flight
Overnight flight into Charles de Gaulle
Evening departure with a morning arrival. Window seat on the left side for a sunrise approach.
Air France · 19:40 · JFK → CDG
$780
Book this leg
Creator
@mirasolano · 184.2K followers
I write the trips I actually take — city weeks stitched to a cruise, with the transfers no one puts on a highlight reel.
Published itinerary · Cruise
4 days Paris → 5-night cruise → 4 nights Istanbul
The exact route Mira ran last October: a short Paris week that does not try to do everything, a five-night cruise used as a floating transfer, and four nights in Karaköy with a Hamam and a Bosphorus ferry instead of a Bosphorus cruise.
The rooms from this itinerary, in the order they were slept in.
Hôtel Providence
Paris
A 18-room townhouse with a tiny cocktail bar. Request a courtyard room if you are a light sleeper.
From $310 / night
Cotton House Hotel
Barcelona
A former textile guild. Ask for a room off the courtyard.
From $280 / night
Soho House Istanbul
Istanbul
Hamam in the basement. Rooftop for sunset, not brunch — brunch is a scrum.
From $420 / night
Day 1
Paris, France
Land at CDG, check in near the Marais, and walk the Seine at dusk.
flight
Evening departure with a morning arrival. Window seat on the left side for a sunrise approach.
Air France · 19:40 · JFK → CDG
$780
Book this leghotel
A 18-room townhouse with a tiny cocktail bar. Request a courtyard room if you are a light sleeper.
Hôtel Providence · 15:00 · Paris
$310
Included in triprestaurant
Walk-in counter seats after 8:30 if you missed the reservation window.
Le Servan · 20:30 · Paris
Day 2
Paris, France
A slow museum morning, then a reserved-time Orsay visit before golden hour on the Left Bank.
activity
Skip-the-line for 10:30. Start on floor 5 for the light, then work down.
Musée d'Orsay · 10:30 · Paris
$16
Included in tripDay 3
Versailles, France
RER C out, gardens first, palace second — the opposite of the tour-bus order.
transport
Buy a Navigo Easy and load a day pass the night before.
Île-de-France Mobilités · 08:20 · Paris → Versailles
$10
Included in tripactivity
Gardens at opening, Hall of Mirrors after the first coach wave leaves.
Château de Versailles · 09:15 · Versailles
$21
Included in tripDay 4
Barcelona, Spain
Morning flight to BCN, drop bags, and a long lunch in El Born before embarkation day.
flight
90-minute hop. Sit on the right for the Pyrenees.
Vueling · 08:05 · ORY → BCN
hotel
A former textile guild. Ask for a room off the courtyard.
Cotton House Hotel · 15:00 · Barcelona
$280
Included in tripDay 5
Barcelona, Spain
Embark by 14:00. Unpack, then take the sail-away from the top deck, not the buffet.
cruise
Barcelona → Marseille → Livorno → Civitavecchia. Mid-ship balcony, deck 8. Specialty dining night 3.
Explora Journeys · 16:00 · Western Mediterranean
$2,100
Included in tripDay 6
Marseille, France
Skip the ship shuttle. Private transfer to Aix for the market and a Calanques late-afternoon swim.
activity
Independent, not a ship excursion. Back on board by 17:30 all-aboard.
Provence Footpaths · 08:30 · Marseille
$140
Book this legDay 10
Istanbul, Türkiye
Private transfer to FCO, afternoon flight, evening arrival in Karaköy.
transport
Pre-booked car. Do not take the ship shuttle if you have a same-day flight.
Rome Port Cars · 08:00 · Civitavecchia → FCO
$160
Included in tripflight
Afternoon THY flight into IST. Sit on the left for the Bosphorus on descent.
Turkish Airlines · 13:20 · FCO → IST
$210
Book this leghotel
Hamam in the basement. Rooftop for sunset, not brunch — brunch is a scrum.
Soho House Istanbul · 15:00 · Istanbul
$420
Included in tripDay 11
Istanbul, Türkiye
Hagia Sophia at opening, then the Basilica Cistern before the cruise groups arrive.
activity
Combined skip-the-line. Go straight to the upper gallery first.
Istanbul Monument Pass · 09:00 · Sultanahmet
$55
Included in tripPublished itinerary · City Break
A 9-night city break with one rural night in Hakone
Neighborhood hotels, a Shinkansen that is timed to a lunch reservation, and a Hakone onsen night that resets the second city.
The rooms from this itinerary, in the order they were slept in.
Hotel Siro
Tokyo
Creator-negotiated rate. Mention TravelLTK at check-in.
From $280 / night
Gora Kadan
Hakone
Creator-negotiated rate. Mention TravelLTK at check-in.
From $640 / night
Ace Hotel Kyoto
Kyoto
Creator-negotiated rate. Mention TravelLTK at check-in.
From $320 / night
Day 1
Tokyo
Settle into Hotel Siro and follow the published walking order in the trip notes.
hotel
Creator-negotiated rate. Mention TravelLTK at check-in.
Hotel Siro · 15:00 · Tokyo
$280
Included in tripDay 2
Hakone
Settle into Gora Kadan and follow the published walking order in the trip notes.
hotel
Creator-negotiated rate. Mention TravelLTK at check-in.
Gora Kadan · 15:00 · Hakone
$640
Included in tripDay 3
Kyoto
Settle into Ace Hotel Kyoto and follow the published walking order in the trip notes.
hotel
Creator-negotiated rate. Mention TravelLTK at check-in.
Ace Hotel Kyoto · 15:00 · Kyoto
$320
Included in trip