Driving to Altea, Spain via France in August

[Yeti_Man]

Hi guys, I guess this is the right forum for this sort of advice?

Very fortunately, a friend has offered me the keys to his place in Altea Hills in Spain (approx 45 mins North of Alicante) during August.

Ive done plenty of driving within other countries previously (Greece, Italy, Spain etc) but Ive never actually driven there and back!!

It would be myself, SWMBO and our (then) four year old. I am estimating that I would be looking at three days driving with two nights stop over each way - its approx 20 hours drive each way.

Im after a few pointers as reading up on the area of Altea and the possible routes I could take a few options or suggestions have come up....

Basically, I understand I need to drive through France to reach Spain (please hold the applause a little longer) but I was considering staying in France for around five days to ease the long journey there; particularly for our little one. We would be looking for recommendations on hotels and regions that would be worth stopping over at.

Two people have suggested coming down the west coast of France and one said specifically that apparently below Mimizan is a winner for nice beaches (something we like!)

Instead of driving there and back though, another good friend has suggested taking the ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander, Spain and then simply drive across to Altea. Apparently its a nice few days at sea and its common to see dolphins and whales (again, something that would appeal to us and it would save some driving on the way there).

So I thought, we could do either or a mix of both. Ferry to Santander on the way there and then stop over in France on the way back for a week?

What are peoples thoughts on this? Any experience of the route in general and where to stop and stay, even things we should make sure we see on the way through?

We are quite happy to take three weeks out for this and I do realise August is a busy period on roads etc as the French tend to go South for their hols in - is the above realistic and worthwhile do you think?

Any advice would be greatfully received,

Lee

[Yeti_Man]

Hmmm, im guessing either Im asking in the worng place or no one has stayed along the route or area Im asking about?!

No problem. Plenty of time to research this and it now looks like it will be done in a new Yeti.

[pixi]

I have stayed in that area, but not driven there. I did some research on driving down to Spain not so long ago and found this showing different routes.

http://www.villaspain.co.uk/driving.php

[Yeti_Man]

I have stayed in that area, but not driven there. I did some research on driving down to Spain not so long ago and found this showing different routes.

http://www.villaspain.co.uk/driving.php

That could be very useful. Having a proper read now....

Thanks.

[foureyes]

Hi.

I did a day and a half ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao a few years back... granted it was October and a bit rough but I'd rather pick one of my eyes out with a knitting needle than do it again!! 3hrs over to Ireland is bad enough.

Drive and do the Pyrenees...

[Yeti_Man]

Hi.

I did a day and a half ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao a few years back... granted it was October and a bit rough but I'd rather pick one of my eyes out with a knitting needle than do it again!! 3hrs over to Ireland is bad enough.

Drive and do the Pyrenees...

Dam - that was one of the only parts that I was sure about... up until now. :(

The ship takes 33 hours and is a P&O 'mini' cruise ship with pools, gym, cinema, restaurants and kids activities etc - I thought this would simply be nicer for our four year old than an additional couple of days on the road. It leaves Portsmouth at 21:15 and arrives early after two nights at sea. I assumed that the class of ship may equal a smoother crossing but Im really no expert on this?? We planned to do the Pyrenees on the drive back home.

Thanks very much for the comments though - its all helping with the grand plan.

[NeilS]

I agree with foureyes, having crossed the Bay of Biscay once, never ever again! I had a nightmare crossing 20 years ago and swore if i lived through it I'd never do it again. I guess the boats are better now but you can get some huge seas. It's quite expensive as well compared to fuel and tolls so for me it's a a well planned relaxing drive that is part of the holiday. The south-west/Atlantic coast of France is stunning. We've stopped over at Biarritz before and spent half a day failing comically to surf the rollers on the great beaches of the region.

[simonsheil]

Agree with what the others say the shorter the crossing the better, especially if it is rough which you can't predict.

