This summer I went on my much anticipated Europe trip! I have been dreaming up this trip since 2019 with one of my best friends, Courtney. We originally had the whole trip booked for June of 2020, but then Covid happened and we had to cancel and were catching up on work all of 2021. So after three years of researching and planning this trip, you could say we were excited! The first part of the trip we did Italy, and after we went on to Austria and Switzerland. We started our trip with 4 nights in Positano, where we photographed the most beautiful wedding, and then 3 nights in Lake Como. 

POSITANO

GETTING THERE

Since we had so much time to plan our trip and were fairly flexible on dates, we ended up getting an amazing deal on flights. We used our Chase Sapphire credit card reward points to book our one way flights on Air France from DFW to Naples for only 20,000 points! This credit card is awesome for travel since it partners with so many hotels and airlines- you can check flights through the Chase portal or the airline websites and see what point value is better. After arriving in Naples, there are a few options for getting to Positano. The cheapest option is to take a train or bus and then a ferry, but we opted to get a private driver so we could get there faster after a long day of travel. We used Positano Turismo and it was $120 each way. Private drivers are much better than taxis, which can be sketchy in Naples and end up costing more. However, the roads along the Amalfi Coast and to Positano are very windy and they drive like crazy so I recommend bringing Dramamine if you get motion sickness. 

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at a lovely Airbnb condo rental in Positano, but I would not recommend the specific one we stayed at. Although it was very spacious, had great reviews, and an incredible view of the ocean and the city, it was a nightmare to get to. It was located at the top of the hill and is not reachable by vehicles, so you have to walk up and down almost 30 stories worth of steps each day to get up and down from the main town. If you chose to book an Airbnb, be sure to check the location and how far up it is since Positano is a town on a cliff side! If I were to go back I would make sure and book a hotel or Airbnb towards the bottom of town closer to the beach. Many of the hotels get fully booked months out especially for summer, so if you’re planning a trip here it’s best to book your accommodations close to a year in advance for the best options. If I went back I would love to stay at Hotel Miramare, Hotel Sireneuse, Hotel Posideon, or Hotel Palazzo Murat. 

WHAT TO DO

Positano itself is a fairly small town and can be fully explored within a day or two. Many people do day trips to Capri, Amalfi, Sorrento, or Ravello. Here are the things I suggest doing:

• Day trip to Capri by Ferry- the ferry took around 45 minutes and cost around $22 per person. We explored town and ate lunch at Da Gemma, which had its own private beach we laid out at for the afternoon. Many people book a boat to visit the Blue Grotto but if you are prone to seasickness it is not recommended
• Shopping in town- there are so many cute boutiques and souvenir shops to explore! We got the cutest Italian leather purses!
• Limoncello tasting– (we didn’t end up having time for this but it has great reviews)
• Visit the main beach Spiaggia Grande
• Arienzo Beach Club– a private beach with the iconic orange and white umbrellas. They have a free boat that takes you from the main port to their beach! You must book a reservation in advance- It was around $70 per person for the umbrellas, chairs, and towels and 2 course lunch service with a drink included
• For nightlife go to Music on The Rocks- it’s the only discotheque in Positano and it was so fun! It’s a club inside a cliffside cave
• Get lots of gelatos!

WHERE TO EAT

Positano has many amazing restaurants but a lot of the popular ones with views can be difficult to get a reservation. Make sure and do research far in advance to try to make reservations, but some only take them two weeks out but then sell out completely as soon as they open so it can be tricky! I unfortunately didn’t have the best experience with food in Positano having celiac, even though I had researched a lot about restaurants having gluten free options. I think I had bad luck because a lot of the spots we tried to go were randomly closed for the day or were out of gluten free pasta for the day, etc. If you have any dietary restrictions I recommend emailing the restaurant beforehand to ensure they will be able to accommodate you!

