Our last full day in Vienna, we took a tram to Belvedere Place for some quick photos. This palace is a museum, not the royal palaces kind that my daughter loves. Thus, we stayed at the gardens only. It was chilly in the morning! The other side of the garden with the lower Belvedere on… Read More Vienna Sightseeing – Belvedere Palace and Furniture Museum
A daytrip to check off another country? Why not! Bratislava, Slovakia is a popular daytrip from Vienna as it is close and super easy to get to. There are multiple and inexpensive ways to get there: rail or bus. The rail station nearest to the old town is under maintenance so the train option would… Read More Vienna Day Trip to Bratislava to check off another country!
Before the kids’ school started, we took another trip to Europe! I had plenty of Air France miles and they do expire in 24 months without activity and the recent unannounced devaluation made me expedite my usage of them. Plus, Jason has 5 free 50K Marriott night certificates from a credit card sign-up bonus so… Read More The Kid-Friendly Vienna: Sisi Museum and The Children’s Museum at Schönbrunn Palace
Our last full day in Madrid, I decided to visit the Royal Palace of Aranjuez because we hadn’t been there (In fact, we didn’t visit any palaces on our first trip to Madrid because they did not allow photography inside. However, that has changed recently!) and it has direct local trains from Atocha via the… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Madrid day trip to Royal Palace of Aranjuez, another hidden gem palace!
For the second day trip from Madrid, I was debating between Segovia and Toledo, and I decided on Toledo due to the convenience of direct trains from Atocha to Toledo. I also read that trains to and back from Toledo do sell out due to its popularity so I booked online (via renfe website) 2… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Madrid day trip to Toledo
After Lisbon, our next stop was Madrid where we stayed for 4 nights. Our flight was delayed a little bit so we didn’t get to Madrid until at around 2 PM. From Madrid airport, we took the taxis to our apartment – Aspasios Atocha Apartments. Taxi from the airport to the city center is fixed… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Madrid day trip to Zaragoza
Our 3rd and last full day in Lisbon, I was thinking of going to Mafra National Palace since we didn’t get a chance to visit it the last time and the admission is included with the Lisboa Card, but I found out it was closed on Tuesdays! Instead, we went to Queluz National Palace, it… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Queluz and Cascais: Queluz National Palace is still a gem
2nd day in Lisbon, we did a day trip to Sintra to see the colorful Pena Palace. Like many popular attractions nowadays, to better manage the crowds, the palace implemented timed entry. I booked the entrance at 10:30 AM instead of right when it opens just in case of delay of the train or bus.… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Sintra: Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira
With two little kids, picking vacation destinations became trickier and less flexible. As much as we love to explore less touristy towns and villages, we also try to avoid having to carry the car seats. We chose Lisbon and Madrid based on their low airfare (via TAP Portugal’s stopover), easy access to public transportation, and… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Lisbon: Ajuda National Palace, a hidden gem
Japan’s most famous castle – Himeji Castle; it took me the 3rd trip to finally visit it. We took the train from Osaka Station to Himeji Station which took around 1 hour (included with our Kansai Area Pass). From Himeji Station to the castle was a long 20-minute walk but super easy; flat road along… Read More Japan’s Most Famous Castle – Himeji Castle
