Santander to the Algarve - route advice + things to see/do?
Discussion
Last September I did Portsmouth to Caen, and then headed south not really knowing whether I'd end up in France, Italy, Spain or what. My mother had died a few months before and I was really struggling as I had been caring for her for years on my own. So it was a last minute trip and not much planning went into it. In the end, I decided to go via Lourdes (a place we'd been to together many years before and that meant a lot to her due to her Christian faith. Being in the Pyrenees region, I discovered that there were lots of fantastic roads to explore in my very subtle Gulf Orange Boxster S, and better still there were hardly any other cars or annoying bicycles, unlike the Alpine roads. Well apart from when I crossed into Spain via the Col de Portalet on the exact day a cycling race was on.
This year my sister and her family have rented a villa not far from Armação de Pera in Portugal. I'm sailing from Portsmouth and arriving in Santander on the 23rd, and then the plan is to drive down to meet up with my sister at the villa. The most direct route would take me there via Salamanca, Caceres and crossing into Portugal shortly after Badajoz and then heading towards Lisbon before heading south. But I don't care if I take two or three days to get there. Lying on the beach or by the pool really isn't my thing.
So what would you do if you had a few days to get down there or a few days to get back? My return is supposed to be on Sunday 6th August, but I've just checked with Brittany Ferries and they only want an extra £93 to change my return sailing to the 13th so I could have a more leisurely trip. But we still have to give up the villa on the 5th so I could potentially do my exploring on the way back. I haven't been to Portugal since I was 6 or 7 in 1981/2 and I don't remember much of it. But I do love Spain too, and haven't visited the more Eastern part of it. The furthest east I've done is Burgos last year and Madrid several years ago. I also have a friend who's lived in Seville for many years now and runs a successful business there. I haven't spoken to him yet, but visiting Seville doesn't add much distance to the trip.
Another idea would be to get into Portugal as soon as I can, and see what it has to offer. I can see that there are a lot of roads running near the Atlantic coast. Is that worth doing or do I have to get off the main roads to see any ocean views? Having never been to Portugal as an adult, I don't know whether it feels much like Spain or has a very different feel.
As well as my sister's family, a cousin and his wife are flying in from Texas for the second week and have already made noises about visiting Gibraltar at some point. I expect they will be renting a car, and I can't take more than one passenger in my Boxster. But is Gibraltar worth visiting? Anything to see apart from the famous rock?
Last year in Spain my A/C wasn't working properly, but I've just repaired it by replacing the holed condensers and the desiccator and then having the system evacuated and recharged with refrigerant. I know I'm going to need it due to the heat. I may have to take a blanket to stop myself frying on the leather seats and the black convertible roof isn't going to help. Hopefully Cerberus will die off a bit before my arrival!
Thanks for any advice!
"The Carrot" last year in Spain
This week replacing A/C components and cracked headlight lens (thanks hailstorm)
New vs old condenser
Wheel well liners have to come out to remove bumper and to access desiccator (which is essential when system has been depressurised for a long time). It's that silver canister behind right wing. Cleaned everything thoroughly before replacing liners and bumper.
This year my sister and her family have rented a villa not far from Armação de Pera in Portugal. I'm sailing from Portsmouth and arriving in Santander on the 23rd, and then the plan is to drive down to meet up with my sister at the villa. The most direct route would take me there via Salamanca, Caceres and crossing into Portugal shortly after Badajoz and then heading towards Lisbon before heading south. But I don't care if I take two or three days to get there. Lying on the beach or by the pool really isn't my thing.
So what would you do if you had a few days to get down there or a few days to get back? My return is supposed to be on Sunday 6th August, but I've just checked with Brittany Ferries and they only want an extra £93 to change my return sailing to the 13th so I could have a more leisurely trip. But we still have to give up the villa on the 5th so I could potentially do my exploring on the way back. I haven't been to Portugal since I was 6 or 7 in 1981/2 and I don't remember much of it. But I do love Spain too, and haven't visited the more Eastern part of it. The furthest east I've done is Burgos last year and Madrid several years ago. I also have a friend who's lived in Seville for many years now and runs a successful business there. I haven't spoken to him yet, but visiting Seville doesn't add much distance to the trip.
