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Italy & Western Europe Essentials
35
items Everything I brought with me on a 3-week European Vacation over the Summer (Greece, Italy, Austria and Germany) - and I did it all in ONE carry-on and ONE backpack. Clothing items might vary for you depending on when you're traveling!
Sections
7
Luggage/Packing
Clothing & Accessories
Misc.
Rome, Italy
Florence, Italy
Vienna, Austria
Luggage/Packing
The most perfect little carry-on. I was adament that my carry-on fit in EVERY plane while we were in Europe, and this one measured up!
Carry-On Plus
This is the best investment I have ever made - I use this backpack for EVERYTHING.
Travel Backpacks & Laptop Backpacks - CALPAK
I wanted to maximize my space, and these were perfect. I made sure to get the option that used the provided vacuum pump AND was a “roll-out” version incase something happened to the pump while we were away. These held up the entire trip after multipl...
Travel Compression Bags 25 Pack w/ Rechargeable Battery
I researched toiletry bags for ages and then stumbled onto this set. I only use this toiletry bag - it really does it all! Not only did it hold a multitude of containers, but it folded down so compactly, and I was able to utilize the rest of my lugga...
Toiletry Bag Kit: Hanging + TSA + Organizer
Held everything I needed for a day out sight-seeing, kept my hands free, and made me feel like all of my stuff was securely infront of me while I was taking in the views.
BAGSMART Small Puffer Crossbody Bag
Clothing & Accessories
This was my go-to dress to stay comfortable but still look super cute on our tour days.
Athletic Dresses & Workout Dresses - Outdoor Voices
I've had this specific pair of sneakers for over 2 years now and they have SO much more life to live. I wear these exclusively on my walking tours - the leather keeps the weather out, the hard sole keeps my feet safe from every terrain, and the arch ...
Birkenstock Women's Bend Leather Sneakers White 8-8.5 Narrow
I wanted a cute sandal that I could do just about everything in when we weren't on long tours. From the beach, to the boat, to walks to dinner, to nice outtings, these sandals took me everywhere. They're durable, dried in minutes, and were cute enoug...
REEF Water Vista Womens Sandal
My linen pants were critical in Greece and Italy. I needed something I could wear over a bathing suit, on a plane/ferry or out to dinner without melting in the Mediterranean sun. Linen and Cotten clothing were my best friends! I got these pants in 2 ...
Faleave Women's Cotton Linen Palazzo Pants
Linen was my best friend in Greece and Italy. I used this long sleeve linen shirt on top of almost everything I wore when I needed a little something to keep the sun off or when we were touring religious and historical sites. The white top went with ...
100% European Linen Shirt in Flax
Virtually indestructible, sunnies were essentials to the trip. These are my go-to brand. They last forever, have super cute styles and colors, and if you lose or break them, they're MUCH easier to replace than some $200 raybans.
goodr Polarized Round Sunglasses Small UV400
This wool cardigan was PERFECT for when we got to Austria and Germany. It was much cooler there and we didn't have room for full-blown jackets. This was the perfect cover to have for religious/historic site tours, plane rides, and nice dinners. Wool ...
Women's Cardigans and Sweater Coats: Clothing - Madewell
Misc.
This waterbottle was a life saver on the go. As someone with a sensitive stomache, I didn't know how different countries water would effect me while we were traveling. I was able to have water whenever and wherever I wanted. And while my girlfriends ...
Katadyn BeFree 1.0L Ultralight Water Filter Bottle
I was hesitant to get this but I actually LOVED this. My bestie got a hard electronics case (what I thought I wanted) and had so much trouble fitting it into places because it had no give. This one is perfect and comes in a few different sizes!
Tech Bag Organizer - Small Electronics Pouch
Perfect all the way around. Multi-use, multi-country, and fits multiple devices at once!
TESSAN EU UK Travel Plug Adapter Kit 3 Outlet 3 USB
I bring one of these everytime I cruise and knew it was the perfect towel to take to Europe. It dries quickly, so it never molded or stank, it didn't hold on to sand, and it took up no room in the luggage. We love these so much, we bought the bath to...
