Day 4, we wanted to take it a bit light. We were exhausted from the adventures of the previous days and visiting Doodhpatri was perfect.
Translating to the Valley of Milk, Doodhpatri is a hidden gem and hasn’t yet been discovered as a tourist heaven. It hence provides some un-matched views of lovely landscapes against the back drop of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas.
Situated at a 2hr drive from Srinagar, we started around 9:30 am and the plan was to get there and roll around on the meadow. The road to Doodhpatri isn’t the best and it took us a while navigating the potholes. We reached around 11:45am to see a huge cultural function organised by the Army – Doodhpatri 2021. We were invited, very warmly, to come watch the show. We got chatting with a few of the jawaans and found out that this was organized to promote the destination among locals and school kids to come visit and enjoy nature.
We got a front row seat to watch the various dance and music performance, many of which were performed by the jawaans. We had never been to any Army function and this felt like our moment of being on Jai Jawaan. We thoroughly enjoyed the show, clicked a few pics and then headed off further inside Doodhpatri.
We drove down the winding mountain path to another section, where you can take a horse and ride up to a waterfall. We were done with our share of horse rides especially after Pahalgam and just walked around absorbing the sheer beauty of nature and the place. It just felt so serene, so open and free. The side of the valley is also dotted with huts called Dhoks where the tribes reside. They move down to the town once the winter sets in.
After spending a while there, we got back into our car and started back to Srinagar, biding our good-byes to the jawaans we had be-friended.
We stopped at the base or entry point of Doodhpatri and grabbed lunch. There a few shops that we saw as soon as we entered the Doodhpatri checkpoint while coming and we had decided to stop there for our meal on our return.
Got back to Srinagar, shopped a bit and then called it an early evening to get back to the houseboat and enjoy the sunset at Dal Lake; reminiscing a really great day. We were thinking of dropping Doodhpatri, but we were so glad we went. Be it the Army program or even if it wasn’t there, the purity of the place is something you should experience.
Things to keep in mind –
There is no mobile network or places to eat/drink at Doodhpatri.
Eateries are only at the entry point at the base of the mountain. Not even small tents serving food on the meadows.
There are no washrooms available either.
It is an ideal place for a Picnic – Bring your own food and spend a morning or afternoon here.
Tomorrow, our last day, to check out Srinagar (will cover the places we shopped in that).
Day 3 was a trip to the beauty that is Pahalgam. Pahalgam is situated at an altitude of 8900ft and is a 2 to 2.5hr drive from Srinagar. It is also the other starting point for the Amarnath yatra. Its not just in Pahalgam, but there are some amazing things to experience en-route.
Don’t miss on the Highway – We started around 9:30 am (we were late, recommend starting earlier) and an hour away drove past Saffron fields. Kashmir is known for its saffron and if you are visiting around end october/november you will see the purple bloom of the saffron flowers on either side of the highway NH1. This is the main highway that Our Ex-PM Mr Atal Vajpayee had built to connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari. You will also see the highway near Pulwama dotted with multiple shops selling dry fruits and saffron. We stopped here on our way back to make some purchases.
Saffron fields
As we sped further away from Srinagar and towards Anantnag district, you will notice a lot of Cricket Bat Shops and Factories on either side of the highway. Another specialty of Kashmir is the Willow Cricket Bat made from the willow tree wood. These bats are manufactured at these factories.
Cricket Bat Factory
Apple Valley – the thing you must-do at Anantnag is visiting the Apple Orchards and having the freshest apple juice ever. The entire place is called Apple Valley and we were delighted just at the sight of the apples hanging from the trees. We spent a sometime in the orchard, managing to pluck an apple from the tree and eat it – so fresh, so juicy! Most orchards have a small stall making fresh juice and selling apples. Highly recommend trying the apple juice – its delicious – very sweet and refreshing.
Apple OrchardsFresh Apple juice being made
Pahalgam – We left from the apple orchards and an hour later reached the main Pahalgam market and parked at the tourist taxi stand. There are a number of things to do at Pahalgam and you can cover it in a day (provided you reach Pahalgam at 11am) or even spend a night at a hotel on the side of the Lidder river, giving you 2 days to take it all in.
Pahalgam
Here is what all you can do at Pahalgam –
Baisaran – This is a beautiful meadow situated at the top of a hill. You can hire a horse near the tourist taxi stand and go there; takes about 2-2.5hrs round trip. Remember to bargain hard with the guides. The climb up to Baisaran is VERY steep and it had rained the previous two nights so the pathway was extremely slushy. The incline that the horse has to climb is also very steep … honestly, it was quite scary. The horse slipped a number of times in the slush and loose gravel. If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have signed up to do this. Bharath decided to walk instead and the slush wasn’t helping. He slipped and his foot went into the slush and he lost his shoes! Returned bare foot down the hill while I continued up the hill with the help of the guide. After a lot of heart stopping escapades and prayers, reached the meadow of Baisaran to be greeted by some gorgeous views! Lush green meadows, pine and deodar trees dotting the mountains, simply breathtaking. Also, this was one of the sights where the movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan was shot. I spent some time absorbing the views, clicking pictures and then started the even more scarier descent. If that guide (Prince bhai) didn’t help me down all the way, couldn’t have made it. Finally reached the base to find Bharath waiting without shoes and half his trousers covered in mud; but overall he was okay. Thank God! What an adventure this was! Tip: No one tells you how the path is – its quite a steep climb and if it has rained the previous night, wouldn’t recommend the climb.
