Tours – Page 2 – C'est le Brie

Review of the Hallstatt Day Trip from Vienna | Travel Tips for Austria

Published on April 8, 2025July 7, 2025 by C'est le Brie2 Comments

Hallstatt, Austria has been on my bucket list for quite some time. It was actually the inspiration for Arendelle from Disney’s Frozen, and it is truly a magical place. I was based in Budapest for four months for work and made the most of my weekends booking trips to neighboring countries. I love traveling to Austria, the food is delicious, and the country is stunning. This was my third time there and I knew it was time to finally visit Hallstatt.

I took this Hallstatt Day Tour from Vienna, via Viator, and it was the perfect introduction to this beautiful corner of the world. I couldn’t recommend this tour enough. I met the bus in a central area in Vienna not far from my hotel, the Vienna Marriott Hotel, and the tour took care of the rest.

I took one of my favorite cameras with me, my Canon AE-1 Program, which I’ve shared some of the photos at the bottom of this blog. I reviewed this camera recently on Myles Katherine’s blog – Canon AE-1 Program Sample Photos in Hallstatt, Austria | The Perfect 35 mm Travel Camera if you’re interested in learning more!

I went on this Hallstatt bus tour solo and enjoyed the ease of not having to stress about anything It was a longer bus ride, with beautiful scenery throughout the Salzkammergut region. We had a short break on the way to and from Hallstatt to stretch our legs and grab a snack at a popular Austrian rest stop, Lanzeit .

When we arrived to Hallstatt the the early October air was crisp and the morning fog was lifting up toward the mountains. While we were rolling into town, our guide provided some information on the town and gave us tips on what to see. We offloaded from the bus and had time to explore Hallstatt on our own. I loved this about the tour. I was able to choose what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I just had to be back at the bus by a certain time.

I meandered the streets shamelessly gawking at the beautiful houses and views. It was simply stunning everywhere I looked. I explored the cemetery and ossuary (bone house), which was so peaceful and such a beautiful resting place.

Next, I waited in a short line to take the tram to the Hallstatt Viewing Platform. It offered spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and lake, Hallstätter See. Be mindful, if you are weary of heights, it may be slightly scary, but the scenery is incredible.

After coming back down the mountain on the tram, I was so hungry and indulged in a delicious Frankfurter Würstl (hot dog) and fries. I found a bench by the water and took in the peaceful views and ducks swimming around.

After my snack, we headed to a small boat where we drifted across the water, taking in a different perspective of the town from the water. It was smooth moving and lovely to relax and glide along the lake.

Before I knew it, my afternoon spent exploring was coming to an end and we shuffled back onto the bus across the lake. On the way back, I ordered a tasty carrot cake, which was a perfect way to end this October day. All in all, it was one of my favorite travel excursions. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the town and mystical atmosphere.

I absolutely recommend taking this tour if you are in Vienna and looking to see more of Austria!

Below are more photos taken on my Canon AE-1 Program!

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Howth and Ireland’s Eye: Easy Day Trip from Dublin Spent on the Coast

Published on March 23, 2025March 31, 2025 by C'est le Brie8 Comments

Two years ago I went to Belfast and Northern Ireland for my Master’s program where I conducted research with a team for an amazing organization, Widows Against Violence Empowered (WAVE). WAVE is a trauma support center that provides assistance for those impacted by the Troubles and surrounding conflict in Northern Ireland. It was an enduring, but inspiring project that informed my academic concentration in International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. I won’t forget the people I met, and tangible impact WAVE has on the victims and survivors across Northern Ireland. After almost two weeks of conducting interviews, attending group sessions, and conducting research, I was ready for a solo break to reflect and decompress. I had 24 hours to myself before I headed back home to Washington, DC and decided to spend it in the coastal town of Howth after a friend recommended the area to me.

If you are interested in booking an easy half-day tour to Howth from Dublin, I recommend this one. I traveled on my own, but I’m sure a tour reduces some of the stress!