Gold Case Hera Turkish Beach Towel Set of 2
Grabbed these so that I can keep my dirty laundry seperated from my clean laundry until we got to the next laundry stop. I liked having a small one for socks and underwear and a large one for all the rest.
6-Piece Durable Cotton Mesh Laundry Bags
I'm a musician for a living and take my sound (AND SILENCE) seriously. I know that @pple is all the rage, but I will pick Bose every. single. time. The noise cancelling is phenomenal (and so necessary) for over-ocean flights, I can wear them for hour...
Shop QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones - Bose
These laundry soap sheets were a game-changer for the trip. We were able to wash our clothes in the hotel (without paying their extreme prices) until we got to a laundromat about 2 weeks into the trip. They're super easy to pack and we've started tak...
Laundry Detergent Sheets – Earth Breeze
I trust anker products wholeheartedly, and this specific bank (though it's an investment) has never failed me. It's incredibly high powered, lasted almost 2 weeks without having to recharge, and can charge it all.
Anker Prime 20,100mAh 3-Port Power Bank
Rome, Italy
A bucket-list location ever since I can remember.
Rome
The way to the heart is food, and you will be so full, you won't know what to do with yourself after this tour. Truly incredible flavors, and our tour guide (like all of them) was so knowledgable, kind and personable. This tour took up an entire afte...
Taste of Testaccio: Special 15 Year Anniversary Edition
Another one of our favorite food tours with so much hisotry thrown in. The food was transportational amidst all of the stories and historical facts.
Rome Eternal Food Tour: Ghetto, Campo de' Fiori, Trastevere
Two of our Italy tours brought me to tears, and this was one of them. The incredible preservation of precious art, the surreal atmosphere of the Vatican City, and the absolutely breath-taking St. Peter's Basilica… it was emotional, informational, and...
Vatican Highlights, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
There was something so surreal about standing where so much history happened, and what was supposed to be a “semi-private” tour, turned into a completely private tour for just my husband and I with our tour guide. Our guide brought maps and books and...
Colosseum Express Tour | Semi-Private Experience
Florence, Italy
Iconic for the romance, art, and art history.
Florence
This was the second of two times I cried on tours in Italy. I have a deep connection with the Statue of David, and a big draw to this tour was that he was on it. This tour company knows what they're doing when they hire their guides - ours was so won...
Florence Tours - LivTours
We ate so much on this tour, we didn't think we were going to be able to keep walking it. We started with a light charcuterie and drink stop, went to a local sandwhich cart, had a full-blown pasta dinner, and ended with affogato. Everything is paid f...
Eating Europe Food Tours Florence
Vienna, Austria
You will feel like royalty here.
Schönbrunn Palace
As a professional musician, this was incredibly surreal. We had a delectable 3 course dinner on the palace grounds, and then watched a chamber orchestra (complete with 2 operatic vocalists) perform in the same room that Mozart himself debuted his own...
Dinner & Concert
A lovely little break from all of the history, we loved visiting this zoo!
Schönbrunn Zoo
By this point in our trip, we needed a vacation from vacationing. We found this incredible Spa and took ourselves there for a full day. We rented chairs, had 2 full meals, a massage and all the soak and sauna time we could've wanted. It was an incred...
Your Escape from Everyday Life at Therme Wien | THERME WIEN
Munich, Germany
The best combination of old-world-charm and new-age-modernity.
Munich
One of the heaviest days on our trip, but something everyone must bare witness to at some point in their lives. There's nothing I can say here except that it was heavy, somber, and incredibly sobering, and everyone must experience it.
Dachau Small-Group Half-Day Tour from Munich By Train - Viator
Stunning - absolutely STUNNING - views. And not just the castle. Everything about this tour was lovely - including the travel getting there. Gorgeous countrysides, wonderful humans, and delicious food all before a horse-drawn carriage to the top.
Skip the line tours for Neuschwanstein castle?