Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is now one of my favorite cities in the world. I absolutely loved exploring the different neighborhoods and the chill vibes of the city. Highly recommend!

City by the Bay Tips: 

• If you are flying into Melbourne from abroad, prepare yourself for the easiest customs ever. I was so impressed with the systems in place, shout out to the Australian government, the rest of the world could learn a lot from their entry processes.

• Depending on where you are staying in the city, the Skybus from the airport might make sense for you. It drops off in the CBD, the Southbank, St Kilda, and some of the city’s suburbs. It is quick and easy to use.

• The city’s public transportation is great! The trams and buses are super easy to use. Get a Myaki card from a station and utilize it for both trams and buses. If you are running low on funds you can top up online, at stations, or at 7-Elevens around the city.

• When you order a beer they are going to ask if you want a pint or a pot—a pint is 20 ounces, a pot is 10 ounces

• Check out my Sydney recommendations here!

Adventures & Ales Top Melbourne Recommendations: ​

• Stomping Ground Brewery: This was my favorite brewery in Melbourne, it is a very cool space, with tons of plants, a full food menu, a plethora of beers on tap, and a retractable roof. Snag a table first if you plan on ordering food so you know your table number for your order. Their sour series is great, especially the Watermelon Gose.

• Carlton Gardens: Gorgeous park to spend some time relaxing in. This is where the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Building are located as well.

• Fixation Brewing Co.: They are fixated on IPAs! Their entire tap list is IPAs—West Coast, New England, Milkshake, you name it. It is a bright, airy space to hang out in with a couple of sidewalk tables as well. If you are hungry you can get pizza delivered from next door.

• Moon Dog Craft Brewery: A very eclectic taproom with tropical vibes. They have pizza, free popcorn, and couches to lounge on, plus a secret door that leads to their event space. Lots of delicious beers here!

• Mountain Goat Brewing: A large industrial space with fun vibes. They also have pizza and delicious beers!

  • Pop down from here to walk along the Main Yarra Trail to soak in some river views

    • If you walk along the trail to where you see the highway you can pop out directly to Burnley Brewing

• Burnley Brewing: More restaurant vibes than brewery vibes, but they’ve still got good beers. They have board games, a DJ on Sundays, and a full food menu

• Take a day trip down The Great Ocean Road! Check out my blog post with recommendations here!

Stomping Ground Brewery

• The Mill Brewing Co.: A small spot in Collingwood with an outdoor patio as well. The beers are delicious and the atmosphere is chill. They have a permanent onsite pizza van run with Fatboy's Food Trucks.

• Eat Italian food on Lygon Street—namely at Zia Teresa, you won’t regret it!

• Wander the Fitzroy Neighborhood, namely Brunswick Street. My favorite spots:

  • Slowpoke Espresso: Delicious food and coffee, plus a small back patio

  • Grub Fitzroy: An airstream turned restaurant with a cute indoor/outdoor space

  • Black Cat: A cozy coffee shop with a nice outdoor space

• Tallboy & Moose: A brewery with an extremely colorful space, good beers, a nice patio, and a full kitchen

• 3 Ravens Brewery: This one is definitely off the beaten path but it is a cool converted space with really good beer. Worth the hike if you’ve got extra time!

• Temple Brewing: This is located right off Lygon Street. It is a popular spot with a nice outdoor space. They’ve also got a full food menu and their nachos are delicious!

Brighton Bathing Boxes

• The Kettle Black: An adorable coffee shop in South Melbourne, near The Shrine of Remembrance.

• Ponyfish Island: A bar in the middle of the Yarra River! You access it via the pedestrian bridge. Surprisingly good prices for being right on the water. Great views of the city.

• Henry Street Brewhouse: a cool neighborhood spot with indoor and outdoor seating. In Kensington. Lots of pale ales

• Higher Ground Cafe: Another super pretty cafe, be sure to get here early, it fills up quickly. Located in the CBD.

• South of Johnston: Sojo as the cool kids call it, is another great cafe. They’ve got $5 mimosas on Sundays

  • Gertrude Street around the corner is full of bars and restaurants to explore

Milk The Cow St. Kilda

Top Touristy Spots in Melbourne Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Brighton Bathing Boxes: These colorful beach huts are every Instagrammers dream. They are super cute, but prepare yourself to see a ridiculous amount of people and a ridiculous amount of photo shoots happening.

  • The sand here is a little rough, St Kilda is softer if you want to soak up some rays.

  • There is a nice trail connecting the beaches that I recommend walking (Brighton to Elwood to St Kilda)

    • Keep your eyes peeled for the Brighton Dog Park if you are a dog lover, it is filled with pups enjoying their off-leash beach time.

• Watch the sunset from St Kilda Beach, and don’t miss the penguins at the end of the pier.

  • St Kilda also has lots of bars and restaurants down Fitzroy Street. I HIGHLY recommend Milk the Cow. They have got awesome flights of cheese, wine, beer, cider, gin, you name it.

• Immigration Museum: Interesting and informative museum on the history of immigration and immigration policy in Australia. $15 AUD to enter, worth it.

• Fitzroy Gardens: A huge public park that is a popular spot to stroll through or picnic. I would say skip Captain Cook’s House unless you are right near it or extremely interested. It’s your typical old shack that you have to pay to tour one bedroom.

Fixation Brewing

• Shrine of Remembrance: A war museum in the Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Admission is quite expensive. Be sure to wander the gardens while in this area.

• Flinders Street Station/St Paul Cathedral/Federation Square: These are all in one area along the river, you’ll want to wander by at some point. The station is incredibly old and beautiful from the outside, but otherwise it’s just a train station. The Cathedral is gorgeous. The Square is essentially a public park with some cool architecture.

• Hosier Lane: A trendy graffiti-filled street

• People will tell you to go to the Block Arcade—it’s essentially just a pretty mall. I did not find it at all interesting or worthwhile, but perhaps you will enjoy the old architecture.

• Similarly, people will tell you to go to the State Library. The dome of the library is pretty, but it is not impressive enough to make it a worthwhile visit. It is just a library, nothing special.

• Queen Victoria Market: A massive market with so. many. stalls. It is relatively organized which was a nice surprise compared to most markets. Go earlier in the day for the best experience!

• Melbourne Museum: I didn’t love the Melbourne Museum personally. I expected it to be more informative specifically about Melbourne and Australia, but most of the museum was not related to either. There is one exhibit on the history of the city that was interesting, but the remainder of the exhibits were about unrelated topics.

The Great Ocean Road

Other Melbourne Things To Do:​​

• Explore the Thornbury Neighborhood, namely High Street

  • Welcome to Thornbury: Fun bar with food trucks. Lots of outdoor space, inside there are arcade games

• Hopscotch Melbourne: An urban beer bar near the river with retractable doors for indoor and outdoor seating

• Thunder Road Brewing: Located right off of Lygon Street, this brewery has a fun outside space, permanent food truck onsite, and average beers.

• Westside Ale Works: Located in Southwest Melbourne, this brewery has got a tonnn of beers on tap. It is a pretty small spot overall, but they are moving across the street soon to larger space. They have pizza, lots of IPAs, board games, and even a brewery pup!

• Degraves Street: A pedestrian-only street with many bars and restaurants. It’s pretty touristy but worth venturing down.

  • Little Cupcakes: Adorable little cupcakes… oh did you see that coming from the name?! Yummy cupcakes right at the Flinders Street side of the street

  • Walk through Degraves Street north to Centre Place, another street with the same concept. Very European-style street seating

• Hardware Lane is another pedestrian-only street filled with bars and restaurants

  • PSA the happy hour at Claypots Barbarossa starts earlier than the other restaurants and has great deals

• Rooftop Bar: Yes that’s the name of it. A little tricky to locate—it’s inside the Curtain House, take the elevator to level 6, then take the stairs up to level 7. Overall a cool spot, but the chainlink fence kills the vibes a bit. They’ve got a burger shack onsite.

• Bonehead Brewing: A pretty small brewery with solid beers. They frequently have food trucks for your hunger needs. The industrial space has a retractable door and wood burning fire pit. Located in the Kensington neighborhood.

• Aunty Peg’s: If you are really into coffee, this is a super unique spot for specialty pours

Sydney, Australia

Sydney is an awesome city made even better by the surrounding neighborhoods and beach towns. It’s clearly a must when visiting Australia!

The Harbour City Tips: 

• Take the train to and from the airport into the city, it’s super easy to use and quick—Just snag an Opal card at the airport train station. The Opal card works on the buses as well as the trains in the CBD and the neighboring beach towns.

• Definitely plan to spend some time at the various beaches surrounding the city. The sand is soft and the water is relatively warm year-round.

  • I preferred the city scene of Melbourne over that of Sydney, but Sydney’s beaches > Melbourne’s beaches

• The sun is strong, don’t mess around! No one wants a sunburn to ruin their vacation so plan for success

• Check out my Melbourne recommendations here!

Adventures & Ales Top Sydney Recommendations: ​

• Spit to Manly Walk: An awesome scenic walk that I highly recommend! Check out my full guide to the walk here!

