|Home| Info| Community| Business| Beaches| What to do?| Rentals| News| Forum| Blogs| Finance| History| FAQ| Contact|
Driving from UK
-
CC
Driving from UK
We are looking to drive over to enable us to bring some furniture etc. so will have a small van probably
Can anyone tell us the best, cheapest route (and quickest?)
Can anyone tell us the best, cheapest route (and quickest?)
Hi
This was a post that was made a while back by one of the members. I have copied and pasted it here for you. This is a route from Calais. I have seen another taking the overnight crossing to Santander then down through Portugal, but cannot find that one at the moment. Hope this helps.
When I looked at the cost of crossing to Santander...it was very expensive. But unable to cost tolls the other way...so may balance itself out. Good luck. Be interested in how you got on as we will be in your shoes next spring...
Pigs
Quote
"We drove out last year via an early evening tunnel crossing, leaving on a Thursday and arriving in Carvoeiro on the Sunday.
From Calais we went to Arras and spent our first night there, then around the peripherique (nightmare) and straight down to Toulouse. From Toulouse we did a slight detour to a village I used to visit a lot when I was young (sigh!) and then crossed the Pyrenees, skirting round Andorra, and down towards Barcelona. This part was quite slow but the scenery was fantastic, if you don't want to do the most mountainous parts you can cross into Spain on the coast road via Perpignan. This might also be a better route if the weather is bad. You can also go from Toulouse to Santander and down through Madrid.
We spent the next night in Valencia and then went inland and joined the motorway to Seville just below Madrid, then through Huelva and into Portugal. "
This was a post that was made a while back by one of the members. I have copied and pasted it here for you. This is a route from Calais. I have seen another taking the overnight crossing to Santander then down through Portugal, but cannot find that one at the moment. Hope this helps.
When I looked at the cost of crossing to Santander...it was very expensive. But unable to cost tolls the other way...so may balance itself out. Good luck. Be interested in how you got on as we will be in your shoes next spring...
PigsQuote
"We drove out last year via an early evening tunnel crossing, leaving on a Thursday and arriving in Carvoeiro on the Sunday.
From Calais we went to Arras and spent our first night there, then around the peripherique (nightmare) and straight down to Toulouse. From Toulouse we did a slight detour to a village I used to visit a lot when I was young (sigh!) and then crossed the Pyrenees, skirting round Andorra, and down towards Barcelona. This part was quite slow but the scenery was fantastic, if you don't want to do the most mountainous parts you can cross into Spain on the coast road via Perpignan. This might also be a better route if the weather is bad. You can also go from Toulouse to Santander and down through Madrid.
We spent the next night in Valencia and then went inland and joined the motorway to Seville just below Madrid, then through Huelva and into Portugal. "
We followed an AA route. It was spot on accurate and seemed to be the shortest. Paris was dreadful, we did the peripherique in the rush hour with a huge great caravan behind. Not nice. The route went o Tours, down the west coast, across the Basque region (amazing scenery and very different) and then a very long slog to Madrid and then across to Evora'ish.
http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planne ... kto=europe&
http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planne ... kto=europe&
We recently did it via the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo. I used the green flag route planner on the internet (which gave us a different route to autoroute) and we followed that. It was great. The route was spot on and it was very very easy.
If you'd like any more info on that just let me know!
If you'd like any more info on that just let me know!
-
Guest
The Santandar Ferry is at this time of year about 340 pounds ONE way or 610 return.......very few crossings at this time of year........
Tolls through france and Spain depend on route of course but usually I budget about 75 pounds...Door to door......If you work out the Petrol cost to Sandander plus Tolls plus ferry to Calais plus say one night hotel and food.......The Santander ferry aint that much more and its an easier trip.......
Good luck...we do this trip about 4 times a year....and often take different routes....all part of tyhe fun......And OH yes the Paris peripheric......Get yourself a GPS....I always get lost , but my last trip with the Talking GPS......just a breeze , and my wife slept whereas we usually almost get divorced....!!
Tolls through france and Spain depend on route of course but usually I budget about 75 pounds...Door to door......If you work out the Petrol cost to Sandander plus Tolls plus ferry to Calais plus say one night hotel and food.......The Santander ferry aint that much more and its an easier trip.......