Ride a horse to BaisaranBaisaran
We came back to the taxi stand to grab lunch and calm ourselves down after that adventure. The Punjabi Rasoi is a popular place and even at 2:45pm had a long queue outside the restaurant. We waited for 15mins, but still weren’t close to getting a seat. We were famished and went to another place called Hotel Palestine. The food was good and the quantity was a LOT. Two of us couldn’t finish the Veg Biryani. By the time we wrapped lunch it was a little past 4pm; leaving us almost no time to explore other places. We chose to give it a miss and decided to start back to Srinagar.
Other sites to explore in Pahalgam – Aru Valley, Betaab valley and Chandanwari – At the tourist taxi stand of Pahalgam market you can hire a taxi to see all these places starting at 1800 Rs. There are set rates for the various sights irrespective of the time duration for which you take the taxi. Aru and Betaab valley would have taken us about 2hrs to cover and hence we gave it a miss. Aru valley is the starting point of many treks and said to offer some views as you drive across. Betaab valley’s name comes from the movie Betaab which was shot there. Going to the valley is a 12km trek, however the view is from the top! Ask the driver to stop at the Betaab valley view point; you can skip going to the valley itself. Chandanwari also offers some great views.
Since we decided to start back to Srinagar giving Aru valley etc a miss, we stopped at multiple places along the Lidder river to get some great pics of the mountains and the landscapes. You can ask the driver to stop at the view points you want to see or he would also know spots which are good. It was a 3hr drive back to Srinagar along with the pit-stop to buy dry fruits and saffron at Pulwama highway, leaving us exhausted but carrying some great memories of the adventurous day!
Day 2 was a day trip to the most awaited town of Gulmarg. While I had just planned to ride the gondola and back, we were in for an awesome surprise ahead.
Gulmarg is a 1.5hr drive from Srinagar and we left around 9am. Our houseboat owner has recommended to take a guide (their own person) at the tourist taxi stand and we were hesitant given our experience with the horses in Sonmarg turned out to be expensive. He also mentioned to ask the guide to take us to a lake, if we were okay to trek. Being the curious us, we spent the previous night reading up about the famous lake of Alphatar (that he was mentioning) but we couldn’t go there. Read on and you will know why.
Gulmarg
Things to do in Gulmarg –
1. TREK– We reached Gulmarg around 10:30 am and met our guide Mansoor bhai at the stand. He quoted 900 Rs for the entire day, to take us to places around Gulmarg and we agreed. (Also being conscious that Kashmir runs only on tourism and all their livelihoods had been impacted with covid). At the entry point of Gulmarg, we were asked to take a covid test, but with the help of our driver Tahir bhai and Mansoor bhai, we showed our RTPCR reports and we were good to do. Mansoor bhai then got into the car, turned to us and said, “ Ajaz bhai (The Houseboat owner) told me you guys can trek”. We said yes and 10 mins later he stopped the car and told us we would be trekking from there to the ticketing office of the Gondola. I looked up at the rudimentary path and steep incline and wondered.. how??
The view of the road from where we climbed
We started the steep climb, slipping a bit, catching my breathe due to the altitude and lack of fitness and finally reached a point where there was a flat path. We walked on it, climbing around fallen trees, with some amazing views of the valley, and about an hour and a half or so later reached the ticketing office. We were the only ones on that path and it felt so serene.. so peaceful.. just the trees and us.
Trekking viewsTrekking views
Tip – this trek wasn’t a known trail. We would have never found it on our own if it wasn’t for a local. We were the only ones on that path and hence this truly was the off-beaten route. Wouldn’t recommend it if you suffer from breathing difficulties. This needs some level of fitness since the distance is almost 3-4kms.
2. BUTA PHATRI We reached the gondola ticket centre around 12:30pm to find it highly crowded and long queues to ride it. Mansoor bhai then recommended visiting Buta Phatri which was another site. We hadn’t planned for this but it did sound quite cool and decided to see it. One thing to note – all the taxis from Srinagar or anywhere else only go to the entry point of the town eg: Gulmarg. To sightsee within Gulmarg you need to hire their local taxi. All the taxi drivers have a union and quote rates of 4000-5000Rs for the 15mins drive to Buta Phatri. We bargained with our guide and kept a final price of 3000 Rs. He got us a cab and we set off.
Why visit Buta Phatri? Buta Phatri is the last village on the India side situated about 3kms from the LOC. This is completely controlled by the Army and was closed for tourists for almost 22+yrs. It has recently opened up and invites a lot of tourists coming to Gulmarg. You will continue to see heavy army presence through the hair pin turns unto the entry point. You need to deposit a Govt ID proof at the entry point and collect it on your return.
