Anyone been to the Pyrenees ?
Discussion
After our 2022 road trip to Italy and Switzerland ( https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... ) I fancy another one this summer.
Looking at taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre and then down through France towards Bordeaux and then towards the Pyrenees.
Once finished into the top of Spain and then probably take the ferry from Bilboa back towards Portsmouth.
Anyone been down the westcoast of France and/or the Pyrenees that can recommend any routes/towns they've done ?
Looking at taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre and then down through France towards Bordeaux and then towards the Pyrenees.
Once finished into the top of Spain and then probably take the ferry from Bilboa back towards Portsmouth.
Anyone been down the westcoast of France and/or the Pyrenees that can recommend any routes/towns they've done ?
I'm going next month.
Group of 3 couples / cars. 2x porsche 981 GTS and 1x R8 V10.
Plymouth to Santander (<24 hrs). Down the pyrenees over 3 nights via logroño, jaca and seu de urgell to calonge. Mostly N260. 4 nights in a villa. Back up again via vielha, some French cols, jaca again and into San Sebastian, over another 3 nights.
Much of your EU trip report inspired my own last year.
Group of 3 couples / cars. 2x porsche 981 GTS and 1x R8 V10.
Plymouth to Santander (<24 hrs). Down the pyrenees over 3 nights via logroño, jaca and seu de urgell to calonge. Mostly N260. 4 nights in a villa. Back up again via vielha, some French cols, jaca again and into San Sebastian, over another 3 nights.
Much of your EU trip report inspired my own last year.
Glad my trip was of help
I've looked at taking the ferry from/to Portsmouth (as Plymouth is a long way away from where we live) and might do that on the return journey.
So that N260 is the route to go for is it ?
Do the "mountain passes" have names like over in the Alps (Furka pass, Grimsel Pass, Nuefen pass etc) or is it more just road numbers ?
The easiest (and in my opinion, the best) way to get down to the Pyrenees via France is to take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth -> St. Malo. It's then a very pleasant run down to Bordeaux, with a few interesting places to see on the way. La Rochelle is nice, as is most of the coast around there. Closer to Bordeaux, St. Emilion is a lovely place to spend a day - lots going on and lots to see. We've never stayed there though as the hotels are quite expensive.
San Sebastian is a must visit place, as is Logrono. Although Logrono might require a slight detour.
In the foothills of the Pyrenees we stayed in the Hotel Viñas de Lárrede, which we really liked.
In terms of the ferry back, Santander and Bilbao are only 1 hour apart, so it really does depend on which day of the week you want to travel. There are 2 ferries a week to Portsmouth from each place.
San Sebastian is a must visit place, as is Logrono. Although Logrono might require a slight detour.
In the foothills of the Pyrenees we stayed in the Hotel Viñas de Lárrede, which we really liked.
In terms of the ferry back, Santander and Bilbao are only 1 hour apart, so it really does depend on which day of the week you want to travel. There are 2 ferries a week to Portsmouth from each place.
Im not aware of any pass names, as per Swiss ones no. I plan to use the N260 and refer to my michelin maps en route for detours that look fancy. Each day is ~3 hrs (5 max) driving time between overnight stops according to Google maps.
I'm East Midlands so Plymouth is a trek for me too (~4.5hrs but it's still 3 hrs to Folkestone) and it's 1000 miles each way from calais to san seb / logrono.
Ferry will save me 2k miles on the car and at £1k for the rtn ticket it's less than I'll spend on chunnel, fuel, hotels for 2 nights each way and food for two.
I'm East Midlands so Plymouth is a trek for me too (~4.5hrs but it's still 3 hrs to Folkestone) and it's 1000 miles each way from calais to san seb / logrono.
Ferry will save me 2k miles on the car and at £1k for the rtn ticket it's less than I'll spend on chunnel, fuel, hotels for 2 nights each way and food for two.
omniflow said:
The easiest (and in my opinion, the best) way to get down to the Pyrenees via France is to take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth -> St. Malo. It's then a very pleasant run down to Bordeaux, with a few interesting places to see on the way. La Rochelle is nice, as is most of the coast around there. Closer to Bordeaux, St. Emilion is a lovely place to spend a day - lots going on and lots to see. We've never stayed there though as the hotels are quite expensive.
San Sebastian is a must visit place, as is Logrono. Although Logrono might require a slight detour.
In the foothills of the Pyrenees we stayed in the Hotel Viñas de Lárrede, which we really liked.
In terms of the ferry back, Santander and Bilbao are only 1 hour apart, so it really does depend on which day of the week you want to travel. There are 2 ferries a week to Portsmouth from each place.
Going with the wife so probably looking at driving stints of no longer then 4.5 - 5 hours in one go. San Sebastian is a must visit place, as is Logrono. Although Logrono might require a slight detour.
