ChiLuxe Travel

We recently returned from a whirlwind weekend trip to Rome, and at the top of our list of things to do, as Catholics, was participating as pilgrims during the Vatican’s Jubilee year, and walking through the Holy Doors. There’s not a lot of very good information out there about what to do and where to go, so I’m going to break down a few things you need to know and do before heading to St. Peter’s Basilica this year. The…

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We absolutely love food tours when we travel, as it gives us a really great way to check out some local fare, learn some history, and perhaps even explore a neighborhood we might not have otherwise check out. In London, I was keen to check out Borough Market, though felt overwhelmed with the place and decided to book a food tour through the company Eating Europe. Our tour guide was funny and knowledgable, and the tour was jammed with food…

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We visited The Louvre museum in Paris on our recent trip in November, 2024. Our main purpose was to see the three Caravaggio paintings housed there, which you can read all about here! Apart from the excitement of checking out these incredible paintings, most of the rest of the museum for me was a massively frustrating, and really made me question tourism, especially over-tourism, in general. I had been to the Louvre before, about 15 years ago, and when I…

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I’m always looking for tours that are unusual, hyper-local, and private, in order to get the most out of our trips. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a 50-person herd following a young guide around carrying a flag or brightly-colored umbrella to make sure folks don’t get lost. I also don’t like massive commercial companies with pre-arranged impersonal tours that just always go to the same places. “WithLocals” is a European-based tour company (you will always pay in Euros) with…

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The L’Orangerie Musuem, located in the Tuileries Garden opposite the Louvre in Paris, is often overlooked due to its proximity to such an overwhelming place, but you shouldn’t miss this lovely gathering of Impressionist and post-Impressionist Art. We visited in early November, 2024. This museum building literally used to house the royal orange groves, so it has an open and airy feel inside, even if it is minimalistic and modern. Full price tickets are 12.50 Euro, but they are free…

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We’re a bunch of Harry Potter fans, and when I was planning our trip to London, I knew we had to not only binge all eight movies right before our trip, but we also had to go on the Harry Potter Studio Tour, more formally called the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, The Making of Harry Potter. The first thing that you need to know about the HP Studios is that they are not actually in London proper. There are some…

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My youngest stepdaughter Clara is a massive Beatles fan. I mean, she is 12 and knows their entire history, and all the words to pretty much every song. George is her fave and she’s also dug deep into his solo career. When I told her that we would be spending a day in Liverpool during our trip to London in July of 2024, she was ecstatic! Getting to Liverpool from London is easy. I booked advance tickets on the Avanti…

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