• Manly Beach: North of Sydney, this was my favorite beach in the Sydney area.

  • 4 Pines Manly: A brewery with an outdoor balcony and frequent live music. Overall a cool spot.

  • Manly Beach: You’re at the beach so…go to the beach. Admire the surfers and be on the lookout for Jaws (it is Australia after all)

  • Manly Wine: SO adorable. Beach views, awesome vibes, a great Happy Hour, and plus they have cheese plates!

  • Take the ferry back to the City Center at the end of your time at Manly. I would recommend you time it with sunset for the best views of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and CBD. Sit outside in the front for the best views but beware of sea splash!

• Take a day trip to The Blue Mountains! Check out my full guide here for recommendations on how to plan your adventure!

• All Hands Brewing House: Located right on King Street Wharf so you can gaze at the boats from their abundance of outdoor seating. They’ve also got a full food menu.

• Redoak Beer Boutique: Restaurant on one side, brewery bar on the other. They’ve got good Happy Hour deals and are located right in the City Center. It’s a cute spot and their beer wins tons of awards.

• Wayward Brewing: Located in the Camperdown neighborhood, this brewery is definitely off the beaten path, but it’s a cool spot. It exudes ‘local bar’ vibes in the garage-style set-up. They’ve got free popcorn, occasional food trucks, guest taps, and good beer.

• Yulli’s Brews: In the industrial section of the Alexandria neighborhood, this garage-style brewery makes some delicious beers! They’ve got a full kitchen and really friendly staff!

Spit to Manly Walk

• Coogee to Bondi Walk: Another great coastal walk! This one is definitely more 'traditional beach walk’ and you follow the coastline the the whole route. Overall it is about two miles from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach.

  • Start your day with breakfast at The Diver Cafe at Coogee Beach—it is delicious!

  • End your walk at The Bucket List Bar on Bondi a great place to sip a beer and watch the surfers!

• The Marrickville Neighborhood Brewery Hub:

  • Batch Brewing: Solid beers, food trucks every night, chill vibes, good prices

  • Stockade Brew Co.: Some of the best beer in Sydney. A cute taproom with a burger food truck that lives onsite

    • Note that it is quite literally a one minute walk between Batch and Stockade so be sure to plan to visit both because why not?

  • Sauce Brewing: A really nice outside area/beer garden and lots of good IPAs

  • The Grifter Brewing Co.: A very interesting space in a dark basement with old school vibes. but the beer is good!

    • There are a few more breweries in this neighborhood that I didn’t get to visit but they are in this same hub:

      • Willie the Boatman—They were closed for moving while I was in town

      • Wildflower Brewing and Blending—Unfortunately they are only open on Fridays and Saturdays

      • Young Henry’s—They close at 7pm every day so if you definitely want to visit be sure to head there earlier in the day

    • While in this area Enmore Road is a lively street with lots of bars and restaurants

The Opera House from the ferry

Top Touristy Spots in Sydney Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Ms. Macquaire’s Chair: The chair isn’t what you’re here for, it is the gorgeous views! If you walk up from the east side of the peninsula it is a gorgeous walk along the water, then you can soak in the views from the tip of the peninsula, then walk south through the The Royal Botanic Garden. Follow the water’s edge around the peninsula to the Opera House

  • There are lots of runners here, don’t get run over yo

• Sydney Opera House: The Sydney classic. It is quite expensive to tour, so unless you’re really into opera just soak in the views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge

  • Keep your eyes peeled for the ‘Seagull Patrol’ at the restaurant right next to the Opera House. The ‘patrol’ is an adorable dog running around scaring the seagulls away from the patrons

• The Rocks Neighborhood: A historic neighborhood just North of the city center. There are tons of bars and restaurants in this area to check out

  • Squire’s Landing: Drink a beer and gaze at the Harbour Bridge at this outpost of James Squire Brewing. Not the best beer in the city and definitely touristy, but the views are great!

• Walk the Harbour Bridge: Take in cool views of the Opera House, Harbour, and CBD. It’s nothing Earth-shattering but it’s something you’ve got to do!

  • You can also climb the bridge if you’re feeling adventurous, but that does come at a steep price

• Sydney Town Hall: Pop by and check out the gorgeous architecture

  • The Queen Victoria Building is right across the street and also a super gorgeous building to admire

The Blue Mountains

Other Things To Do in Sydney:​​

• John Mantagu Cafe: A cute coffee shop in the Woolloomooloo neighborhood (yes that’s a real name). A good starting point to walk up to Ms. Macquaire’s Chair if you want to take in the wharf and full peninsula. The cheddar and sage toastie is simple but delicious!

• Rocks Brewing: This brewery has a nice outdoor space and a full food menu. Heads up it is located in a weird industrial complex in the Alexandria neighborhood, so when you walk/drive up don’t be discouraged

• Sydney Brewery Surry Hills: Kinda weird vibes because it’s technically a hotel bar. Solid beers but nothing out of this world

• Glider Cafe: A cute coffee shop right near Kings Cross Station in the Potts Point neighborhood

• Observatory Hill Park: A quick stop on the way to the Harbour Bridge walk. Just a different perspective of the bay and Bridge

• Darling Harbour: A touristy area with restaurants and shops, not super impressed

• Frenchie’s Bistro and Brewery: Located inside The Cannery Rosebery, this brewery is a small spot with food and average beers. I would recommend you go during the day so the other shops are open, it’s got weird vibes at night because it’s empty

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and the water!

Vancity Tips: 

• Use public transportation! It is super easy to use and reliable. You use the same Compass Card for the Skytrain, buses, trains, seabuses, etc. Also Uber and Lyft don’t exist in Vancouver so this is a great, cheap alternative to taking traditional taxis.

  • It also runs to/from the airport so just hop on the Skytrain when you’re coming and going!

  • For the bus, you do not tap off, you just tap on. For the larger transport options you will need to tap out to exit the terminal so have your card ready as you’re leaving.

  • Plan ahead because if you don’t have a Canadian credit card you can only refill your Compass Card at London Drugs stores or certain terminals.

• Be conscious of the weather when planning your visit. I went in late August and early September and it was absolutely perfect. Vancouver can get cold and rainy if you visit at certain times so just pack appropriately!

• Rent a bike! Vancouver is super bike friendly and since it is a small city it’s a great way to get around! The city bikes you can rent are called Mobi and they are super convenient to be able to pick up and drop off all across the city. I paid for the month pass so that I could use the bikes throughout my whole trip.

  • Do note that you use them for 30 minute increments with the passes, if you have it for more than 30 minutes you get charged extra—to avoid this just set a timer and return the bike for a couple of seconds then recheck it out, easy peasy.

• For the most part, pints are 20oz in Vancouver and glasses are 12oz, so be aware when you are ordering!

Adventures & Ales Top Vancouver Recommendations: ​

• Superflux Beer Company: Easily the best brewery in Vancouver. They have a restaurant-style space with an interesting array of foods on their menu. The have two taprooms—the OG in the Strathcona neighborhood and their Cabana space downtown.

• Bike Stanley Park: A really pretty park that you can walk/run/bike around. It is 5.5 miles around the island. If you are biking just be aware that it is one way!

• Luppolo Brewing Company: A great brewery with a Lager-heavy tap list and a full food menu. They have a side patio for outdoor seating or a colorful inside space.

• 33 Acres Brewing: Tasty beers in a buzzing space. They have a kitchen onsite and I highly recommend the pizza and the cheese board. They’ve also got a coffee bar here.

• Electric Bicycle Brewing: A small retro-style brewery with great beer, board games, and a grilled cheese menu.

• Prado Cafe: A cute coffee shop in Gastown with delicious food and drinks.

• House of Funk Brewing: A cool brewery with skyline and water views in North Vancouver. They have all “funky” beers that are delightful!

33 Acres Brewing

• Kitsilano ‘Kits’ Beach: It is a cute neighborhood overall and the beach is nice with volleyball and tennis courts, a playground, and lots of space overall.

  • I would recommend biking from Kits Beach to Spanish Banks Beach and stopping at the various beaches in between, it’s a nice ride and a good way to explore each of them! It’s about 7 miles round trip.

• Visit Port Moody: A neighboring city with 5 breweries in 2 blocks—that’s the kind of ratio I can get down with! Easily accessible via public transport from central Vancouver. Check out my full blog here!

• Parallel 49 Brewing: 40 taps and a full food menu on the street kitchen side or a smaller/quieter taproom connected. Delicious beers and food!

• Check out all of the awesome street art in the city!

Top Touristy Spots in Vancouver Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Go Whale Watching! I went on a tour with Prince of Whales and it was incredible. It’s pricey and I usually don’t love tours but I wanted to see some whales and it was so worth it!

  • Pro tip if you go: You meet outside to get some information before walking to the boat—when you do so, walk towards the front of the group so that you can choose the best seating option! I power-walked and got to sit in a prime seat on the top deck. Also layer up! It is chilly on the water.

