WELCOME to my experience on a 12 day Southern Riviera trip with Go Ahead Tours from Barcelona to Florence that included quite a few UNESCO sites. My traveling companions were my friend Kay & her friend of a friend Carole (the 3 Amigos) + about 20 other people. We booked our own flights & airport transfers. After paying the deposit I booked my Polaris seats on United with points and put the trip on a back burner. I was still a wedding planner and had six weddings & events to get through before departure. Look for “Had I known” notes throughout. As departure day approached I got out my passport, checked the 10 day weather forecast (found my travel umbrella and Asics rain jacket), borrowed a TravelOn crossbody bag from my friend Karen, packed my carryon and back pack (no #BigBlueBag this trip), and bought 500 Euros (not enough).

DAY 1: On departure day Hubby drove me to EWR. He could sense I was a little nervous. “You’ll be fine!” he said, “Go have fun.”  My apprehension wasn’t about the trip, it was about trying to find Kay in the Barcelona airport. Her plane was arriving about an hour before mine. I was being cheap and didn’t want to take my phone off airplane mode. Turns out there was nothing to worry about – found Kay in the line for immigration.

Once through immigration we picked up her suitcase, passed through customs (nothing to declare), found our tour guide Tini who showed us where the cab line was, and off we went to Hotel 1882 which is now called Radisson Blu 1882. It was lovely, clean, and had a great breakfast buffet.  After check in we had some time to get settled before our first meeting as a group. Guess who fell asleep and was late??  We had three nights in Barcelona.

Tini, our tour guide, giving first day instructions.

BARCELONA:  Our stay in Barcelona included a tour of the Segrada Familia Basilica which was within walking distance of our hotel and a Paella dinner (meh) at a local restaurant complete with homemade Sangria (delish), We opted for a day trip to Montserrat which is a Benedictine Monk retreat that’s known for the Black Madonna. We took a cable car up from the lot where our tour bus was parked. There was a funicular that looked like it was going straight up which we did not take. Lots of people hiking and enjoying the area including a farmer’s market.

The 3 Amigos outside the Segrada Familia
The end of our walk down Las Ramblas

Back in Barcelona we took a late afternoon walk down Las Ramblas. It’s a busy pedestrian shopping and hotel area that’s filled with tourists, locals, gypsies, and pickpockets. It was fun to walk from our hotel all the way down to the sea. We found a restaurant with a waterview, had dinner, and took a cab back to the hotel. While we were doing this some of our tour mates did the optional (at extra cost) dinner and flamenco show. Those who went said it was fantastic. The next afternoon Carole & I did the Red on/off bus tour of the city and saw lots of Gaudi architecture and then met Kay for tapas at a restaurant she found on Yelp (another meh). If I had known we were going to be in Barcelona for so long I would have done some research on where to eat. Barcelona is a beautiful city with lots to offer. Give yourself enough time to take it all in.

The funicular at Montserrat
Another example of Gaudi architecture as seen on the on/off bus tour

DAY 5 on to FRANCE:  After three nights in Barcelona we got on the bus. It had big windows, comfy seats, air conditioning, and flat bottled water for 1 Euro. Everyone had plenty of room to spread out. Had I known we were traveling long distances by bus I would have brought a neck pillow for napping. On our way to Montpellier in France Tini gives us information on where we are going, how long we will be there, when & where to meet before getting back on the bus. DON’T BE LATE. We stop at the medieval castle at Carcassonne. It was lovely to get out and walk around this area that’s now filled with shops, restaurants, and men dressed as knights. Kay & Carole each ordered Cassoulet for lunch. One serving was big enough to feed all tree of us & then some.  We stayed one night at the Crowne Plaza Montpellier Corum.

McDonald’s delivery even in France!

The next morning we’re out bright & early heading towards Antibes. Our first stop is Nimes and a tour of the Arena of Nimes, After that we’re on own for a few hours so we took a walk down a tree lined street with spillway in the center that ends at a beautiful park. As we made our way back to our meeting place we found a lovely outdoor bistro for lunch. Back on the bus our next stop was Pont du Gard. It doesn’t look like much upon arrival. As we kept walking we saw the aqueduct. Holy cow! We took the time to watch the video of its construction. Fascinating and highly recommend. The area is a park. Locals were picnicking, hiking, and kayaking. Final stop for the day was our hotel, AC Ambassadeur Antibes-Juan les Pins. Our bus driver did such an outstanding job backing that behemoth down a very narrow street that we gave him a standing ovation. The hotel was within walking distance of the Plage de Juan les Pins which is a promenade along the beaches on the Bay of Cannes. The Cannes Film Festival and the F1 Grand Prix in Monaco were just days away and there were many yachts at anchor off shore. We found a restaurant on the beach that served Nicoise salad. We couldn’t believe how lucky we were to be sitting there.

Inside the arena
Lunch at La Bodeguita du Royal Hotel Nimes,
Pond du Gard Aqueduct
Dinner with a view in Antibes

MONACO:  The next day our bus took us along the cliffs of Cape Ferrat.. On the way we stopped in Eze (you may have seen it on Below Deck Med). You could either hike up to Eze or go to the Fragonard perfume factory. The 3 Amigos chose the perfume factory and a little shopping. Back on the bus to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens. What a spectacular place with an even more spectacular history. I was in heaven here. Then it’s on to Monaco for a few hours. As mentioned they were setting up for their annual F1 race. We saw the Palais Princier de Monaco and the Cathedrale de Monaco where Princess Grace and King Rainier are entombed.  NOTE: Churches in Europe have very specific dress codes – knees and shoulders must be covered. We saw people turned away by the nuns in Monaco for not being dressed appropriately.