Buta Phatri
When we reached Buta Phatri, the view that meets the eye is indescribable! Stand aside Switzerland, this place this sheer, untouched beauty. To go around Buta Phatri you can hire a horse; they will tell you it’s 3km etc; but we just decided to walk and its hardly 1or 2kms round about. The natural beauty of Kashmir is here – the green meadows, the pine trees on the mountains, simply magical. You will see the landscapes dotted with huts of the Gujjar tribes. Across the mountain is Pakistan and we could see a station on a mountain and were told Pakistan starts from there. Given Buta Phatri is an army training area you can also hear the firing of gunshots echoing through the valley. Pictures are prohibited close to the army base. Any Mobile network does not work in Buta Phatri.
Buta PhatriButa Phatri
We spent some time walking around, clicking pics and then started back to the gondola rocker centre. En-route we stopped to climb a small hill to find a lake on top of it. No one knows how the water got there.
Lake
3. Gondola ride – The gondola is a cable car which connects two mountains in phase 1 and phase 2. This 10-15mins ride to each phase provides some stunning views of Gulmarg. Unfortunately the Phase 2 was under repair and was closed. This meant we couldn’t go to Alphatar lake either. But that was okay! We now purchased our gondola ticket (740 Rs ) for Phase 1, got into the queue and into the car – and man are the views amazing! The Phase 2 tickets can be bought at the same ticket center and cost an additional 950 Rs.
We reached the end of phase 1 which is the top of Kondgori mountain and that opens into a lush meadow. I ran around the meadow like a cat finding an open area and made Bharath (the husband) click an abundance of pics. We were famished at the end of it and were happy to walk to the tents there serving hot maggi, tea, kahwa, pulav, chinese and what not. We had a kashmiri pulav, maggi and kahwa and it was divine! Especially with the view it came with! There is no mobile network on the top of Phase 1.
View from the gondolaAt Phase 1At phase 1Maggi with a viewView from the gondola
We caught the gondola back to base feeling very content with how the day had panned out. We thanked Mansoor bhai profusely, including giving him more than the guide fee he quoted and he happily accepted the money without even counting it! We bid goodbye to the glorious landscape of Gulmarg and started back to Srinagar, taking back with us memories of one amazing day!
Tomorrow .. Pahalgam!
Tips – I would recommend taking a guide. Seeing a place from the eye of a local, is something altogether. Check if your houseboat has a tie-up; its the best way to ensure you get a good price. The Gondola ride is usually crowded in the morning and by afternoon the crowds reduce. Weather can change at any time and carry a jacket.
Back in Sept 2016 my husband and I were wondering.. Year-end holidays approaching.. Where to next? I had once told him that I wanted to see the the three major civilizations or the reigns across the world – Angkor city, Egypt and Machu Pichu. That’s when we decided, let’s start from the East!
With that started the planning of a 10day trip across Cambodia and Vietnam. The entire trip did not need much planning and we also wanted to take things as they come. Starting with Flight bookings – Bangalore- Siem Reap- Hanoi-Bangalore – Done! Hotel bookings in the respective cities and applied for E-Visa for Vietnam; USD was the currency in Cambodia and yes, stock up on some food! We were all set!
We landed in Siem Reap and within 10mins of deplaning, we were greeted by a very warm immigration officer #rarefind and had gotten our Visa on Arrival through an extremely smooth and structured process – Impressive! We headed straight to our Hotel – Siddharta – a quaint boutique hotel situated in the city with a very welcoming staff. Siem Reap is built for tourists given its biggest tourist attraction and this is seen in every aspect – comfort and ease for a tourist is the top most priority. We enquired at the hotel reception on how to get to Angkor for the next day, and, they promptly handed us a very well thought through itinerary for 3 days! #ImpressedAgain!
The next day, we started off towards discovering this ancient city of Angkor. We tied up with a Tuk-tuk driver outside the hotel and he agreed to be our ride for our stay in Siem Reap. To visit the Angkor city one needs a pass – duration of which you can decide – 1 day, 3 day, 7 day etc. After picking up our passes we set off on one of the 2 routes recommended – the Greater route and the Smaller route. The first stop was the Temple of Bayon – one with close to 177 faces. Surrounded by beautiful landscapes this temple is an architectural marvel. We spent some time wandering around and admiring this huge complex before heading out to the next exciting stop – Ta Phrom. This temple rose to fame since the Tomb Raider movie was shot here. This is characterized by a huge banyan tree whose roots run well within the Temple walls. It looks like the tree grew right out of the temple!
Ta Phrom
Bayon Temple
Angkor Complex
1 hour and a zillion photos later we headed to the next temple on our route – Baphoun. A temple which has withstood the multiple war and being carefully reconstructed, this Buddhist temple is really a treat to the eyes. Near it was the Terraces of the Leper king where the King used to have an audience from the common man to listen to their grievances; With that our long day was coming to an end, but we were more excited for day 2!
