I feel like I am now living my travel blogger fantasy with all these trips I've been going on lately. I remember in lockdown scraping the barrel for random subjects to blog about when I mainly love to write about travel and trips out I have been on.
I have recently just got back from Milan and I am so happy to share another fantastic experience with you. I love Italy and have been to Sorrento in the south with my family, but had never been to the north so we decided to give Milan a go. Another reason for going is that it is a short train ride from Lake Como which is so beautiful so we were able to visit these two places in one trip.
Travelling to Milan
This time we travelled from London Heathrow to Milan Linate airport. There are a few airports in Milan, I think Malpensa is the main one but we discovered Linate was closer to the centre of Milan.
Of course, we started the trip with an airport breakfast and an Aperol spritz (the drink of choice for the whole trip).
The flight was set to be 2 hours but the total air time was around 1 hour and a half there and back which was great for me because I am not a big fan of flying.
We then travelled by bus to our Air BnB in the Navigli area near the canals which was pretty easy.
Day 1
We arrived at our Air BnB around 3pm so after unpacking and getting changed, we headed out to the Navigli canals and had some pre-dinner Aperols. I really loved the area of Navigli, the nightlife was great and they had a happy hour where Aperol spritz was 5 euros. Did you know the happy hour was invented in Milan?
There were also some amazing restaurants with al fresco dining on the canal too. We ended up eating at one of these restaurants and I tried the Ossobucco which is a traditional Milanese dish that consisted of slow-cooked beef on a bed of saffron risotto. The meal was fab and it was great to be able to try one of their traditional dishes.
Day 2
The first full day was dedicated to sightseeing around Milan and we ended up walking around 7 and a half miles. There was public transport from our Air BnB in Navigli into the centre of Milan, or it was about half an hour's walk so we ended up walking instead.
First of all, we headed to the Duomo di Milano which is the cathedral in the centre of Milan. It was as stunning and picturesque as expected. I felt like I was walking through an Instagram picture.
Right next to the cathedral is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping centre, the iconic designer shopping centre in Milan. We did have a look in a few shops like Prada and Armani but just looked, nothing designer was bought, unfortunately.
After that, we started walking and found the Sforzesco Castle, which we walked through into Sempione Park. One thing I will say about Milan is that there are loads of cute small dogs and we found a lot of these walking through the park.
This took us to lunchtime and we found a cafe that had huge focaccia sandwiches and I'm telling you, it was one of the best sandwiches of my entire life. I wish I could remember what the cafe was called but there are a lot of places like this in Milan and most of them seem to be top quality.
Related: 3 nights in Barcelona
We then took a walk back up to our Air BnB, had a nap and then went back out to the Navigli canals for dinner and drinks. Round the corner from our Air BnB was a gelato place that smelled amazing every time we walked past so we had to try! I had 3 scoops and these were LOADED scoops so I ended up feeling a bit sick after but it was 10/10.
As we were in Italy, I needed to eat a pizza so I was desperately looking for pizza restaurants and we found one alongside the canal! Although Milan is not typically famous for its pizza, it is still in Italy so the pizza was 10/10.
Day 3 - Travelling to Lake Como
On day 3 we went on a trip to Lake Como. We got the train from Milan Cadorna Station to Como Lago and it took about an hour. I think the train tickets were about 5 euros for a single ticket too which was pretty good. This was actually the worst day for weather which was a shame but the lake was still stunning.
Once we got to Como, we got the ferry to Bellagio which was such a stunning place. We walked round Bellagio and there were so many stunning views of the lake. I had heard that Bellagio was quite expensive as it's quite a touristy holiday destination and a lot of the restaurants there were.
While walking up the stairs to get a better view of the lake, we stumbled across a wine bar called Cava Turacciolo which served food so, of course, we had to go in. It was quite hidden away but one of the best places I have been. We had a cheese and cold cuts sharing platter which was all from local produce, and we sampled the local sparkling wine which was more like champagne than prosecco. My dad had a glass of local red wine which he loved too.
Although we were in quite an expensive area and the wine bar was outstanding, the price was actually quite reasonable. You could get a glass of prosecco for as little as 4 euros which I thought was fab.
After more walking, we got the ferry back to Como. You should definitely check the ferry timings before travelling to Como because there is a slow boat and a fast boat and they didn't seem to run that often. Also, there can be big queues for the ferries too.
We walked around Como a little before getting the train back to Milan and I didn't realise how close to the border of Switzerland we were. Como town reminded me more of a town in Austria or somewhere close rather than Italy. It was giving me Christmas vibes, could have been the grey weather as well.
I just wish I could have gotten better photos with blue skies but we were still blown away by Como.
We got the train back to Milan at around 4 and went back to the Air BnB to get changed, before heading back out to Navigli for dinner and drinks.
We did make a slight mistake with dinner and ended up going to a tourist trap restaurant that had 1,000 things on the menu and had pictures on the menu - big no no! I had the carbonara there because I hadn't had pasta yet and it was alright, but my mum hated her meal. Note to self - Google restaurants before you go to them and DO judge a menu by its cover.
Day 4
As we had seen most of the sights of Milan on day 2, we had a lie-in and dedicated day 4 as our shopping day. We attempted shopping in the centre of Milan but it was a Saturday and it was just a bit too busy to be able to look at anything properly.
Mum was on the hunt for panettone which, since trying last year, we are obsessed with. There was a place near where we were staying that we walked past each day and saw they had panettone so we got some on the last day. I have since tried the panettone from that shop and can confirm it is the best ever. Panettone is for all year round in my mind - not just Christmas!
Again, we got our steps up with lots of walking and I had another focaccia sandwich for lunch because I loved the first one so much.
