, architecture, and delicious food make it a great destination for any traveler. I was having a great time just eating street food and exploring the streets of Prague. The main square is beautiful but you can find some pretty cool surprises in the cuts and an on the outskirts of the city.
Sightseeing in Prague
- Lennon Wall: this is by far my favorite place in Prague. The whole wall covered with contributions from passing travelers. You can read inspirational messages and pieces of art left by people from all over the world.
- Charles Bridge: The Charles Bridge is a must see. In fact, it’s hard to avoid seeing because it practically slices the city of Prague in half. The original construction of the bridge spanned over 3 centuries with its completion in the early 15th century. The Charles Bridge is one of the most beautiful sites in Prague so don’t miss the photo op. It will likely be one that you remember for the rest
Special Food in Prague
- Goulash: Mlejnice, in my opinion, serves the best Goulash Soupe in Prague. I know it’s a bold statement but this place is that good. The Mlejnice is tucked in to a tight alleyway south of the Prague Astronomical Clock. The restaurant is a little crammed but if you cant a place to sit don’t worry, the Mlejinice has two locations and the staff will be happy to direct you to the other spot.
- Pilsner Beer: there is nothing better than a cold refreshing pilsner beer on a hot day. If you are traveling around Prague in the summer its certain that you will need to rehydrate from all the walking around. This is a perfect opportunity to stop at one the cities’ many classic pubs. The beers are cheap and they go down smooth. Have your own Prague pub crawl at 12pm its all good.
Accommodation in Prague
Old Town Square Apartments: there are plenty of options for you as far as hotels in in Prague but I stayed at the Old Town Square Apartments. It’s not the cheapest option but if you are traveling with 2 or more people the the Old Town Square Apartments offers you a large apartment fully equipped with a kitchen and even a jacuzzi tub.
Paris
Paris is a beautiful city, especially in spring and summer months.
Sightseeing in Paris
- The Eiffel Tower
This is the most famous attraction in Paris and the perfect viewing platform. In 276 meters every visitor has a fantastic view over the whole city. My tip: Go at sunset!
- Musée du Louvre
Home to the Mona Lisa. The huge museum with the beautiful glass pyramid is located between the River Seine and Rue Rivoli.
- Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on the Montmartre
The white Roman Catholic pilgrimage church on the highest mountain in Paris, Montmartre is beautiful. Here you will have a great view over Paris. Also, take some time to walk a bit through the neighborhood and check out the small bars, cafes and restaurants.
- Champs Elysées
A true shopping paradise 😉 Here you can find all the well-known luxury brands.
- Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Cathedral is located on the Seine island in the center of Paris and is around 900 years old. Entrance to the church is free but entry into the towers of Notre Dame is 8€ for adults.
- Palace of Versailles
The magnificent Château de Versailles castle was the residence of the French monarch Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful works of French art. The royal private rooms and especially the Hall of Mirrors are impressive.
My favorite part is the vast park of the castle. It is very well maintained and beautifully landscaped and invites you to relax in a royal atmosphere.
It certainly makes sense to buy the tickets in advance. We arrived early in the morning, but were determined 1.5 to 2 hours in the yard in to ever come clean.
Delicious Food
- Baguette and croissants
- Coq au vin (chicken with bacon, onions in a redwine-gravy)
- Snack: croque monsieur-(toast with ham and cheese)
- Anyone who dares may like to try frog legs
Transportation
- Metro
- Walking
Cairo
A stop of my AIDA cruise was Port Said, about 200 km from Cairo.
Pyramids of Gizeh
We wanted to see the pyramids of Gizeh and took the distance in purchasing. Unfortunately, that day was a national holiday in Cairo or Egypt and the traffic was really crazy. Everywhere honking cars and exhaust fumes.
The pyramids were constructed between 2620-2500 v. Chr.
Cheops pyramid: this is the biggest and the most famous pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu. Height: 146 m, still 138 m
Khafre’s Pyramid: middle pyramid, which is a bit smaller.
Menkaure pyramid: small pyramid which 65m and thus less than half that was as the other two.
Grave of Chentkaus, the so-called fourth pyramid.
Do you have recommendations for food or accommodations in Cairo?
Feel free to leave a comment or email us =)
Hamburg
After finishing school in 2012 I moved to Hamburg for an year long internship. Hamburg is a charming city with beautiful bridges over the Elbe and the Alster Rivers. The Port of Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe. My favorite thing about Hamburg is its laid back vibe. Everyone is very nice so if you have questions or need directions don’t hesitate to ask a fellow Hamburger (citizen of hamburg) for help 🙂
What to do in Hamburg
Hamburg offer in every season endless entertainment.