On my last morning in Belfast, I took the Aircoach bus down from Belfast to Dublin, arriving at the train station. From there I took a Bolt ride (similar to Uber) to my hotel. It was around $25, but it was worth it for the ease. I ended up staying in Sutton on the outskirts of Howth because the hotels and inns in town had already been booked out. My hotel was the Marine Hotel Sutton. It’s a historic waterfront hotel that provided a dose of seaside quaintness.

After I checked in and dropped my bags off, I took a short walk to the Sutton train station and hopped on a short train ride down to Howth.

When I arrived, I decided to do some exploring among the shops and restaurants along the harbor. It’s an easy place to people-watch and just enjoy this cozy corner of the world. I had fun taking photos and popping into some of the cute shops. Similar to my previous Amsterdam post, I brought my 35mm Holga camera with me for unique film shots and am sharing a few black and white photos in this post.

I hadn’t planned to take a boat ride, but there were a few tours offering bookings on the spot that departed every hour. Since it was a foggy day, the captain recommended that I head to Ireland’s Eye, since the coastal tour would be too cloudy to see anything. I took his word for it and was so happy I did. If you’re interested in booking a boat tour ahead of time, see here on GetYourGuide for a few options. You can’t go wrong!

When I boarded the boat, I could see fog in the distance which we headed straight toward. Before I knew it, we were surrounded by fog and I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. Mystical indeed! The fog opened quickly and the island appeared before our small tugboat. We off-boarded and were able to roam around at our leisure. There were small beaches and lots of birds, like kittiwakes and guillemots. It was fun to take photos and enjoy the serenity of this little island. I took some time to sit on the beach before the next boat came to take us back to Howth.

After going back through the fog and arriving to shore, I spotted two adorably ugly Irish grey seals. I couldn’t help but giggle and snap a few photos as they bobbed along in the harbor.

My original draw to visiting Howth was to take the hike up on the cliffs and see the lighthouse. I followed my GPS and the pathway along the eastern coastline. There were so many gorgeous spots to take photos and I had only wished my sister was with me so we could have photoshoots!

I spent a couple of hours walking along the coast and its cliffs, taking in the sights and sounds. There were so many birds nesting and cawing along the cliffs and nesting. It was truly stunning. The fog had settled in though, which added to the magic of the day, but also made it difficult to see the full views. I didn’t make it down to the lighthouse because the fog was too thick, but the trail was still striking. The pathway was well-maintained and easy to follow. The photos don’t do the views quite justice and the cliffs were higher up than they even appear!

After I arrived back into town, I was eager to get to my dinner reservation at 30 Church Street. It was such a cozy restaurant to relax in with a glass of wine after a long day. I indulged in the beet and goat cheese salad and the Supreme of Corn-Fed Chicken. I had a wonderful window seat with views of Saint Mary’s Abbey ruins next door. The lovely end to a day on the coast before I headed back to the hotel for the night.

I recommend this beautiful day or weekend trip next time you’re in Ireland! Reminder to book here if you want a day tour!

❤ Natalie

Review of the Amsterdam: Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam & Marken Bus Tour in the Netherlands | Travel Tips for Amsterdam, Netherlands

Published on March 17, 2025March 31, 2025 by C'est le Brie17 Comments

Amsterdam was a beautiful city that I could have spent many days exploring during my trip last Spring. We stayed at the lovely Sir Albert in De Pijp neighborhood and loved every minute – if you want more information about our time in Amsterdam, see our Top 10 in Amsterdam blogpost here.

But, my husband and I also wanted to see the Dutch countryside and leave the city for the day. I researched a few weeks before we left for our trip and found the perfect tour that gave us a glimpse into the quieter villages in the Netherlands. The GetYourGuide Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam & Marken Bus Tour ticked everything on my list and more. We booked the tour and are so happy that we did!