In the foothills of the Pyrenees we stayed in the Hotel Viñas de Lárrede, which we really liked.
In terms of the ferry back, Santander and Bilbao are only 1 hour apart, so it really does depend on which day of the week you want to travel. There are 2 ferries a week to Portsmouth from each place.
Plan so far is :
- Nightboat from Portsmouth to St Malo.
- Drive from St Malo to La Rochelle, probably looking at staying here for 1 night for some exploring, eats & drinks.
- La Rochelle to Toulouse, have another night here.
- From Toulouse drive to and over the Millau viaduct, and then towards Collioure and have a couple nights there.
- Colliore to Andorra, and then through the Pyreness towards San Sebastian and then have a couple nights there.
- Ferry from Santander back to Portsmouth (as the travel days from there suit us better then from Bilboa).
Just need to pinpoint where to stay after doing the Millau viaduct, Collioure looks very nice, but also heard good things about Argelès-sur-Mer and Banyuls-sur-Mer.
And we're not sure yet if we want to just visit Andorra for a few hours, or have another overnight stay there.
And still in the process of finding nice routes from Andorra towards San Sebastian. I've got some notes that mentioning Sort and Vielha and Biescas.
Slowly getting there!
Andorra - drive over the top of Pas rather than using the tunnel, the highest road in the Pyrenees. A night in La Vella is a decent option, it's a nice small city to walk around. I'd stay right in the centre. There are probably some cheap options further out, but the ski villages are a bit quiet when there's no snow. There are cyclists & walkers, but it's not the same....
I can't help with the roads though as I only ever really arrive or leave via Toulouse or Barcelona - and there's only 1 route through Andorra
I can't help with the roads though as I only ever really arrive or leave via Toulouse or Barcelona - and there's only 1 route through Andorra
I also agree that Andorra is worthy of a visit, we always go from the french side, up and over then down into la vella.
We have stayed at hotel pic Maia at the very top and thought it was nice.
Here's my bus at the very top!
https://thumbsnap.com/i/vDVp73PD.jpg
We have stayed at hotel pic Maia at the very top and thought it was nice.
Here's my bus at the very top!
https://thumbsnap.com/i/vDVp73PD.jpg
Here's my route from last year's trip: https://shorturl.at/dvyV5
Although there are other options, such as the Sort to Vielha road as mentioned above (I chose to drive via the L-511 to Coll de Nargo instead on this trip, as it's one of my favourite roads). As long as you stay away from motorways, you can't really go wrong.
And if you go Sort to Vielha you can carry on for an hour past Bagneres-de-Luchon and stop at the Pic du Midi cable car with its gob-smackingly spectacular views, one of the absolute highlights of the Pyrenees.
Although there are other options, such as the Sort to Vielha road as mentioned above (I chose to drive via the L-511 to Coll de Nargo instead on this trip, as it's one of my favourite roads). As long as you stay away from motorways, you can't really go wrong.
And if you go Sort to Vielha you can carry on for an hour past Bagneres-de-Luchon and stop at the Pic du Midi cable car with its gob-smackingly spectacular views, one of the absolute highlights of the Pyrenees.
There are borders, that are usually fairly free flowing. They are staffed though & sometimes there are customs checks in operation which can cause queues, but not particularly long ones. There is more weekend traffic, so from France, as it's a single lane mountain road up the mountain, I'd avoid entering Andorra on a Saturday morning.
Additionally, there's really just 1 main route through the country, so on major holidays, things can get gridlocked around La Vella - but that's only a few times a year on Spanish holidays when it felt like the whole of Barcelona has decided to have a weekend in the mountains.
Additionally, there's really just 1 main route through the country, so on major holidays, things can get gridlocked around La Vella - but that's only a few times a year on Spanish holidays when it felt like the whole of Barcelona has decided to have a weekend in the mountains.
Medic-one said:
blue_haddock said:
I also agree that Andorra is worthy of a visit,
What's it like getting into Andorra, are there long que's at the border or are you normally able to just drive in/out ?Getting out the other side is pretty much the same, they're not bothered in checking how many gallons of booze you've bought but last time there was a spanish checkpoint a few miles down the road where spanish customs we're doing spot checks.
This picture was taken at the top of the pyrenees at the observation tower above El Pas de la casa.
SapperD said:
I'm going next month.
Group of 3 couples / cars. 2x porsche 981 GTS and 1x R8 V10.
Plymouth to Santander (<24 hrs). Down the pyrenees over 3 nights via logroño, jaca and seu de urgell to calonge. Mostly N260. 4 nights in a villa. Back up again via vielha, some French cols, jaca again and into San Sebastian, over another 3 nights.
Much of your EU trip report inspired my own last year.
Can I ask what hotel you've booked for San Sebastian ?Group of 3 couples / cars. 2x porsche 981 GTS and 1x R8 V10.
