Taking the bus is back in vogue, in part due to our new parsimony, but also because of the great views its elevated position affords the traveller. ALANNA GALLAGHERfinds some classic routes across Europe
Swiss romance
Andermatt to Grindelwald
Cut through the central Swiss Alps aboard the country’s bright yellow postal service buses. PostAuto is a cheery mode of transport that serves commuters and tourists alike and lets you get as close to the sky as you can without taking up climbing.
PostAuto's "Romantic Route Express" to Grindelwald is a journey that can only be undertaken from June until September. At over 2,400 metres above sea level the Furka Pass is the highest point of the journey. Some of the scenes from the James Bond film Goldfingerwere shot here.
Watch out for the Rhône Glacier and the Grimsel Pass. From the bus window you can see the large Scheidegg, the famous north face of the Eiger. This is snow-coated mountain territory even in summer.
Nearby is the town of Meiringen the birthplace of the super-sweet meringue, created by an Italian who was inspired by the surrounding snow-capped peaks.
Stay at the Parc Hotel du Sauvage (sauvage.ch) where you can sample the delicacy from its Restaurant Kristall’s sun terrace. And invest in the Swiss Pass, or the Swiss Flexi Pass so you can travel with the PostAuto free of charge.
- travel-swiss.co.uk; and sauvage.ch
Croatia’s coast
Dubrovnik to Split
Croatia's Dalmatian Coast offers spectacular scenery especially if you take the bus north from Dubrovnik to Split along Jadranska Magistrala Cestuwhich roughly translates as the Adriatic road.
A new highway has shortened this journey time but also cut out the real scenic aspect. If you prefer to take the picturesque route then select a bus that will stop at the cities of Ploce and Makarska. The distance is about 210km but the journey time takes four-and-a-half hours.
From your elevated position you can enjoy panoramic vistas across the region’s islandscape. And if you’re tempted to take the long way back – island-hopping down the coast to Dubrovnik – you’ll have plenty of time to decide which of the islands looks as if it’s worth exploring.
Eat breakfast well in advance of your journey. There are no facilities on the buses. Fares cost between €17.69 and €19.05. In high season flights from Dublin to Dubrovnik cost €410 with Concorde Travel.
- autotrans.hr
Cornwall cruise
Penzance to Lands End
The bus from Penzance to Lands End in Cornwall offers a stunning coastline cruise aboard a double-decker bus.
Climb upstairs to enjoy the views across the Penwith Peninsula. Look out for the Merry Maidens, one of England’s best preserved stone circles and nearly 24 metres wide. The journey time is only 50 minutes but why not make a day trip of it by stopping at Sennen where the family-run The Beach Restaurant at Sennen Cove is worth discovering. The west-facing establishment overlooks a crescent of white sand and tourmaline-coloured water. Pack your togs and maybe take a dip before dining.
Fancy extending your trip to explore the Scilly Isles? Then stay at the Mount Haven Hotel in Penzance where many of the rooms have balconies overlooking Mount’s Bay.
- firstgroup.com (for buses); and mounthaven.co.uk
Riviera ride
Nice to Menton
The French Riviera has been immortalised in paint and literature. Everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Picasso to James Joyce has their own take on the territory. But this chic destination is also a byword for expensive.
So give your wallet a holiday with a scenic short hop from Nice to Menton. The number 100 (not the 100 xpress which takes the motorway) is part of the TAM Network and runs every 15 minutes along the Moyenne Corniche and calls at the super-exclusive principality of Monaco.
View the villa lives of the rich and famous from your bus window. When you get to Menton head to Le Bruit Qui Court for lunch where traditional coastal Mediterranean cuisine is on the menu – everything from fried slabs of foie gras served with caramelised apples to grilled scallops served on a bed of braised leeks garnished with pink peppercorns. A three-course set menu is €23.
Fancy staying? Check into the well-priced Hotel Lemon.
- allaboutnice.com; lebruitquicourt.fr; and hotel-lemon.com
Saintly Spain
Santiago De Compostela to Rias Baixas
Fly into the pilgrimage town of Santiago De Compostela and after visiting the cathedral to see the tomb of St James head west to worship at the Rías Baixas, a coast of pine trees and sandy beaches, estuaries and islands.
Take the bus to Pontevedra, gateway to Las Islas Atlánticas, pristine islands that you can take a ferry across to visit and even stay the night.
A second bus will take you to O Grove, a delightful beach-rich peninsula you won’t want to leave.
Come for the Festa do Marisco a seafood extravaganza that takes place during the first week of October.
Enjoy just-caught oysters, razor-shells, clams, prawns, scallops, crayfish and local delicacy goose barnacles.
Stay on the island of La Toja, where the spa treatments at the five-star Gran Hotel Hesperia La Toja and four-star Louxo Hotel make use of the local waters.