It is impossible to see everything in just one visit. Hamburg is unique in the fact that no matter how many times you come to this amazing city you will always learn something new.
- Alster
The River Alster is great for jogging, walking, cycling, or even just to order a coffee and relax. If you’re hungry you might want want to check out Cafe ALEX on Jungfernstieg or if you have a slightly larger appetite you might want to try Block House on Alster street.
Planet and Blomen: I love to run through Planet and Blomen in the summer to watch the fountains and relax. The name “Planet and Blomen” is Dutch and means “Flower and Blossoms.” It is a beautifully landscaped park and very relaxing.
Blankenese: This is the staircase district of Hamburg, which lies to the west of Hamburg. A walk here between the magnificent villas and the many stairs is especially nice!
- Elbstrand
A small harbor cruise on the River Elbe’s with HVV day ticket on line 62. Here you can get off directly at the River Elbe, enjoy a stroll along the water at the beach and in between eating a cup of coffee and a waffle or sausage. Whether summer or winter, as long as the sun shines it’s always perfect.
- Reeperbahn in St. Pauli
This is the Hamburger party area that everyone should know about. The most famous street is the Herbert Street and its strictly for men-only (sorry ladies). There are also many bars and clubs and the famous David’s guard on the Reeperbahn.
- Fish market
The Hamburg Fish Market is open every Sunday (opens at 5am in the summer and 7:30am during the winter) offering fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, meat, and pastries. Stop by in the hall after the market for a white sausage breakfast and live music. Towards the end around 9am you can get really good deals. There are so many different things to buy here.
Definitely worth a visit!
- Schanze Fourth (Hamburgers call it “Die Schanze” or “The Lair”)
Known for great bars, cafes, bistros, and small charming boutiques.
My hotel tip, but unfortunately not cheap: The Mövenpick Hotel, which formerly was an old water tower.
- The Michel
Formally known as St. Michael’s Church but hamburgers know it as “The Michel”. After 2 fires in the beginning of the 20th century, the old church has been reconstructed. For a small entrance fee you can go up the bell tower and enjoy a birds eye view of the city.
- Speicherstadt and HafenCity
The warehouse district contains many old warehouses, which are built on stilts. Today you can go by in a boat and see the warehouses outside, inside there are many museums. Here I can recommend the Spice Museum.
Delicious Food in Hamburg
- Breakfast in Hamburg: Café Paris: quite central near Mönkebergstraße
- Try the Fish: Fisherman’s House (Yellow House) at the fish market: the salmon with potatoes and mustard sauce tastes delicious =)
- Steakhouse: Block House overlooking the Inner Alster
- For a quick bite I go to the Europa Passage (Shopping Mall), on the ground floor there is ice cream shop where you can enjoy really good ice cream on a waffle for dessert.
Accommodations
In Hamburg there are many hostels and hotels.
I would recommend the A & O Hostel near the main train station.
The Onyx on the Reeperbahn is also great during the week.
My absolute favorite, unfortunately, not very cheap, but sometimes you get lucky and find a good deal:
Mövenpick Hotel at the Sternschanzenpark. Once upon a time an old water tower.
Transportation
- HVV ticket (day or multi-day tickets) I think this is the best way to get anywhere.
- Bus
Funchal
Funchal is one of my favorite places in Europe, which is the capital of the island Madeira, belonging to Portugal. It is a very colorful flower island, which inspires me. There are so many things to do and 101 nice places.
Walk through the old town, enjoy the flair of the Mercado and go up to the hill by the great cable track.
Don´t miss to drink the good madeira wine!
Places to see in Funchal
- Telefrico, the cable track to the monte
- Carros de Cesto, a crazy ride with the Toboggan. The toboggans are baskets, where u can sit in and 2 men are controlling it and roll you down from the monte t
- Kathedrale Sé
- Jardim Municipal (the biggest garden in town)
- Mercado dos Lavradores: very nice market with good and fresh fruits and flowers. You can get there crazy things like tomatoe-passionfruit, banana-passionfruits and eatable Philodendron
- Santa Catarina Park
Special Food in Funchal
- Espetada em Pau de Lauro: this is a traditional food, meat on a bay leaf stick
- You will get there often a traditional Bolo de caco, which is a garlic bread
- Fresh Fruits from the Mercado
- Seafood
- Don´t miss to drink the madeira wine
- Try the beer from madeira, it is called Coral
Transportation in Funchal
- enjoy walking
- cable track
- bus
Siem Reap - Angkor Wat
Siem Reap is famous for its about 1000 year old Angkor Wat temples. Not kings lived there, but rather gods, how it is told in the legend. The temple complex stands for cambodia and it is on the national flag as well as on the bills.
