Talk Quesada forum

We're planning to drive to Spain in December from Calais. We've had a house in Benimar for 10'years but have never driven over (this time we want to bring our dog). Would welcome any advice you may have, route, stopover suggestions etc. Our thoughts are to do 2 stopovers.

It's a long drive and using autoroute can be expensive although all take credit/debit cards which makes it easier.
I stopped off at rochefort and carcassone as I wanted to see these towns,booking into Ibis hotels as they allow dogs.there were less tolls on this route rather than travelling on the main autoroute (avoiding Paris!).
Satnav was a great help.
At that time of year you will be Driving in the dark and the weather will be variable to say the least.perhaps 3 stops would be better..

We have done the drive down a few times and enjoy it at least once a year. We have not done it in winter though so I couldn't tell you about road or weather conditions. However, even in summer you can have adverse weather and on two separate occasions have hit spectacular thunderstorms with rain so bad its impossible to drive. So I guess you take a chance whenever you do it. I have known people to drive in December with no difficulties.

I think the crucial thing is the timings of the crossing so that you arrive in Calais fresh to start the day from a good sleep and make the most of the daylight.

We go down to Bordeaux and then on to Pamplona Zaragoza Valencia and then down the AP7. There is a very nice pet friendly hotel just off the motorway at Biarritz. We found it is worth paying just a little bit more for hotels as some of the cheaper ones are a bit crummy and the difference for a bit extra is well worth it.

We also just pay the tolls which I think amount to about 100 euros each way. The road is better and to try to avoid them adds extra miles conserves more fuel and takes longer so it really is a case of personal preference.

Hope this helps

Thanks very much - that's really helpful.

It all depends how long/far you want to drive each day. We found it best to find out how far the total journey was,using Google Maps, and then divide it up by how far we wanted to drive in a day. You can then decide where you will need accommodation, we used Booking.com.
We regularly drive down from Brittany to Quesada (Nante,Bordeaux,Bayonne,Pamplona,Valencia,Alicante) and its about 1000 miles. Both of us drive and 500 miles a day is fine for us. We always stopover at Hotel Plazaola at Irutzun-its pet friendly we bring 2 dogs and 2 cats and there is no extra charge. Its about 50€ a night, close to the motorway and a cheap petrol station, and you will see the good reviews on Booking.com.
Agree that toll roads are best and most direct routes and worth the 50-60€ it costs us. If you can travel on a Sunday - its much quieter with very few lorries. We had snow on our way back to Brittany in February but with plenty of snow ploughs clearing the road had no problems.
Hope this is of some use to you.

We just drove over for first time on weds / Thursday . . . Caught 7.20 eurotunnel to Calais and went the Rouen / le man's / Bordeaux route as described above using toll roads. We made Bordeaux about 6.30pm with short stops every 2 hours. We stayed at Formel1 in Bordeaux (never again . . More like a hostel than a travel lodge like we expected it was VERY basic!) We left Bordeaux about 7.15am went via zaragossa and valencia and arrived at Quesada about 6pm. 2 days is a long haul each day but using tolls with extremely little traffic and using cruise control makes it less tiring than you would expect

I would also recommend unpacking your car each time you stop over. It may be a pain but it's well worth it. I've known friends who didn't do that and their cars were broken into during the night.

Thank you so much to everyone for your really helpful replies. I'm very grateful for your advice which we will put to good use.

Check on Booking.com whether there is secure parking where you intend staying. Plazaola has an underground car park you can use. We have never bothered and in a dozen or more visits, sometimes with a trailer, have never had a problem.

Good preparation will reduce the worry. Take your time and enjoy the scenery.

Thanks for advice maisiesdad; nice of you to reply and good suggestion