Driving to Spain

Sjacie

Just looking for advice in relation to driving to Spain. We are getting ferry from Rosslare to Cherbourg with our final destination being Javea, Costa Blanca. Just wondering if anyone has driven this route before and if so what route did you take. We have two options, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulose, Barcelona, Valencia and then into Javea or else we could go Nantes, Bordeaux, San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Valencia into Javea. Just wondering what is the best route and where you would recommend staying over. We have two days to get to Javea and three days to come home. Thanks for you help in advance

Jamie2k9

We have two options, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulose, Barcelona, Valencia and then into Javea

To me that looks like the best route.

kindalen

Have you looked into ferry from uk to spain?

Sjacie

kindalen wrote: »

Have you looked into ferry from uk to spain?

I have looked it up but have read on another forum that it works out more expensive as I would have to get ferry to uk first and then get another ferry to Spain . Ferry has been booked with irish ferries in Rosslare so have to go that way now . We are lookin forward to the adventure of driving across though we might get over that once we arrive at our destination!!!

connhh

Hi I am just wondering if you have completed the journey or are intending to do it next year.
We are undertaking a similar holiday next July and we are in 2 minds whether to fly or drive any advice would be helpful.

munchkin_utd

connhh wrote: »

Hi I am just wondering if you have completed the journey or are intending to do it next year.
We are undertaking a similar holiday next July and we are in 2 minds whether to fly or drive any advice would be helpful.

the one question, before the main question is even answered by the previous poster, is whether you have air conditioning in your car which isnt always on irish cars.
If you havent got it, it would be an unbearable journey.

keithclancy

munchkin_utd wrote: »

the one question, before the main question is even answered by the previous poster, is whether you have air conditioning in your car which isnt always on irish cars.
If you havent got it, it would be an unbearable journey.

I would completely agree with this, when I had my Irish car and no aircon, 31 degree dry heat was bloody awful, car acts like an oven.

You'll find yourself sticking to the seat after 10 minutes.

two wheels good

There is a new ferry service with LDLines, Poole - Santander, which at last offers some competition to Brittany Ferries

Also an overnight ferry St Nazaire (near Nantes) to Gijon but probably not relevant for your journey as Gijon is too far west. Last time I looked the prices didn't seem exorbitant.

Personally I'd cross the Pyrenees for the stunning scenery even if it took a bit more time. So... Bordeaux, Pau , Tarbes on peage, then say N230, Val d'Aran, Lleida. You can make good progress on the N routes too. It actually seems more direct, looking at the map.

ViaMichelin.com is very useful for route planning and cost estimation. A road marked with a green border is scenic.

BTW Don't overlook local road safety rules - hi-viz jackets, safety triangle, spare spectacles, GPS with speed camera locations etc (Apologies if you know this already)

Carawaystick

mappy.fr (ang google) says head down the atlantique coast to Irun, and then head to Pamplona, Zaragoza, hit the Med coast just north of Valencia
1600 kms !

You need a hi-vis per adult in Spain, and it has to be in the cabin, so you can put it on before stepping out of the car. Spanish cops used to target british drivers and ask them to step out of the car and then do them for not putting hi-vis on first. ( while on Motorways)

I've been down to the Basque country and Catalunya from Roscoff, which takes a full day.
Dunno what time your ferry gets in at but Bordeaux is a very pretty city to break your journey, probably halfway. You can get a motel-type hotel on the outskirts and the luas in to look around.
Niort is also pretty in it's town centre and you cut about 20km off the motorway journey, its about 2.5 hours drive north of Bordeaux.

In France, Diesel's cheapest in Supermarket stations, and on the Motorways is about the same price as here. Petrol is ludicrous though...
Fuel is a bit cheaper again in Spain.

munchkin_utd

Carawaystick wrote: »

<snip>
In France, Diesel's cheapest in Supermarket stations, and on the Motorways is about the same price as here. Petrol is ludicrous though...
Fuel is a bit cheaper again in Spain.

in France the major supermarkets are often just off the motorway anyhow, so you can plan a stop using your sat nav if you are a little bit organised.

My sat nav doesnt necessarily have the petrol station for the supermarket on the list of points of interest, but without fail any Carrefour, Leclerc, Auchan etc thats in an industrial area or off the motorway also has a station with cheap fuel.