Spend a nice and historical day to see Angkor Wat in Siem Reap!
Sightseeing in Siem Reap
I guess 99,9 % of the tourists come to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor Wat. That is what i did.
We drove from Khao San Road in Bangkok by Minivan to the border of Cambodia, where we had to get a visa and then to Siem Reap, which is very close to the famous temples. You can get really cheap and nice hotels in Siem Reap.
Angkor Wat
Go to Angkor Wat and enjoy the historical temple complex. The One Day Pass is 25$ per Person. We spent about 5-6 hours there, spoke to locals and prayed with them in one temple. I really like the temple complex and the old banyan trees.
Old Market in Siem Reap
If you want to buy a few shirts, scarfs or something, go to the old market in Siem Reap. You can buy some textils for less money then in Thailand and it is good quality.
Night Markets Siem Reap
The night markets are great there. In Siem Reap are 3 night markets, which are very close together. It is very nice to walk around and get good deals on watches, clothes, souvenirs.
Delicious Food in Siem Reap
I had a very delicious and unforgetable Cambodian BBQ. It was like a pan, filled with hot water for the vegetables and i got a lot of different ingredients like meat, seafood, vegetables and rice to cook everything on my own. I really liked it. See the fotos below!
Beef Lok Lak is a famous dish in Cambodia, which is very delicious. They produce and sell the Lok Lak spices in Siem Reap as well, so you can take it home and cook it in your own kitchen.
Another tasty cambodian dish is the Chicken Amok. It is a curry dish, served with rice! I love it!
Transportation in Siem Reap
I recommend to take a TukTuk driver for one or 1,5 days. We had a driver for 1,5 days and at the first day we started in the afternoon and went with him to a traditional fabric and he drove us to the old market of Siem Reap and showed us a nice sunset at the Angkor Wat temple complex. The next day he picked us up early in the morning and drove us to Angkor Wat. We saw a lot of monkeys on our way, which was really funny =) He was waiting for us the whole time, while we were visiting the temples, drove us to the next and in the evening (after we went back to shower in the hotel), he drove us for dinner. The whole 1,5 days was about 15 $. Some TukTuk driver have cold water for you, which is great after a sight seeing day.
For small Tuk Tuk rides, which take up to 20 minutes, you should not have to pay more than 3$!
Hotels in Siem Reap
Trésor D’Angkor Villas & Resort: We spent two nights at this resort and it is one of my favorite hotels in the World! It is really amazing, the pool is great and i loved that it is a little outside of the busy city.
Angkor Heritage Boutique Hotel: That Hotel is very nice too and we can recommend it for families as well.
San Diego
San Diego is one of my favorite places to be during the summer. The days are long and warm and the water is always the perfect temperature. The food in San Diego is delicious and whether you order nachos at a sports bar or a steak at Ruth’s Chris, this place goes all out. The beaches here are incredible and hot spot for locals and tourists alike so grab a towel and sunscreen and check out some of the best beaches in California.
Places to see in San Diego
- Hike Torre Pines: Some of the best views in San Diego. Hike to one of the many look out points on this trail and get a birds eye view of one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.
- Coronado Island: A trip to Coronado Island is a great way to spend a day in San Diego. Drive over the Coronado Bridge and have a great view of downtown skyline. Visit the historic Hotel Del and see where past US presidents have stayed on visits to San Diego.
- Old Town San Diego: If you are looking for Authentic Mexican food, Street shopping and a touch of history, Old town is the perfect place. If you are in San Diego for Cinco de Mayo or Halloween be sure to check out the festivals going on here. Don’t miss out on a trip to Old Town.
- Pacific Beach: One of my favorite beach cities in California. PB really knows how to have fun. Garnett Avenue is one of the main streets in Pacific Beach and it is lined with restaurants, bars, shops, you name it! Everyone here is here for a good time so grab a beer, catch a game and mingle with the day faders!
Delicious Food in San Diego
- Oscars- Oscars is of my favorite hole in the wall restaurants in San Diego. The seafood is fresh so try the fish tacos. You wont regret it!
- The Crab Catcher: This place has a great location right next to La Jolla Cove. Try and get a seat by the window or in the outdoor patio for a view of the Cove. This place serves great seafood but if you’re not in the mood for fish order the pizza here, its great!
Transportation
- Uber & Lyft
- Coaster
- Metro
Los Angeles
Out of all of the cities I’ve visited in the world I have to say it’s difficult to beat a perfect day in LA. The sun, the beach, great food, and entertainment what else is there? I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Hollywood and hopefully the famed Santa Monica Boulevard but I’d like to cover a few other great places that maybe you haven’t heard of.