Another idea would be to get into Portugal as soon as I can, and see what it has to offer. I can see that there are a lot of roads running near the Atlantic coast. Is that worth doing or do I have to get off the main roads to see any ocean views? Having never been to Portugal as an adult, I don't know whether it feels much like Spain or has a very different feel.
As well as my sister's family, a cousin and his wife are flying in from Texas for the second week and have already made noises about visiting Gibraltar at some point. I expect they will be renting a car, and I can't take more than one passenger in my Boxster. But is Gibraltar worth visiting? Anything to see apart from the famous rock?
Last year in Spain my A/C wasn't working properly, but I've just repaired it by replacing the holed condensers and the desiccator and then having the system evacuated and recharged with refrigerant. I know I'm going to need it due to the heat. I may have to take a blanket to stop myself frying on the leather seats and the black convertible roof isn't going to help. Hopefully Cerberus will die off a bit before my arrival!
Thanks for any advice!
"The Carrot" last year in Spain
This week replacing A/C components and cracked headlight lens (thanks hailstorm)
New vs old condenser
Wheel well liners have to come out to remove bumper and to access desiccator (which is essential when system has been depressurised for a long time). It's that silver canister behind right wing. Cleaned everything thoroughly before replacing liners and bumper.
Edited by LunarOne on Saturday 15th July 16:52
I regularly drive across France and Spain to holiday in Portugal. I can offer some specific recommendations if you want them, but you're in for a treat even if you just follow your nose.
I'd be looking to head west from the port, doing the Picos and along the northern coast, then dropping down into Portugal from the North. The Atlantic coast is a decent drive. For the return journey it's definitely worth some time driving across Central and Eastern Spain and there are some fantastic roads where you'll hardly see any other cars.
I personally wouldn't recommend Gibraltar particularly, but if your relatives want to go then that neck of the woods does take you close to some nice parts of Spain.
Sounds like you'll have a great road trip.
I'd be looking to head west from the port, doing the Picos and along the northern coast, then dropping down into Portugal from the North. The Atlantic coast is a decent drive. For the return journey it's definitely worth some time driving across Central and Eastern Spain and there are some fantastic roads where you'll hardly see any other cars.
I personally wouldn't recommend Gibraltar particularly, but if your relatives want to go then that neck of the woods does take you close to some nice parts of Spain.
Sounds like you'll have a great road trip.
I'm planning a similar trip for a little later in the year.
Definitely head west and go to the Picos de Europe, then get on either the N-621 or N-625 to travel South and West. If your ferry is the 08:00 arrival you could be in the Picos by lunch and have a day exploring then head a little further South for the night, or do it on the return. Being only 2-3 (non-motorway hours) from Santander Ferry Terminal makes it a handy staging post either way.
It's over 20 years since I did a roadtrip through northern Portugal, but I still remember some of that area as having the best roads I've driven. So I'm on a mission to retrace some of that now, to me, largely forgotten route.
I'll be heading to the .. Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
Fantastic roads around there and probably a bit cooler too! I'm planning 4 nights just for exploring that area.
Fairly easy to just use Google maps and put in destinations to get a feel for how many driving hours it will be, find an area and click on the search this area for Hotels and put your dates in. Sorry if that is teaching you to suck eggs, but it is a quick and easy way to find what is achievable and available.
Portugal does feel different to Spain, but then Spain is a very regionally diverse country. North and South could easily be different countries, ask a Catalan and they'll tell you they are.
I'd only go to Gibraltar if I was literally passing it on route elsewhere. It is a bit of a grubby enclave, albeit historically important.
Before changing your ferry do make sure that the new date includes a cabin which I'm assuming you have, at 20 I wouldn't have minded 2 nights in a seat... I'm a bit older and softer now.
Definitely head west and go to the Picos de Europe, then get on either the N-621 or N-625 to travel South and West. If your ferry is the 08:00 arrival you could be in the Picos by lunch and have a day exploring then head a little further South for the night, or do it on the return. Being only 2-3 (non-motorway hours) from Santander Ferry Terminal makes it a handy staging post either way.