The drive down France is very pleasant, once you are South of Pais Roads are fairly quiet and well maintained. Hefty precence of speed cameras and they may now be able to send you points in the UK??

[tati25]

I say drive as well. You can go through different roads, for example, following the Loire river is very interesting. If you have the time, why not take these longer but more beautiful roads.

[mannyo]

We have done portsmouth to blibao on the ferry and it was a nice smooth run the whole way.

The cabins on the ferry are very expensive though, so we no longer use the ferry and drive to the costa del sol instead. Even factoring in the fuel and motorway tolls and hotel in france the drive down is much cheaper. The ferry fare is likely to be close to £900 return, and P&O are ending the service soon as the ship is very old and becoming uneconomic to operate due to the fuel costs.

Driving you have 2 ways, We prefer the west via rouen, down through le-mans and tours and then pitch up for the night in a hotel on the outside of Bordeaux. Second day we drive down to Madrid for another night, from there its a short hop to the Alicante area.

The other route is via Paris, down across the Millau bridge and then run along the coast of France and Spain to Alicante.

Both routes are very scenic, but the route down the west of France has a lot less traffic. The coast road through spain on the other route is known for major traffic jams and at peak season its not unheard of for tourist cars to be targeted by theives. The Rouen, Bordeaux, Madrid route is very quiet and as such makes for a much less stressfull drive.

We are doing the trip down to Malaga agin in June, and really looking foward to it.

[Yeti_Man]

Thanks for the further comments guys. Im hoping for a smooth crossing as the boat is booked! :| It means the little'un will be out of the car for a couple of days so only time will tell as to how bad a decision it was....

It cost £480 for a four birth inside cabin and the cabin is in the centre of the ship - apparently a little better than being at the further ends of it for smoothness.

The plan is now four weeks basically going this route....

Portsmouth - Bilboa - Altea - Barcelona - Somewhere along by Toulon/Antibes in South of France - Tuscany - The Lakes - back via France.

Most of the time will be spent staying in Altea and Italy.

I just hope I can hack the long driving hours. :S

[Stuart_J]

Driving on the continent is far easier than the UK, Ive done Morroco in one hit, Imola in one Hit with shared driving but that was on rallies, not ideal holiday driving. Ive done Provence to Calais a few times in one go with the family & that was fine. Best tip I can give you is during August the coastal resorts will be packed as most go to the coast. Try if you can to avoid any big drives over the weekend as traffic jams are horrendous as people start & finish their holidays, always carry plenty of drink in the car & snacks in case you get caught, Ive sat for hours queing for tolls before I wised up to "dont cross France on saturday"

There are lots more speed traps in France these days so dont go silly, over 130 mph & they can impound your car, I generally if Im not on a mission set the cruise on 90 (limit is 80) & to date havent had a problem, carry a few Euros cash for the fine if you get one & also watch for cars coming the other way flashing their lights, the French are very good at warning others

If you are doing a lot of Motorways in France get the zapper for the Peyage, means less queueing to pay http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/2005/05/using_the_liber.html

Italy is fantastic, great if bloody chaotic roads & lovely people, be warned many love a race & are suicidal. I was in the Nissan (500bhp) & lost to a Smart car, simply thought he was a bike & went down the middle of the queue around bends on solid whites at 70, absolutely suicidal.

Ill have a look at the map & come up with a few ideas Later.

Initial thoughts are pop into Monaco, great to people watch but loads of speed traps, beats Nice etc. If you get into Provence Gods greatest driving road IMO is Mt Ventoux, Find Bedoin on the map & go up from that side, its the classic tour de France route, Try & go up as early as you can to miss the cyclists, they are easy to avoid going up but once they start coming down it can be fun & in France they always have right of way & are entitled to whichever side of the road they want. A nice hotel in Bedoin is http://www.hotel-des-pins.fr/eng/accueil.htm Lovely individual rooms & stunning food, not cheap but incredibly good value for money The Tarn Gorge is a great drive but probably very very busy in August, Millau bridge is a box to tick.