Good luck...we do this trip about 4 times a year....and often take different routes....all part of tyhe fun......And OH yes the Paris peripheric......Get yourself a GPS....I always get lost , but my last trip with the Talking GPS......just a breeze , and my wife slept whereas we usually almost get divorced....!!
-
pigs
We come out once or twice a year by car and usually route from Bilbao(Santurzi) using Pand O ferries.
Having tried the obvious routes through Madrid we have settled on the cross-country route as the shortest and quickest.
Bilbao- Burgos-Valladolid-Salamanca-Plasencia-Badajoz then E90/A6 leaving at Evora, cutting the corner on the old road through Evora, Beja and picking up the A2 between Castro Verde and Ourique for the rest of the way.
The distance is about 650 miles and although the roads are a bit slower than the all-motorway option they are getting better all the time with the Spanish road improvements. We find it a nicer and faster (and a lot less boring) way to go. We usually do it in one go, coming off the ferry at about 8.30 am and arriving in Carvoeiro early evening.
As far as costs go you will have to make your own calculations as prices vary with the time of year, but the ferry companies always manage to do the sums as well and the costs are similar to driving through France and staying the extra night (or two) en-route!
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Having tried the obvious routes through Madrid we have settled on the cross-country route as the shortest and quickest.
Bilbao- Burgos-Valladolid-Salamanca-Plasencia-Badajoz then E90/A6 leaving at Evora, cutting the corner on the old road through Evora, Beja and picking up the A2 between Castro Verde and Ourique for the rest of the way.
The distance is about 650 miles and although the roads are a bit slower than the all-motorway option they are getting better all the time with the Spanish road improvements. We find it a nicer and faster (and a lot less boring) way to go. We usually do it in one go, coming off the ferry at about 8.30 am and arriving in Carvoeiro early evening.
As far as costs go you will have to make your own calculations as prices vary with the time of year, but the ferry companies always manage to do the sums as well and the costs are similar to driving through France and staying the extra night (or two) en-route!
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Just returned from collecting a little roadster from Brtittany. Stayed off the toll roads, as they not much fun in a small car, and I was also trying to keep costs down. Stopped close to Larochelle on first night (didnt start driving until 6.00pm)in one those portacabin style hotels with bathrooms that just like those at the back of an aeroplane. 24.99 euros in breakfast. But hey when you arrive at 10.30pm and leave at 7.00 am, a bed is a bed.
Next day left early and headed down towards Bordeaux where I managed to catch the rush hour traffic. From bordeaux down the RN road towards the boarder. Used the tolls from about 40Ks north of Biarritz, and stayed on the toll road through the Basque country in Spain until Burgos. Great scenery and the road is nice and smooth too.
Followed the route that EJ took then. Valladoliz, Salamanca, Caceres and then to Badajoz to cross into Portugal. The last 300ks or so in Portugal is great if stay off the motorway. Nice drive through the Alantejo wine region. and eventually onto the A2 which is not all nice new tarmace and widened on the uphill bits, so you don't get stuck behind trucks.
You see a different Portugal to the Algarve, and I will defiently be going back for a bettert look.
Arrived back in CV at mid day after my night stop near Caceres.
Put 1100 miles on the clock.
Now who wants to buy a lovely Smart Roadster with less than 3000 miules on the clock?
Next day left early and headed down towards Bordeaux where I managed to catch the rush hour traffic. From bordeaux down the RN road towards the boarder. Used the tolls from about 40Ks north of Biarritz, and stayed on the toll road through the Basque country in Spain until Burgos. Great scenery and the road is nice and smooth too.
Followed the route that EJ took then. Valladoliz, Salamanca, Caceres and then to Badajoz to cross into Portugal. The last 300ks or so in Portugal is great if stay off the motorway. Nice drive through the Alantejo wine region. and eventually onto the A2 which is not all nice new tarmace and widened on the uphill bits, so you don't get stuck behind trucks.
You see a different Portugal to the Algarve, and I will defiently be going back for a bettert look.
Arrived back in CV at mid day after my night stop near Caceres.
Put 1100 miles on the clock.
Now who wants to buy a lovely Smart Roadster with less than 3000 miules on the clock?