It's over 20 years since I did a roadtrip through northern Portugal, but I still remember some of that area as having the best roads I've driven. So I'm on a mission to retrace some of that now, to me, largely forgotten route.
I'll be heading to the .. Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
Fantastic roads around there and probably a bit cooler too! I'm planning 4 nights just for exploring that area.
Fairly easy to just use Google maps and put in destinations to get a feel for how many driving hours it will be, find an area and click on the search this area for Hotels and put your dates in. Sorry if that is teaching you to suck eggs, but it is a quick and easy way to find what is achievable and available.
Portugal does feel different to Spain, but then Spain is a very regionally diverse country. North and South could easily be different countries, ask a Catalan and they'll tell you they are.
I'd only go to Gibraltar if I was literally passing it on route elsewhere. It is a bit of a grubby enclave, albeit historically important.
Before changing your ferry do make sure that the new date includes a cabin which I'm assuming you have, at 20 I wouldn't have minded 2 nights in a seat... I'm a bit older and softer now.
As has been said already, I'd take the coastal route.
Places that are definitely worth visiting - San Sebastian (wrong way, but definitely worth a visit), Santander itself, Bilbao. If you fancy it, head inland and visit Logrono. All 4 of these places have a thriving bar culture and would be great fun to visit even if you're on your own.
Then, pretty much every large town / city on the coast looks fab - I've not visited the north coast beyond Bilbao, but am addressing this next year. Places that have caught my eye are: Gijon, A. Coruna, Santiago de Compostela, Porto, Nazare (although wrong time of year for massive waves), then you've got Seville, Cadiz and Granada further south.
I drove from Calais to Pria de Luz about 15 years ago - we took the shortest route and it was a 2 day drive. We got more blase the further we got, and in Portugal we were pretty much driving flat out. I don't remember that much about the roads or scenery in the middle of Spain, so it can't have been that good.
Places that are definitely worth visiting - San Sebastian (wrong way, but definitely worth a visit), Santander itself, Bilbao. If you fancy it, head inland and visit Logrono. All 4 of these places have a thriving bar culture and would be great fun to visit even if you're on your own.
Then, pretty much every large town / city on the coast looks fab - I've not visited the north coast beyond Bilbao, but am addressing this next year. Places that have caught my eye are: Gijon, A. Coruna, Santiago de Compostela, Porto, Nazare (although wrong time of year for massive waves), then you've got Seville, Cadiz and Granada further south.
I drove from Calais to Pria de Luz about 15 years ago - we took the shortest route and it was a 2 day drive. We got more blase the further we got, and in Portugal we were pretty much driving flat out. I don't remember that much about the roads or scenery in the middle of Spain, so it can't have been that good.
M11rph said:
Before changing your ferry do make sure that the new date includes a cabin which I'm assuming you have, at 20 I wouldn't have minded 2 nights in a seat... I'm a bit older and softer now.
Funny you should mention that, but when I was booking my trip a few months ago, I had booked a cabin in each direction, and then just before paying I went back to change something. Then by the time I got back to the end it said the outbound cabin was no longer available. So I had to book without a cabin on the way out. My 20s are also long gone and I really didn't fancy not being able to get to sleep, especially as you can't really recline the seats in a Boxster for a bit of a snooze when required.I called up their customer services and asked to be placed on a waiting list for a cabin, and I was told that they had no such mechanism for that, so the best she could do was to put my details and request on a post-it note and hope that she remembered me if she spotted a cancellation on thay "voyage". I use the word voyage because crossing doesn't seem to fit since it's quite a long way and this isn't a cross-channel ferry. Anyway, my heart sank because I figured the chances of getting a cabin would be more or less zero. But a few weeks later, I got an email saying she had found a cabin for me and had added it to my booking, and to call back if it wasn't required. Fantastic.
When I checked to see if I could modify my booking earlier today, I was sure to make sure I had a cabin specified on both outbound and return journeys, because 36 hours or whatever it is without a bed on a noisy ship would be truly grim.
omniflow said:
As has been said already, I'd take the coastal route.
