First European trip to Italy and Greece. Trip of a lifetime!
Italy
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Sep 9 - Sep 19, 2022
I have always planned on going on my first trip to Europe since 2020. But with the pandemic, it was very difficult with planning. It wasn’t until this year, I made the final decision to go on a solo trip to Europe for the very first time. Not knowing how I would go about planning my trip, I went on the kimkim website and reached out to Chris. He has been helpful from the very beginning, and put together an amazing itinerary! I expressed that I wanted to go to Greece and Italy, and the types of excursions I was looking for in each country. Chris was able to quickly customize and put together the perfect itinerary for me. It was easy to follow and included dates and times for each destination, as well as transportation, hotel stays, description of each excursions, and restaurant suggestions. While reading the customized itinerary, I thought it was too good to be true! Days prior to my trip, Chris always reached out to me with any updates on my trip and asked if I had any questions prior. He was very helpful with answering questions on what to expect for each destination.
My 10-day trip included 5 days in Greece and 5 days in Italy! Nadia, who also works with Chris, followed through with me during my Greece destination. My first arrival to Greece was Athens. Traveling solo internationally for the first time was nerve-racking and I was anxious in the beginning not know what to expect. But just as stated in the customized itinerary, everything went smoothly with transportation from the airport to checking into my hotel! Nadia reached out to make sure I arrived safely. On the first day of my arrival, my first excursion was the Acropolis Guided Tour where I met my guide and enjoyed the wonderful walking tour. My guide was a wealth of information teaching me the history of the Acropolis and Parthenon as well as the greek civilization. I enjoyed the beautiful archaeological sites, temples and Parthenon. It was a great way to start my first excursion in Greece. The following trip in Greece included 2 nights in Mykonos and 2 nights in Santorini. I enjoy the beach very much, and experiencing the beautiful beaches of Mykonos and Santorini was like being in paradise! The beautiful island of Santorini has breathtaking views, where I admired the beautiful architecture and islands of the volcano! I ended my last day in Santorini with a gorgeous sunset view on the cliff during my wine tasting tour!
My destination in Italy included 2 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Florence and 1 night in Venice.
Upon my arrival to Rome, Chris followed up with me through video chat and discussed my itinerary and excursions of what to expect while in Italy! Of course, I had to explore one of Italy’s most attractions of the Vatican and world famous Sistine Chapel! Then I went on a walking tour viewing the stunning ruins of the Colosseum and Roman Forum! After my planned excursions, I explored more of the beautiful city of Rome such as the Piazza Di Spagna and tried authentic italian cuisine, pizza and gelato! From Rome, I took a trip to Florence known for its beautiful architecture and Renaissance art. This included a bus tour to Siena, San gimignano, Monteriggioni and Chianti tour where I got to view beautiful Gothic architecture, chapels, breathtaking landscapes, and ended the tour with wine tasting with our tour guide! I couldn’t end my Italy trip without viewing the beautiful city of Venice! It was so surreal being able to get a rooftop panoramic view of the enchanting city with the marvelous canals and renaissance palaces. I took in every moment of the glorious city. The next morning, I ended my last day in Venice taking a water taxi where I got to go through the canals of the lagoon and Adriatic coast seeing the last views of the bridges and enchanting city making my last day memorable!!
I had the time of my life and enjoyed my vacation very much! Being able to visit two beautiful countries and experience a trip of a lifetime was like a dream come true! In Greece, I enjoyed being under the sun and enjoyed swimming in the beautiful beaches and seas of Mykonos and Santorini! And in Italy, I enjoyed the guided tours while experiencing the cultural and countryside of each city! I am truly grateful for Chris for making all of this possible and putting together a beautiful itinerary for my first European trip! I highly recommend him and would definitely go back to him again when I visit Italy and Greece in the future!
Hotel Reviews
Activity Reviews
The cruise to each beach was beautiful and so much fun!
Dear Danilo,
I am really happy that you had an amazing holiday! Your description of your trip and also details on the tours and everything you enjoyed are awesome. Wonderful pictures, too! Thank you so much for all of this as well as for your appreciation of my (and the team's) services here at Greece Insiders.
We are humbled by your kind comments and are looking forward to welcoming you again to Greece and/or Italy anytime, it will be an honor and pleasure to plan a trip for you again!
Wishing you all the best for the future and safe travels!
Warmest regards,
Chris