If you want to treat the good lady see if you can get to Florence, especially the old part, stunning & refreshingly free of tourist tack, this is a must at night http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vecchio

If you have any specific questions mail me on [email protected] Ive done many rallies through Europe

[mannyo]

For driving through the French motorway tolls I have a Sanef Liber-T transponder, and I sail through the tolls even if their are queues at the other booths. I still pay the same, but the fees are charged at the end of the month to my Credit Card. For Spain though I queue with everyone else, as to get a transponder for spain you need a Spanish bank account.

[Paul007]

Driving has got to be easier than flying.....

[AwesomeSarah]

My dad has a villa in Javea , just above Altea

Mark and me are planning a drive there probably next year in the Octavia

To be fair , I did it once with my ex hubby (well he was not ex then)

We did it in 23 hours , and that was with 2 of us doing the driving

It was easy to be fair

I must admit , on the way down , we did stop over , but can`t remember where

My parnets drive down every year

Take the dog too , so I will have to see if I can get my dad to add his experience on here

Mind , he is stuck over there just now , as he is waiting a flight :lol:

Sarah

[Yeti_Man]

Just realised that although I replied to several PM's on this topic (many thanks) , Ive actually forgotten to update the thread!

Thank you to all contributors, it has really helped me plan things and has been a great source of information.

Ive been researching the Altea area as this is where we'll be spending the majority of the time and it looks like it has some very nice beaches and towns to visit just 15 mins along the coast. Calpe looks nice as does, Moraira and Javea. SWMBO is very keen to stay in Barcelona for a few nights on the 'way round' to Italy - only thing that keeps cropping up here is that its rife for pick pockets etc - not sure of others experiences on this but we are generally sensible so hopefully not a problem for us.

Any further information on where's worth a visit would be great.

The Italian part of the journey is looking like it will depend on my desire or ability to do the extra 12 or so hours additional driving. Im very keen as Italy is simply my favourite European destination but we'll be playing this one by ear and make a decision on the actual tour.

[AwesomeSarah]

Just realised that although I replied to several PM's on this topic (many thanks) , Ive actually forgotten to update the thread!

Thank you to all contributors, it has really helped me plan things and has been a great source of information.

Ive been researching the Altea area as this is where we'll be spending the majority of the time and it looks like it has some very nice beaches and towns to visit just 15 mins along the coast. Calpe looks nice as does, Moraira and Javea. SWMBO is very keen to stay in Barcelona for a few nights on the 'way round' to Italy - only thing that keeps cropping up here is that its rife for pick pockets etc - not sure of others experiences on this but we are generally sensible so hopefully not a problem for us.

Any further information on where's worth a visit would be great.

The Italian part of the journey is looking like it will depend on my desire or ability to do the extra 12 or so hours additional driving. Im very keen as Italy is simply my favourite European destination but we'll be playing this one by ear and make a decision on the actual tour.

Hi

It sounds like it will be a fantastic trip

I like the sound of you doing what you want when really , we will see if we fancy the trip to Italy

Nice

I am sure you will enjoy it

Calpe , is stunning , and Altea , well the last time we stopped there , I could just not get my Mark away from the place

Moraira is lovely , and that is where my dad mored his boat , stunning place , and some stunning views

Javea is where my dad has his villa

Right under the eye of Mongo

Even had a trip up to it once , it was full of snakes , so did it once and did not stop very long

Well I envy that trip.......dont forget the pics

Sarah

[b1ackb1rd]

Both beaches on Calpe are fantastic, not pebbly like Altea/Albir and Moraira.

The main road (not motorway) between Benissa thru Calpe to Altea is one of THE best roads ever, some terrifying bends with good drops off the sides ... you can go as fast as your bottle allows.

Have fun !

[Yeti_Man]

Just to update all you all...

How did Yeti cope with 3000 miles across France and Spain?

We had a great time and are very greatful for your comments in this thread.