A few things about why this tour was a good pick for us. First, I love to travel, but often get stir crazy and a little motion sick on bus rides that are too long. This tour was perfect because we boarded a bus and headed outside the city with each stop being 30 minutes or less from each other along the way. It made the day seem jam-packed with exciting activities and new sites to see without wasting time traveling on a tour bus. Second, it can be fun to explore new locations via rental car or train, but this tour allowed us to learn more and provide insight into the historical and cultural context for each village without having to worry about parking or transportation schedules. Third, we had some free time in the cheese factory, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans to explore on our own. This allowed my husband and I some time to grab lunch, do some shopping, take photos, and relax! All of this for under $40 each, it was a great deal and so worth it.

For photos and fun, I brought my red 35mm Holga toy camera with us. My husband gifted it to me a few years ago for Christmas, and I’ve loved traveling with it ever since! I’ve included a few photos I took during our tour noted in the captions.

Now, some more information on each stop on this tour:

Once we booked the tour we were given a clear location of where to meet our group, just a couple metro stops from our hotel. It was organized when we arrived at our departure point, and it was easy to find our bus. Already stress-free!

Our first stop was Marken, a tiny town in North Holland where we got off the bus and had a short walking tour. It was picturesque with a few small shops and boats in the harbor. We took this tour in mid-May and – word to the wise – it was chilly in the morning. We ended up each purchasing a cozy sweatshirt at a shop here because we were so cold! But we didn’t mind since we love a good keepsake.

Next up we had a cheese tasting at Henri Willig, a cheesemaker since 1979. The cheese factory gave us a short demonstration and tour, then lots of cheese tasting! They offered a great variety of flavors such as truffle and garlic & herb. I’m a big fan of Gouda, so it was heavenly. The site had a great gift shop and lots of cheeses to buy. These made lovely souvenirs that we took home for friends and family!

Our third stop was at Volendam where we had another short tour, and then a bit of free time to meander. We grabbed lunch at a quaint pub-style spot right in the harbor called De Lunch, which was recommended by our tour guide. We strolled the harbor and did some shopping before heading back to the bus.

After lunch we stopped in Edam. This is a canal-style town that was cute to take photos and stroll along. We had a short walking tour here before heading to our last stop.

Lastly, it was off to Zaanse Schans, our final, and debatably, most beautiful destination of the day. This is where we saw and experienced the iconic windmills. We had free time here to explore, take photos, and carefully climb up one of the windmills. It was a bit scary, but exciting to see one operating up close. We learned from the shop keeper that the working windmill grinds down raw materials into paint pigments. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience! We grabbed some hot cocoa and had a snack outside, taking in the views before heading back to the bustling city of Amsterdam. For those interested, there is also a wooden clog making demo and small museum at Zaanse Schans as well.

If you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam or the Netherlands, I hope you consider booking the tour here. Also, if you want a more detailed look at recommendations for Amsterdam, see my previous post: Top 10 Travel Tips for your first time in Amsterdam, Netherlands!

❤ Natalie

(This post contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links.)

Review of the Complete Douro Valley Wine Tour with River Cruise in Portugal | Travel Tips for Porto, Portugal

Published on September 23, 2024April 1, 2025 by C'est le Brie5 Comments

Before we left for Portugal, I spent a whole day researching day trips from the city of Porto. I knew I wanted to get out of the city and visit a few of the vineyards because, well, you can’t really visit Porto without drinking port wine! When I found this tour with Viator, I knew it was exactly what we were looking for. I didn’t want to do anything too exhausting. I really just wanted to look at beautiful views and drink port wine. This tour was EXACTLY that. If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, you can check out my full YouTube video about our tour on my YouTube channel here!

We met our tour group super early in the morning and hopped on the bus. We were greeted by our super sweet and cute tour guide, Margarida. Our first stop was the beautiful town of Amarante. We only had about 30 minutes here to grab a pastry or a cup of coffee, peek into one of the churches and snap a few photos of the view. It was a quiet and gorgeous little town though!

