Western Europe

Lyon – quick travel guide

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France’s gastronomic capital, vibrant mix of metropolitan and hipster vibes. Lots of small dense streets, leading up to hills with skyline views across 2 rivers.

Lyon is somewhat the French equivalent of Lisbon. Very hilly with lots of narrow streets. Restaurants with outdoor seating on the sloped sidewalks. No matter where you are, you’re just a block away from a little neighborhood park with views overlooking the city.

I especially like that Lyon can be both posh or chill as you like. And at any given moment, you can escape the city chaos by turning the nearest corner into a quieter area. Rather than being stuck in a dense city center and having to walk 25 mins out to escape the chaos.

You could definitely run through everything within 2 days, but it’s so worth staying longer.

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Barcelona – quick travel guide

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Spain’s most popular tourist city, with beaches, nightlife, interesting Moorish architecture & Gaudi buildings, vibrant city life.

Spain is like the big city version of a small city. Everything is walkable and vibey. Shops, bars, restaurants, on every corner. Seems like ever neighborhood can be cool if you know where to look. Having Spanish as the main language is super easy as well for the many people who already speak or have familiarity with Spanish.

3-5 days is the solid minimum. But you’ll easily fill a week without boredom.

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Spain – quick travel guide

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Origin of one of the most common languages, rich culture, architecture, known for nightlife and latin beach vibes.

In pop culture, we think of Spain for beaches, nightlife, tapas, and siesta. Most people don’t know it also has many big squares (like Italy’s piazzas), rich unique architecture (castles & moorish & Gaudi), and many inland destinations (not only beach stuff).

You could see Barcelona and Madrid in a week. Put 2 weeks and you can add in some popular spots in the picturesque southern Andalusia region. Or spend a month and you can comprehensively jump around all the main spots of north, center, and south…exploring both beachside and inland destinations, perhaps even one of the islands. Spain is rich in tourist destinations.

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Portugal – quick travel guide

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Popular sunny coastal country in Western Europe. Amazing food, architecture, culture, panoramic hilly views, and English-speaking latin country.

For decades, Portugal was one of Europe’s best kept secrets. A less-expensive country in Western Europe that had beaches and English speaking. You couldn’t have catered any better to travelers, expats, and nomads.

But then it blew up and got popular seemingly overnight. Everybody was buying property in Portugal that prices are totally jacked up now. Its capital, Lisbon, became one of if not THE top favorite expat/nomad locations in the world since about 2010. And I think in 2021 was the year that its popularity reached the brink. Housing became expensive and yet people still love Portugal.

If you’re going there today, it’s to enjoy the beauty and the hilly views and the beaches. (And for English-speakers, you can enjoy that the Portuguese speak amazing English compared to Spain or France.) Forget about the low-price thing.

1 week would be enough to see Lisbon, Porto, and mayyyybe a day trip to a nearby beach town. But Portugal truly deserves 2 weeks.

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France – quick travel guide

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Learn about the most romantic country in the world. It’s sights and culture.

France reminds me a lot about Italy. In that it’s a place many people already know about, long before they get there. French culture is everywhere in pop culture and media. It’s repeatedly romanticized (and for good reason) and imitated, and inspired by.

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Paris vs London – which city is better

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Deciding between these 2 popular capital cities?

I don’t blame you. Both have many to offer, and also share many similarities. However, there are still many distinctions that can set them apart.

Of course…I recommend you to visit both and see for yourself, but I’ll still make this guide in case you want to hear more opinions beforehand.

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Germany – quick travel guide

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Beautiful modern country…clean, safe, high quality of life, and with wide range of cultures.

The German vibe as best described to me as clean and polite. Perhaps Germans and German culture is not so extroverted and outwardly charmy as say the Spanish or Italians, but indeed it has a lot of its own charms. Look past the stereotypes of beer-drinking polite people, and you’ll find so much more to explore.

I would say Germany is the most multi-cultural country in Europe. Does it have more ethnic groups than say England? Probably not. But it feels in Germany, there are more cultural groups staying true to their culture (and not assimilating so much into German culture). Depending on who you talk to, this can be a good or a bad thing. As a tourist, I’d say it’s a good thing since you get to see many flavors of people in one place.