Places to see in Los Angeles
- Venice Beach- Received its name from tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney whose goal it was to construct a Venetian style city on the beach complete with beautiful canals resembling the canals of Venice, Italy. Today, Venice Beach is better known for attractions such as muscle beach, where Arnold Schwarzenegger began his movie career, and the Venice Skate Park, where you can watch skaters from all over the world demo their incredible talents. Don’t miss out on this unique beach city and feel free to wander the neighborhoods in search of the famous Venice canals, one of Los Angeles’s best-kept secrets.
- Santa Monica Pier- Located directly on the pier is a fantastic amusement park with rides carnival games to check out. During the summer bands from all over the world come here to perform. The fairs wheel is a must if you are visiting because if offers you the best views of the coastline. Still my favorite thing to do here is to grab coffee or a smoothie and watch the surfers from the pier during sunset.
- Go Shopping: There are so many different representations of style in this city and all at fair prices. If you consider yourself a shopaholic, the city shopping district could quite possibly be your kryptonite. Here are a few suggestions of places to check out:
- The Grove
- The Beverly Center
- Third Street Promenade
Delicious Food in Los Angeles
- Tito’s Tacos: No, this not your ordinary Mexican joint but the food here sure is delicious. I don’t think I have ever been to this restaurant without having to stand in line with at least 20 other people. In spite of the high demand, surprisingly I have never had to wait longer than 15-20 minutes for my order so don’t let the lines scare you away. They have a small menu but if you can’t decide just get one of everything. I’m serious! Don’t forget the GUAC!
- Diddy Reese- Probably the most famous ice cream shop in Los Angeles. On a typical night this place has a line wrapped around the block with tourists and locals (mostly UCLA students) alike waiting sometimes up to an hour in line to satisfy their sweet tooth.
- First Friday – On the first Friday of every month, food trucks swarm the street of Abbot Kinney in Venice. In case you were wondering, these are no ordinary food trucks. Most food trucks are known for serving ok food known as beer soakers but these trucks serve delicious food at good prices. Try the Kogi BBQ Truck it’s the best!
- InNout- If you have never been to an InNout in your life you are seriously missing out. I don’t know what it is about this burger joint that sets it apart from the other burger joints of the world but this place is truly remarkable. “Number one with grilled onions, animal fries, extra spread and a lemonade,” you can’t beat it.
Accommodations in Los Angeles
- Custom Hotel: It’s definitely not the Ritz-Carlton but this place has one very important quality, a fantastic location. If you want to be centrally located and in close proximity to some of the best beaches for under $100 the Custom Hotel is a great choice. From the Custom hotel you are approximately 20 minutes from everything on the Westside and in a city notorious for traffic, location is extremely important.
Transportation
- Uber
- Lyft
- Rent a Car: Drive on the 405 and get caught in rush hour traffic and feel what its like to be a local.
Barcelona
Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe. There are plenty of things to do in Barcelona all year round but my favorite time to visit is between April and May. This way you can avoid most of the crowds and still enjoy that warm Barcelona weather.
Things to do in Barcelona
Barcelona Beach
The Barcelona Beach is a hot spot for locals and tourists all year round. The water is perfect for swimming and when you’ve worked up an appetite, there are plenty of great restaurants to choose from on the boardwalk.
Barcelona Card
If you are visiting Barcelona for the first time the Barcelona Card is a good deal. The card gives you discounts on popular attractions and free admission to a few of the museums in the city.
Barcelona Cathedral
If you are just arriving to Barcelona I would suggest to make the Barcelona Cathedral your first stop. Climb to the top of the Cathedral and have an incredible view of the area.
Barri Gotic
Also known as the old city of Barcelona, Barri Gotic is a great place to wander around and see some old architecture.
Gaudi Fountain
The Gaudi Fountain can be found in Parc de la Ciutadella. Gaudi designed this magnificent fountain as a tribute to the god of Neptune.
Picasso Museum
Picasso is one of my favorite artists and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona preserves and displays more than 3,000 pieces of his art.
Delicious Food in Barcelona
Tapas
If you have never tried tapas in your life, don’t waste anymore time. Check out some of the best tapas restaurants in Barcelona. It will rock your world.
Payeya
Payeya is typical family dish that is served usually at lunchtime. The most popular is the seafood Payeya. The seafood is caught daily and most of the kitchens in Spain only bring in the amount they plan to sell. So if you have your heart set on a seafood Payeya you must plan to arrive early before they run out.
Patata
Patatas are a typical breakfast meal in Spain and it is made from eggs and potatoes. You will find patatas pretty much anywhere in Spain.