Plymouth to Santander (<24 hrs). Down the pyrenees over 3 nights via logroño, jaca and seu de urgell to calonge. Mostly N260. 4 nights in a villa. Back up again via vielha, some French cols, jaca again and into San Sebastian, over another 3 nights.
Much of your EU trip report inspired my own last year.
Got most of my route and hotel sorted, just need to book a final hotel for 2 nights there.
Medic-one said:
Can I ask what hotel you've booked for San Sebastian ?
Got most of my route and hotel sorted, just need to book a final hotel for 2 nights there.
We're there next week, and also in 7 weeks time for the return journey.Got most of my route and hotel sorted, just need to book a final hotel for 2 nights there.
For both stays we're in the Sansebay. There are lots of other threads on here and in holidays and travel. The Sansebay is my personal favourite as it's a great balance between location, price and comfort. The Lasala Plaza is a nicer hotel, but it's more expensive, a draw in terms of location and only a very small loser in terms of comfort. There are many other hotels, but the nicer ones are either massively more expensive or not as well located. As a town / city it is the most expensive place in Spain, so bear that in mind when booking.
Medic-one said:
SapperD said:
I'm going next month.
Group of 3 couples / cars. 2x porsche 981 GTS and 1x R8 V10.
Plymouth to Santander (<24 hrs). Down the pyrenees over 3 nights via logroño, jaca and seu de urgell to calonge. Mostly N260. 4 nights in a villa. Back up again via vielha, some French cols, jaca again and into San Sebastian, over another 3 nights.
Much of your EU trip report inspired my own last year.
Can I ask what hotel you've booked for San Sebastian ?Group of 3 couples / cars. 2x porsche 981 GTS and 1x R8 V10.
Plymouth to Santander (<24 hrs). Down the pyrenees over 3 nights via logroño, jaca and seu de urgell to calonge. Mostly N260. 4 nights in a villa. Back up again via vielha, some French cols, jaca again and into San Sebastian, over another 3 nights.
Much of your EU trip report inspired my own last year.
Got most of my route and hotel sorted, just need to book a final hotel for 2 nights there.
Not the fanciest (looks OK from photos & reviews though) but free cancellation and reasonabely priced. Just on the outskirts of San Sebastian. 20 mins walk or public transport into the centre. Ample free parking which was the main reason. Recommended to get breakfast from pattiserie nearby.
Edited by SapperD on Saturday 25th May 09:13
I'm here now. Day 3 of 12.
It's mega.
Currently in a Paradores in La Seu D'Urgell. Every hotel so far along the way has been awesome. All through booking.com. Happy to share where we stayed / are staying.
The roads are just brilliant. You don't need to drive at jail time speeds to have a good time either. Everywhere is nigh on empty too.
We have had some rain mind. But the 981 Cayman GTS and Michelin 4S make it easy.
You'll love it.
It's mega.
Currently in a Paradores in La Seu D'Urgell. Every hotel so far along the way has been awesome. All through booking.com. Happy to share where we stayed / are staying.
The roads are just brilliant. You don't need to drive at jail time speeds to have a good time either. Everywhere is nigh on empty too.
We have had some rain mind. But the 981 Cayman GTS and Michelin 4S make it easy.
You'll love it.
Awesome! My turn in 4 weeks time, can't wait!
I've got 4S's all round as well, but hopefully no more rain in a month time...
I've booked all our hotels so we're good on that front, but thanks for the offer.
We're popping into Andorra for lunch when we leave le Barcares, and we'll come through La Seu D'Urgell by the looks of it, and then we'll take the N260 towards Sort, and stay in a hotel just past Sort in a place call 'Llavorsí'.
Then the next day our route looks like this, heading back into France before dipping back into Spain, ending up in Jaca for the night :
Link to bigger picture of the map: https://ibb.co/sFBh1V6
You doing a similar route or you staying on the N260 in Spain heading West from from Sort instead of North ?
I've got 4S's all round as well, but hopefully no more rain in a month time...
I've booked all our hotels so we're good on that front, but thanks for the offer.
We're popping into Andorra for lunch when we leave le Barcares, and we'll come through La Seu D'Urgell by the looks of it, and then we'll take the N260 towards Sort, and stay in a hotel just past Sort in a place call 'Llavorsí'.
Then the next day our route looks like this, heading back into France before dipping back into Spain, ending up in Jaca for the night :
- Port de la Bonaigua
- Col Du Portilon
- Arreau
- Col D'aspin
- Col du Tourmalet
- Col du Soulour
- Col d'Aubisque
- Col du Pourtalet
- Hotel & Spa Real Badaguás, Jaca
Link to bigger picture of the map: https://ibb.co/sFBh1V6
You doing a similar route or you staying on the N260 in Spain heading West from from Sort instead of North ?
Edited by Medic-one on Thursday 13th June 10:25
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