Ferry to Spain - End of March - Help Needed
Discussion
We actually paid more than that! (We did go in July).
Top tip: if you just want to go to Northern Spain compare the ferry with a fly-drive. Fly-drive is cheaper usually.
Top tip 2: The Spanish do not understand cars and touch park on the street. If the car is your P&J maybe you don't want to take it to Spain: consider fly-drive.
We actually wanted to take my Porsche to Spain so we could drive about with the roof off in the mountains - which was utterly brilliant I might add. Picos de Europa - stay in the Parador hotel there. Fab.
Top tip 3: If you MUST take your own car and go on the ferry? Pay the extra and get the best cabin you can afford. They do ones with a double bed, your own shower and a couple of armchairs to sit in. This makes the THREE nights you will spend on board (two one way, one the other) significantly more pleasant. Cost was a couple of hundred quid on top of the journey price - but so, so worth it. For my wife - who suffers with seasickness - it meant she could be away from the hustle bustle which seemed to set the seasickness off.
The best places to stay in Spain are the Parador hotels. Check out their website. I highly recommend the Picos de Europa for a few days and also the Rioja region. The journey between them through the mountains was absolutely superb.
Top tip: if you just want to go to Northern Spain compare the ferry with a fly-drive. Fly-drive is cheaper usually.
Top tip 2: The Spanish do not understand cars and touch park on the street. If the car is your P&J maybe you don't want to take it to Spain: consider fly-drive.
We actually wanted to take my Porsche to Spain so we could drive about with the roof off in the mountains - which was utterly brilliant I might add. Picos de Europa - stay in the Parador hotel there. Fab.
Top tip 3: If you MUST take your own car and go on the ferry? Pay the extra and get the best cabin you can afford. They do ones with a double bed, your own shower and a couple of armchairs to sit in. This makes the THREE nights you will spend on board (two one way, one the other) significantly more pleasant. Cost was a couple of hundred quid on top of the journey price - but so, so worth it. For my wife - who suffers with seasickness - it meant she could be away from the hustle bustle which seemed to set the seasickness off.
The best places to stay in Spain are the Parador hotels. Check out their website. I highly recommend the Picos de Europa for a few days and also the Rioja region. The journey between them through the mountains was absolutely superb.
Three nights to Spain, by ferry?
It is more pricey, but the P&O Potsmouth Bilbao ferry takes 2 nights on the way down and one on the way back. That is an extra two days you can spend in Spain.
There is also the option of the Plymouth to Santander route - £344 inc the cheapest cabins
It is more pricey, but the P&O Potsmouth Bilbao ferry takes 2 nights on the way down and one on the way back. That is an extra two days you can spend in Spain.
There is also the option of the Plymouth to Santander route - £344 inc the cheapest cabins
Edited by rsv gone! on Sunday 24th February 10:38
you will obviously make your own decisions, and acquire your own costings, but:
i) the portsmouth > bilbao ferry takes 36-38 hours.
ii) the locals (to portsmouth) may take advantage of a four day cruise, as foot passengers, for peanuts .... cheaper than renting a house or bed & breakfast .... some of these persons are quite happy to do a little "work" whilst on board (allegedly) ... watch your wallet.
iii) the plymouth > santander ferry takes 18-20 hours.
iv) the plymouth ferry may be a little distant for most of you, but it is the better of the two services, in my opinion.
i hope this helps.
d
i) the portsmouth > bilbao ferry takes 36-38 hours.
ii) the locals (to portsmouth) may take advantage of a four day cruise, as foot passengers, for peanuts .... cheaper than renting a house or bed & breakfast .... some of these persons are quite happy to do a little "work" whilst on board (allegedly) ... watch your wallet.
iii) the plymouth > santander ferry takes 18-20 hours.
iv) the plymouth ferry may be a little distant for most of you, but it is the better of the two services, in my opinion.
i hope this helps.
d
Drive to Newhaven, sail to Dieppe (we paid £135 last September), then you can drive to Andorra in a day easily. Got to be much cheaper for a return trip even including motels - and while France ain't half bad, Andorra is stunning (and the unleaded was around 67p/l) 
...
