Driving to Spain?

Question

I am driving over to Calais and then onto Conil de la frontera on the Costa de la luz in southern Spain. Can anyone recommend the best route? Also any tips and stop offs. I will towing a trailer and so I need secure car parking. Any advice very welcome. Thanks lots

Answer 1

I would follow the advice by Conoco about using PremiereClasse hotels or, even better, Etap hotels in France. They are cheap and usually have their own private parking.

In Spain we don't have so many hotels of this kind or that cheap.

According to Googlemaps or ViaMichelin the best route is following the "Ruta de la Plata" (Route of Silver). I agree: avoiding going through Madrid is always good (traffic jams everywhere!)

As finding cheap hotels with private parking would be difficult, I would try to stay in rural hotels or apartments in the country side or small villages. Check Toprural.com. You can find rooms around 40-50€ a night in nice places. You can also give a chance to Youth Hostels (the ones in Andalucia are quite good).

Most of the roads are motorways but we are still working on some of them but the main roads are quite good.

Enjoy youtr trip and Cadiz (the best place on Earth!)

Answer 2

From the Northern Border to Costa de la Luz?  There have to be a zillion options!  (all of them are probably gorgeous!)

I found that secure parking lots abound in the cities.  They seemed very safe, and we had no problems, although where to park with the trailer...most of them were single space deals.

I would probably drive along the North coast to Bilbao, then cut down on the superhighway to Madrid.  Stop if you feel the need to see the city, but maybe not such a good idea to tow the trailer about.  In fact, if you're getting around Madrid, don't use the car at all, park, then use the public trasport.  And beware, parking in the city is about 30 - 40 Euros for a 24 hour period.  But those are lots that advertise security, and have cameras, etc.

Then cut down on the highway to Seville, I'd stop at the windmills at Ciudad Real, Toledo, too, if you have time, and then on to Cordoba, Sevilla, Jerez or Cadiz or both.  Of course, those are all places I've either been, and recommend, or haven't managed to fit in, and am dying to go back for.  

At Cadiz,  you are already at the Costa de la Luz, turn right, and head to Donana Park and Huelva.    Or turn left and hit Gibraltar.  Buen Viaje.

Answer 3

I have driven to the other extreme, Murcia, from the UK.

I went from Calais to Paris and stayed the night. We didn't plan the hotel, rather, we found a parking spot first and then tried to find a hotel near it. Do negotiate in the hotels though as they won't sell the room to anyone else that night if they've got one available so they may as well give you a good price. Make sure you find out how to get out of Paris. It is not the easiest city to manage your way around and it's the only place I got lost in.

If you leave early enough, you will get to Lyon by lunch time. We found parking there on the street with the van but I'm not sure if that was a miracle.

It's a great place to make a flying visit to if you can though.

Then we headed towards Perpignan/Barcelona.

This route was pretty traffic free in January.

Don't, whatever you do, try crossing Andorra. It is the worst place for traffic in the world.

After that, you will probably take a different route to us due to your different destination.

Keep some cash or a credit card handy on the road as there are loads of tolls and the French ones are daylight robbery. I was used to paying a couple of Euros in Spanish tolls and then you get to France and they ask you for 20 odd Euros or more and you almost fall out of your car!

Have a great trip. The scenery is wonderful along the way!

Answer 4

Check the link to Michelin. http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/i...

You will find this an excellent site to plan your route right to the door of your destination. It will give you any info you require including speed cameras and their location. Whilst traveling through France I've always used Premiere Classe hotels. They all have secure compounds.

The Spanish roads are great and you could do Conil in one day from the French border.

http://www.premiereclasse.com/en/default...

Edit;  If you have a trailer stick to the route provided by Michelin. I agree with Sue about seeing the real Spain but with a trailer it could prove to be very difficult for you. Just stick to the motorway.