As one of the best preserved medieval towns in Tuscany, San Gimignano is considered a “Medieval Manhattan” with its medieval skyline of towers dominating the Tuscan countryside. This hilltop town is one of the best towns to visit in Tuscany and there are plenty of things to do in San Gimignano worthy of spending a full day here. Wander down picturesque cobble stone alleys, gaze over the lush Tuscan countryside, enjoy a panoramic bird’s eye view from one of the many towers and take a step back in time!

When it comes to traveling and picking out a new destination to visit, I take many things into consideration. From, location, hotels, city center, activities and restaurants. When traveling, I always stop to think about the things to do on every holiday we go on, from making sure we can do a city walking tour, to visiting a library and most importantly, starting any sightseeing at the local city hall. WHY you ask!?

If you’re planning a trip to Germany soon but wondering what you should do when you get here, look no further! There are a million things to do in Germany where one can stuff their face with the most delicious food in Germany to visiting the best festivals, celebrating the best holidays, visiting Germany’s most popular tourist attractions and lesser-known gems!

You might think that Bavaria, Germany is all about Lederhosen, Weißwurst, Bier and Biergartens, but you would be sadly mistaken. Würzburg, the wine capital of Franconia in the northwestern tip of Bavaria, will show you that there’s more to life than beer and sausage. The dialect is different, the choice of sausage is Bratwurst and here you’ll find endless rows of vineyards and Weingartens for wine aficionados to enjoy a glass of wine, reminding you that you are no longer in beer country. So, how do you spend a day exploring the wine capital of Bavaria? Come and find out!

Did you know that Germany has a few islands? You’d have to zoom in on your Google Maps to see them, but they’re there. And one of the most popular islands to visit on the Baltic Sea is the relatively large island of Rügen. You’ve probably never heard of it, so allow me to tickle your travel buds and entice you to swap out your holiday in the Alps for a beach holiday on Rügen.

Let’s admit it, half of the reason why we have an addiction to travel is so that we can try new authentic foods that we can’t get at home (of equal deliciousness). PLUS, they say that “when you travel, calories don’t count”, riggght?

When you think of Europe, you automatically think of its romantic, whimsical castles, perched high on a hill overlooking a picturesque town below. It’s hard to imagine a time when it was normal for royalty to walk these palaces, surrounded in gilded hallways and gold, stuccoed ballrooms. It’s also fascinating to wonder what they might think today to see thousands of tourists every day walking through their homes. But nonetheless, the average girl can finally experience what it’s like to be a princess, if only for a few hours in some of Europe’s most beautiful castles!

One of my favorite childhood Disney films is and still is Beauty & the Beast and one of my favorite scenes is when Belle meanders through a sleepy half-timbered town, with locals going about their morning in the market place, singing “Little town, in a quiet village”. While in Colmar, France, no one broke out in song, walking through the half-timbered town of Colmar is quite possibly one of the best things to do in France. So much beauty crammed into one little town, you wonder how it can possibly be real.

An array of ochre, yellow and orange houses rise up from the sea, jutting out on to a thin strip of peninsula, sharply contracting against a blue sky. This is how I shall always remember Rovinj, Croatia, one of the loveliest towns along the Istria which stretches from the Gulf of Trieste to the Kvarner Gulf.

If ever there was the most idyllic castle that would suit my every need, then it would without a doubt be Miramare Castle, just 10 minutes from Trieste. A quaint, white stone castle perched on a cliff just feet above the Adriatic Sea, facing out to an endless blue sea and lush gardens with terracotta potted plants. I could have imagined a lovely, peaceful life here… until I discovered the curse of anyone who sleeps at Castello di Miramare…