Go on, notch several countries up on your proverbial B-post
.
...Go on, notch several countries up on your proverbial B-post
.Sorry, but that is a REALLY long drive! 10 hours (imho) - ouch!! Not allowing for fuel & lunch stops, you'd have to be brave & drinking a lot of caffeine.
How long did it take you? I am intrigued
How long did it take you? I am intrigued
aw51 121565 said:
Drive to Newhaven, sail to Dieppe (we paid £135 last September), then you can drive to Andorra in a day easily. Got to be much cheaper for a return trip even including motels - and while France ain't half bad, Andorra is stunning (and the unleaded was around 67p/l) ...
Go on, notch several countries up on your proverbial B-post .
...Go on, notch several countries up on your proverbial B-post
.I travel regularly between my home in Portugal and UK. I tend to use Bilbao-Portsmouth northbound. Its 26 hours on the ferry, but be warned the Bay of Biscay can be very rough!
Southbound it is 2 nights on the ferry (too long), so I favour Portsmouth-Caen.
From Caen it is easy to pick up the Autoroute south past Alençon, Le Mans down to Bordeaux, then into Spain at San Sebastien. Its a nice easy drive, and the roads are pretty quiet (apart from July and August when it is mayhem).
I personally prefer to drive through the night and stop in northern spain, but if you want a stop-over Bordeaux is interesting, with plenty of cheap hotels, or travel a bit further and stay in Biarritz.
Southbound it is 2 nights on the ferry (too long), so I favour Portsmouth-Caen.
From Caen it is easy to pick up the Autoroute south past Alençon, Le Mans down to Bordeaux, then into Spain at San Sebastien. Its a nice easy drive, and the roads are pretty quiet (apart from July and August when it is mayhem).
I personally prefer to drive through the night and stop in northern spain, but if you want a stop-over Bordeaux is interesting, with plenty of cheap hotels, or travel a bit further and stay in Biarritz.
I would drive all the way.
I cannot imagine anything more mind-numbing than two nights (and the day falling in between them) on a ferry. I don't see why you couldn't drive Portsmouth to Santander in a (long) day, especially if you have a co-driver. I have always found the French autoroutes to be very easy and quick driving. It is easy to average 90mph (including stops) without really exceeding 100mph on the road (which is a sensible cruising speed, otherwise more frequent stops required by increased fuel consumption start to lower the average, not to mention the police).
1,000miles in a day is about the limit in my experience: it typically takes my wife and I 13 or 14 hours to drive the 900 miles from our holiday home in southern France to our home in Northumberland, including the channel tunnel.
Make sure you have a full-size spare.
I cannot imagine anything more mind-numbing than two nights (and the day falling in between them) on a ferry. I don't see why you couldn't drive Portsmouth to Santander in a (long) day, especially if you have a co-driver. I have always found the French autoroutes to be very easy and quick driving. It is easy to average 90mph (including stops) without really exceeding 100mph on the road (which is a sensible cruising speed, otherwise more frequent stops required by increased fuel consumption start to lower the average, not to mention the police).
1,000miles in a day is about the limit in my experience: it typically takes my wife and I 13 or 14 hours to drive the 900 miles from our holiday home in southern France to our home in Northumberland, including the channel tunnel.
Make sure you have a full-size spare.
Edited by r129sl on Monday 3rd March 10:35
r129sl said:
I cannot imagine anything more mind-numbing than two nights (and the day falling in between them) on a ferry.
Actually it was surprisingly good! They had a number of nature/wildlife presentations in the cinema I went to. They had wildlife watching from the upper deck that was led by a "wildlife officer" who was very adept at spotting creatures and helping you see them. I thoroughly enjoyed that and did lots of it.
We visited the shops, read books. We deliberately ate in their best restaurant and took time over meals.
We didn't even have time to use the cinema for a movie...
All in all a very relaxing time on-board. We did, however, have great weather. It would have been unpleasant if the seas had been stormy...
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