And again, more Aperol Spritz and prosecco was drunk next to the Navigli canals and we ended up going to the best restaurant we had been to on the last evening.
We were all torn between the pumpkin ravioli that was on the menu and a Milanese meat dish so we ordered the ravioli as a first course to share as it was quite small and it was insane, way better than the carbonara I had the day before.
Then for a main, I had veal in red wine with potatoes and I can't explain to you how nice it was. Simple flavours but so tasty. I can't stop thinking about the potatoes in the gravy.
It was great to be able to eat pizza and pasta, but also to try Milanese dishes like the Ossobucco and the veal that they don't have in the other regions of Italy.
Travelling home
For our flight home, we travelled by tram and bus to the airport which again, was really simple and took about 40 minutes altogether.
After having my flight cancelled on the way back from Barcelona and waiting 9 hours for a new one, I was delighted that travelling home was smooth and easy and we got home at around 3:30pm - enough time to unpack, chill and watch the Strictly results.
If you are planning on going to Milan then you should definitely visit Lake Como on one of your days there! I'd also recommend going to the Navigli area for dinner and drinks as I enjoyed it there so much.
Related: 3 nights in Corfu, Greece
Have you been to Milan?
Travelling to Barcelona
Related: 3 nights in Corfu, Greece
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Travelling home
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Overall
I am currently writing this through my tears from holiday blues. OK, I'm not really crying but I am NOT happy about being back from my holiday. If you follow my Instagram, you can probably tell because all I'm posting are holiday pictures, and I don't plan to stop any time soon.
I recently went to Corfu with five of my friends from uni and had the best time! Not only was it just an amazing time anyway, but my last summer holiday abroad was in 2019, and because of Covid I haven't been able to go on another one until now, which made it even more special and I feel like I appreciated it so much more. It really is a privilege to be able to travel and I can't wait to travel more whenever I can - it's my favourite thing to do.
Traveling to Corfu
We traveled to Corfu on a Thursday morning from Gatwick Airport and our flight was at 8:25am. In true Lauren Kenny style, we got to the airport 3 hours early but there have been so many staff shortages at the moment you never know how long it's going to take! And we wanted to sit down and have breakfast (and a beveragini). Luckily, there weren't any major queues, just a short delay to our flight which was fine.
The flight time on the way out was about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and on the way back it was around 3 hours and 5 minutes. I may be wrong but I feel like Corfu is the closest Greek Island to travel to from the UK? If not, one of the closest.
We landed in Corfu after 3pm I think because of the 2-hour time difference there, but our transfer to the airport was quite short so we still had some pool and sun time when we got there.
The hotel
Related: 10 European cities you need to visit
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Related: A week in Sorrento
Overall
Disclaimer: Some of the restaurants I have tried have been from a PR invite, but all opinions are my own. I have a put an asterisk* next to the ones that were a PR invite.
So a few years ago, I did actually write a blog post about where my favourite places to eat in and around Salisbury were, but I thought I could do it even bigger and better now. A lot of new places have opened since then, and I have also tried a lot of new places since then.
Also, I wrote that at a time when I didn't like Salisbury as much as I do now. When I was at uni I was so anti-Salisbury because I much preferred Bournemouth (where I went to uni) I still do prefer Bournemouth because I love the beach, but I have learned to appreciate my home city more.
If you didn't know, I live kind of near Salisbury but not really that close. I am about a 25-minute drive but because it is my closest city and I live in the middle of the countryside, I just say I'm from Salisbury.
I am making it my mission to try as many new things while I'm in my 20s as possible, that's why I have also written a list of restaurants I want to try in and around Salisbury, as well as showing you my favourite ones.
Anyway, enough about me - let's get onto the foodie info you really want to know! I have split them into categories of chains and independent restaurants in Salisbury. Then I have included some other faves that are worth driving to from Salisbury if you can.
Restaurants in Salisbury
Independent restaurants
Tinga*
Maul's
Reeve The Baker
Pizza Venti*
Nole Pizza
The Salisbury Orangery
Naked Bagel
Chain restaurants
Cosy Club
Related: Flesh and Buns London review
Zizzi
Cote Brasserie
Byron
Wagamama*
The Giggling Squid*
Restaurants a short drive from Salisbury
Piazza - Amesbury, 17 min drive from Salisbury
Rosebourne - Weyhill, 28 min drive from Salisbury
The Crown Inn - Cholderton, 22 min drive from Salisbury
Cholderton Farm Shop - Cholderton, 22 min drive from Salisbury
The Malet Arms - Newton Tony, 22 min drive from Salisbury
Places I want to try
The Chapter House - Salisbury
Boston Tea Party - Salisbury
Wafflemeister - Salisbury
Lalahan - Salisbury
Grillado - Salisbury
Allium - Salisbury
Haunch of Venison - Salisbury
The Wig and Quill - Salisbury
Southern Quarter - Amesbury, 19 min drive from Salisbury
The Greyhound Inn - Stockbridge, 25 min drive from Salisbury
The Hawk Inn - Amport, 33 min drive from Salisbury
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse - High Post, 12 min drive from Salisbury
And there we have my ultimate foodie guide to Salisbury. Once I have tried restaurants from the list above, I will add them to my recommendations if they are worthy.
There are a lot more restaurants in Salisbury that I have heard good things about but I am still quite fussy with food even though I am trying to be better. There are some Indian and Thai restaurants that I have heard good things about if that is your thing!
Related: Greyhound at Corfe Castle review
Have you tried any of these restaurants? Let me know which ones you like the sound of, or if you have some Salisbury recommendations I haven't put on this list.
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