Terrace of Leper King
Temples of Angkor complex
Temples of Angkor complex
The main attraction in Siem Reap is the Angkor Wat temple – one of the largest Hindu temple complexes in the world. Thousands of photographers from across the world throng to Angkor city to get some amazing shots of the beautiful sunrise against the backdrop of the temple. And ofcourse – we were there too. Our day started at 4am, to reach the spot around 5am to set up camp – better get there early, there were already tri-pods set up awaiting patiently for the sunrise. We found ourselves a good spot at the banks of the lake and waited.. sipping a hot cup of tea.. At 6:10am the Sun rose majestically against a clear blue sky casting a shadow on the domes of the temple; the shutterbugs were clicking away trying to capture every moment of this beautiful spectacle – indeed one of the best sunrises we had seen.
Once nature had completed the show, we headed to explore the interior of this massive complex – it does take a while! Angkor Wat was initially built as a Lord Vishnu temple but slowly over the years it transformed into a Buddhist temple during the reign of the Khmer kings. The temple houses carvings from both Hindu mythology and Buddhist teachings and it leaves one completely awestruck by the sheer size of it. We then spent the rest of the day visiting a few of the smaller temples of Banteay Prei, Preah Khan and a few others.
Sunrise
Temples at Angkor Complex
When I travel, I also try to get a glimpse into the culture and livelihood of the people. We started that by going to one of the Apsara dance shows – a South East Asian version of what we know as Hindu mythology. One of the main sources of income for the people of Siem Reap is also small scale industries – handicrafts, lacquer products, textile weaving, silkworm farming and weaving and making cosmetic products.
We stepped into a few of them to get a glimpse – we started with a place called Senteurs D Angkor – a shop and a factory which makes some amazing cosmetic products from handmade soaps to moisturizers, all packaged in very cute banana leaf baskets, all made by women there. I just couldn’t resist loading my shopping basket with small souvenirs. We then headed to a silk worm farm where they reared silk worm and had weavers who weaved cloth from the threads.
A lady weaving baskets
Wood carving in progress
Weaving in progress
We next went to Cambolac – Art for the People – this is a lacquer factory making paintings, photo frames, candles etc out of lacquer. This is run by a set of people who are deaf and dumb and they even provide an explanation of the process through sign language.
Cambolac candle holder
Our last stop for the day was a Landmine Factory. Cambodia has a very dark war-ridden history. During the war times a number of landmines were places in the country, many discovered and diffused, some still being discovered and diffused. the factory is quite an eye-opener into the the difficult history of this country. A visit here left us thankful for everything that we have – the freedom, the space, the comfort and everything else.
At the land mine factory
With that our adventure across Siem Reap came to an end.. looking forward to enjoying the charm of Hanoi!
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Rome was our final city on our stroll through the Italian Rivera. Rome is one of the biggest cities of Europe with so much history right in the middle of it. We were spending 3 days in Rome and plan was to cover Vatican as well. We had taken the Omnia Vatican & Rome card and had booked our entry times to Vatican museum, St Peter’s Basilica and Colosseum in advance.
Colosseum
Our Day 1 started off with a trip to the Colosseum to go back in time to when Gladiators and their fights were the main source of entertainment for the Roman Emperors and masses. We turned up at the Colosseum at our stipulated time and walked in, zoomed past security and proceeded to enter the area. I was under the impression that booking the entry time had an audio guide included. Unfortunately not. Rick Steve’s audio guide to the rescue! The sheer size of the Colosseum is what hits you as soon as you enter. Go back in time, visualize the gladiators in action and get lost in the narrative as you soak in the vastness and size of the arena. Btw.. you can also go up to the first floor for a birds eye view of the entire arena. After spending about an hour in the Colosseum, we visited the Roman Forum right next door. This is the archaeological remains of the Roman Empire. Strolling through the ruins along with Rick Steve’s audio guide narrative helps you visualize the pomp and grandeur of the Roman Emperor and the Empire. Right next to it is the Palantine hill and is a very nice place for an evening stroll. Do climb up, above the home of the Vestal Virgins for some great views of the entire Roman Forum. We then headed out towards one of the major Piazzas of Rome – Piazza Del Popolo. Behind this lively square is Villa Borghese and its gardens. Take the stairs and climb up for some good views of the central Obelisk and rest of Rome.
