We spent five weeks in Europe last year, and to be honest we crammed a lot in. In saying that, if you want to visit all of these destinations it's definitely doable.
If you are wondering how much we spent, watch my tiktok here.
First things first, we flew Perth to London return - this was the cheapest option, however a bit silly because it meant we had to go back to London at the end of our trip... which is about as far away from Perth as you can go in Europe.
The UK - 5 days
We started with the UK as this is where Carter's family is from and we wanted to have some family time before we set off on our Europe trip. I’m going to be honest, if you don’t have a reason to visit the UK, I would probably skip it and spend these five days spread out onto other destinations!
Ibiza - 3 days
Next up was Ibiza, my favorite place in the world. Unfortunately we only spent 3 days here which was not enough time given that we didn't really do our research and we stayed in a part of Ibiza that was very far away from everything we wanted to do.
Getting around:
I would definitely recommend hiring a car here because we got a quad bike and the island is just way too big for it! On the topic of quad bikes, if you do want to get one, be extremely careful with your helmets and also petrol. We got an older quad bike which didn't have a fuel gage or storage for helmets and we were too trusting and left our helmets on our quad bike and came back to one stolen which meant we had to spend €50 on a new one. We also assumed that we would’ve gotten the quad bike with a full tank of fuel which was not the case. As we were driving back to our accommodation which was very far away, our quad bike ran out of fuel in the middle of nowhere and we were stranded for a good hour until a lovely family stopped to help us. Our phones were almost dead and the nearest petrol station was a 2 hour walk away... So my biggest tip is get a newer quad bike so you can avoid these problems entirely!
Where we stayed: Grupotel Imperio Playa
My recommendations:
There is so much to do in Ibiza and it is definitely not just for partying. A few of my favorite beaches are:
- Cala Xaracca
- Cala D'Hort
- Cala Tarida
- Cala Salada
Mallorca - 5 days
Next stop was Mallorca and we spent 5 full days here which was a perfect amount of time to do everything we wanted to do. Everything about Mallorca is stunning; golden hour at the port, crystal clear beaches, secret swimming spots, amazing towns to explore... I could definitely live here!
Getting around:
Mallorca is also a huge island so definitely get a car and I would recommend staying in Palma! My biggest tip here is to get where you want to go EARLY. The roads closest to the beaches get blocked off, so in order to get a park and not have to walk 1 million km's, get there early.
Where we stayed: Petit Hotel Hostatgeria Sant Salvador
Some of my favourite places to visit:
- Calo Des Moro
- Cala s'Almunia
- Cala Pi
- Cap de ses Salines
- Cala Figuera (go for golden hour!)
Positano - 3 days
Next up was Positano and to be honest we didn’t have a good experience here. I went pre Covid and had a great time but this year was just a whole different experience. We spent 3 full days here which probably wasn’t enough because we also did a day trip to Capri which we booked on Get your Guide.
Positano is one of those places where you are just going to have to spend money; it’s very expensive here but I guess the views are worth it! The main reason we didn't have a good time is due to feeling quite unwelcome and the rudeness of people cutting in lines and being extremely pushy while on pubic transport.
My biggest tip in Positano is to get an Airbnb with a good view. Pay that a little bit extra and get an Airbnb that you are going to want to spend time in because getting around is a mission; there are loads of stairs, a lot of the places with good views are going to be completely booked out or packed and the public transport is beyond crammed. If you have a nice place where you can relax and take in the scenery in your own private area, you are going to have a much better experience here.
Getting around:
I definitely do not recommend hiring a car in Positano, we only did because we were driving to Matera afterwards and for some reason it was cheaper to hire the car for the whole time. The drive from Naples to Positano definitely had me on edge - we witnessed a car accident as soon as we got close to Positano. We stayed in Positano Nocelle which had free parking, however if you do want your own way to get around, I would recommend a scooter instead. The other way to get around by bus which I also recommend, but keep in mind during peak season this will be absolutely crammed!
