Ever since I was in high school, I've dreamed of traveling through Europe. As a painter who later earned a degree in graphic design, I spent many hours studying art history. I learned about Roman architecture, memorized the names of famous artists, and admired incredible works of art from across Europe. I always hoped that someday I'd get to experience those places in person.
The Love for Europe
After college, I got married at 24, and Europe was one of the first places we talked about visiting for our honeymoon. At the time, we had just bought our first home, so Europe felt like a luxury we couldn't justify. Like many young couples, we told ourselves we'd go, someday.
As the years went on and my love for food grew, so did my desire to visit Europe. Italy and Spain were always at the top of my list. Not only for the history and architecture, but also for the incredible food, culture, views and slower pace of life.
Fast forward to this year. Our kids had just finished elementary and middle school and were moving on to middle and high school. At 11 and 14, it felt like the perfect ages for this adventure. They were old enough to appreciate the history, the food, and the culture, but still young enough that traveling together as a family felt incredibly special.
The European Vacation Dream
A family friend had recently taken a Mediterranean cruise and it sounded so amazing. I started looking up cruises on Black Friday and I found an itinerary that immediately caught my attention. The cruise offered 7 ports of call, including the starting point in Barcelona and ending in Rome. It sounded like the perfect way to experience several destinations without constantly packing up and moving hotels.
During Thanksgiving break, I booked our 7-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line.
It was a bit of a leap of faith at the time, since I really hadn’t planned on booking it right then. I had a series of other interesting things happen over the year that made me wonder why I hadn’t pursued this dream further. It made me realize I was putting my dreams on hold and I finally felt like I needed to change that and go for it.
Once the cruise was booked, I started thinking about how we could extend the trip. Since we were already flying all the way to Europe, I knew I wanted to spend extra time in both Barcelona and Rome. I briefly considered flying into Madrid and making our way to Barcelona, but after researching flights and thinking through all the extra travel, I decided to keep things as simple as possible. In the end, I booked four nights in Barcelona before the cruise and four nights in Rome afterward.
Planning the Europe Vacation
Then the real planning began.
If you've ever planned an international trip, you know how overwhelming it can feel. I wanted everything organized ahead of time, so I created a complete itinerary with daily schedules, maps, transportation details, ticket information, restaurant ideas, backup plans, and everything else I could think of to make our travels as smooth as possible. It quickly became a huge labor of love.
Looking back, the only destination that felt a little packed was Rome. There's simply so much to see. Even so, I would probably plan it the same way again for a first visit. You want to experience the iconic sights, but now that we've done it, I also have a handful of tips that would make the itinerary even smoother if we ever return.
Walking through streets I'd only seen in textbooks and standing beneath the incredible buildings designed by Gaudí felt surreal. They were places I'd admired for decades. Europe wasn't just another vacation, it was the fulfillment of a dream I'd carried with me for more than twenty years.
Our Mediterranean Travel Guide
Because this trip included so many destinations and so much information, I'll be breaking everything down into individual posts, coming next! I'll be sharing each city separately with our favorite experiences, restaurant recommendations, travel tips, and plenty of photos along the way.
If you're interested in the exact itinerary we used during our trip, including transportation tips, ticket information, maps, and our day-by-day schedule, you can purchase my 17 Days through Barcelona, the Mediterranean and Rome Travel Guide on Etsy. I don't typically charge for my itineraries, but this one became a true labor of love with countless hours of research and planning. Here's a preview of one of the pages:
Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing every stop along our journey, from four unforgettable days in Barcelona to cruising the Mediterranean and exploring Rome. I'll share what we loved, what we'd skip and plenty of tips to help you plan your own European adventure.
Our 17-Day Europe Itinerary
- ✈️ Fly from San Diego to Barcelona
- 🇪🇸 4 Days in Barcelona
- 🚢 7-Day Mediterranean Cruise
- Marseille, France
- Monaco & Villefranche
- Florence & Pisa
- Sicily
- Salerno
- 🇮🇹 4 Days in Rome
- ✈️ Fly Home
Thank you so much for following along. I can't wait to take you through each destination and hopefully inspire your own trip to Europe someday! Enjoy! xo, Bri
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