Colosseum
Roman Forum
Vatican Steps
Day 2 was when we “exited” Italy to enter a country within the country i.e Vatican City. Vatican, the home of the Pope and the most religious place for Christianity was something we were really looking forward to visit. Our Air BnB was close to Vatican and we started early and walked to it. We had taken the 9am slot to visit the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel and 1 pm to visit St Peter’s Basilica. Do budget an entire day for Vatican since it does take long. We met at the RPO point of Omnia Card Center at St Peter’s Basilica and were led to the entrance of Vatican Museum by a representative. After the security check we proceeded right to the top to start our tour. Rick Steve’s audio guide in our ears and we were ready to be mesmerized. As soon as you reach the top ensure you pull away from the crowds and go to the right side section to see the famous Vatican Spiral stairs. You enter and exit Vatican from different points so you would not be able to come back to see the stairs. Its exactly as in the pictures – beautiful. We then proceeded to see the main highlights of the museum – the treasury, map room, Rafael room etc. The museum is huge so a guided tour helps. Alternately you can also book a Guided tour on the Vatican Museum site. All the tour groups have their tours in the mornings and hence it was crowded. However we did read that Vatican is always crowded. But you can still get some great clicks without crowds – you just need to wait a bit. Soak in all the art around you especially Rafael’s room which was magnificent. We then followed the crowds into the Sistine Chapel and one is definitely overwhelmed by the beautiful frescoes – definitely Michelangelo’s best! the fresco of Last Judgement, Creation of Adam amongst many more are spectacular and your eyes can’t get enough of it. We sat there, admiring this work of one man at a day and age when our current technology wasn’t available.. Btw, one cannot take pic inside Sistine Chapel so I recommend spend enough time to etch them in your memory.
Rafael’s frescos
From the Sistine Chapel, there is a small door on the right which leads into St Peter’s Basilica. The Basilica, the home of the Pope, is quite majestic and is huge.. The dome of it extremely beautiful and we spent more than an hour taking in the intricacies of the Basilica. Unfortunately, it was a Monday and the Pope usually would come to the Balcony and have an audience on Wednesdays. Near to the Vatican City is Castel Sant Angelo, a beautiful castle to enjoy some great views from.
St Peters Basilica
Trevi Fountain
Day 3 was where we had decided we would visit the main Piazzas, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and the Pantheon. The Roma pass had a great advantage of unlimited use of the transport which we exploited completely. Tip: in-case you choose to buy tickets to use the buses, ensure you buy them in advance at the train/bus stations. Else another option is to keep a look out for small mini mart like stores which sell them. We started our day at Piazza Navona, an oval, stadium shaped square with some interesting buildings around. We then headed to Piazza Venezia which housed the Victor Emmanuel monument. Not many know, you can enter the monument free of cost and walk up to the terrace on the 2nd floor. There is a lift on the terrace which goes right up to top most point of the monument offering some spectacular, unobstructed views of Rome. From Piazza Venezia we walked up to the Trevi fountain and then proceeded to the Spanish stairs. Btw, we had the best Tiramisu ever at this place called Pompi near Trevi fountain. Its a must do! A well spent last day, enjoying our Tiramisu and strolling our way back to our Air B&B.
Italy is a beautiful country – vast, has lots to see and experience in-terms of terrain, landscapes, brilliant blue seas, history etc. Italians have a very rich culture and strong family values. The love their food and a typical Italian meal would have around 4-5 courses. Interestingly Italy also has a very strong North-South divide and the sentiments are not so much of love. Their food, fruits, cheese and wine vary as you travel from the north to the south of Italy. Italians are very warm, loud and boisterous set of folks who love their merriment. They have a strong history and culture and are very proud of it. They have equal number of warnings of pick-pockets, robbery etc at all their attractions. Sounds familiar? Italy has a lot of similarities to India.. can’t wait to go back someday..
St Peters Square
St Peters Basilica
Balcony of Pope
With the lights
Piazza Venezia
View from Top of Victor Emmanuel Monument
Spanish Steps
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Our next stop from Florence was Cinque Terra. En-route to Cinque we decided to spend a couple of hours at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Pisa is about an hour’s train ride from Florence, mid-way between Florence and Cinque Terre. The main attraction in Pisa is the Square of Miracles housing the Cathedral, Baptistery & the wonder of the world, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Every cathedral has a baptistery, the main cathedral and a bell tower. In this case when they constructed the bell tower, it started leaning and hence became a wonder of the world. Pisa is a small town and the trip to the tower, up the 250+ steps to the top most part of the tower and back in a matter of a couple of hours.
To climb the Pisa tower, you need to book tickets online on the Pisa website or other sites like GetYourGuide.com etc and pick a slot when you would be climbing. There are long queues to buy tickets at the sight and hence an online reservation is highly recommended since slots get filled out. We took a 7:30 am train from Florence, got to Pisa at around 8:30 am. After depositing our luggage at the Pisa Centrale Left Luggages spot at 5€ for the day, we set off to catch the bus from the station to the tower. That’s when we found out that since it was May 1st (Labour day) the town was like a ghost town – all shops shut, no buses on the road.. everything at a standstill. #facepalm.
The Baptistery
We didn’t have a choice but to walk the 2 km stretch to the tower. We had a 11 am slot to climb up and spent about an hour clicking a lot of photos “holding the tower” and visiting the cathedral and baptistery. The visit to the cathedral is free and included in the ticket to climb the tower. By 10:45 am we had deposited our bags and I mean all bags, including small sling bags, at the cloak room and got into the queue for the 11 am climb (they don’t allow you to climb before your slotted time). After a quick frisk check we entered the tower and immediately you feel tipsy.. a feeling which continues all the way up to the top. Its an amazing climb with some great views of the the square and the town from up there. Wouldn’t recommend the climb in-case you have vertigo or are claustrophobic.