• Take a day trip further north:

  • Hike the Garibaldi Lake Trail: This is one of my favorite hikes I have ever done! It is located in Garibaldi Provincial Park and is hard—13.8 miles long with 3211ft of elevation gain. It took me just under 6 hours with spending 40 minutes at the lake. There is ample parking here but you do need a day use pass if visiting in the summer months. The lakes are absolutely stunning and you can also see Sphinx Glacier. It is definitely a challenging hike but absolutely worth it! 

  • Backcountry Brewing: A great spot for lunch after hiking in Squamish, 25 minutes south of the trailhead. Their food and beer are both fantastic, highly recommend.

• Gastown Steam Clock: Very touristy but it is a fun little show at the top of the hour. Don’t go too far out of your way for it—if you aren’t nearby at the top of the hour it also releases steam on the 15, 30, and 45.

• English Bay Beach: A nice beach with cool logs to sit or lean on (like all of the beaches in the area).

• Granville Island: A touristy island with lots of shops and the Granville Island Public market that is full of food stalls and local goods.

  • Granville Island Brewing is located here and has solid brews and a small food menu. It’s quite popular so expect a wait.

Lions Gate Bridge

• Hike Grouse Mountain: I did the BCMC trail because the Grouse Grind is super crowded and touristy and it was quite the hike! It was incredibly rugged and barely a “trail” because of all the roots and rocks, but it is very easy to follow with markers all the way up. It is quite hard and steep—you gain 2,595ft of elevation in just a couple of miles.

• Grouse is accessible via public transportation if you don’t have a car, unlike most mountains. If you drive you do have to pay for parking in the lot

• You are not allowed to hike down the Grouse Grind Trail and I would definitely not recommend it on the BCMC trail unless you are very experienced and have hiking poles. The Skyride is your best option and costs $15 for the journey. You can also take the Skyride up if you want to see the top/do the activities at the top without hiking such as the lumberjack show, ziplining, and more

Other Vancouver Things To Do:​​

• Strange Fellows Brewing: Another brewery option with a small beer list and food menu. Their Sours are my favorite!

• Strathcona Beer Company: Solid beers and a cute airy space. They have a small food menu as well that includes pizzas and salads.

• Beere Brewing: A solid brewery in North Vancouver that only offers flights! They’ve got views of the skyline and water as well.

• Brassneck Brewing: A cool spot with lots of good beer options!

• Bridge Brewing: Good beers, an outside patio, and a small food menu featuring tacos. Overall very chill vibes!

• Hang out in the Shipyards area of North Vancouver that has a bunch of bars and restaurants.

• Craft Beer Market: A beer bar and restaurant with a large beer list and full food menu.

• Three Brits Public House: A bar/restaurant overlooking English Bay Beach.

• Bomber Brewing: A very small taproom with solid beers.

• Far Out Coffee Post: A cafe with great breakfast burritos and coffee that doubles as a small arcade.

• East Van Brewing: A cool spot to hang out with good beers and a small food menu with paninis.

• Arbutus Coffee: A cute little neighborhood café in the Kits Beach area.

• Faculty Brewing: Another brewery option near Electric Bicycle. They were at capacity with a line when I visited that did not seem worth the wait so I moved on, but if you go let me know what you think!

Holbox Island, Mexico

Holbox Island is a quiet little touristy island off the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico

HBX Tips:

• Traveling here is no joke. After arriving at the Cancun airport and fighting through customs and the herds of people trying to get you to take a taxi with them outside you’ll need to take a 2.5-3.5 hour long shuttle, a 30 minute ferry, and then a golf cart taxi to wherever you’re staying. You should also anticipate delays. It makes for quite a long day of travel.

• Get Pesos ahead of time. The ATM at the Cancun airport and on Holbox were both broken when I visited so I had to pay with a card everywhere which tends to be about 5% more. Use Pesos as much as possible.

• The island is very laid back—the locals are all very friendly and there are no cars on the island (only golf carts).

• Holbox is quite pricey all around. It’s an island, so that’s to be expected, but it’s more comparable to a major US city than anywhere in Central America.

• There are tons of bars, restaurants and shops on the island—bop around and see what sparks your interest! Basically everything we ate on the island was insanely delicious—everything is super fresh and handcrafted.

Adventures & Ales Top Holbox Island Recommendations:

• Alma: An awesome rooftop bar with a pool, hammocks, food menu and cocktails. Their tower is also the highest point on the island so it has great views of the entire area. Highly recommend!

• Complemento Café Holbox: This is a fantastic spot for breakfast and coffee. The latte was one of the best I’ve ever had and the breakfast was also superb. On top of all of that their team is super nice too!

• Bah Bah!: A beautiful spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everything here was delicious!

• Salma: A delicious restaurant with awesomely spooky vibes. Right across from the beach—highly recommend.

• Crónicas Taproom: A beer bar with full food menu alongside cocktails and wine. They are located right on main square. Upstairs has a nice airy space or downstairs has bar seating.

• Luuma: A great restaurant a block from the beach. The food and drinks here are super tasty.

• Alta Gula: A cute and tiny spot for lunch. They have fantastic empanadas and sandwiches. Further inland so the prices are great.

Other Things to Do on Holbox Island:

• Bikini Bottom: A dive bar on the beach with swing seating. The drinks here are quite cheap and delicious.

• La Playa de Ñaña: A tiki bar and restaurant on the beach. Super cute spot but definitely a bit pricey.

• Stay at Ser Casasandra: This is a very nice hotel with an onsite restaurant, private beach, and gorgeous pool. Morning yoga and breakfast is included in your reservation and the team here is very nice. It is definitely on the pricier side, so if that’s not for you there are tons of cute hotels on the island.

  • Mojito Beach Club: Casasandra’s beachside restaurant and bar. They’ve got nice seating options and tasty eats.

• Clandestino Cafe: A small coffee shop with outdoor seating and breakfast options.

• Mandarina: A restaurant and bar on the beach owned by the same folks as Luuma. The food here is not quite as good as Luuma and a little pricey, so I’d moreso recommend it for drinks.

• Carioca’s: Another fun bar/restaurant on the beach. They’ve got a full food menu and swings.

• La Combi: A fun spot for live music, food, and drinks.

• Birrateca: Unfortunately they closed early so we weren’t able to try their tacos but we heard amazing things from several friends so I wanted to pass those recommendations along!

Costa Rica

Costa Rica miiiiight be my favorite country on Earth. TBD. If you have not been, GO! If you’ve been, GO BACK!

Costa Rica Tips: 

• Get out of San Jose. You should try to spend a very tiny amount of time in San Jose. Get into nature!

• They have shuttles that say things like “meet at the Denny’s off x road”—it seems really sketchy, but it’s legit

• If you’re looking for a quiet beach vacation with some hiking/waterfall options I highly recommend Playa Hermosa, near Jaco. There are two Playa Hermosas—one in the north and one in the south, so be sure you’re looking at the right one!

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations—Day trips from San Jose:

• Poas Volcano: At 8,800 feet, this volcanic crater is an incredible sight to see. Bring layers and be prepared to freeze your tail off. Amazing when the clouds clear to see the crater and beautiful water inside of it!

• La Paz Waterfall: This waterfall is part of a waterfall trail system. It’s a little touristy but it’s a convenient way to see some killer falls

• Doka Estate Coffee Tour: See how coffee is made and sample a variety of coffees. The estate is filled with beautiful rainbow eucalyptus trees as well!

La Paz Waterfall

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Playa Hermosa, Jaco

• Playa Hermosa is an isolated beach town near the large city of Jaco. It is a large surfing community and very chill

• Stay at Tortuga Del Mar: I absolutely loved my beachfront room. The owners are so sweet and it’s nice and small so there’s barely anyone else around. The black sand beach is gorgeous, there are a couple of restaurants and a store within walking distance.

• Day trip to Bijagual Waterfall: I did an amazing adventure where I got to actually hike to and hike up 10 different waterfalls. Highly recommend getting to the waterfalls of the region!

• Grab a cab into Jaco and explore after spending the day at the beach outside your room

  • Green Room Cafe: it’s a cute little nature filled bar. They have beer flights here, and I loved the hibiscus saison from Domingo 7.

  • Surfing: Jaco is a huge surfing destination and lessons are available for beginners, but beware, the rip currents here can be brutal

Playa Samara Sunset

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Playa Samara

• Playa Samara is super chill and an amazing little beach town!

• Stay at Sunset Chill Out B&B! Francisco and Herman, the hosts, are incredibly nice and so is their dog Josefina who roams the property. Their garden space overlooking the water is incredible! You can also walk to town via the beach which is nice, but it is still off the beaten path and relaxing.

• Cocos Mexican Restaurant/2 Gringos Brewing: A brewery within a restaurant in town. They’ve got 13 taps and an open-air setting.

• La Dolce Vita: A super cute restaurant on the water with Italian food.

• Playa Carillo: A neighboring beach with no hotels or restaurants but lots of locals enjoying the sand and water.