Germany is known for having great economic power and quality of life, making it an ideal place for immigrants and visitors to be. It’s beautiful, charmy. Has old school way of things, but also modern way of things. Well-functioning infrastructure in every way.

As for the cities themselves. Germany is definitely a big country in that there are many cities worth visiting. 1 week is enough to say you saw Germany, 2 weeks is better to get some range, and 3-4 weeks if you really like it and want to explore more of what Germany has to offer.

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Belgium – quick travel guide

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Belgium is (for me) western Europe’s underrated destination country.

It’s no wonder many people like to talk down about Belgium. It’s not as pretty as France, not as modern as the Netherlands, not as distinct as Germany, nor classy as Switzerland, and doesn’t have cool beaches like Spain, Portugal, or Italy.

Some people think of Belgium as small, boring, uneventful, not beautiful or simply not as cool as its neighbors. And for this reason, it’s considered a highly-skippable place. But I think they’re flat out wrong.

You could definitely see all the main cities in a week. Some of them are easy afternoon trips, not even a full day’s worth of stuff IMO.

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Napoli (Naples) – quick travel guide

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Authentic southern Italian city with its gritty vibes, compact corridors, endless history (and monuments), and best-in-the-world Napolitan pizza.

In short, Napoli is truly awesome. It’s no surprise that most travelers in western Europe don’t venture that far south into Italy as it’s more convenient to just stay up north. But they don’t know what they’re missing out.

Napoli is a mix of Rome, Florence, and Lisbon. Tons of historical monuments and architecture all in a condensed space, with a bit of hills, also you have water areas. While Napoli isn’t as romantic, elegant and fancy as Florence…it’s more local, youthful and lively, far less touristic.

You can do it in 2 days to feel like you saw the main things, or put 5 days to really see many things. It’s also no surprise to me that I saw many travelers who came here for a week and then stayed for months. If I had to stay in Italy for months, I’d also probably choose Napoli over the more touristy (overly-crowded) Italian cities in the north.

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Bari – quick travel guide

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Eastern coast Italian town. Chill or boring, depends what you like.

I came here for a dance event. Not because I heard it was amazing and wanted to check it out. Turns out it’s pretty boring and not so unique but indeed there are a few things you can do and see if you have to be here.

1 day is enough for me. Put more days if you really want to relax and do nothing.

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Lisbon – quick travel guide

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Sunny hilly city full of charmy architecture and small cobbled tile alleyways leading from the sea below to panoramic views above.

Long ago, not many European tourists ventured west past Barcelona but that’s long changed. Today’s travelers are tired of overly-touristy (and expensive) destinations like Paris, London, Rome, etc. And have opted to venture further out west, east, and south in Europe.

Lisbon makes a great choice due to its sunny weather, English-literate population, charmy streets, thriving nightlife and restaurant scene, all capped off by sunny beachy vibes. And yes, it’s noticeably cheaper than all else of Western Europe. It’s no wonder many Californians and other beach-lovers have relocated to Lisbon (much to the locals’ demise).

I recommend 4-5 days to see everything here and also be able to do a day-trip to nearby towns. Lisbon is small enough to see in 3 days but has enough things and adventures to fill up a week if you have the time. Many people fall in love and never leave here.

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Florence – quick travel guide

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Romantic Italian tourist destination…big yet still charmy.

The 3 most popular tourist cities in Italy are probably Rome, Florence, and Milan. (I didn’t check btw, just a gut feeling.) Rome is epic with its massive size and endless array of historical monuments/buildings. Milan is more like a modern metropolis, known for fashion and things of Italy today.

Florence is smaller than those 2, but packs as big of a punch and so much more charmy. Massive cathedral of beautiful styling, much more impressive to me than Milan’s duomo. The city center feels like a giant old town, with many squares and cobbled stone walkways. People everywhere and NO CARS or public transportation. It’s a walking city dazzling your sights with every step. In 10 minutes of walking, you go past bridges and water-views, historical buildings and squares, statues and monuments, gardens and museums, shops and stores, bars, cafes, and restaurants.