I came across this handy, seemingly government ran, website with details of most fuel prices across France which may also be of use.
http://www.prix-carburants.economie.gouv.fr/

wexie

Carawaystick wrote: »

In France, Diesel's cheapest in Supermarket stations, and on the Motorways is about the same price as here. Petrol is ludicrous though...
Fuel is a bit cheaper again in Spain.

Just to add to that, the difference between motorway and supermarket fuel (last time I saw it) was up to 15cents a liter so unless you're very stuck for time well worth the while taking a small detour.

keithclancy

Carawaystick wrote: »

In France, Diesel's cheapest in Supermarket stations, and on the Motorways is about the same price as here. Petrol is ludicrous though...
Fuel is a bit cheaper again in Spain.

That's the same everywhere.
Petrol on the Dutch motorway at the moment is 1.81/litre or 1.48 for Diesel

Off the motorway it can be as low as 1.70 for petrol and 1.33 for diesel.

connhh

Thanks for all the replies, yes the car does have air con. Our ferry would arrive around lunchtime on the Sunday and I am considering driving the 6 or so hours from cherbourg and staying on the outskirts of Bordeaux ( roughly halfway ). Trying to find a decent stopover with a family room 2 adults 3 kids is proving difficult. I am also aware that most things in France are shut on a sun!

Munstermissy

Don't forget the toll costs, we did Nantes to Montpellier last April and it was just over 100 euro one way.

murria

Hi connhh,

We do this trip every summer as we take our dog on holiday to Spain with us and it's the only option as no airlines carry pets to Europe from Ireland.

We pretty much do what you are proposing. The first day we drive the six hours from Cherbourg to just outside Bordeaux and we stop over in the Formule1 in Lormont, it's not the Ritz but its about €35 for a 3 person room and the dog is welcome. Day two we do the big drive from Bordeaux to Guardamar Del Segura which is about 9/10 hours. The route we take is San Sebastian, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Valencia. As someone else said the drive through the Pyrenees is stunning. Even the motorway driving through Spain has some pretty interesting scenery and away from the big cities the roads are quiet enough. I actually logged all the tolls into my phone this year on the way home (sad I know) and the total from Orozco to Nantes was €61.82.

On the way over this year we took our time and stopped over at Rochefort En Terre, St. Emilion and Albaracin which was a much nicer and more civilised way to do the trip. If we weren't taking the dog we would fly though.

Marcusm

Cherbourg - Nantes - Bordeaux - Pamplona - Zaragoza - Valencia would be my suggestion. Great scenery and each city is worth a visit if only for a meal break. Zaragoza was great for a 3 day stay on a European trip last Easter; Bordeaux was also lovely but villages like Saint emilion were even better.

munchkin_utd

connhh wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, yes the car does have air con. Our ferry would arrive around lunchtime on the Sunday and I am considering driving the 6 or so hours from cherbourg and staying on the outskirts of Bordeaux ( roughly halfway ). Trying to find a decent stopover with a family room 2 adults 3 kids is proving difficult. I am also aware that most things in France are shut on a sun!

how did it work on getting a room for 5?

something like Ibis budget occassionally has place for 5 but otherwise you'd be looking at 2 rooms with them.
Or like the pervious poster said, check out formule 1 and get 2 rooms.
They have offers from 24euro/night for a triple so it'd still be buttons
Only drawback with them is that toilet is on corridor compared to en-suite in etap

zagmund

Try "Park & Suites" - they do larger apartments with a kitchenette, but are otherwise a hotel. I've stayed in the one on the outskirts of Nantes ('Atlantis') a couple of times. It's right beside the LUAS (or whatever they call their trams) so you can get to the city centre easily, and there's a retail park in walking distance complete with hypermarket and IKEA.

http://www.parkandsuites.com/en/recherche-carte.php

Picking July 19th as an example date you can get zis for €92 -
2-bedroom Duplex Apartment 4-6 persons
35 to 46sqm - Duplex - 2 Separate bedrooms - Living Room with sofabed - Free wireless internet - Flat screen TV

Their other locations elsewhere in France also had plenty of availability that weekend for one "room", 2 adults, 3 children.

z