• Samara Trails: Hiking with Samara Adventure Company at Werner Sauter Biological Reserve. They offer a morning or afternoon guided hike, I was lucky enough to be the only one on my “tour”! It was incredibly informative as we hiked through various flora and saw several animals as well. The peak of the hike offers a great view of the bay.

• Lo Que Hay: A restaurant and bar right on the water, burgers, tacos and frequent specials.

• Microbar Samara: A craft beer bar located in town with a slue of options!

Cervecería Independiente

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Playa Flamingo & Playa Potrero

• Playa Flamingo is a very Americanized beach town with soft sand and beautiful water. It is touristy but not as built up as nearby Tamarindo or Playa Del Coco.

• Neighboring Playa Potrero is a more isolated beach than Flamingo, but the water is definitely murkier than the clear water on the Flamingo side.

• Coco Loco: A bar and restaurant right on Flamingo Beach with great views. They have a small selection of craft beers to enjoy.

• Cervecería Independiente: A brewery with outside seating and solid craft beers. You can get food delivered and it is next to El Garden and Perlas, two other bar/restaurants in Potrero.

• The Beach House: Another bar/restaurant on Potrero with a large menu and a nice place to watch the sunset. They’ve got 3 craft beers on tap.

• Las Brisas is a bar and restaurant on Potrero with nice beach views, the food was just okay, so I’d say just grab a drink!

• I would NOT recommend booking with Native’s Way for any day trips. There are other companies, go for them or go on your own.

• Day trip ideas:

  • Llanos del Cortés: A pretty, albeit touristy, waterfall that you can swim under

  • Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio: Take a short hike to Río Celeste, the popular bright blue river. It’s not always the color that pictures show depending on rainfall

  • Nicaragua Day Trip (see below)

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Monteverde:

• Monteverde Cloud Forest: The reason to visit Monteverde! This biological reserve is full of trails to explore. It costs $25 to enter, but you absolutely do not need a guide to hike the cloud forest—the trails are well marked. It wasn’t super cloudy/misty when I visited but it was very peaceful and green which was nice. Pack some bug spray when you visit!

  • Each trail is a little different, I hiked almost every trail and it took about 3 hours and was about 5 miles.

    • Sendero Bosque Nubosco to Sendero La Ventana takes about 45 minutes one way and it gets steep closer to the viewpoint. The lookout is at the Continental Divide, this was my favorite trail.

    • Sendero Camino: It was quite boring, I would recommend going the Roble route instead for a challenge. The swinging bridge is definitely cool!

    • Sendero Tosi and Quebrada Cuecha lead to a nice waterfall lookout

• Monteverde Beer House: A Mediterranean restaurant with craft beer options. They’ve got a great outside seating area

Rio Celeste

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in La Fortuna & Arenal:

• La Fortuna is very touristy and pricey compared to the rest of Costa Rica. I enjoyed the waterfall and volcano, but they were not as epic as other waterfalls and volcanoes in the country, I probably won’t return to this area of Costa Rica.

• Stay at Ti-fakara Boutique Hotel & Birding Oasis! It is a ten minute walk from the waterfall, the pool and hot tub are really nice, and some rooms have views of Arenal Volcano.

• La Fortuna Waterfall: A large waterfall that is pretty cool to check out. You can sometimes swim under it, depending on the currents. It costs $18 to enter and it is a man-made staircase to get down to the falls.

• La Fortuna Pub: 40 craft beers in bottles and two drafts with a nice outdoor patio.

• Arenal Volcano: Hike around the volcano in this national park! It costs $15 to enter and takes about 2 hours to hike all the trails. You can have a taxi drop you off and come back to get you if you don’t have a car, they’ll actually come back for you. You absolutely do not need a tour guide/group here—everything is well marked and easy to navigate.

  • Make sure to go to the lookout to see the volcano and cross over the dried up lava!

Tortuga Del Mar

Another Idea: Day Trip to Nicaragua

Personally I did not love my day trip to Nicaragua, but I might have enjoyed it more with a different company/on my own, so here are some highlights if you decide to check it out:

• You can literally walk across the border, it’s pretty wild (for an American)

• Granada is a colorful city full of people trying to sell you things unfortunately

• Masaya Volcano National Park: A large volcanic crater surrounded by dried lava from the last eruption

• Apoyo Volcano & Lake: A little artisan market with benches over looking the volcanic crater that is now a lake

Panama

Panama is up there among my favorite places to adventure. From the beaches of Bocas del Toro to the excitement of Panama City and the tranquility of the mountains in Boquete—there is something no matter what you are looking for!

Panama Tips: 

• Panama is pretty dang cheap and they use the US dollar so that’s really convenient

• Panama City is awesome but I would highly recommend exploring some more of the country as well

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Panama City:

• Isla Taboga: Highly recommend a day trip from Panama City to this gorgeous island a quick boat ride away. There are wild horses, insanely cheap drinks, friendly locals, and it is beautiful.

• Do a day trip to the jungle!

  • We did this incredible day trip from Panama City with Jungle Land Panama where we got picked up at our hotel, taken to a boat where we cruised through the Panama Canal and Lago Gatun to a floating lodge where we had lunch and hung out in hammocks over the water, then kayaked through the jungle to a hidden waterfall. We also got to hang out with some cool monkeys. Cannot recommend this enough!

• Rooftop bar at the Hard Rock: The views are insaneeee (only open at night, as a heads up)

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting—Panama City:

• The Panama Canal: One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The locks are actually very intense and very interesting.

• Casco Viejo: The old part of town where you want to spend a majority of your time. This is where to eat/drink/explore

Other ideas—Panama City:

• La Rana Dorada: Panama’s first microbrewery! Right as you enter Casco Viejo the brewery greets you. Great beer, fun place to hang out and soak up the culture

• Ancon Hill: A giant hill overlooking the city. It’s an aggressive climb to the top, but all paved. You get fantastic views on your way up and from the top.

• Casa Sucre Coffeehouse: A great coffee shop in Casco Viejo

• Panama Viejo: The ruins of the ancient city, cool to explore. Bring bug spray.

• Bridge of the Americas: There’s a lot of hype about this bridge, but it’s just a bridge. You can see it from the top of Ancon Hill and if you’re driving in certain parts of the city, so I wouldn’t recommend just going to the bridge itself

Casco Viejo

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Bocas Del Toro:

• Beach. It. Up. Duh, that’s the whole point

• I’d recommend staying at Popa Paradise, it’s gorgeous, the staff is super friendly, and we truly loved it. The food was fantastic and not some crappy buffet like a lot of resorts in the area, everything was made individual to us and the place is quite small so you’re not overwhelmed by other guests. There were max 5 people there while we were there

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting—Bocas Del Toro:

• Green Acres Chocolate Farm: Explore the jungle, see how chocolate is made, and eat some amazing chocolate while you’re at it!

• Red Frog Beach: Depending on what island you’re staying on Red Frog is either going to be way bigger than your island (as was the case for us, we stayed on Isla Popa) or way smaller (if for example you stay on Isla Colon, the main island). It’s a cool place to hang out

Popa Paradise

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Boquete:

• Volcan Baru: I woke up at 3:30AM to Jeep it up to the top of the highest mountain in Panama. Seeing the sunrise over both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea at the same time is unreal [also very very cold, come prepared]. You can also hike to the top if you’re ambitious

• The Lost Waterfalls: Amazing hiking just outside of downtown Boquete. Take a cab, ask them to return 2-3 hours later (they’ll actually do it, so that’s cool). Hike through the cloud forest to three different waterfalls-or just one or two, whatever you prefer. The hike is pretty intense with lots of ups and downs, so be prepared. Totally worth it!

Other ideas—Boquete:

• Boquete Brewing Company: Boquete’s only brewery! Fun place with live music and a food truck. Beer is just okay, but what do you expect in a small Panamanian mountain town!

• Los Cangilones: Take a day trip to the canyons, you can jump in and swim!

• RetroGusto Restaurant: The best restaurant in Boquete and one of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. It was incredible

Ecuador

Ecuador is a gorgeous South American country with so much to explore!

Ecuador Tips: 

• They use the US dollar which is really nice and easy!

• Similar to what I say about everywhere in Latin America—get out of Quito! Quito is fun and awesome, but the nature side of Ecuador is gorgeous. I highly recommend checking out Banos

• Elevation is real—beware. Quito is one the highest capital cities in the world, so pace yourself. Also Quito is insanely hilly, prep your thighs folks

• Also, this is semi-random and may have just been the app I was using—but the weather that was predicted was drastically different than what actually happened. I would recommend packing layers and a variety of clothes to be prepared

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Quito:

• Bandido Brewing: An awesome brewery!

• Day trip to the equator!! Now I used to be a geography teacher, so it could just be my nerdy side coming out, but the equator was one of the coolest things ever. Do it up. There are two, in theory. Most day trips take you to both sights

• Quilotoa Lake: An insanely gorgeous lagoon inside a crater. Cute little town here, lots of tourists of course, but the hike is great, the view is great, and I saw a double rainbow over the crater, so I’d say do it up

• Cotopaxi National Park: Glacial volcano at 13,000 feet, complete with wild horses and a lake on top. What more could you ask for?