Places that are definitely worth visiting - San Sebastian (wrong way, but definitely worth a visit), Santander itself, Bilbao. If you fancy it, head inland and visit Logrono. All 4 of these places have a thriving bar culture and would be great fun to visit even if you're on your own.
I spent a couple of days in Bilbao last year, staying in a hotel right opposite the Guggenheim museum. That's well worth a visit by itself, and I found that out because it was absolutely pouring with rain during the day and I didn't fancy exploring the city in the rain. I also spent half a day in San Sebastian. I arrived later on in the day and again it was pouring with rain, so I elected to just drive around. I found a nice place to have dinner, but overall I didn't see anything that would make it worth visiting again. But I think the most interesting part has to be done on foot and I didn't fancy it in the rain. Places that are definitely worth visiting - San Sebastian (wrong way, but definitely worth a visit), Santander itself, Bilbao. If you fancy it, head inland and visit Logrono. All 4 of these places have a thriving bar culture and would be great fun to visit even if you're on your own.
Anyway here's most of my trip according to Google Timeline:
mart 63 said:
Burgos centre is worth a visit, lots of nice bars and restaurants. We stayed there last October, and we have booked a hotel there for a night in a couple of weeks. A handy stopover for the ferry the next day.
Yes, Burgos is lovely and I only went on the recommendation of a friend who hails from there but lives in Surrey.A few photos...
Boxster5 said:
Any idea if Brittany Ferries have a sale for the Portsmouth to Santander crossing with useful savings (probably doubt it) - possibly looking at June 2024 but nothing released yet.
Some people give you their ferry codes. Gets you 10% off sailing, I got one off a Costa Blanca forum.Do you HAVE to have an electronic tag in Portugal? Can you not pay with cash/card? I've just extended my trip to three weeks, so I hope to do a fair bit of exploration. I figured I'd get by with a debit card like I do in France. I researched a bit last week into this and I couldn't work out how it works so I thought I'd figure it out when I get there. After spending half an hour on https://www.portugaltolls.com/en I'm still none the wiser!
LunarOne said:
Do you HAVE to have an electronic tag in Portugal? Can you not pay with cash/card? I've just extended my trip to three weeks, so I hope to do a fair bit of exploration. I figured I'd get by with a debit card like I do in France. I researched a bit last week into this and I couldn't work out how it works so I thought I'd figure it out when I get there. After spending half an hour on https://www.portugaltolls.com/en I'm still none the wiser!
Most of the ones I drove through recently didn’t have cash or card options - just an automatic overhead gantry. Drove from Porto - Douro - Tomar - Lisbon - Algarve. I'd recommend Salamanca for a night. Absolutely beautiful city, especially around the central square.
I also enjoyed the lovely monastery at San Lorenzo de Escorial, a few hours if that north of Madrid.
Madrid itself is also lovely, and in my youth, I spent a day or 2 at the Prado art museum. No I am not an art fanatic by any means, but the whole place and the paintings just blew me away. I was lovely.
But I love the whole Iberian peninsular. much prefer it to France or Italy, and I love the slightly down at heel feel of Lisbon for example. The lonely planet used to be a really valuable resource - and an old one of these would be a really good read I suspect. That's what I did back in the day. (Long time ago).
I also enjoyed the lovely monastery at San Lorenzo de Escorial, a few hours if that north of Madrid.
Madrid itself is also lovely, and in my youth, I spent a day or 2 at the Prado art museum. No I am not an art fanatic by any means, but the whole place and the paintings just blew me away. I was lovely.
But I love the whole Iberian peninsular. much prefer it to France or Italy, and I love the slightly down at heel feel of Lisbon for example. The lonely planet used to be a really valuable resource - and an old one of these would be a really good read I suspect. That's what I did back in the day. (Long time ago).
This website https://www.portugaltolls.com shows information about tolls, but I find it about as clear as mud.
Apparently, they have a two systems in use - an older system which uses an electronic tag, and a newer system which I think uses ANPR.