- monbus.es (buses); hesperia.com; and louxolatoja.com
Tuscan trail
Florence to Siena
Italy’s train service may be one of the best in Europe but the journey from Florence to Siena is still best done by bus.
Take the ordinaireblue route; a more meandering option that traverses the ancient Via Francigena, the mediaeval highway frequented by pilgrims and merchants travelling to Rome.
It takes in the towns of Poggibonsi and Colle di Val d’Elsa. In the 19th century Colle di Val d’Elsa became known as the Bohemia of Italy. Today it produces 15 per cent of the world’s crystal.
In Poggibonsi hop off and visit the Church of San Lorenzo, built by the Augustinian order and home to a painting by Neri di Bicci of St Nicholas, a 14th century wooden crucifix by Giovanni d'Agostino and a painting of the Madonna delle Grazie.
- SITA runs a bus service between Florence and Siena (sitabus.it). Siena’s bus stop is at Piazza Gramsci, well inside the old city’s walled centre. Stay at the nearby Hotel Palazzo di Valli. See tuscany.net.
Cross continent
Prague to London
Traverse Europe by road aboard the Prague-based Student Agency Bus which started out as a student service but is now available to all.
Its yellow fleet traverses Europe taking tourists and locals as far as Stockholm, London and Paris.
The Prague to London trip is 18 hours non-stop and skirts cities in favour of the highway.
Much of the 1,035km journey is done under cover of darkness leaving very little to see especially in Eastern Europe. Departing Prague’s Florenc station at 6pm it arrives in London at the Green Line Coach Station at noon.
One-way costs about €82 – that’s less than most no-frills airlines and you arrive into central London, near Victoria Station.
You can carry on one piece of luggage on board for free. Additional luggage costs €12 per suitcase.
The price of your ticket includes hot drinks, such as cappuccino, coffee, chocolate or tea, as well as movies and newspapers while cold drinks can be purchased aboard. Blessedly, there is a toilet on board as well as air conditioning.
Everyone aged under 26 and over 60 gets a 10 per cent discount.
- studentagencybus.com
Flexible trips
Rome to Madrid and Paris
Busabout.com offers an Inter-rail-like way to explore Europe aboard a bus. It started out targeting Antipodean back-packers so expect the company to be lively.
You can buy an eight destination flexi-trip pass or else sign up to one of its suggested multi-destination itineraries. Its “Go West”, for example, starts in Rome, and takes in Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, gateway to the Cinque Terre, the hot beaches of the French Riviera before crossing the border into Spain for the club and culture of Barcelona.
Next stop is Valencia, before heading to the country’s capital, Madrid.
The journey moves north to the party town of San Sebastian and includes a wine tour of Bordeaux, a Loire Valley chateau visit and ends in Paris, one of the truly great cities of the world.
- Price excludes accommodation and flights. Adult fares cost €579, students pay €559. Aer Lingus flies Dublin to Rome and Paris to Dublin.
Smells good
Paris to Versailles
Paris is one of the world’s most fragrant capitals and you can get up close to some of its best-known gardens with celebrity gardener Dermot O’Neill.
Visit Versailles and spend a day exploring the house and its formal gardens. A second day takes you 75 miles west of Paris to Giverny and the home of impressionistic painter Claude Monet where his much-painted Japanese bridge and water lily pond still stand. The tour also takes in Le Jardin de Bagatelle, famed for its rose gardens.
- The three-night escorted stay costs €699, excluding taxes and charges with The Travel Department (thetraveldepartment.ie). Prices include coach transfers, the services of a tour manager throughout, three nights B&B, garden entrance fees and guided tours, lunch, an evening cruise on the River Seine, and flights to and from Paris with Aer Lingus.
Northern high
Dublin to the Giant’s Causeway
Head north to see the Giant’s Causeway, affectionately known in these parts as the eighth wonder of the world.
The bus stops in Belfast for a coffee break and then proceeds to Carrickfergus Castle. After you refuel and weather permitting, you can then cross the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which was originally erected by salmon fishermen. On a clear day you can see across to Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. Lunch is in Ballintoy village and next stop is the Giant’s Causeway, a Unesco World Heritage site.
On the way is Dunluce Castle – reputed to be the inspiration for Cair Paravel, the castle in CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. The tour costs €65 per person and departs from the Tourist Office on Suffolk Street in Dublin 2 at 6.30am and is back in Dublin at about 8pm.
- giantscausewaytours.ie
More options
Ireland to Scotland, and the Continent
CIÉ Tours International offer some great short trips to Scotland from €580pp in August as well as longer explorations into Eastern Europe, including a land-only nine-day trip from Vienna to Warsaw from €1,181pp.
USIT Ireland also offers escorted tours – and not just for students. Seven days in Spain and Portugal costs from €569pp. Highlights include Toledo and Seville.
Vacations To Go, while mainly dealing with cruises, also offer a selection of escorted bus and rail tours where you can save up to 70 per cent on your itinerary.
- cietours.com; vacationstogo.com; and usit.ie