Pisa is a small, quaint little town and can easily done as a day trip from Florence or Cinque Terre.
After a quick and yummy lunch from a food-truck right at the entrance to the tower we commenced our walk back towards the station to catch our 13:30 train onward to my fav Cinque Terre!
View of the Square from the Tower
View of the Square from the Tower
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Italy as a country had been on our radar for a while. As a country its like India, offers a lot to see; plus was the HQ for the child of the house (the husband). Italy is a huge country unlike other European countries and can easily take more than 3 weeks to see it completely from north to south. We had about 14 days in hand and were figuring out our top places to see.
The Route – It takes atleast 3 days in a city to get a feel of it and of course to cover the top highlights in it. Yes I mean only the top highlights as one can spend days there and not get bored. We started with a huge wish list of cities and then reality struck and we narrowed down to Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre & Rome as our bases. Many versions later we figured out the most optimum route – Rome – Venice – Florence – Pisa – Cinque Terre – Rome. We had then planned day trips to Chianti & Tuscany from Florence and Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius from Rome. All cities are very well connected by Trenitalia run trains, though they could be a bit delayed, are yet quite efficient. So we had a very detailed excel with each day and city (yes the b-school training reflects). We did consider renting a car and driving around, however, our visa was quite delayed and hence we didn’t have enough time to get our International Permit.
The Stay – We only looked at Air BnBs for our stay since we found hotels to be expensive. I am usually particular we stay at the city center and near a train station – saves the transport cost and also eases up the lugging of luggage around.
The Visa – Yes, Schengen visa requires a LOT of paper work and of-course proof of all your bookings. Once we completed our flights, Air BnB and Trenitalia (inter-city train) booking we started looking for VFS Italy visa appointments. To our disbelief our earliest available slot was a month away! We then had no choice but to go through VFS Premium route. We did submit our visa about a month before we flew, however the visa took quite long to come. Their SLA is 15 working days and it took all of the 15 working days; that’s close to 3 weeks to get our passports back leaving us with just 1 week to complete the rest of our sight entry bookings. Scary! Tip: book the visa appointment as soon as the itinerary is firmed up and flight ticket & stay are booked. You can then accordingly plan the rest of the booking and document collection.
The Sights – So Italy is extremely crowded and one would see long queues outside the ticket office of the main attractions. Hence everywhere we read that one needs to book their times to enter. I found it to be a pain – I like to have the flexibility in my agenda. However, at hindsight I’m glad we booked since we noticed the length of the queues, the time we saved and that slots were sold out well in advance; and this wasn’t even peak season! Visit A City was again my go to app to build in the agenda of the main sights to see and things to do.
The City Cards – It took a lot of research and thought on whether we wanted to invest in City Cards or not. In Florence and Rome we were there for 3 days and when we calculated the individual ticket costs vs the City Cards, the latter seemed to provide a better bargain. I would recommend choose what works for you, but do ensure you read the T&C of the cards. Eg; the Firenze (Florence) card had changed their T&C. Earlier one could just buy the card and enjoy priority entrance at Florence Cathedral, Accademia Gallery (David Statue) and Uffizi Gallery. But recently they revamped it to say that though you buy the card, you still need to call their call center/mail and book the entry time to the Accademia & Uffizi. I do agree its an added complication but when I called 1 week prior to we were there for a slot, they were all sold out and only when I mentioned I had the Firenze card, we got the slots we wanted easily! The Florence Cathedral however is out of scope of this card. Entry to the cathedral is free and you still need to stand in the long queue to enter. The climb to the Duomo can be booked only when you get to Florence and we did not get slots at all for any of the 3 days we were there. Tip: if you certainly want to climb the Duomo, I would recommend book it online.
In Rome we took the Omnia Vatican and Rome card and similarly you still need to book your entry time to Vatican museum & St Peters Basilica. Similarly for the Colosseum, book the entry time on the Coop Culture website. It was a pain during planning but definitely worth it since its really very crowded.
The Tours – I’m a DIY kinda traveler but with all this extra planning and brain work that Italy takes we decided to take it easy and be driven around for a bit. In Florence, we chose the Chianti Wine tour through Ciao Florence and it was good. In Venice we booked the Murano & Burano tour through City Wonders, since it was looking to be a bit of a hassle to figure out the vaporette times (also expensive). Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius was another tour we took through City Wonders; since the journey to these two sights involved 1 or 2 trains and a bus and was proving to be quite a task. The tour worked out quite well and comfortable.
We also took a few walking tours – in Florence & Rome and those were to also be reserved online. Though they were free, they required a reservation and a print out of that.
The Packing – The weather in Europe is highly unpredictable. We experience rains and winds when it was supposed to be sunny. Tip: pack for all weathers! Venice was quite chilly, Florence was mixed, Cinque was warm, Rome was mixed. Carrying a poncho/an umbrella was quite handy. In the end.. pack light & travel with delight! You do have a lot of walking to do .. some with luggage but mostly without!