Other Ideas—Quito:

• Take the teleferico: You’re for real in the clouds at the top—awesome views!

• Check out the churches! Not a statement that always leaves my mouth, but Quito is overflowing with gorgeous churches. Basilica del Voto Nacional is the most stunning

• Parque Itchimbia: Hike up to this pretty park to overlook the city, see the giant Quito sign, and hang out in the greenery

Quilotoa Lake

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Banos:

• Stay at La Casa Verde just outside of downtown. It’s an eco-hostel, super relaxing, and the hosts are SO nice. There are hammocks, delicious snacks, and great views.

• La Casa Del Arbol: Translating to tree house, this is where “the swing at the end of the world” is located. So fun! So cool!

• Take La Ruta De Las Cascadas: The waterfall route. There are a few different ways to do this: taxi, rental car, bike, or chiva. If you have a car, done deal. You can also bike it, but I was warned the biking can be aggressive and intense, so I decided against that. I thought the taxi sounded like not much of an experience. So, I did it via the chiva. I was the only non-Ecuadorian on the chiva and it was awesome. It’s basically an open air truck that takes you along the route to waterfalls and ziplining and such. Very cheap, very fun, very local

• Hike the Mirador Tungurahua trail—depending on what you do from the trail it is an 8+ mile loop with views of Tungurahua volcano, the entire city of Banos, and lots of greenery. You can also swing to a cafe, which is what I tried to do, but be sure to double check their hours before you leave for the hike

  • There are plenty of other hikes in the area as well, including some awesome ones to waterfalls! Jump on it

Peru

Peru is fantastic. The prices are magical, the people are nice (and they speak Spanish nice and slow), and pisco sours are delicious!

Peru Tips: 

• Lima can be seen in just a couple of days, you don’t need more time than that here

• Prepare yourself for lots of car honking in Lima. For no apparent reason whatsoever.

• There is a lot of inequality in Lima. For example, Plaza Mayor, below, is gorgeous and ritzy, then directly on the other side of the palace you can see the poverty of the city at it’s prime. Do something good while you’re visiting.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Lima:

• Plaza Mayor: The center of the city and home to the Presidential Palace

  • Pro tip: check out the changing of the guards at noon every day!

• Barrancco: The artsy district famous for the Bridge of Sighs and the little cobblestoned path leading from the center of the district to the beach, past the bridge. The bridge itself isn’t all that fancy but the views from it are gorgeous, seeing all of Lima and the Pacific.

Parque del Amor

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting in Lima:​

• Kennedy Park: A cute, artsy park, but sadly surrounded by KFC, Starbucks, and other American imports.

• Parque del Amor: The Park of Love! The perfect place to catch a Lima sunset

Chile

Chile has so much to offer and can please anyone’s version of adventure! From the beaches in Northern Chile, to the bustling city of Santiago in the center, to the glacial hiking in the South, Chile is definitely a country that should be on your list.

Chile Tips: 

• Chilean Spanish is INTENSE! Chileanos speak extremely fast, they don’t pronounce the letter ‘s’, they throw ‘po’ to the end of a lot of words sporadically, and there is a ton of slang.

• The most common food you’ll see across the country is completos—they are hot dogs with a variety of toppings. There are also amazing empanadas and sopapillas on the streets. Highly recommend street food here.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Santiago:

• Beer is the same price as water. Drink beer.

• The Museum of Memory and Human Rights was absolutely amazing. Highly recommend it! Definitely a dark historical overview of the Pinochet dictatorship, but extremely good.

  • After the museum if you need something bright and cheery I would recommend going to Quinta Normal, a huge park right across from the museum, and sit by the fountains and watch the kids and dogs playing for a while!

• Bellavista neighborhood: The artsy part of town with lots of bars and restaurants.

• Climb San Cristobal Hill: There is also a furnicular you can ride up/down if you prefer. The top provides amazing views of the Santiago skyline and the surrounding Andes!

  • Pro-tip: Get yourself some Mote once you make it to the top! A delicious part tea/part fruit/part granola-esque drink.

• La Vega Central: A veggie market near El Mercado Central. Everyone talks about Mercado Central like it is some amazing place but it is really just a fish market, bleh. Lots of markets are lined up in this area so wander around and grab lunch!

  • The markets are near Plaza de Armas, home to some beautiful churches and people watching.

Valparaíso

Day Trips from Santiago:

Take a day trip to Valparaíso! Chile’s historic and colorful port city just an hour and a half long bus ride from Santiago.

• I’d recommend starting your adventure in Plaza Mayor

• Tours for Tips provides a very informational, but fun tour of the city

• Valpo is deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site which has brought the tourism industry and greatly helped the city’s economy. The ascensores are a major part of the UNESCO site, elevators that lift you up or down Valpo’s crazy steep hillside

• Check out El Pimiento restaurant, delicious food & beers!

Arica from El Morro

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations in Arica (Northern Chile):

• Beach it up! The Pacific Ocean is fabulous

• Check out the sea lions! Near the port the sea lions gather and wait for fish as the fishermen come in for the day. They are super cute!

• Climb El Morro. The hill overlooking the city provides great views of the town, ocean, and surrounding desert.

Chilean Drinks:

• Terremoto: grenadine, white wine (Pipeño), fernet and pineapple ice cream piled together for a delicious–and super strong–drink. Terremoto means earthquake in Spanish, which is the appropriate name for what you feel after you drink just one of these. 

• Pisco Sour: Both Chile and Peru claim the pisco sour as their national drink, Chile’s uses Pisco, sugar, lemon juice, and bitters, and is served in champagne flutes. Peru uses Pisco, simple syrup, key lime juice, egg whites, and bitters, and is served in a normal bar glass. Both recipes are strong and delicious, but I think Peru wins based off of taste and size—just don’t tell anyone in Chile!

• Carménère: A red wine the world thought was extinct until they found some more grapes in Chile, this fruity drink is extremely good.

• Schops: beer is served in schops most of the time in Chile, basically like giant liter sized bottles. Nom. Sometimes they put salt on the rim of the glasses they serve it with, which is also surprisingly fantastic.

• On the non-alcoholic end, if you order a jugo (juice) don’t expect it to taste like juice. Jugo is incredibly sugary in Chile—you can feel the grains of sugar in your mouth with each sip, so don’t sit down to breakfast and expect a nice smooth OJ.

Paris, France

Paris is usually a top destination when visiting Europe and for good reason—it is gorgeous and full of things to see and do!

City of Lights Tips: 

• You do not need a car anywhere in Europe. Period. Point Blank. Simple. Even the cute little towns you want to visit you can do so on public transport. Use public transportation or Ubers/taxis if you’re fancy.

  • For public transport your tickets work on both the metro and buses, they are 1.90 each 

• If you’re flying in, Charles De Gaulle Airport is 45 minutes north of the city. Le Bus Direct is $18 for a one way adult ticket. The pick up is directly out front and it comes every half hour. Follow the signs for the bus and you can pay either at the bus counter or the ticket machine.

  • You can also take the metro into the city depending on where you are staying. Google Maps can give you the best option to your destination for which form of public transit is best!

• I found 3 days to be the perfect amount of time for me in Paris to see and do everything that I wanted. Some people spend 3 days just in The Louvre, so it really just depends on what your goals are.

• Museum Pass: I usually don’t do museum or city passes but it financially made sense with all that I wanted to see in Paris so I would recommend looking into it. You can do a 2, 4, or 6 day pass and get it at any participating attraction. I got mine at The Louvre and it was super easy there.

• London is a super quick train ride away and is one of my favorite cities! Check out my guide here! I enjoyed exploring the Alsace region of France after my time in Paris—check out my full guide here!

Adventures & Ales Top Paris Recommendations: ​

• La Fine Mousse: A craft beer bar and sister restaurant across the street from each other. I visited the little rustic bar that has 20 taps of all great beers! They even had the ever-popular Cantillon on tap when I visited.

• Liquiderie: An awesome craft beer shop and bar. They have a fantastic selection of beers, three taps, and a small food menu. It is a cute little spot right in the heart of the Folic-Mericourt neighborhood. Their staff is super nice as well!

• Musee d’Orsay: An art museum in an old railway station. I loved this museum—the space is awesome and there is some amazing artists on display. My favorite area was the 5th floor gallery!

  • This was the longest I waited to get into any museum even with my museum pass, but I went on a Tuesday when The Louvre is closed, so if you have the option avoid Tuesdays so the masses don’t go to The Orsay with you. The Orsay is closed Mondays—so try to visit Wednesday-Sunday if possible.

• Maison BAPBAP: A tiny little brewery with a super chill taproom and a small food menu. A 5 minute walk from La Fine Mousse!

  • Hop Malt Market is a bottle shop next door as well!