A view of the villa and gardens at the Villa de Rothschild
one of the dozens of rose varieties in the Jardin de Rothschild

 

View of the yachts in the harbor in waiting for the Monaco Grand Prix

DAY 8 ENTERING ITALY:  We leave Monaco and the French Riviera and head to Italy and the town of Rapallo. Along the way we went over a bridge that ran parallel to the Ponte Morandi. This is the bridge that collapsed just 9 months before. Tini and our driver told us that they had been over that bridge many times including a few days before it collapsed. Scary stuff. Our two night stay was at the Europa Hotel Design.  I could see the water from my room if I looked sharply to the left. The 3 Amigos took a walk looking for dinner. We found a lovely neighborhood bar with outdoor seating. We ordered drinks and were brought lots of delicious snacks too. No need for dinner! Taking a shower that night I realized that the hotel did not provide washcloths.  If I had known I would have brought one with me.

View from my room in Rapallo. There were no screens in the window

DAY 9 CINQUE TERRA:  From Rapallo we take a ride along the cliffs that look out over the Ligurian Sea where you can see mussel farms, yachts, and seaside villas on our way to Cinque Terra. We are dropped at a ferry terminal in Porto Venere and had some time before taking the ferry to Monterosso. We walked into the Church of St Peter and then down along the water while we ate croissants filled with Nutella (very big in Europe). The ferry was a fun ride that stops at all the towns. When get off in Monterossa, we are in a little slice of Italian heaven. The 3 Amigos walked up and down the cute shopping areas looking for souvenirs and a place for lunch. My only request was to eat outdoors. We found Ristorante Ciak – Monterosso. When I tell you the entrees we ordered – mussels in white wine, garlic & olive oil,; gnocchi, and pasta Bolognese – was so good that we all wanted to lick our plates please believe me. It is my goal to get back there again. We took the train from Monterosso back to Rapallo for the night.

The Chiesa San Pietro in Porto Venere
Approaching Monterosso al Mare by ferry
Kay & Carole waiting for lunch in Monterosso al Mare

DAYS 10 – 12  FLORENCE:  In the morning we boarded the bus for the LONG ride to Florence. Along the way we passed the Carrara marble quarry on our way to our first stop at San Gimingnano another UNESCO Heritage site. The views of the Tuscan countryside were amazing. Back on the bus Tini asked us if we wanted to go to a winery for lunch at additional cost. YES we all said so our next stop was Tenuto Torciano Winery. Lunch was delicious with wine pairings for each course. Like the wine, the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar? Buy a case or two or ten and they’ll ship it to you for free! Back on the bus, Tini and our driver decide to make a stop at the Florence American Cemetery. It’s getting close to Memorial Day and they thought we would enjoy it. It’s breathtaking and heartbreaking. Scouts from the local US military base were there putting American and Italian flags at each grave.

The Carrera marble quarry as seen by bus on our way to Florence
Buying a hand crafted necklace in San Gimingnano
Graves marked with American and Italian flags by scout troops from the nearby US military bases

ARRIVING IN FLORENCE When we finally reach the Hotel Corona d’Italia there was a car parked in the space reserved for our bus. Tini and the car’s driver exchanged words with lots of hand gestures. The hotel is small as are the rooms but it’s centrally located just a few blocks from the Santa Maria Novella train station and around the corner from the Central Market. It had an amazing restaurant where we had our last meal as a group on our final night. If I had known about the Central Market I would have made it a point to go there. We had a guided tour of the city surrounding the  Piazza della Signoria. After the tour Tini took us to a leather shop. Florence is known for leather goods. There are literally hundreds of places to buy leather including the walk through markets near the Ponte Vecchio. Make sure to look for the Made in Italy certificate (as opposed to made in China, etc).  Avoid the sellers showing you that their leather doesn’t burn (because real leather doesn’t burn at the temperature from a lighter). The weather had been cool and damp up until this day when it got sunny and hot. Our last day was our free day so the 3 Amigos walked this beautiful city and took in some the sites including the Ponte Vechhio. If I had known I would have bought tickets in advance for the Accademia Gallery to see David and for the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral aka the Duomo. Florence is an amazing city filled with art, history, and good food. It deserves as much time as you can spend there.

The Duomo. You can buy tickets to walk up to the top of the tower. Ambulances wait in the piazza for those who can’t make it.
Just two of the bronze doors of the Baptistry located across the piazza from the Duomo. The detail is incredible
Getting hubby’s initials embossed on his new belt
Our tour group (minus Kay who had to leave a day early)

At dinner that night at our hotel (delicious pasta, fish, chicken, and pizza) we said our goodbyes and tipped Tini. We tipped our bus driver when he dropped us off in Florence. The next morning I was going to Rome via the train along with a couple from the tour. Tini walked us to the train station, helped us buy our tickets, and showed us where to get the train. Saying good bye to my new friends and the safety of the tour was hard but I was ready for some alone time.

WRAP UP:  All in all I truly enjoyed this trip. Our group was comprised of couples, a family of four, several single ladies, one single guy, and the 3 Amigos. It was nice to make new friends and not have to think about where I was going, how I was going to get there, and where I was going to stay. I got to see and do things I’d never have done on my own. It was very cost effective given everything that was included (hotel accommodations, breakfast daily, two dinners, admission tickets and tour guides in most locations). Go Ahead Tours fits that middle price point. Hotels are clean and centrally located. Our tour guide Tini was friendly, fun, knowledgeable and shared interesting history as we rolled along for hours at a time. Fellow travelers raved about other tours they’ve done with this company throughout Europe. Would recommend to anyone going to Europe and wanting to not think about much but still see and learn a bunch.