It’s like a really big small Italian town, if you know what I mean. Small enough to digest in a couple days, big enough to live in and find things to do. Come see why the smaller Florence brings in so many millions of tourists despite lacking the size of Rome, Paris, London.

3 days is enough to see most things and still have moments to relax and enjoy this beautiful city.

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How to Buy a Leather Jacket in Florence (Italy)

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Tips to detect quality, avoiding fakes and typical salesman tricks.

Bought my first leather jaqueta in Florence (2014) after checking out 30-50 stores. I loved his jackets the most because:  high quality, they were very nice looking (not too trendy or out-dated), reasonably priced, great customer service (without any of the annoying sales tactics listed below).

He passed my stringent test with flying colors. I’ve repasted my forum comment from TripAdvisor below:

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Rome – quick travel guide

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Huge epic city full of ancient/medieval world wonders.

Rome is a giant place full of “wow” things everywhere you look. Historic monuments, buildings, and waterfronts…with tourists clamoring everywhere to get the best photo. Even if you never paid attention in history class, you will definitely recognize many things here from movies and books throughout your life. I was drunk the very first night here and even still, I kept saying “OH CRAP, I seen this before!” on every block I walked.

Where and how do you begin to digest the magnitude of this place? I’ll help you chop it down to digestible size! What I love most about this place is that despite it’s tourist value, it’s still very much a real and liveable city with lots of locals and local places to explore.

I’d recommend at least 4 days to feel like you not only saw everything but got to enjoy the Roman vibes. Rome is also nice because even though it’s geographically in the center, the culture and mentality feels more like southern Italy. More warm, friendlier, different foods and different vibe from usual northern Italian cities (like Milan, Turin). Btw, an Italian will tell you Rome has a distinct central Italian vibe and is not exactly southern, but definitely more like the south than the north. 😉

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Cinque Terre – quick travel guide

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A row of 5 beautiful colorful Italian beach towns, each with their own unique beach landscape and waterfront play areas.

Cinque Terre is no longer the “secret” it once was 20 years ago. It’s now one of the most popular (and crowded) tourist spots for good reason. By staying at just one of the towns, you are in close proximity to easily explore the other 4. It’s fun to explore the towns, take photos of cute colorful buildings, hangout by the water, eat and drink at Italian-esque places with water views, even go hiking between the towns for amazing “wow” photos.

You could technically do it all in 2 days (dedicating one to hiking) but I’d like to put 3 to relax and enjoy the beaches and night restaurants/bars more. My first visit was in 2009, second in 2014, and third in 2022. And I think I’m never going back. I’ve seen enough and it only got worse each time…more crowded and touristy and coastal hike trail closed. I’d personally go elsewhere with those days.

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Venice – quick travel guide

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Colorful & chaotic Italian tourist city of crowded canals and narrow streets.

Venice is an absolute madness of a city full of tourists taking postcard-worthy photos from every corner. Colorful buildings, bridges, shops, walkways from every angle. Buildings, boats, waterfronts, squares, and people everywhere.

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Italy – quick travel guide

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Warm Italian hospitality with its familiar food and culture that you’ve seen in movies, restaurants, and pop culture references everywhere.

Italy is both exotic yet familiar at the same time. Making it an easy and popular destination for first-time travelers. I know Italy so well since my mother’s family lives here. So I spent lots of time doing tourist things but also local things.

It’s a tiny country with so many must-see destinations. You can hit 3-4 main ones in 10 days…or spend a month and really live it.

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Madrid – quick travel guide

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Madrid is Spain’s main big inland city…full of fun neighborhoods, night life, and walkable streets.

What Madrid lacks in Barcelona’s beaches and unique architecture, it makes up for with its chiller less-touristy vibe and bigger party scene. Madrid is comfortable to live, party, work, or base-jump from. Great neighborhoods to choose from, big parks and squares everywhere…easy to walk and metro around. It’s unfortunate that many people won’t ever discover this as backpackers are usually told to skip Madrid and not venture past Barcelona.

There’s a saying that some people are Barcelona people, and others are Madrid people. I felt myself to be a Madrid person easily the first time I visited both. Madrid can be a 3-5 day stay to feel like you saw everything.

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