• Chez Black- nice restaurant on the beach
• La Tagliata- this place was an experience. It’s a family run farm restaurant up in the cliffs of Positano. They have a free shuttle service that you can pre-arrange pickup and will take you up for dinner. It’s $50 per person for a HUGE meal and unlimited wine. The food was fairly good but the views were incredible and they serve each person a full bottle of their family made wine. They also have cooking classes that are apparently a great time if that’s something that interests you!
• Bruno- beautiful view at sunset
• Il Tredente- at Hotel Poseidon, must reserve in advance for dinner but can walk in for just cocktails
• La Sponda- a great spot for lunch or dinner, book reservation far in advance
• Franco’s Bar- perfect for Apertivo with live music
• Ohimà Restaurant- this was a spontaneous dinner but ended up being our best meal in Positano

TIPS

• Positano can get very hot in the summer so make sure to drink lots of water and bring a hat and sunscreen 
• Speaking of water, the tap water here is not good for drinking so you have to get bottled water and restaurants charge you for water
• Bring euros as some of the taxis and shops don’t take credit cards
• In Europe there is no need to tip at restaurants like we do in America. It is not standard to leave a tip unless the service is exceptional, which you would then leave just a 5-10% tip
• You must have a comfortable pair of flat shoes for getting around since there are so many steps and cobblestone streets

LAKE COMO

After Positano, we travelled to Bellagio in Lake Como. It ended up being a pretty intense travel day since we had to transfer back to the Naples airport, fly to Milan, and then transfer to Bellagio. We had booked a private driver but unfortunately our flight was delayed and he had to cancel on us, so we ended up taking a cab which was extremely overpriced and he drove like a mad man. If you can’t get a private driver another option is to take the train to Milan Central, then to Como and then a ferry to Bellagio but this can take up to 3 hours vs a 1.5 hour car ride. Although getting there wasn’t the easiest, Lake Como was definitely my favorite destination of our whole trip! The views at every moment were incredible and it has such a relaxing, yet luxury ambience. 

WHERE TO STAY

When visiting Lake Como there are many towns around the lake to choose from. Many people stay in Como or Bellagio where there are tons of restaurants and shops but if you want a quieter, less crowded area, then look into Cernobbio or Varenna. We stayed at the Hotel Du Lac in Bellagio and it was wonderful! The location was ideal as it was steps from the ferry port and had amazing views of the lake. Lake Como can be very expensive but this hotel was fairly priced and had an amazing spa and rooftop bar. If you want to have a more lavish experience, then I would stay at Hotel Grand Tremezzo or the famous Villa d’Este, which is known one of the nicest hotels in the world. It would also be fun to come with a group and rent a private villa or Airbnb. 

GETTING AROUND

Something to note when visiting Lake Como and choosing what town you stay in is how accessible it is. The best way to get around the lake is by ferry, but something we wish we knew is that the ferry tickets sell out. You cannot buy them online so if you’re planning to visit an opposite end of the lake, you have to go early in the morning to a ferry station and buy your tickets. The lines get very long in the afternoon and ferries completely sell out! Also, most of the ferries stop around 7pm so if you have a dinner in a different town the only way back is by taxi, which can be expensive. Once you are in the towns though most are very walkable and you can get around easily. 

WHAT TO DO

Lake Como is so relaxing- I could have stayed there a full week! There are so many towns along the lake to explore and so much to do but here are some must do’s:

• Boat Tour- we booked a shared tour through Bellagio Water Limousines to take us around the lake on a vintage classic Italian boat. It took us to see the famous villas like George Clooney’ s and the villa where the season finale of Succession was filmed
• Visit Villa Balbianello- our boat tour had a stop here and included a guided tour for the whole property, but you can also just pay to enter the gardens and explore on your own. Casino Royale and Star Wars were filmed on the property and it was unreal to see in person!
• Wander the streets of Bellagio- there are so many shops to explore and you have to stop by Encanto Principessa for a wine tasting
• Visit Villa Melzi- you can walk here from Bellagio, has beautiful gardens to explore
• Varenna- cute town a short ferry from Bellagio, visit the Villa Monastero gardens
• Swim- there are plenty of public swimming areas and pebble beaches

WHERE TO EAT

There are so many amazing places to eat around Lake Como, but we mainly ate in Bellagio and did one nice dinner in Cernobbio. 

• Nando or La Fontana- cute cafes with gluten free options
• Restaurant de l’hôtel Florence- a beautiful lakeside restaurant for dinner 
• La Terrazza Gualtiero Marchesi- at the Grand Tremezzo Hotel, beautiful view
• La Veranda Villa d’Este- this dinner was definitely a splurge but worth it just to see the Villa grounds. You need a reservation far in advance and you can only visit the villa if you are a hotel guest or have a dinner reservation. We arrived early to have a drink at their outdoor bar! The wine list at dinner was probably 40 pages long, so if you are a wine enthusiast you’ll love it.