I am so excited to bring you the first re-cap of my Europe vacation.

A little background: I have never been to Italy or Switzerland and have been planning this trip with a good friend from my old workplace. She has lived in numerous countries in Europe and has been EVERYWHERE. Switzerland was the one country she hadn’t been to and really wanted to see. She had also only spend a couple of days at Lake Como, and wanted to travel there as well.

PS-Everyone thinks I am crazy for going on this trip and landing 10 days before I leave for my wedding. I don’t think it is crazy at all! I haven’t been stressed out about the wedding one bit, and if everything I have planned/ordered so far makes it, I think it will still be so beautiful and fun! I do have a few more things on my list, but none of them are super important. I think experiencing life and traveling is so much more important! The only thing that matters in the wedding is getting to say ‘I do’ to the most incredible man in the world! Everything else will fall into place.

Things to Do at Lake Como, Italy

Stripe Peplum Tee I Black Crop Pants I Black Cardigan I Black Slides (sold out, similar here) I Black Tote I Black Sunglasses

I wore this outfit on the plane from Dallas to Milan. It was so comfortable! I love this stripe sleeveless peplum tee and I bought this cardigan in three colors! PS- my black tote is actually reversible and under $50 (cognac on the inside)

Day 1:

We took a 9 hour flight from DFW into Milan. Milan is a central hub in Italy and you can get just about anywhere from there. From the Milan airport we took a $5 bus to Milan’s central train station. From there, we jumped on a quick 45 minute train ride to Como, Italy.

There are so many different places/towns/villages that you can stay on Lake Como. We were only going to be there for two days, so we stayed in Como to be closest to the train station that would later take us to Zurich.

Como is so beautiful and charming! We got the cutest apartment that we booked through hotels.com and it was very modern inside with amazing AC (you never know if you are going to have AC or not haha!)

Yellow Dress I Tortoise Sunglasses I Cognac Sandals I Cognac Crossbody

I wore this pretty yellow sundress to dinner the first night in Como! Make sure to check out the cognac cross-body I am wearing! It is actually the size of your phone, but also fits any lipstick or makeup you need in it! I wore this everywhere during my trip!

We spent the first afternoon exploring Como. I would highly recommend walking through the town and exploring all of the different churches. The food is also impeccable, but if a restaurant was recommended, I would definitely call and make reservations.

Our favorite place for dinner: Pizzaria OX (do not need reservations.) Get the pizza! They serve you free prosecco at the beginning of your meal and a free limoncello shot at the end!

Day 2:

Stripe Tee I Pink Sneakers I Pink Sunglasses I Jean Shorts I Mint Green Phone Crossbody

Exploring Bellagio. All of the side streets and alleyways are a must see when visiting Italy! I wanted a photo in all od them! Have you grabbed these pink sneakers yet? I wore them the entire day and they were just so comfortable. You also need to grab this stripe peplum tee asap (under $40) before your size is gone!

Our second day in Italy was a bit busier. We first took the ferry to Bellagio. Bellagio is known to be a little bit ritzier than the other towns around the lake. It was definitely charming and had some great places to shop. Our favorite thing to do there was sit on the water’s edge and drink Aperol Spritz and Rosè.

After Bellagio we went to Varenna. Varenna is more charming than Bellagio but it does not have very much shopping. We loved exploring the town and we even went to Villa Monastero to see the gardens (definitely recommend!)

We accidentally took the wrong ferry back to Como and ended up on the lake for three hours. We just drank wine and did some sight-seeing on the lake. So many cute towns to visit next time! Make sure to check the ferry schedule and let them know that you want the FASTEST route everywhere.

Floral Top I Floral Skirt I Yellow Sandals I White Phone Crossbody

I wore this pretty set to our last dinner in Como. This was actually taken on the terrace of our apartment! I would definitely recommend getting this set. I love that it is sold separately, so you can get different sizes for top and bottom! I ordered an XS in the top and a S in the bottom and it fits perfectly!

We got back and immediately changed for dinner. We wanted to go to a restaurant that the apartment manager suggested, but when we walked up the wait staff said we could not eat there if we did not have a reservation :/. We ended up eating somewhere that wasn’t completely amazing, but we did have a gorgeous view of the lake and we stayed there and talked for a few hours!

Tips for Italy:

-Don’t be prepared to sleep on the plane. If you do-AMAZING. Most of the time you will have a bunch of screaming babies (like I did).

-Make sure to stay up when you get there as long as you can to avoid jet lag.

-Look down every alleyway. Each one is different in it’s own way and each is sooooo charming.

-Be prepared to walk. Bring comfortable shoes!! Also-everyone walks super slow in Italy. No one is in a rush!

-Wear sunscreen. Don’t ruin your trip by getting toasted from the sun on your first day!

-Ask questions. People along Como were so kind. Don’t be afraid to ask them something if you aren’t sure.

-Eat pasta! So amazing.

-Lunch and dinner can take anywhere from 2-3 hours. The wait staff thinks you want to sit there for as long as possible, so you need to directly ask for the bill when you are finished.

-Don’t eat every meal on the lake. Walk into town and sit at a cute restaurant in a piazza (town square). You get a better idea of the culture of the town!

-Don’t expect the ferry to always be on time. It ran around 20 minutes late every time when we were there.

-Take breaks to sit down and look around. Use this time to enjoy a cappuccino or a glass of wine.

-Eat pastries (especially the ones with chocolate inside!!)

-In Bellagio and Varenna, you have to have an entire meal in order to sit down. Make sure to ask if just having a drink is ok before you sit. We went to three restaurants before finding one that would let us sit just to have a drink.

-Make sure to bring a converter. None of your plugs will work in Italy.

-Pack one suitcase. I only packed one and jumping from train to bus to taxi to train was so hard with the big suitcase I have… I can’t even imagine what it would have been like with two!!!

Bras:

I also had tons of questions about what bras I packed to wear each day, and which bra I wore with the strapless items.  You HAVE TO make sure you bring super comfortable bras. That could make or break your day! It was pretty hot while we were here, so I am glad I brought regular bras and not sports bras for more air.

I just picked up these two before I left and I am LOVING THEM SO FAR! SO COMFORTABLE! They also have matching panties if you want those as well:

If you have other questions please make sure to ask in a comment below. I will definitely get back to you asap if I know the answer or can help in any way!

PS- Head here tomorrow for Tuesday Talks! Don’t know what that is? You can check my latest one HERE!

xox Amanda