Julia’s Byway trip: Sunsets in Sardinia
“Let Byway do it for you - they are experts and you'll end up with experiences you wouldn't have thought of yourself.”
If like me you want to travel, instead of being transported from one airport to another, but don't want to spend hours checking out train timetables and trawling through accommodation websites, then read on.
This July my family and I travelled to Sardinia flight-free, booking our outward and inward journeys, plus en route city break stop-offs, with flight-free travel experts Byway Travel. Here's a flavour of how we got on.
7 July
The news is full of horror stories of queues at security at airports and ferry ports so we arrived at St Pancras for Eurostar expecting the worst. We were met with very normal quick-moving queues and a hassle-free security process and soon we were on the train relaxing.
Arrived in Paris for a quick change to our direct train to Basel, Switzerland - we managed to make an earlier train than Byway scheduled so felt like we were winning. Byway very sensibly schedules based on the potential for slight delays.
We were a bit over-keen so accidentally got off a few stops too early so took a pleasant detour at St Louis to admire the underpass art.
Even with our slip up we still manage to arrive for our first two night stopover in Basel ahead of schedule.
Byway booked us into a really convenient and quaint hotel by the train and bus station which feels like the heart of the city but is very peaceful inside. Both nights we went to sleep to the sound of a guitar player outside.
Byway suggested Basel as a stopover and the city with its vibrant river life was a really unexpected find. The whole city appears to chill out along the riverbanks, enjoying floating down river with brightly coloured swim bags. Paddling in the cities many fountains is actively encouraged. I wouldn't have thought of going to Basel but so glad Byway suggested it.
Byway provide a great list of suggested activities and restaurants/cafes for each location and we were all obviously keen to visit the stand out for Basel being the Kunstmuseum - hours of fun listing the people missing from this hall of fame!
Now of course we were just as eager to visit once we realised that the translation is the slightly less provocative Fine Arts Museum. As we were travelling with a teenager we did the whirlwind tour which in reality was quite enough culture for me too!
On our first evening our very helpful barmaid at the hotel recommended her favourite Italian restaurant, Restaurant Da Roberto, just 5 minutes walk away which was perfect as my sons were entering the “hangry” stage having not been fed for two hours! Now you may be forgiven for thinking that I am talking about toddlers, but at 17 and 20 the boys tower over me but I still need to remember to carry emergency snacks as hangry meltdowns don't get any better as teens and post-teens get older. We had a delicious meal and there was a very friendly family-run feel to the restaurant.
Afterwards, we strolled towards the river and couldn't resist joining the locals for an after-dinner swim in the River Rhine.
Next day's highlights included the many fountains where you can fill up your water bottle (I'm a bit of an avoiding single-use plastic fiend), water taxi across the river which is attached to a line and pulley as well as more river swimming and floating. Followed by lunch with an excellent Gazpacho soup at the Caffé-Restaurant Zum Schmale Wurf. It had a great setting by the River.
9 July
Next we were en route to Lugano for a two night stop over. On the way, as you relax on the train you can look out on crystal clear turquoise lakes, countryside straight out of Heidi and pass through the Alps.
Arriving in Lugano, crossing the road from the train station is like stepping into a film set. You can’t help but say “wow” at the sparkling blue lake framed by the red roofs of the town in the foreground and green mountains behind. The walk down to the hotel continues the illusion, steep steps then streets with stylish shops interspersed with restaurants where the tables perch on terraces. Lugano is a draw for tourists, but that’s not surprising.
We spent our first afternoon getting the ferry to Gandria, then walking back to town along the Olive Walk (another top Byway tip). The walk was beautifully shaded with tantalising views of the Lake and we finished off with a swim at the Urban beach. I can highly recommend it.
10 July
As always, for me Lugano is best early in the morning. The light is gentle and you’ll often see locals walking their dogs. A young couple gently cradles their baby in the lake for an early morning dip before the sun is too harsh. If you can get up before the sun makes it impossible, an early morning run is a great way to experience a new place. Even early, it’s hot this July in Lugano and the shade created by the lakeside avenue of trees, plus off-lake breeze, are very welcome. We travelled up to Bré at 925m on the funicula accessed behind Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola. There are great views over the lake from the café at the top. The highlight for me was the butterfly and bee buzzing grasses.