Italy is still has quite a huge paper usage. Carry the print outs of all the tickets, city card bookings, attractions bookings, walking tour reservations etc.. basically carry printouts of everything you book online since its required for verification at the location.
The Food – Italian food is delicious, with a lot of options for vegetarians. From great breads, to pizza & pasta varieties to amazing cheese and gelato, a veggie needn’t worry at all 🙂
The Expenses – Italy has a mix of cash and card economy. Venice & Cinque are completely cash while the other cities are quite card friendly. So do ensure you are topped up on both. Though most of your expenditure is pre-trip since you book everything online, do keep cash in hand!
With that we were pretty much set for our Italian adventure!
Next up.. our journey through each city..
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Ever since I was in grade 5 or 6 and we read about the lost city of Pompeii which had been buried under layers of ash years ago when one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world erupted – Mt. Vesuvius, I had dreamt of walking through this city.. So this just had to be on the list.
Thermal Bath
Pompeii
Pompeii & Vesuvius can be done on a day trip from either Rome or Naples, though it is closer from Naples. We did a lot of research on the best routes to get to Pompeii & then get to Mt. Vesuvius to trek up to the crater.. yes you can trek up to the crater 🙂 A DIY way to get yourself to both sights would involve about 2 trains and then a bus to Vesuvius – it seemed quite a task! Hence we decided to take one of the day tours from Rome. We decided to go with City Wonders Tours and we booked them through Get Your Guide website (you can also book directly on the City Wonders site). There are other tour groups as well but the reviews seemed good.
This guided tour included the bus ride, entry tickets to both sights, and a lunch as well. We started off at 7:30 am from the meeting point and after approx 3hrs we reached Pompeii. The weather has been a bit of a bummer through our trip and it was one of those gloomy, rainy, overcast days. Well, once we arrived at Pompeii, we got our audio sets and set off marching behind our tour guide.
Cast of a person
In 79AD when Vesuvius erupted it covered the entire city of Pompeij, Herculean and two other small towns with ash and buried them deep. For long Pompeii was known as a name and no one knew the location. Years later Pompeii was uncovered by an archaeologist and the excavations continue till today. Pompeii is a massive, completely planned city extending to acres. The city is divided into many complexes with what was to be shops where people used to buy things including a bakery – you can still see the baking oven there. Pompeii was almost like a self sustained society with a very elaborate city planning including a sewage system with pipes, a currency system, thermal baths for socializing, different societal classes and a red light area! Our tour of the city lasted about 2hrs ish and it was awesome .. walking through the ages.
Post that we had a lunch stopover at a place which served the true Neopolitan pizza. Pizza is said to have originated in Naples and that’s exactly what we got to savor. Given the overcast skies and rains we kept hoping they would let us climb the mountain. Being an active volcano and one of the most dangerous, the authorities are very careful on letting climbers up when weather is terrible. The bus takes you about 3/4th up the mountain and then its a short 15-20 minute, uphill climb to the crater. The fog and the mist just added to the mystery and danger of this volcano. The climb is a bit steep and inclined so some amount of stamina is needed; plus its a bit slippery with the loose gravel. After the climb through the mist, the first and main crater comes into the view. A quick peek into the crater, to see some steam coming out we then quickly walked on the level ground to the next crater. After a few pics and picking volcanic rocks from the trail we descended back to the base where our bus was waiting for us. For me this was a super thrilling experience – climbing up a dangerous, active volcano! Wow!
Vesuvius erupted last about 75 yrs ago. The area around the mountain houses a number of people, vineyards and produces some great tasting wine. There are about 750,000 people living in the red zone of this volcano today who would need to be evacuated when the volcano erupts – people know it will erupt.. the question is when? Will it take another 75 yrs to erupt or would it be in the near future.. Only Time will tell.
For now.. back to Rome to delve into some Roman history!
Vesuvius Crater
The uphill climb
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Alright! So after Pisa we went about our one hour train ride to La Spezia Centrale, our gateway into the beautiful Cinque Terre.
Cinque in Italian means 5 and Terre means Land.. the Cinque Terre consists of 5 cute and extremely Instagrammable villages – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Corniglia & Monterosso. The regional/inter-city trains stop only at La Spezia and you need to change to the local trains heading towards Levanto. We picked Riomaggiore as our village to stay in and visit the other 4 during our 1.5 days there. Now you can either walk through the hiking trail, of-course with a cost, or choose to shuttle between the villages on trains. Each trail is a 2 hr walk between 2 villages and we hence picked the train as our travel option. Now Cinque is a tad bit expensive on transport – a train ride between 2 stations which would ideally last 2-4 mins costs about 4€ and that’s when we decided to take a Cinque Terre day pass which costs 16€. So after the check-in to our Air B&B and a quick bite we set out to explore Riomaggiore and Manarola.
Riomaggiore
The entire essence of Cinque Terre is to aimlessly walk through the villages, enjoy the magnificent views of the colourful village houses and Mediterranean sea with a glass of wine and eat lots of foccacia and gelato. Trust me, some of the best gelato on our trip was eaten here!