Our next stop was the first vineyard, Casa dos Barros. It had a stunning courtyard covered in vines, free-roaming peacocks and delicious port wine. One of the workers at the winery showed us to one of the wine cellars and gave us 3 different port wine tastings, along with cheese. She was absolutely hilarious and so entertaining. We then enjoyed lunch at the winery in a lovely dining room, along with the rest of our tour group. It was a full 4 course meal, a salad, soup, main entree, and dessert. We had both white and red wines served alongside our lunch too! While the food wasn’t anything too exciting, it was substantial enough that we were content and full. Plus, we were there for the wine anyway, and the wine was delicious!

We made our way back to the tour bus and enjoyed the incredible views of the Douro Valley. The morning was cloudy but it finally began to clear up as we made our way to the traditional rabelo boat ride on the Douro River. By the time we were cruising the river, the sun was popping out and we were able to witness the rolling hillsides and beautiful vineyards along the river. The boat ride was quite slow and peaceful, which actually made me rather sleepy. But I thoroughly appreciate a slower pace on these tours because I’m typically exhausted from traveling. As a photographer, I loved this part of the tour because I was able to take some gorgeous photos of the Douro River as I sat in my seat, watching the hills slip by. It was rather meditative, and exactly what I needed after a few days in the hustle and bustle of Porto.

After the boat ride, our bus driver took us about 5 minutes up the road to our next stop, Croft Port. It’s one of the oldest wine producers in the world and was truly the most beautiful vineyard I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s because the weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and we’d already had a few glasses of port, but we couldn’t get over the scenery. We were given a tour of the vineyard and one of the workers told us about the process of port wine-making. We were then handed three tastings each; a white, a ruby, and a tawny port. They were all amazing. We bought a bottle of the white port for only 10 euros, which is insane. It was so incredibly refreshing. We wanted to stay there forever because it was such a magical place.

On the ride home, almost everyone took a nap as our tour guide filled us in on a few more facts about the Douro Valley. We got back to Porto just in time for dinner. And yes, we enjoyed even more port wine with our dinner. 🙂 We went to the most incredible vegetarian restaurant, Espécie. I’ve honestly never had a dessert as delicious as the sticky toffee pudding. I’ve been inspired to try to recreate that dish at some point back home. SO. GOOD.

I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Porto. It’s the perfect getaway from the city and it’s so relaxing. Any age group could go on this tour. The port wine was as delicious as I’d hoped it would be and we learned so much about the history and process behind it. This might have even been one of my favorite bus tours I’ve been on so far in Europe. I didn’t get carsick and I didn’t feel like it was too rushed. Most of the day was spent looking at stunning views and drinking port wine, which is precisely what we were hoping for. 🙂 I’d say it’s a 9 out of 10 on the tour scale. It was lovely.

If you’re interested in booking this same tour, you can find it here. And make sure to check out my Viator shop to see all of our favorite tours around the world so far! And you can see more videos from our trip to Portugal on my YouTube channel!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read all about our adventure! Make sure to check out our blog post about our favorite Cute and Affordable Hotels in Porto and Lisbon, Portugal. Or you can read about our 3 Hour Food & Wine Tour in Porto here!

Have a lovely day!

❤ Myles Katherine

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Review of the 3 Hour Food & Wine Tour in Porto, Portugal with Viator! – The Best Tours to Take in Portugal

