France, Spain, Portugal road trip - advice please!
Discussion
Hi there,
My Dad's planning a Euro trip, and i just thought i'd get the collective view of Piston Heads about which roads he should be taking in en-route.
His route is as follows:
Across channel to Boulogne,
then down through France via Rheims, Dijon, and Lyon, to Nice (staying just outside Nice during Grand Prix practice). Then we will follow the south of Frand coast, round to Spain, then down via Barcelona, to Marbella.
Then on to the Algarve.
Has anyone got any tips for good driving roads/mountain passes/general things to see?
Thanks in advance!
My Dad's planning a Euro trip, and i just thought i'd get the collective view of Piston Heads about which roads he should be taking in en-route.
His route is as follows:
Across channel to Boulogne,
then down through France via Rheims, Dijon, and Lyon, to Nice (staying just outside Nice during Grand Prix practice). Then we will follow the south of Frand coast, round to Spain, then down via Barcelona, to Marbella.
Then on to the Algarve.
Has anyone got any tips for good driving roads/mountain passes/general things to see?
Thanks in advance!
Its a hell of a long way round to get to the Algarve. If you want a more direct route try:-
From Channel ports pick up A28, Rouen, Alençon, Le Mans to Tours, pick up A10, Poitiers to Bordeaux.
From Bordeaux head down to San Sebastien, passing Biarritz (cant remember road number), then on to Burgos, Valedolid, Salamanca, into Portugal where you pick up A23 Motorway towards Lisbon. At Santarem, follow sign to Algarve, and pick up A2 which takes you all the way down to Algarve.
Traffic is generally light, apart from July and August, and it is generally a pleasant fast drive.
From Channel ports pick up A28, Rouen, Alençon, Le Mans to Tours, pick up A10, Poitiers to Bordeaux.
From Bordeaux head down to San Sebastien, passing Biarritz (cant remember road number), then on to Burgos, Valedolid, Salamanca, into Portugal where you pick up A23 Motorway towards Lisbon. At Santarem, follow sign to Algarve, and pick up A2 which takes you all the way down to Algarve.
Traffic is generally light, apart from July and August, and it is generally a pleasant fast drive.
Thanks for that, yeah we have a house in the Algarve, and have driven straight there many times, but this time he wants to use it as more of a driving holiday, and take in some nice roads (as he just got a new car to play with!)
Plus they're going via the Grand Prix...
Plus they're going via the Grand Prix...
Edited by ol on Thursday 17th April 19:56
dBecause they want to do a scenic driving holiday in his new car, rather than just going straight to the Algarve like we have done two or three times a year for the past 10 years!!
Also as they're taking in the Grand Prix it was more just a case of driving around Eurpoe to take in some nice roads etc.
Anyone got any suggestions of nice roads / mountain passes etc along that route?
Timing and mileage isn't an issue, they just want to see some sights!!
thanks again
Also as they're taking in the Grand Prix it was more just a case of driving around Eurpoe to take in some nice roads etc.
Anyone got any suggestions of nice roads / mountain passes etc along that route?
Timing and mileage isn't an issue, they just want to see some sights!!
thanks again
Edited by ol on Friday 18th April 12:59
Cross the Spain/Portugal at Badajoz/Elvas; from here head down towards Beja, avoid the a6 etc. Straight roads between villages, followed by winding around undulating farm land is what you'll see, I might dig some pics out and add them later.
Roads in the Algarve - From Portimao up to Monchique going the least direct route is always fun, you'll stumble into perfect roads which go into nowhere! EU funding eh?
Once nearing the top head for the wind turbines, you'll be able to see them from down on the beaches of the algarve, so they are hard to miss. From here the view is out of this world.
Hope ya have fun!
Roads in the Algarve - From Portimao up to Monchique going the least direct route is always fun, you'll stumble into perfect roads which go into nowhere! EU funding eh?
Once nearing the top head for the wind turbines, you'll be able to see them from down on the beaches of the algarve, so they are hard to miss. From here the view is out of this world.
Hope ya have fun!
Edited by HoeBlogggs on Wednesday 14th May 23:24
Can only advise on the Andalucia region depending on which way down he comes.
1. Worth diverting from Granada to Periana via Alhama de Granada - cross country with some great sweepers followed by some mountainous passes down to Lake Vinuela although probably better the other way up from the coast around Velez Malaga.
2. Periana/Vinuela to Casabermeja is an excellent 25km sprint and well worth the effort followed by...
3. Casabermeja to Villanueva de la Concepcion and on to Antequera. Probably should have lunch stop at El Torcal which is a huge limestone mountain for want of a better description.
4. Antequera to Sevilla on the motorway if required or better still take the back roads via Grazalema to Sevilla - heaps of good roads round that area.
1. Worth diverting from Granada to Periana via Alhama de Granada - cross country with some great sweepers followed by some mountainous passes down to Lake Vinuela although probably better the other way up from the coast around Velez Malaga.
2. Periana/Vinuela to Casabermeja is an excellent 25km sprint and well worth the effort followed by...
3. Casabermeja to Villanueva de la Concepcion and on to Antequera. Probably should have lunch stop at El Torcal which is a huge limestone mountain for want of a better description.
4. Antequera to Sevilla on the motorway if required or better still take the back roads via Grazalema to Sevilla - heaps of good roads round that area.
Thanks for the input chaps, unfortunate i didnt sopt it sooner as they left for the trip 3 days ago. By all accounts they're loving it so far, currently watching the Grtand Prix practice before carrying on the journey to Portugal.
Anyway, many thanks to everyone who helped out or suggested routes.
Anyway, many thanks to everyone who helped out or suggested routes.
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