Manarola
Both Rio and Manarola are very well known for the colorful pictures that you would have seen online and they are indeed beautiful. We spent some time wandering around the village, eating gelato and then headed to the best sunset view point in Manarola, near the restaurant Nessun Dorma. It offers a spectacular view of the village and the turquoise blue Mediterranean sea! Simply breath-taking! I will also recommend the Tiramisu at a place (which says Vegan at the entrance) near the port. It was amazing!
Tiramisu
Our day 2 in Cinque Terre was where we had planned some village hopping. Monterosso was the most further out and we started there to find our way back to Rio. Monterroso is known for the beautiful beach where you can be a complete beach bum.. playing with the sand and water. Our next stop was Vernazza and more than the view we totally loved the gelato we had at a place near the port – absolutely divine! Try their Tiramisu & Pineapple flavour – we couldn’t get enough of it and the view of the village!
Vernazza
Monterosso
After wandering through Vernazza we headed to little Corniglia perched up on the hill. This is the only village wherein you can either climb the steps up or ride a bus from the train station to the village. Finally we once again visited Manarola and ended the day back at Rio. It was a super day spent eating a lot of gelato & tiramisu, drinking some great wine along with foccacia and olives! Cinque Terre is a great place to unwind with a great view and some great wine.
Next up Roma!
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Florence or Firenze is the renaissance capital of the world and it has a lot to offer! We planned about 3 days in Florence and still wish we could spend more time there.
Santa Maria Novella
We started our exploration of the city by joining a walking tour by Another Florence (this has to also be booked in advance online). The guide gave us good insight into the city – just what we needed to figure out the history and our way around. Florence’s transport network is a little complicated and it took us a while to figure it out. So is the complication with the entries to all the major sights – Florence Cathedral, Galleria Accademia etc. We had decided to purchase the Firenze card since we were spending 3 days in Florence. But one has to pre book the entry time for the Galleria Accademia which houses David and Uffizi gallery by calling on their number and booking an entry time. You still need to pick up the Florence Cathedral free pass and then book the climb to the Duomo once you get to Florence which is a little bit of a pain since the slots get booked well in advance. You just have to take your chances. If you are spending lesser time in Florence it may help to just directly book these top 3 sights through their websites.
Michelangelo’s David
We had pre-booked our time to enter Galleria in the afternoon and it was a blessing since the queues to buy tickets are really long! Once you enter Galleria the first and the main thing to catch is Michelangelo’s David and boy what a beauty! The intricacy in the details of the sculpture is mind blowing and its worth grabbing a seat near him and admiring the sheer art. We spent a couple of hrs inside the museum, also waiting for the rains to stop – yes weather is quite unpredictable. We spent the rest of the evening chilling on one of the squares.
Our Day 2 in Florence was the day we decided to visit the cathedral in the first half. We collected the ticket early morning (since it was a monday) and then went on to the join the 1km+ long queue to enter the cathedral. The Firenze Card does not give you priority entrance into the cathedral and that’s a bummer. 1.5 hrs later we entered the cathedral and the highlight of it is the fresco of the Last Judgement on the dome – spectacular. We did not get slots to climb the Duomo however we evaluated climbing the Campanile – but again its 400+ stairs and I had been limping on this trip (tore my ligament a week before the trip). We then headed to Palazzo Medici nearby wherein you see the most famous painting of Medici on the horse with a lot of people depicting the renaissance era.
Florence Cathedral
Renaissance @ Palazzo Medici
Vineyards @ Chianti
For the afternoon, we had pre-booked a tour to Chianti for wine tasting through Ciao Florence. We met the tour group and off we were, this time with the weather being on our side – bright and sunny! The beautiful Tuscan countryside is better than the pictures.. an afternoon spent in tasting the famous Chianti Classico wine, with lots of cheese, and enjoying the lovely countryside of Chianti and smaller towns like Greve.
Birth of Venus @ Uffizi Gallery
Our last day in Florence began with the Uffizi gallery – the gallery which houses the major artworks of famous artists from the era – Michelangelo, Leonardo, Rafael etc. The star attraction is ofcourse the painting of the Birth of Venus – spectacular. We spent easily 2hrs there and this was just seeing the highlights using the Rick Steve’s Audio tour on his app (very useful!). Post that we walked down to Santa Croce, the church which is the burial site of Galileo, Michelangelo and others – well worth the visit. Palazzo Veechio, Ponte Veechio, Palazzo Pitti and a few other churches were the ones we visited but majorly spent time sitting in the squares and enjoying the sun and gelato 🙂
One of the major things I love doing in a new city is to find the sunset point and a place which would give a great view of the city. To see this we headed out to Piazzale Michelangelo which is one of the best sunset points and viewpoint of Florence and its absolutely amazing – a great way to end the Florentian expedition.
View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo
Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo
Florence is a city which has a lot to offer – from sights to food, to great wine and cheese, some good shopping for italian leather and much more… get lost in the streets and soak in the art all around…
Coming up … Pisa & Cinque Terre
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Curious Boho 