11 July - overnight ferry from Genoa to Olbia (Sardinia)
We walked to Genoa Ferry terminal in punishing heat and the entrance is obscurely through an unmarked shopping centre. The ferry out of Genoa was quite an experience. We had the best seats leaning against a bench facing the wake on the party deck – Eurotrash blazing out, Italian families picnicking, Genoan coastline slipping away as the sun set. One night is the optimum cruise length for me so this was a perfect way to arrive in Sardinia. In the morning we stood on the top deck to watch the beautiful, surprisingly green Sardinian coastline grow closer.
12 July
We collected our hire car and drove north to Santa Teresa Gallura with its stunning beach and paths through granite rock formations. Then we took our first dip in Sardinia’s incredibly clear blue water.
Byway booked our first night in Sardinia in a small and chic art hotel and we then booked the rest of our accommodation on Sardinia ourselves, renting a villa for most of our stay. The highlight was getting to go scuba diving with my two sons and we didn't fly to get there.
When I decided that I couldn't justify continuing to fly for the time being I resigned myself to not diving for the foreseeable future. So when my sons suggested a trip to Sardinia and I realised it had great diving and Byway helped us plan a flight-free trip here and back I was over the moon.
We could have got here by train quicker but we decided to stop off at places we wanted to see on the way here and back. The journey was the destination, but the destination, diving with my two boys without feeling bad about how we got there, really was all I had hoped for.
22 July – Ferry from Olbia back to Italian mainland
We were standing on the rear deck on the way back to the mainland and saw dolphins breach in distance.
We arrived in Civitavecchia and managed to get an earlier train which meant we had time for dinner in Rome.
22 & 23 July
We had two nights in Rome in a gorgeous small hotel right in heart of things. There was a really excellent breakfast with unusually good vegan provision – marinated sun-ripened tomatoes, haricot beans and aubergine salad which stood out for freshness and fresh herb flavours. The staff were very friendly too. It’s just this kind of hotel that Byway is so good at finding - trying to locate something like this by yourself is very hit and miss.
For our whistlestop tour of Rome, we managed to squeeze in some fantastic Italian food, a fun evening in the craziness of the Trastevere on a Friday night, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. As this was just a stop-off, not bad going!
I was impressed to see water bottle refill points handily signposted at the entrance to the Forum. The massive queue to refill water bottles at the first of these was a perfect illustration of the need for more free water refill points (taps!) in our public places.
24 July - Train to Zurich for a one night stop-off
One of the top benefits of booking with Byway Travel is their unparalleled knowledge of interesting boutique hotels at the heart of cities and an easy walk from the train station. You can spend hours online trying to find these kinds of places and then it’s still hit and miss whether you find the kind of gem that Byway has delivered throughout. On arriving we sat in the shady hotel courtyard garden having a drink before venturing out to explore.
After dinner, I dived into the lake for an evening swim with the locals (a bit of a trip theme).
On the way back to our hotel we stumble on and into a perfectly cheesy lido disco. Yes, it’s actually a thing. Such an age range and playlist pure Eurovision song contest on acid - it has to be experienced to be believed.
25 July – Cologne for our last overnight stop-off
Walk out of Cologne train station to the cathedral - an imposing gothic skyline at dusk. We went on another great river walk but no swimming as the river here is busy and dangerous.
26 July
We took a train to Brussels with just enough time for lunch and then had an uneventful Eurostar journey back to London.
All in all, a magical mystery tour type experience with a relaxing stay in Sardinia sandwiched between. Flight-free travel is more interesting and varied than a flight in and out and Byway take the hassle out of organising. Train travel is comfortable and fun and you get to see the landscape you pass through. We loved the experience but in hindsight, we would have booked a more direct route back. Another benefit of booking with Byway is you are benefiting from the discoveries of good and bad of all those Byway travellers before you. I imagine that Byway’s adventures are going to be like a good whisky and just get better and better as Byway ages.