pirio Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Hi all, we are driving from Amsterdam down through Holland and Belgium, then through luxembourg on our way to southern Spain,has anybody out there done this trip before, and can you advise us on which routes to take!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crbtaylor Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Not done it yet but planning on doing from Northern Denmark to Portugal in mid october. Going to go west coast of France, Northern Spain, Portugal . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 We have never been to Spain but have travelled the route you suggest a number of times and would think that you need to be further west. If you keep travelling south from Luxemburg Switzerland will get in your way which is very nice if you are in no hurry but will slow you down and cost you €40 or so for a Vingette. If you go down the east of France it is well worth stopping a couple days at Annecy, if the snow has not come. We have looked at going to Spain and thought a channel crossing from Portsmouth and drive down the west coast would be best. Whichever way you go have a safe journey and enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 welcome to the forum. All depends if you intend to use toll routes or not. most of us use the westerly route through France as its free and on relatively good roads. we just pay for short sections of toll to speed things up when necessary..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Oop's a daises! wrong thread :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 As the Irishman said when someone asked him the way to Dublin: "well if I was going to Dublin I wouldn't be starting from here". But you are starting from Holland and Luxembourg is a nice place to travel through. And the fuel is cheap there, although of course that's only one tankful. French rural roads are not as easy and are also slower than motorways but unless you are in a hurry, they are still a pleasant way to make progress. Might be worth heading across country from Luxembourg to Vierzon, where you can join the toll free A20 and make quite a distance southwards on that. What was the toll-free N10 road from Bordeaux towards the Spanish border is being converted to a peage motorway, with no easy non-toll alternative, so you might prefer to cross into Spain on the Mediterranean side - but maybe that depends on your Spanish destination. Depending on which toll category you would be in (and whether you can pursuade Toll Booth operators you should be in Category Two anyway) paying tolls isn't necessarily the end of the world, and you would have a much easier overall journey on the motorways if you just want to get through France fairly quickly. At worst it shouldn't cost over 150€ or so (guessing) in tolls, so maybe the equivalent of an extra two tanks of fuel and you will be buying plenty of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I would go via the Somport Tunnel into Spain. A lovely route, good road and scenery splendid. Going that way ourselves next week PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I would add to that the Vielha tunnel, but would advise against the Bielsa tunnel. Both used this spring. Vielha has good approaches both sides, and is now a good, well lit, modern tunnel. Bielsa has poor approach from France and is relatively narrow and smelly with traffic lights to control entry. For some reason, it seems to attract a lot of Spanish truckers, one of whom, in an apparently loaded 40 tonne artic, completely lost me on the French side. I'd imagine he needs new brakes every trip, and I wouldn't want to meet him coming down as I was going up! Admirably slick, and all judged to fag paper tolerances. But boy, did he hammer that truck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmac Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Hi how about Luxembourg, Clermont Ferrand, Millau, Narbonne, Perpignan, Barcelona. We did this route in reverse last year except Luxembourg. we just kept heading north from Clermont Ferrand (all toll free) Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 davidmac - 2014-08-22 5:58 PM Hi how about Luxembourg, Clermont Ferrand, Millau, Narbonne, Perpignan, Barcelona. We did this route in reverse last year except Luxembourg. we just kept heading north from Clermont Ferrand (all toll free) Regards David Be interesting to know if that was that a toll free route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 davidmac - 2014-08-22 5:58 PM Hi how about Luxembourg, Clermont Ferrand, Millau, Narbonne, Perpignan, Barcelona. We did this route in reverse last year except Luxembourg. we just kept heading north from Clermont Ferrand (all toll free) Regards David I envy your reversing skills, David! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmac Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Hi we had been to see the wifes sister on the Costa Blanca. Went on AP7 to Valencia ,toll .Around Valencia A7 toll free, N340 to Cambrills where we stopped for three nights. Left Cambrills on the N340 and took a left turn, not quite sure where but it took us to the C25, a motorway that must have cost a fortune to build as 80% of it is either an embankment, cutting, bridge or tunnel this took us inland around Barcelona. Back onto the A2 south of Gerona and on to cross into France at Perthus. Took various D roads to Sainte-Marie Plage where we stopped for 3 nights. D900 to Narbonne and Beziers and onto A75 to Millau. Came off motorway and down into town stopped in campsite by the river missing the viaduct toll.On to Clermont Ferrand then D2009 to an aire at St Pourcain sur Sioule. Onto Melun south east of Paris where we had been racing back in the 80s for a couple of nights and onto Wimereux for a night before the ferry from Calais. The worst leg was from Melun to Wimereux 210 miles about six and a half hours.All done with the satnav set to avoid tolls.No all that you read on here is Gospel but I try to be honest. Regards David ps Yes got a good reversing camera set up and the wife walking ahead keeping everyone else out of my way pps I should read through my postings at least twice before pressing the submit button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirio Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Thanks for the advise, very helpfull.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirio Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Thanks David sounds great.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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