Driving to France/Spain

I do it every year mate. Sometimes twice. I love it. Usually take 3 weeks so can stop off at new places.

We used to do Brittany ferries to Santander then back from St Malo but do the cheaper options now. This year we are crossing on Eurotunnel £120 return.

Anything you want to know mate drop me a pm
 
It's a long drive,done it many times and it'll take 20 hrs driving to get to the French/Spanish border on the AP7.
Fuel is pricey in France €1.50,€1.35 in Spain.Tolls across France depending,about €120.Try and avoid Paris if you can.
Got some friends with a B&B / Gite almost halfway,near Limogues,if you're thinking about splitting the drive up.Well worth thinking about as it a grueller in the summer.High viz vests a legal requirement.Keep your eyes on your car,if English plated,at the services.
If you're going further down than the border think about going through Toulouse,Andorra and the Pyrenees,Cheaper in fuel and tolls,nicer scenery and about the same time.
 
Tuearts right boot said:
It's a long drive,done it many times and it'll take 20 hrs driving to get to the French/Spanish border on the AP7.
Fuel is pricey in France €1.50,€1.35 in Spain.Tolls across France depending,about €120.Try and avoid Paris if you can.
Got some friends with a B&B / Gite almost halfway,near Limogues,if you're thinking about splitting the drive up.Well worth thinking about as it a grueller in the summer.High viz vests a legal requirement.Keep your eyes on your car,if English plated,at the services.
If you're going further down than the border think about going through Toulouse,Andorra and the Pyrenees,Cheaper in fuel and tolls,nicer scenery and about the same time.
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I have a friend who owns an apartment in Alicante and last year he drove taking the Euro Tunnel route.
Fuel, toll roads and the overnight stay cost more than flying a family of four (plus wear and tear on the car) and then take into account three days travelling overall, and he said it just wasn't worth the effort
 
shadygiz said:
texas pete said:
My wife hates flying so looking at getting a ferry to France and then driving to Southern France/Spain later in the year.

Has anyone ever done this or have any experience of driving abroad/cost ?

Looks about 1500 miles to me.

Heard toll roads can be a problem.

Any advice appreciated.
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its piss easy tbf mate.....i would consider taking the euro tunnel rather than ferries, its a lot cheaper and only adds a couple of hrs to your journey.

the tolls are only a problem if you are unaware, make sure you brush up on the french toll roads before setting off.

Nowadays most people have sat-nav, you should try navigating the european roads with just a map ;p
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A lot depends on which part of Southern France is destination. If its the south west then the crossings from Kent / Eurotunnel will add 300 miles to the journey, My preference has always been an overnight crossing from Portsmouth Caen. It gets in to Caen at 6am and then you've had a good nights sleep (book a cabin) and a whole day ahead.

We had 2 weeks in the south west that way arrived at our destination near Tarbes at 7 p.m.

If distance isn't a concern then autoroutes in the East are more modern and much better than the western ones which are dual carriageway for long distances.

One final word of warning. Avoid Paris at all costs. The peripherique is a nightmare.
 
Swordfish7 said:
I do it every year mate. Sometimes twice. I love it. Usually take 3 weeks so can stop off at new places.

We used to do Brittany ferries to Santander then back from St Malo but do the cheaper options now. This year we are crossing on Eurotunnel £120 return.

Anything you want to know mate drop me a pm
Click to expand...

Fair point mate. I've always fancied trying Portsmouth Santander but like you say not a cheap option.
 
I've done the Plymouth Santander ferry and it was quite good. I think if you're want the driving through France to Spain option you'd want the Plymouth-Roscoff route. With the price of fuel a longer ferry might be cheaper, I'm not sure.

As others have said remember the rules about what you have to carry when abroad too. And tell your insurance company because usually your insurance only covers you third party once you get abroad, even if you have a fully comp policy.

I drove from Santander to the Costa Del Sol and the tolls weren't that dear, probably about 20 Euros all the way. The toll roads were a dream with hardly any traffic so if you have a good sat nav make sure you dont press avoid tolls as you might regret it. I can't speak for French tolls though.
 
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