• Sainte-Chapelle: A gorgeous church! Be sure to go upstairs as well, the stairs are on your left when you walk in. The museum pass saved me a lot of time here as well

Top Touristy Paris Spots Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• The Louvre: A must! So much art, be sure to get a map when you go in. Expect crowds always. I HIGHLY recommend reserving a time slot ahead of time online, which you can do here. You get to go in a much shorter line. You can also go in the back entrance through an underground mall, The Carrousel du Louvre.

  • Closed on Tuesdays!

• Arc de Triomphe: Awesome views of the city from the top, definitely try to go on a clear day! If you have a museum pass you can skip both lines here. Access via the underground tunnel on the Avenue de la Grande Armee side of the circle.

• Eiffel Tower: You can go up the tower for a fee and for a large chunk of your time, but I would recommend just hanging out in the gardens in front instead. Be aware of panderers in the area, they are quite annoying, but bring a picnic & some drinks and enjoy the view!

• Jardin des Tuileries: Right near The Louvre, these gardens are super pretty and a great place to relax

• Notre Dame Cathedral: Closed due to the fire, but still worth walking by as they work to repair

• Explore the Latin Quarter: A bustling neighborhood full of bars and restaurants. Rue Mouffetard is a great street to explore here.

• Luxembourg Gardens: Pretty gardens to relax in near the Latin Quarter

• Pont de l’Alma Bridge: A historic bridge and a good spot for pictures of the Eiffel Tower 

• Ô Chateau: A wine bar that offers wine tastings. I would recommend getting a flight to try a few different things. They also do a wine and cheese pairing lunch and dinner if you’re looking to treat yourself (it is quite pricey). Overall it is a bit touristy and a bit pricey, but I did enjoy my wine flight

Sainte-Chapelle

Other Things To Do in Paris:​​

• Mozaic: A craft beer shop and bar. They have a great selection, including Cantillon, and a few beers on tap as well

• Explore the Folic-Mericourt neighborhood: A cute area with a bunch of bars and restaurants

• Paname Brewing Company: A brewery on a canal that is quite touristy and overpriced, but a cool place to hang out with solid beers. They have pizza and other food from 3pm onward.

• La Cave de Bulles: A craft beer bottle shop with a few taps and good beer selection. The space is a bit odd if you’re looking to enjoy something onsite as there is only one table

• Le Willi’s Wine Bar: A famous wine bar known for their posters, it can be a bit touristy but overall it was a nice spot for a glass of wine

• We Are Brewers (WAB): A brewery with solid beers, happy hour, and a small food menu.

• Explore the Montemarte neighborhood: Some cute cobblestoned streets full of bars and restaurants

• Sacre Coeur: A large church on a hill. The inside is nothing special but the outside is gorgeous. Free to visit!

• The Shoah Memorial: Paris’s Holocaust Museum. Not as impressive as what I’ve seen in some other cities, but it is free and if you haven’t visited many before it is worth a stop!

• Explore the Pletzl neighborhood: A cool area with lots of bars and restaurants

A Day Trip to Fontainebleau:

• I chose to visit Château de Fontainebleau over the Palace of Versailles because it is less touristy and crowded.

• To get to Fonainebleau:

  • Go to the Gare de Lyon Station and then follow the signs for the main line train. There are ticket machines right by the platforms, get a ticket towards either Montereau, Montargis, or Migennes. Make sure to validate your ticket at a machine before boarding. The train takes about 45 minutes and you will get off at Fontainebleau Avon.

  • From the train station take the #1 bus towards Les Lilas or you can walk 35 minutes to the Chateau. Quai 1 is where the bus picks up outside of the train station, it comes every 15-20 minutes. You can check the schedule posted at the stop to see when the next arrival is. You use the same tickets for this bus as your Paris public transit tickets, just be sure to validate it when you get on.

  • Get off at the Chateau stop and use Hotel de Londres as your destination to walk to—it is very confusing to enter the Chateau, the main entrance is directly across from this hotel so that is much easier

• You can use your Museum Pass here as well!

• It is a very pretty chateau and the grounds are gorgeous as well. There are information cards throughout and audio guides as well.

• To return to the train station you will get on the #1 bus again from the numerous stops throughout town towards Avon. The last stop is the train station!

Alsace, France

Alsace is a region full of adorable little villages for you to explore—with a glass of wine in hand of course!

Alsace Tips: 

• Make sure to drink the local wines! This area is bursting with wineries producing some delicious vino

  • Gewürtztraminer and Riesling wines are the main wines produced in this region. They also have unique wine glasses here too that are smaller and have a long green stem

• Overall there is an extremely heavy German influence in Alsace since it is nestled on the border—you’ll see riit in the architecture, food, and drink especially

• Be sure to try Tarte Flambee/Flammekueche: Very thinly rolled out dough topped with cheese/cream and topped with onions and bacon. There are many varieties of this with different toppings

• Trains between Strasbourg and Colmar (the two biggest cities in the area) run every 30 minutes and cost ~$27 round trip. You can grab a ticket at the station or use the Trainline website or app which is easier to navigate

• It is definitely not necessary to have a car when visiting this region (or anywhere in Europe in my opinion). The wineries that this region is famous for are all in the villages and walk-able, not up on a hill an hour outside of the city like a lot of places

• To explore the smaller villages from Colmar you have two bus options (the villages are too small for train stations):

  • Local bus—Fluo Grande Est: I chose this option because the timing was better for what I wanted to do. You can see the stops and times on the website in advance and they are posted at each stop as well

    • If you are starting in Colmar take a right out of the train station towards the bus loop and Line 106 is the last post on the right which makes the loop between Colmar, Riquewihr, and Ribeauvillé.

    • Make sure you have cash for the bus. You can buy a day pass for $15 or pay for each journey individually

  • Hop on hop off style bus—Kutzig: This is obviously the more touristy option, but the prices are the same for either one. This bus runs less frequently but goes to more places

• Each city and village is quite small, you can see a lot in a day or two

Colmar

Strasbourg RecommendationS:

• You can walk everywhere in Strasbourg, but if you need to hop on public transit there are trams and buses all over

• If you’re in town during a busy time (I was there during a German holiday) consider making reservations for dinner, places were packed!

• Sights to see while wandering the small town:

  • Barrage Vauban: A historical covered bridge that you can walk on top of

  • Ponts Couverts: Where the bridges connect, leading into Petite-France

  • Petite-France: The central toursity area of town with photogenic canals

  • Place Klebar: The main square of town

  • Place Gutenberg: Another large square with a historic carousel

  • Cathedrale Notre Dame: Absolutely stunning. You can see the Cathedral from all over town (it actually used to be the tallest in the world), but it’s worth getting up close and personal to see the detailed design. You can also go up the Cathedral for views of the city

  • Palais Rohan: An archaelogical, decorative arts, and fine arts museum

  • Place du Marche Gayot: A cute little tucked away square with lots of restaurants

  • Place Broglie: Another square, this one has a frequent market

  • Neustadt: The “German Quarter” across the river. The gardens of Place de la République when you cross over the river are a nice area to sit and enjoy the city

  • Eglise Reformee Saint-Paul: A beautiful church on the river

  • Krutenau neighborhood: Across the river, this area is more local

  • Le Comptoir d’Eugene: A brewery with traditional Alsace food

Gewürtztraminer

Colmar Recommendations:

• Colmar is a small city south of Strasbourg that is a good jumping off point for the nearby villages. I would recommend having your base in Strasbourg and taking the quick train to Colmar, wandering around town a bit, then jumping on the bus to explore the villages

  • The city center is a fifteen minute walk from the train station so it’s easy to explore without needing transit

• La Petite Venice: The main area of town with quite literal gondolas to make you feel like you’re in well… a petite Venice! It is a touristy area but it’s worth swinging through

Brasserie du Vignoble

Riquewihr Recommendations:

• A tiny little village that is absolutely adorable and absolutely touristic

• There are tons of wine bars to enjoy some of the local wines at, all very reasonably priced

• Brasserie du Vignoble: An awesome little brewery and beer garden overlooking the vineyards. They have three beers on tap and a bottle selection

• Hotel Restaurant Au Cerf: I enjoyed a fantastically priced cheese plate and glass of wine on the front deck here. The signs out front just say Hotel Wistropub as a heads up.

Colmar

Ribeauvillé:

• A slightly bigger, slightly less touristy village in the area

• Wander through, have a glass of wine, and admire the architecture

Obernai:

• Another cute little village

• Fun fact: the main square has had a market every Thursday since 1301!

Lucerne, Switzerland

Lucerne, or Luzern, depending on where you’re reading this is absolutely gorgeous

Lucerne Tips: 

• Switzerland is insanely expensive. I’m sure you’ve heard how expensive it is before, but truly it is the most expensive place I have ever been. Be prepared.

  • Also on the money front, Switzerland does not use Euros like most of the continent, they use Swiss Francs. Personally I did not need cash for anything, so it was not an issue

• I stayed at Hotel Bellevue which was just outside of the main city center via an easy bus ride. The views of the lake and mountains were really great!

