Two Week Trip to Vienna, Italy, Slovenia and Slovakia for $1,000 a Person

When I began planning my Europe trip in April, I intended to use miles. I promised my son that I would show him Italy, but since I was late in planning, there were no award flights left going directly to Rome.  I felt fortunate to find two award tickets to Vienna instead.  I was able to purchase a commuter ticket on EasyJet to Rome from Vienna.

We got a bonus trip to Philadelphia on our layover so I was able to show my son the Liberty Bell and a bit of the city.

We started our trip with a day spent in Vienna.  From Vienna we flew to Rome where we secured a hotel room for four nights. From Rome we took a day trip to Florence and Pisa after spending a full day at the Vatican.  Book Vatican tickets online to avoid standing in the long lines. From Rome we took a train to Venice.  I do not recommend Venice in the summer.  Sure it’s warm and it’s great for pictures, but the crowds and the intense heat were overwhelming.  So much so that we did a return trip seven months later in order to be able to enjoy it.

From Venice it was on to Trieste from where we boarded a ferry to Piran, Slovenia.  In Slovenia, we explored Predjama Castle, Ljubljana, and Lake Bled. We took the train back to Vienna from where took advantage of the BratisLover deal to Bratislava, Slovakia.

Our trip ended with a final full day to explore Vienna in more detail.

My itinerary is below.  A few costs are omitted, but it’s safe to assume the trip cost me $2,000 for two people for two weeks.  Luckily our TransAtlantic fare was on award tickets.

~Bella