Driving from UK to Salou Spain via France

 can anyone recommend cheapest route please

 UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO TRAVEL THROUGH FRANCE ITS QUICKER AND CHEAPER TO TAKE FERRY TO SANTANDER AND THE ARE HARDLEY ANY TOLLS IN SPAIN

Surely it can't be quicker by ferry?  I understood ferry took something like 20-24 hours then it would be another 6 hours or so to drive from santander?

Cost-wise I've just looked and seen a return flight from Birmingham to Barcelona Reus (close enough) for only £60!!!

 dont think many would do that trip safely in a day so time the same cost less petrol and no tolls but feel fre to do it the hard way

Easy tiger...  I agree with "hard way" as I've only driven once (no choice as had to rescue relative stuck in ash cloud period!). I did it in one go (with short breaks) but it was tough alright but of course a lot depends on where your UK starting point is.

I don't happen to think it's quicker or cheaper thats all!!!!!

I just pulled out a brittanies ferry trip in June for car with 2 adults and 2 children inc obligatory cabins £828

Driving from Calais (for example) adds about an extra 500 miles compared to Santander, so say 1000 mile round trip at 33mpg is 30 gallons x £6.50 = £195 plus tolls say £150, plus hotel say £150 plus a few butties say £50, plus I'd be awful thirsty at the hotel bar so say another £50, lets call it  £600 all in... yawn

So it's cheaper to take a car of 4 by ferry when the ferry costs less than £600

but hang on a minute.. if I'm stuck on a ferry for 20 hours I'm gonna get thirsty and hungry  ;O)  

 According to via michelin, the drive time from Calais hoverport to Salou is slightly over 13 hours at a cost of about £240 including petrol and tolls.  If there are two of you driving it would be fine to do it in one go.  Just one would probably need an overnight stop.  

 last time i took feery was about 300 quid and surely wherever you are you get hungry and thirsty and food on feeryy is very good and not expensive

also i like to do things the easy way i would be sleeping whilst the rest of you were hurtling down the motorway

mind you if you dont need the car why bring it?

 "last time i took feery was about 300 quid "

Obviously a lot more expensive for a family and car to take the ferry so not a good choice, driving through France doesnt have to be stressful, if youre not in a rush and with one nights hotel its no problem. If you have SAT NAV(recommended) it becomes even easier as the best route is given to you.

Actually Spain does have a lot of toll roads too, you dont have to take them but in some cases its quicker to do so.

So if i were you, buy a TOM TOM and let it find the cheapest route for you!

 i drive a zafira hardley the smalest or cheapest and brought about half a ton of stuff with me reckon rent a van would charge a bit more

but some one asked for suggestions so why not let them decide from what they read?

oh i have only ever been on two toll roads in spain cost 2 eu hardly french levels

still why not let the person who asked make up their own minds?

 Can anyone help. My family and I are thinking of driving from London to Salou from the UK in 1 day (yes 1 day), via Calais (using Eurotunnel). Is that crazy and would flights be cheaper? I will be the only one driving!

What about Ferry to Spain that someone mentioned but that is expensive and time consuming!

Hi,

Its do-able (especially if your name is Jeremy Clarkson!) but an otherwise crazy suggestion especially since travelling via Calais. One of the three recommended routes could involve the Paris peripherique... not for the fainthearted at the best of times.

See this link...

Note also the costs involved 260 euros one way... and that just fuel and tolls and not including Eurotunnel fees.

Could almost be worth the aggro of utilising Ryanair from Stansted or even Birmingham  to Reus which is just up the road from Salou... its only a couple of hours flying and  it looks as if no-one else goes there anymore anyway!

fb

 Thanks.

The plan is to goto Salou (by car/ferry/flights) stay for a seven days then drive through south of france for another few days then Italy then back to London. There are four of us incl 2 kids. I am now not sure of driving through France on my own (my wiffe hates to drive), after some of the horror stories I've heard.

But then if we fly, the car hire is very expensive!  Also, Ryanair does not cover the dates we want to go on and we are stuck with Easy jet. The Salou accomodation (only) is booked through timeshare and so is not flexible.

Any ideas?

Off the top of my head and having been awake all night, this might not make a lot of sense...

Own car, Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao then via Zaragossa to Salou (about 350 miles mostly motorway). Then coast road all the way from Salou avoiding Barcelona (unless a visit is a priority), coast road again through the South of France through Perpignan, Nimes, Marseilles, Cannes, Nice, Monaco then onto Genoa and Italy. See viamichelin.com for precise routings.

If the idea of driving North to South through France doesnt appeal just wait til you try West to East!

Not a trip I would undertake lightly especially in a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side!

Dont forget high viz vests for all occupants of the vehicle and in Spain if you get pulled over by the Guardia Civil Trafficos and invited to vacate the car, put the jacket on before exiting the vehicle... don't put them in the boot!  Also in Spain two warning triangles are required. Think in France these days you also need disposable alcometers and a first aid kit...

Best of luck...

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 How about the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to LeHavre?  It arrives at 0730 so you can spend a full day driving and you avoid Paris! We do this route quite often with only one overnight stop in soutern France. It works out cheaper than the Santander ferry - but not sure I would fancy doing it with children. Depends on how well they travel!

The best route for you is Calais -> Clermont Ferand   €120 ,  8 hours , 450 miles

                                             Clermont Ferand -> Salou    €124,  7.5 hours , 450 miles   both costs include fuel and tolls

You will be able to trim about 1.5 hours of those timesso can you drive 14 hours in a day with very limited stops with coffee and sandwiches from the passenger seat, If not  overnight in Clermont Ferand is not a bad alternative with rooms from about 40€ and and there is a KFC for takeaway dinner if thats what the kids fancy !!

Barry

 Thanks Randolph and Fighter2,

Even if we reach Le harve we are still crossing he vast mojority of France by car and I've just gone off that idea, maybe if I was single again. Formerely, I was thinking of Eurotunneling to Calais by mid-night and then getting down to Salou by the eve that day (but with no sleep and me driving alone)...don't think it's practical.

I am now looking at flights to Salou and then hiring a car.

Does anyone know of cheap car hire companies, ideally we would like to hire in Spain and drop of in Italy but the quotes I've seen are extorionate!