  • Most hotels come with a Lucerne Visitor Card that gets you free access to public transportation and discounts on various attractions

• Overall the city is tiny, you can see it all in 24 hours!

• The city is quite touristy overall which is not my favorite vibe, but it was nice that English was everywhere as a result

• If you’re on a Swiss adventure, check out my guide to Zurich here!

Adventures & Ales Top Lucerne Recommendations: ​

• Relax by the water and soak in the gorgeous views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps!

• Rathaus Brauerei: Brewery on the water lots of outdoor seating. Get. The. Soup. It is basically a mixture of beer cheese and potato soup and truly incredible!

  • All of the other breweries in town had really weird hours so I wasn’t able to visit them but as a heads up there are a couple others

• Bierliebre & Friends: Craft beer bar also on the water right next to Rathaus Brauerei

• Pastarazzi: Super fresh pasta restaurant where you build your own dish

Rathaus Brauerei

Top Touristy Spots in Lucerne Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Wander the town! Lucerne is really small and you can walk everywhere very easily. Here are some highlights to see:

  • Chapel Bridge: A historic covered bridge—be sure to actually walk across it to see the inside

  • Spreuer Bridge: A second, smaller covered bridge

  • Museggmauer: The old city wall. It is a relatively steep climb up but absolutely worth it for the views of the city

  • Weinmarkt: One of the main squares

  • Rathaus Stadt Luzern: Old town hall building

  • Kornmarkt: Another large city square

  • Jesuit Church: A pretty church overall but nothing overly impressive

  • St Peter’s Chapel: Another historic church, right next to the covered bridge

Mount Rigi Views

Go up a mountain!

• I chose Rigi and Pilatus is another popular option.

  • There are several different ways you can choose to go up Mount Rigi—there’s a combination of trains, cogwheel, boat, cable car, or if you’re extremely ambitious—hiking!

    • For my route up I took the Voralpen Express for a short but gorgeous ride to the Arth-Goldau stop to switch to the Rigi Cogwheel that leads you directly up to the summit. This process takes around two hours to get to the top of Rigi from Lucerne.

      • The signage to the cogwheel is not great at Arth-Goldau as a forewarning, it is up above the rest of the normal trains.

  • The views from the top of Rigi are stupendous. They are absolutely breathtaking in each direction! It is freezing at the top of the mountain, as is the case with most mountains, so be sure to dress in layers

  • There is a restaurant at the summit that you can grab a hot chocolate, beer, snacks, or a full meal at. I would recommend planning for an hour at the summit, as the cogwheel runs on the hour

  • For my journey down I took the cogwheel to the Vitznau station then took the boat from Vitznau back to Lucerne. The cogwheel ride down provided gorgeous views—I would recommend sitting on the right side for the best vantage points

    • The boat ride was pretty, though not as “epic” as I thought it might be. When you buy your ticket you choose first class (upper deck) or second class (lower deck), the views are not drastically different from either

  • Overall the round trip journey was really quite expensive (almost $150) which is way more than I would’ve liked to pay but as I said above, Switzerland is really expensive so it was to be expected. It was my favorite thing I did in Switzerland—getting into the Alps was worth it for me, but just be aware of what you’re getting yourself into

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is a cosmopolitan city nestled on Lake Zurich with distinct neighborhoods to explore

Zurich Tips: 

• Switzerland is very expensive. I am a hustler and usually am able to do trips pretty cheaply (even in Australia), but Switzerland was shockingly expensive, so be prepared

• A lot of places have limited hours in Zurich. Sundays are extremely quiet in the city and a lot of places are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays as well

• If you are flying in or out of Zurich it is a very easy train ride to/from the airport that takes 10 minutes and costs ~$7

  • Trainline is my favorite website to book European train tickets through. They also have an app so you can quickly and easily buy tickets while on the go abroad

• Zurich is quite small. There are some distinct neighborhoods to check out but overall a day or two is sufficient time to see it all

• Personally I did not love Zurich as much as some other European cities. It lacked character to me and felt a little blah overall—if you’re only making one stop in Switzerland I would recommend Lucerne! Check out my Lucerne recommendations here!

Adventures & Ales Top Zurich Recommendations: ​

• The International Beer Bar: A very fun spot with 8 taps and a plethora of bottles. The beer selection is fantastic, the staff is super nice, and they have a little outside patio as well. My favorite spot in Zurich!

• Frau Gerolds Garden: A fun beer garden in a shipping container development. As a heads up the beer garden closes based on weather

• Eldorado Craft Beer Bar: A chill spot with 101 beers, four of which are on tap. Occasionally they have live music as well

• Vineria Centrale: A cozy Italian bar with tasty food and a lively atmosphere

• Wander Zurich-West: An industrial neighborhood with lots of cool bars and restaurants to pop into

Top Touristy Spots in Zurich Actually Worth Visiting: ​

• Wander District 1, the center part of Zurich with winding cobblestone streets

  • Across the river the Niederdorf area has more bars and restaurants than District 1

• Lindenhof Hill: A nice spot for views of the city

• Zurich has lots of nice clock towers. The Church of Saint Peter and Fraumünster Church both have nice ones to see!

• Hang out at Lake Zurich. Get out on the water or sit along the banks

• Grossmünster Church: Pay 5 Euros or Swiss Francs (cash only) to go up the tower. It is quite a lot of steps to get to the top but provides the best views of the city and lake

  • Be sure to check out the colorful status men out front at the church as well

• Swiss National Museum: It has high reviews but was closed while I was in town

The International Beer Bar

Other Things to do in Zurich: ​​

• Spend a morning at Rhinefall: A waterfall about an hour north of the city. There are two sides to the falls, Neuhausen and Schloss Laufen, I chose to visit the Neuhausen side, but you can do either and there is also a long bridge connecting the two sides that you can cross to visit both if you want. The falls are pretty but it was touristy overall

  • There is a castle on the Schloss Laufen side so I chose Neuhausen so I could see the castle alongside the falls. There are also lots of benches, a restaurant at the falls, and boat tours on the Neuhausen side. The town of Neuhausen itself is slightly larger as well.

  • A round trip train ticket from Zurich is ~$50. It is about a 15 minute walk to the falls from Neuhausen station with clear signs to guide you

    • While here you can hop on a quick bus to the neighboring town of Schaffhausen, ten minutes away. It is a little bit bigger and has some spots for lunch, but it’s nothing too special

• Ambrosi: A slightly more affordable Italian restaurant with tasty food

• Andorra: Another beer bar with a solid selection

• Sasu Juice Bar: A good spot for a healthy lunch or smoothie

• Brauerei Steinfels: A very swanky brewery with six house beers and a list of Brlo beers from neighboring Germany. They have a food menu, but as a heads up the kitchen has limited hours. There are fun neon lights all around the space and the beers were solid, but the service I received was sub-par

• Bauschanzli Beer Garden: It looks like a cool spot on the water but it was closed while they were setting up for Oktoberfest while I was visiting unfortunately

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is probably my favorite city in the world. Take my bias into account, or better yet, go and decide it's also your new favorite city.

Barcelona Tips: 

• Barcelona is incredibly walkable, so be sure to pack your appropriate shoes

• Catalan is the main language here, not Spanish, so don't be surprised when you see and hear it being used. Basically everyone speaks both Catalan and Spanish but there is a lot of tension between Catalonia and the rest of Spain

• There is a super convenient shuttle to and from the airport called the A2 I would highly recommend

Adventures & Ales Top Barcelona Recommendations: 

• Abirradero: A brewery popular with locals, sit outside and enjoy a flight (I also highly recommend their cheese plate obviously)

• Casa Batllo: My favorite of the Gaudi works, check out this gorgeous house 

• Barcelona Beer Co: Definitely catering to American tourists, but they make delicious beer so it is worth your time

• Barceloneta: Time to hit the beach! Marvel at the yachts in the harbor, wade into the sea, then grab a drink at Arenal Bar right on the sand. Preferably cava sangria [yes you read that right. sangria made with champagne]

• El Born neighborhood: the more "hipster" neighborhood full of bars and restaurants 

• Eixample neighborhood: home to some of the Gaudi works and a slew of restaurants 

• Palau de la Musica: See a show in this gorgeous music hall, tickets can actually be reasonably priced

Barceloneta

Top Tourist Spots in Barcelona Actually Worth Visiting: 

• La Sagrada Familia: The infamous church that may never be finished. It's exterior facade is one of the most intriguing things I've ever seen

• Park Guell: The classic Gaudi park in the north of the city. They limit the number of people that can enter per hour, so book your tickets ahead of time and try to choose an off-peak time

• Cathedral of Barcelona: Absolutely stunning

• La Boqueria: Food market right off Las Ramblas

Park Guell

Other Things to do in Barcelona:​

• Take a peek at the Arc de Triomf. Pro Tip: Go early before there are too many people passing through

• Maestro Brewery: Centrally located and solid beers

• Casa Mila: The least exciting of the Gaudi works, but still much more interesting than your average building

• Garage Beer Co: Average brewery with some interesting collaboration beers

• Guell Palace: Worth a quick look while you're meandering the city

Besalu

Day Trips from Barcelona: 

• Get into the Pyrenees Mountains! 