Where we stayed: Bacio Del Sole B&B
Matera - 3 days
After Positano we began our road trip to Matera which was about 4.5 hour drive. I have a full blog post on Matera here. We spent 3 full days here and I think this was definitely enough time because there isn’t a whole lot to do apart from look at the beautiful views and walk around the city.
Where we stayed: The little house of Matilde
We then drove back to Naples airport and made our way to our next stop!
Split - 2 days
We had two full days in Split and one of those days was spent going on a day trip to Hvar (I really recommend this!). There are loads of fun boat companies that will take you out to some swimming spots before taking you to Hvar; Summer Blues is great! We opted for the ferry this trip so we could have more time on the island and we booked with getbyferry.
My recommendations:
If you have more time in Split, I would definitely recommend going to Krka falls and Plitvice lakes. You aren't allowed to swim in either anymore, however they are absolutely beautiful - a bit of a drive away but definitely worth it!
I recommend staying as close to Diocletians palace as possible. You definitely don't need a car in Split!
Where we stayed: Apartment Martea
Dubrovnik - 4 days
After this we went to Dubrovnik - another one of my favourites! We got a coach from Split to drive us there which was a really cheap way to go. We spent for 4 days in Dubrovnik which was perfect; you can definitely see everything worth seeing in 4 days.
When you think off Dubrovnik, beaches aren't the first thing that come to mind but the beaches here blew me away!
Some of my favourite swim spots:
- Banje beach
- Buza Bar
- Porporela
My biggest tip in Dubrovnik is avoid eating inside the city walls - the prices go up MASSIVELY as soon as you are in. There are so many beautiful restaurants just outside of it.
Also, the city walls walk and all of the Game of Thrones tours are not worth it in my opinion!
Where we stayed: Dubrovnik unique apartments
Zakynthos - 2 days
After Dubrovnik we made our way to Greece with the first stop being in Zakynthos. Unfortunately Carter got food poisoning in the airport so we literally did not see anything for the two full days we were there.
We are planning on going back this year so I will give you my recommendations then!
Milos - 4 days
Next was Milos! This island is the definition of heaven, it literally has everything you could want; white washed buildings, the amazing beaches, the sunsets, the cute little seaside villages and restaurants, the cats, and the incredible landscapes. We spent 4 full days here but unfortunately we were not lucky with the weather. It was extremely windy which meant we couldn’t go to the famous Sarakiniko beach, however Tsigrado beach was sheltered and we spent every day here.
It honestly doesn't really matter where you stay here as it doesn't take that long to get around the island!
My recommendations:
- A day at Sarakinko beach
- Tsigrado beach (go early!)
- Firopotamos for a swim and lunch
- Mandrakia for lunch
- Klima for dinner and sunset
- Plaka for exploring
Getting around: Milos isn't that big so you could get away with either a scooter or quad bike here. In saying that, we got a car and were glad we did because of the wind!
Where we stayed: Antonio Studios
Ios - 4 days
The last stop was Ios and we spent 4 full days here. Ios is probably my absolute all-time favourite; I don’t even know what it is about it, it’s just an amazing vibe every single time you go, even if you aren’t there to party.
Getting around:
Definitely get a quad bike here! There are loads of places to hire them around Mylopotas beach and they were actually really cheap compared to other islands.
My recommendations:
I definitely recommend staying around Mylopotas beach as this is where you will probably be spending most of your time. Amazing restaurants, quad hire, clubs, the main town walking distance away, shops etc.
My favourite things to do:
- Go to Erego for dinner then walk up to Pathos bar for sunset
- Spend another sunset at Alma sunset suites
- Spend a day out on the water, you can find boats down on Mylopotas beach
- The water sports on Mylopotas beach are so much fun as well
- Take your quad on an adventure to Never Bay
Where we stayed: Far Out Hotel & Spa
Keep in mind that Ios doesn’t have an airport so to leave you will have to get a ferry to the closest island which is Santorini and then fly out from there.
We went straight from the Santorini port to the Santorini airport and flew to London for a night before heading back to Australia.