driving from uk to spain

Hi there

Has anyone recently driven from UK to Costa Callida???

We are thinking of doing so in Summer and wondered if anyone has any tips?

Cheers

Some of the tolls are very expensive, especially in France. We are taking an extra stop this year to avoid them as much as possible, as it is much cheaper to pay for a hotel than the tolls. Also we are going over in early evening by eurotunnel, driving a couple of hours, staying in a hotel that night and driving early the next morning, as the price of the crossing and hotel combined in the evening was approx. the same price as the crossing only  early the next morning. Also if you can book a hotel 30 days before travel there are some good deals.

make sure your not the only one driving if you can.I drove from kent to moriara, it took me 18 hrs i only stopped to fill up with diesel and coffee.I would say it is easier to stick to the main motorway rather than cutting across and over the viaduct.i drove down to lyon then dropped down into spain that way last time and found it was not as tiring as having to deal with the roads comming down the mountain after about 10hrs behind the wheel in the early hours of the morning.I do the trip at night so there isn't as much on the road getting into lyon at around 7am just before it gets really busy.Hope this helps and have a good trip

p.s Make sure you get RAC or some similar cover as it will cost you a fortune to get the car back in case of a serious breakdown.

 Maud, when you say the tolls are very expensive could you let me know how much. I've been trying to find out on some sites and they all seemed reasonable. I'm obviously doing something wrong. Or does the route you go make a big difference?

By the way if you have Tesco vouchers you can get 4 times the face value towards Eurotunnel tickets. I only had to pay £1 for my crossing at the end of August after using my Tesco vouchers! Kevin

whole lot cost around £700 fuel, tolls and crossings,which is a lot cheaper than car hire and flights and taxi or parking fees

We drive down twice a year with the dog. Agree on cost front. Usually space over three days. Afternoon Eurotunnel (starting point Lincoln). Stop outskirts of Paris or Le Mans. Next day drive to Narbonne and stay overnight. Next day down the AP7 (sometimes stop in Valencia). Go onto the Viamichelin website and it will give suggested routes and costs. Using motorways and tolls is much more relaxing as we set cruise control on - so much easier than UK driving.

Guy

The route  makes a difference. The A10/A71 is quite expensive.  We are  trying to avoid some of the tolls as we have plenty of time to drive down and spent approx 300euros to Vera and back, in tolls last year. It will probably take an extra 4-5 hours to drive there though, but allows an extra overnight stop each way with a  3 / 4star hotel for 40-50 euros.  The AA provides toll prices so it is possible just to miss the most expensive ones by picking a cheaper route.

The Viamichellin  website is an excellent resource to use as it allows you to plan your route choosing different citeria such as whether Speed of journey,  Cost, or  a sceneic route are of the most importance.

We drive down to Almeria twice a year. We take the Portsmouth - LeHavre ferry. It leaves at 22.30 and lands at 0700 so you hit France bright and early and ready for a full day's drive. Also, you miss the nightmare around Paris!!!