  • I went with Explore Cataluyna and we went to the medieval village of Besalu, then took the curviest road up a mountain to the tiny town of Rupit, then ventured to Tavertet after stopping on the mountain side to gaze at the view

Skip: ​

• Las Ramblas: Sure you might be thinking "but I have to see Las Ramblas while in Barcelona!" Okay fine, but make it brief. This famous street is extremely far from the "real" Barcelona. Do not eat or drink anything while near this area unless you just like wasting money

• Montjuic: This castle and park is pretty overrated and the funicular ride up to it is a short but expensive ride

• Picasso Museum: If you're a big art fan, go for it. If you're an average art fan like I am, I found the museum less than worth the relatively high price and extremely long line to enter

Zaragoza, Spain

Zaragoza is Spain's fifth largest city with a gorgeous cathedral and small town vibes

Zaragoza Tips: 

• Zaragoza is small enough to see everything you want to see in 24 hours, don't plan on spending much more than that 

• The train station, Delicias, is open air so it is very hot or very cold depending on what the temperature is outside, be prepared

Adventures & Ales Top Zaragoza Recommendations: 

• Catedral del Salvador: The most amazing church I have ever seen (including the Vatican)

• El Tubo neighborhood: Windy streets full of bars and restaurants bursting with locals and tourists alike

The Classic Tourist Spots in Zaragoza Actually Worth Visiting: 

• Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar: In the main square with the cathedral, you can't miss it!

• Go to the Piedra Stone Bridge to see the Cathedral from another angle 

Catedral del Salvador

Other Things To Do in Zaragoza:​

• Aljaferia Palace: Medieval Islamic palace, slightly outside the center of the city

• Museo del Teatro de Caesaraugusta: An ancient Roman theater that makes you question what country you're really in

San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastian is a super cute little beach town in northeast Spain

San Sebastian Tips: 

• There are two different train stations for this small city so that can be relatively confusing. Make sure you are going to the correct one for your train!

• It gets PACKED on La Concha during peak beach going weekends, so try to hit it up during the week or in the off-season

Adventures & Ales Top San Sebastian Recommendations: 

• La Concha: The ever-so-popular crescent shaped beach is the hub of energy. Hit the beach, lounge in the park, grab a drink at one of the neighboring bars, or even take it in from the carousel 

• Sakona Coffee Roasters: Fantastic coffee and breakfast spot

• Monte Igueldo: Hike or take the funicular up the left mountain overlooking the bay, city, and surrounding mountains

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: 

• Constitution Square: Check out the old bullfight seat numbers above the restaurants!

• San Telmo Museum: A museum of the Basque Country

Other Things to Do in San Sebastian: ​

• The East side neighborhood is full of delicious restaurants! My favorite one closed down, but there are a plethora to choose from!

• Playa Zurriola: Check out the surfers on the less popular beach catching the wicked waves that come in

• Miramar Palace: Bavarian style building and park. A quick stop on your way to Monte Igueldo

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon has a nice beachy vibe to it with a mix of Latin and European culture. The best of all worlds? I think it might be. 

Lisbon Tips: 

• Dude. This is a weird thing, but also might save your life. The sidewalks are made of tiles. These tiles are INCREDIBLY slippery. Rain, sun, it doesn't matter. My first day in Lisbon I tallied the number of times I almost fell on my face from slipping all over the place and it was 26. Good luck!

  • Lisbon is also really hilly. So prep for sliding down a hill, whether you're actually trying to go up or down. 

Adventures & Ales Top Lisbon Recommendations: 

• Sit by the river (or really anywhere outside) and relax with a drink. Preferably sangria. Lisbon has a great culture of outdoor drinking since their weather is pretty much always perfect. 

• Mercado de Fusao: Outdoor park/food trucks/music/bars, definitely a cool spot

Top Touristy Spots in Lisbon Actually Worth Visiting: 

• Just poke your head into a sardine store. There's a bunch. It's crazy to see

• Praca do Comercio: The center of the city, right on the river, surrounded by gorgeous buildings

• Sao Roque Church: Gorgeous interior + the park right behind the church provides great views of the city

Other Things to do in Lisbon:​

• Barrio Alto neighborhood: Lots of bars and restaurants, but it is definitely more popular at night than during the day

• Time Out Market: Tons of food options and generally a pretty cool spot​

• Belem Tower, Jeronimos Monastery, Monument to Discoveries: All three of these attractions are near each other outside of the central city. All three are worth a visit, but if you go to the Monument to Discoveries don't pay to take the elevator (unless you need to) it's not worth it and you can easily get sucked into it because it does not seem like you have a choice

Cabo de Roca

Day Trips from Lisbon: 

• Sintra: Check out Quinta da Regaleira, it's essentially a small castle and a pretty park, then wander around the city center

• Cabo da Roca: The end of the world! That's what Europeans thought until they discovered the Americas. Personally I combined this with my trip to Sintra and it worked out very well. 

• Cascais: A gorgeous beach town a short train ride from Lisbon. Check out Boca do Inferno and then lounge on the beach!

Porto, Portugal

Porto is a beautiful yet gritty city filled with colorful buildings and fantastic tile work. In my opinion it feels much more South American than European!

Porto Tips: 

• This may be obvious but… drink port. Port wine is definitely an acquired taste, with the heavy alcohol taste really shocking you at first, but after a couple samples it'll taste smooth!

• Make sure you explore the areas not centered around the river too. It's easy to just marvel at the river and the surrounding landscape, but there is lot to see in the rest of the city as well! However, Porto is a little sketchier than other European cities, so make sure you're careful, especially at night!

• If you're a vegetarian (like me) : good luck. I've never struggled to eat somewhere as much as I did in Porto. If you see a menu that has food you can eat, jump on it! 

Adventures & Ales Top Porto Recommendations: 

• Ramos Pinto: My top recommendation for port wineries (and trust me, I tried a lot)

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting in Porto:

• Take the tram to the Atlantic and hang out at the beach!

• Calem: Another good, but touristy, port tour and tasting

Other Things to do in Porto:​

• Burmester: Another solid port winery with a pretty interesting tour

• Clergio's Tower: Climb up to overlook the city! [You have to pay, heads up]

Skip: ​

• Crystal Palace Gardens: Totally not worth your time and energy

• Bom Sucesso Market: Hot, sweaty, not good food. Honestly a joke. Skip it. 

Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovakia isn't generally at the top of people's 'must visit' lists, but it's a gorgeous country with a lot of history. ​

Bratislava Tips:

• Bratislava is super touristy. Go to the rest of Slovakia.

  • Do your best to not eat at the overly touristy spots to save some cash​

• The town is extremely small, you can walk everywhere ​​

• Check out the tile roofs, they are gorgeous!

Adventures & Ales Top Bratislava Recommendations: 

• Wander. The main square, the Napoleon statue, the old town hall, the man at work statue... just wander, the town is small enough that you can check it all out by just strolling

• Bratislava Mestianske Pivovar: Brewery near the old town hall

Top Touristy Spots in Bratislava Actually Worth Visiting:

• Bratislava Castle: Gorgeous gardens and a great view of the city and the UFO bridge

• The Blue Church: Looks like something out of a cartoon, pretty cool to see

• The destroyed synagogue: When communists took over and built the new rail line they destroyed the Jewish synagogue in town. There is a memorial to commemorate this event that is worth checking out 

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is nestled in the Alps, providing breathtaking scenery while you explore. 

Salzburg Tips: 

• The city is really small, you can easily walk everywhere you want to go

• Salzburg LOVES the Sound of Music and Mozart, or at least they love the draw their city has for tourists because of these two things. If you too have an obsession with the Sound of Music and/or Mozart Salzburg is for you

• This city is full of cute winding streets so just wander around! [beware of herds of tourists]

Adventures & Ales Top Salzburg Recommendations: 

• Go. To. The. Lakes. Fuschl am See is the best. The water is insanely blue, the mountains are gorgeous, and the town is tiny and adorable. Mondsee is another good option, definitely a larger town but still a nice lake. There is a Hop On Hop Off for the Lake District that is extremely convenient, buy tickets outside the Mirabell Gardens

• Check out the sunset from the bridge crossing the river!

Top Touristy Spots in Salzburg Actually Worth Visiting: 

• Mirabell Palace and Gardens: Really pretty, but also quite crowded with tourists

• The Fortress: Although a bit pricey, the Fortress atop the hill is pretty cool. It also provides a nice view of the city and surrounding scenery

Champagne at Fuschl am See

Other Things to Do in Salzburg:​

• Don't forget about the north side of the river! Things are cheaper (everything in Salzburg is still pretty pricey)

• Dom zu: The Cathedral is essentially the hub of the south side of the river. Sometimes there are food trucks set up and festivals based here as well