Published on August 21, 2024July 6, 2025 by C'est le Brie3 Comments

To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Portugal before our trip. What I did know was that it was going to be absolutely beautiful and that we would be drinking a lot of Port wine. I also knew that it was one of the easier countries to move to from the US, if I ever get that urge to flee off to Europe. That was enough to convince me to plan a trip! I booked our flights and hotels with Booking.com and didn’t look back! To calm my nerves though, I decided to book a couple of tours during our trip so that we weren’t left trying to figure everything out on our own in a country we knew very little about. For our first full day in Porto, I booked a 3 hour food & wine tour through Viator. I’m so incredibly glad we did because it was the perfect way to get acquainted with the city of Porto. Our tour guide, Cristina, walked us past stunning landmarks and filled us in on the history and the culture of Porto. It really helped us get our bearings for the layout of the city and got us excited about the rest of our time in Porto. Cristina was extremely engaging and even sent our group a personalized email at the end of the tour with all of her recommendations for the city. I’ve pretty much decided that I want to take a food & wine tour at the beginning of every trip now because we learned so much! Plus, who doesn’t want to be handed tons of local snacks and drinks that are guaranteed to be tasty! It really took a lot of the guesswork out of traveling, which is nice when you’re exhausted and jet-lagged upon arrival in a new place.

Our first stop was Confeitaria Imperio, a cute pastry and tea shop located on the Rua de Santa Catarina ((St. Catherine Street). It’s a great street for walking and shopping if you’re looking for a pedestrian street with lots of restaurants and people-watching! We tried the delicious pasteis de nata (cream pastries) that Portugal is known for, and our tour guide told us to try them with cinnamon which was a game-changer! I could eat these all day long. We were offered tea or espresso to go alongside them as well. Our guide filled us in on the history of green wine, AKA Vinho Verde, and how the Portugese women used to get away with drinking this “green tea” back in the day when women weren’t supposed to drink alcohol. It’s insane to me that women had to deal with that, but that’s a blog post for another day!

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Our next stop was a quick walk through the Mercado do Bolhão, a famous marketplace in Porto known for selling tons of fresh produce, cured meats, local cheeses, tinned fish and lots of other things! You should definitely visit this market if you’re in Porto! Cristina told us all about the history of codfish and why the Portugese use it in so many recipes! We then walked to A Favorita do Bolhão, a small local wine shop and grocery store. We were given the option for white, red or green wine. Nearly everyone tried the green wine, of course, since it’s one of Portugal’s specialties. It was delightfully effervescent, bright and tangy. It was quite a bit like a blend of white wine and champagne.

(our cute tour guide, Cristina, and her assistant ^^^)

We then continued our walk to a local bar called A Provinciana where we tried the Super Bock, the best-selling beer in Portugal, alongside a bifana sandwich. Bifana are traditional Portuguese sandwiches made with sliced pork and a tasty white wine and garlic sauce. It reminded me of a sloppy joe! We also sampled codfish fritters and learned a bit more about the types of liqueurs that the Portugese like to enjoy.

Cristina walked us through the famous and stunning Sao Bento train station and shared a bit of history about Porto.

Finally, it was off to the final stop of the tour to try Port, Lado Wines by Avepod. We got to sample all three styles of Port, the white, the ruby and the tawny. My husband, Chris, and I both like the tawny the best, but they were all delicious. We were even allowed to pour a little extra in each of our glasses at the end if we wanted! I’m absolutely obsessed with Port wine now. It’s like wine, but sweeter and stronger! It’s filled with flavor and nice to sip on before or after a meal. The tour was from about 3-6pm so afterwards we had plenty of time to stroll along the river back to our hotel and grab some more Port wine along the way!

I just loved every minute of the tour because I’m typically the planner/leader on every trip. I finally was given the opportunity to relax and allow the tour guide to lead the way. I didn’t have to pull up apple maps or google the best place to get a beer. I definitely intend to use these types of tours to my advantage in the future. Plus, we got to meet a few Swifties in our tour group that were also planning on going to Lisbon to the Eras tour later that week, just like us!

If you’re interested in signing up for the same tour with Viator, you can find it here. Or if you’re traveling elsewhere, you can check out our Viator shop to see what other tours we recommend around the world! I also posted a YouTube video about our Food & Wine tour with Viator here!

If you’re looking for hotel recommendations in Portugal, make sure to check out our blog post here.

I hope this post gets you excited about your trip to Portugal! We had an absolute blast. We also went on a full day trip to the Douro Valley with Viator too. You can read the full blog post about that tour here!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

❤ Myles Katherine

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