Nice Is a Place in France & It’s On My Europe Itinerary

DISCLAIMER: I couldn’t finish this book because the tone/views were just so… um, young. It would have been great for a younger, more immature Sylvia, maybe. But given my more mature, open minded, current state of mind I just couldn’t. It was however the perfect book to have in a shot for a post about France, especially since Nice will be one of my stops!

If you follow me on Instagram, which you better, then you are well aware that I’m going on a major trip in a couple weeks that will have me stopping in NYC, Paris, Nice, Munich and Zurich. To say that I’m excited about this trip would be the understatement of the century. Not only is this my first time going to Europe (so exciting) but it’s also a girls trip (always a great time), that was planned during a time when both Paris Fashion Week AND Oktoberfest will be going on and I’ll be embarking on my first ever solo travel adventure!!! This couldn’t have fallen together better. I’m stoked y’all!

First stop, New York City

Now New York isn’t so much a destination on this trip as much as it is the most cost effective place to fly to Europe from. But if you have to go to New York you may as well get at least a day in, right? I get into New York next Friday night at around 10pm with two of my other girlfriends and we don’t fly to Paris until Saturday night, giving us exactly one day in the big apple. Not ones to squander time, we’ll spend Friday night doing face masks and having wine at our besties house in New Jersey. Then we have big Saturday brunch plans in the city as well as manicures and I may try to swing by Chillhouse if I get a chance. I love their coffee!

Next up, Paris

Paris is where we’ll spend the bulk of our time in Europe and it’s the only place (besides New York) that we’ll all be together. After Paris we all split up, one of us is going to London, two other girls are headed to Bordeaux and then hopping around Switzerland and I of course will be heading to Nice, Munich and Zurich.

While in Paris we will be attending a couple Paris Fashion Week presentations, going to the Louvre, shopping at the Place d’Aligre which is one of Paris’ largest and well known outdoor markets with food, trinkets and vintage finds and also doing tons of touristy stuff I’m sure. I seriously plan on eating more carbs than ever before and I’m most looking forward to trying Pink Mama and Eugene, Eugene which looks like the most beautiful restaurant. We will be in Paris for four days and though we have a lot of different things we all want to do we have basically left the days open to flow how they will.

Nice for a day.

I get one day in Nice. One day. I’m kicking myself for doing that. Why didn’t I set it up to stay for at least two days? I have the cutest little hotel just blocks from the Promenade and a 15 minute walk from the Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art. Fun fact, Nice was actually a last minute change to my itinerary after I realized that if I went to Bordeaux with the other girls I was only going to get around 12 hours there before needing to catch a flight to Munich. I don’t know about you guys but 12 hours in wine country sounded like a headache and a half to me so I decided to head south to get a break from the chillier temps in the Mediterranean climate. Non-sand beaches aren’t my thing so I’ll probably check it out but won’t be posted up by any means. To be honest, I’m going to be on the go the entire time I’m there to try to do as much as possible. Some things I’m excited to check out are

• Castle Hill- walk to the top for the best views of Nice.
• Boscolo Exedra Nice- a stunning hotel with funky art
• Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art
• Les Amoureux- I’ve heard it has the “Best Pizza in France” I’ll be all too willing to test that.

Munich & Oktoberfest

I started planning this trip (seriously) around last December after finalizing the dates and learning that Oktoberfest and PFW would be happening while we were in Europe. If you’ve ever thought about going to Oktoberfest plan ahead! Obviously Oktoberfest is a huge festival but I never realized how big until I started doing my research. In December when I booked my hotel in Munich there were less than 16% of hotels available for the second weekend of the festival. Less than 16%, ten months ahead of time! That’s insane! Someone had told me to book early because the hotels would fill up quickly, but I never would have guessed that I would need to book something almost a year in advance.

I checked out other options like Couch surfing or just renting a room on AirBNB when my girlfriends changed their minds about going to Munich for the festival in order to save money and not be alone. But to be honest, staying with a stranger is just a little out of my comfort zone. I decided to keep my hotel even though it was a little pricier than other places I’ll be staying because it was centrally located, near shopping, the festival and museums. Plus, I’m 2 blocks away from a cafe that looks like it has the yummiest acai bowls and is right next door to the Pinokothek der Moderne Museum. I think I’m only going to Oktoberfest on Saturday so I also get time to explore Munich and get a well rounded experience. Because I’m only going one day I want to get there super early and get a full day in, I was told by a couple people that I have to check out the Hofbräu and Hacker tents specifically and I’m all set with my Dirndl too.  Make sure you’re following me on Instagram for a sneak peak of the festival!

Final stop, Zurich

Zurich was a complete wildcard. My two girlfriends are ending there and invited me to meet back up with them to fly home and after comparing prices it made the most sense. I have very little in terms of itinerary plans for my time there. I’m riding a bus from Munich to Zurich which should be an interesting experience for me, as I’ve never traveled this way before. I’m hoping its pretty easy and straightforward. Once I get there, late Sunday, we’re hoping to get a little Sunday funday action in but have no idea what to expect. I don’t fly home until Tuesday so Monday will be spent taking in all that Zurich has to offer as quickly as possible.

And that’s the plan for Europe. Lots of stops in just over a week. I’ll be putting together a packing guide (once I know what I’m taking) and I’ll also be sharing city guides for each of these places as soon as I’m back so stay tuned and if you’ve ever visited any of these cities I’d love for you to shoot me over any and all recommendations! Drop me a comment below.

Wearing

Blazer: Mens
Shorts: Nordstrom
Top: Forever 21
Bucket Bag: Nordstrom
Booties: Forever 21
Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Xx Sylvia