From what I can tell, the newer system only works on some tolls, which possibly means you have to have an electronic tag as well. But if I buy an electronic tag, for example from https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk do I still have to register my car registration to use the newer system, or does it work for all tolls? What a stupid system!
Apparently, they have a two systems in use - an older system which uses an electronic tag, and a newer system which I think uses ANPR.
From what I can tell, the newer system only works on some tolls, which possibly means you have to have an electronic tag as well. But if I buy an electronic tag, for example from https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk do I still have to register my car registration to use the newer system, or does it work for all tolls? What a stupid system!
LunarOne said:
Do you HAVE to have an electronic tag in Portugal? Can you not pay with cash/card? I've just extended my trip to three weeks, so I hope to do a fair bit of exploration. I figured I'd get by with a debit card like I do in France. I researched a bit last week into this and I couldn't work out how it works so I thought I'd figure it out when I get there. After spending half an hour on https://www.portugaltolls.com/en I'm still none the wiser!
You're supposed to be able to register your card and VRN at a stop just over the border, but it's never worked for me so as a consequence I've never been charged anything. CharlesdeGaulle said:
LunarOne said:
Do you HAVE to have an electronic tag in Portugal? Can you not pay with cash/card? I've just extended my trip to three weeks, so I hope to do a fair bit of exploration. I figured I'd get by with a debit card like I do in France. I researched a bit last week into this and I couldn't work out how it works so I thought I'd figure it out when I get there. After spending half an hour on https://www.portugaltolls.com/en I'm still none the wiser!
You're supposed to be able to register your card and VRN at a stop just over the border, but it's never worked for me so as a consequence I've never been charged anything. The other gantry ones will make a note /pic of your plate and you can pay the toll at many places in Portugal, newsagents for example. The problem for you is that these can take several days to show up and you maybe out of the country by the time it does. Don’t know what happens then.
If you have via verde box you can sail through that channel without stopping but doubt you can get one for a foreign car and probably not worth the hassle.
Note: watch the decreasing speed signs as you approach the barriers im led to believe they can get a bit shirty about that and some have speed cameras or the local plod….
Edited by languagetimothy on Monday 17th July 15:34
In your initial post you mentioned Salamanca as a possibility. If you can work in a couple of nights in Salamanca it is worth it as it is an old University City (Spanish equivalent of Oxford ro Cambridge historically) with plenty to see.
There is a Motor Museum and an Art Deco/Art Nouveau museum and when I was there in 2018 if you bought the entrance ticket the day before at the Tourist Information Office you got entry to both museums for something ridiculous like €5.
The Plaza Mayor is the second largest square in Spain and is lined with restaurants and bars so sitting outside one of these in the square having a leisurely meal is quite an experience.
I can recommend the Puente Romano hotel which is about a 10 minute walk from Plaza Mayor and which has secure parking in the basement. (I also did the trip in a Boxster, albeit a 987).
When in Andalucis you need to visit Ronda.
There is a Motor Museum and an Art Deco/Art Nouveau museum and when I was there in 2018 if you bought the entrance ticket the day before at the Tourist Information Office you got entry to both museums for something ridiculous like €5.
The Plaza Mayor is the second largest square in Spain and is lined with restaurants and bars so sitting outside one of these in the square having a leisurely meal is quite an experience.
I can recommend the Puente Romano hotel which is about a 10 minute walk from Plaza Mayor and which has secure parking in the basement. (I also did the trip in a Boxster, albeit a 987).
When in Andalucis you need to visit Ronda.
Thanks all for the suggestions. I’ve added an extra week to my trip so I now have three weeks I. Total to explore a bit. I’ll definitely do Los Picos on the way there and aim to do Salamanca on the way back. Regarding the tolls, I decided to get an Emovis VIA-T tag (https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk) which should let me travel all aground both Spain and Portugal without having to stop at any tolls. It’s not the cheapest solution compared with a Portuguese ViaVerde tag but it should work everywhere. If it’s a success I’ll definitely get a French tag from them as I usually spend a fair bit of time in France.
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