France and Spain road trip next week - anything ive missed?

[cerbster]

Hello all.

This years road trip after Italy 2023 and USA 2024 will be France / Spain heading off on the 20th. Here’s my itinerary and hotels are booked so wondered if there’s anything you’ve come across on this route that you can recommend. Really interested in cool experiences you might have done or trips etc and also any good routes you can recommend between the places.

20th -Yorkshire to Portsmouth to get the Ferry

21st - Caen to La Rochelle for lunch and staring at St Emilion

22nd - St Emilion to Bordeaux to visit the wine museum and then to one of the vineyards then to San Sebastián and will eat their in the late afternoon / Evening

23rd - San Sebastián , E bike tour in the morning , then to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe- Bilboa (eating in Bilboa that evening)

24th - Bilboa Guggenheim and the Funicular in the morning - Santillana del mar for lunch - Comillas - Gijon

25th - Gijon - Santiago de Compostela

26th - Santiago de Compostela - Oseja de Sajambre

27th - Oseja de Sajambre - Fuenta De - Potes - Logrono

28th - Logrono - Jaca - Can Franc

29th - Can franc - La Sue d’urgel

30th - La Sue d’urgel following the N260 to Besalu

1st - Besalu - La Barcares

2nd - La Barcares (rest day )

3rd - La Barcares- Carcassonne and the afternoon in Carcassonne)

4th - Carcassonne - Milau- Clemont Ferrand

5th Clemont Ferrand - Caen (via Le Mans)

Any thoughts ?

Cheers all 😁

[DB4DM]

Interesting itinerary, not much slack

[Guyr]

One night in every place seems like hard work and not enough time to explore each one.......?

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I'd agree with the above. Too much travel, too many locations.

But, enjoy it if you do it all!

[cerbster]

Ah we always do our road trips like this. We are up at 6.30 on a morning and up and at it 😁

[bennno]

If you can I’d rejig part, we’ve done that last year and this, San Sebastián is worth staying a night, better than Bilbao - we loved old town and Atari restaurant.

I’d rejig some of your journey to visit Porto and / or Pinhao - was the highlight of our trip.

[blueg33]

I would try to limit it to 4-5 hours driving each day and get more into the Picos

If you haven’t been before the DDay museum at Pegasus bridge near the Ouistreham ferry port is worth a visit.

Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 11th September 03:04

[tobinen]

I've done similar in Spain but I soon twigged that, for me at least, one day-stopovers left too much driving and not enough 'taking in' the wonderful cities. If your intention is to drive a lot, then fill your boots! There are plenty of wonderful roads.

As above, I restrict myself to about 4 hours plus the odd stop unless I really need to go somewhere quickly.

[omniflow]

If you've never been to St Emilion then I'd skip Bordeaux and spend more time in St Emilion - you will be able to do a vineyard tour there. There's also the catacombs which are worth visiting. It's my favourite place in France (mind you, that's not saying much).

Be careful on the journey from St. Emilion to San Sebastian - that's where we got stopped for speeding at the Peage. There were 2 blokes in a Luxembourg registered M6 who'd been trying to get us to race them - when we got to the Peage they took their time getting through the barrier (deliberately I presume) and we were pulled over by 2 ladies in an unmarked Golf R. As it was a first offence we got off lightly with a €90 fine. No more escorting you to the ATM - they have their own card machine.

When you eat in San Sebastian don't go to a restaurant - do a Pintxos bar crawl in the old town. Atari, Borda Berri, Bar Sport and Bar Nestor are all worth seeking out, but you need to put your name down the day before for the Tortilla in Bar Nestor. The last 3 are all in the same street.

Tapas in Logrono are also fabulous but a bit different to San Sebastian. In Logrono many bars only serve their speciality Tapas. Again, no restaurant needed, just a bar crawl. It's also very cheap.

Same story for Bilbao - Tapas there are excellent. Get a map from your hotel and head for the square in the old town.

Personally, I thought the Cider in Gijon was absolutely disgusting - but if you're there, you've got to try it.

Santiago will be heaving and it's very geared towards pilgrims. We didn't eat there, so no idea where to go.

Millau - as everyone will tell you the best views are from underneath the viaduct.

[blueg33]

I would also skip Bordeaux for more time in St Emilion.

Agree re Tapas in the main market square in Bilbao.

Guggenheim is half a day in itself.

Oseja de Sajambre to Riano is a great road, look out for vultures soaring above you and cattle just wandering about on the road.

In the Picos its worth doing the cable car at Fuente De (assuming you are). DO NOT ORDER pigs ears in the restaurants in Potes (I did, I still regret it)

I am not a seafood fan, but if you are I am told that Galacian Barnacles are amazing even though they look gross.

Agree, Gijon cider is horrid, the way it is served, is, however, interesting.

If you are doing Logrono, try and do Laguardia nearby. Interesting walled town on a hill, with access via elevator.

Not entirely clear on your route, but its worth including Andorra and drop down from there past Limoux and to Carcassonne (but i guess you want some seaside)

Its a much nicer drive cross country from Millau rather than doing the boring auto route to Clermont Ferrand, but you would need more time.

When I look at doing these road trips I try and minimise auto routes as they are dull and you don't get to see interesting towns and stop off for ad hoc coffee or beer

[bennno]

In Bilbao the market was well worth visiting for Tapas following the Guggenheim, also the best square for tapas etc we found was Plaza Nueva.

[DSMSMR]

Agree with the above re Bilbao....(we will be there in 2 weeks time). I enjoyed Burgos and Salamanca as well

[DB4DM]

According to your tastes, Guggenheim might indeed be half a day, or half an hour. Concur best view of Millau is from below. I'd avoid Andorra, not much there and by experience, the customs queues to enter France or Spain (particularly) can be enormous. Clermont Ferrand to Caen is a real slog! Happy driving

[blueg33]

DB4DM said:

According to your tastes, Guggenheim might indeed be half a day, or half an hour. Concur best view of Millau is from below. I'd avoid Andorra, not much there and by experience, the customs queues to enter France or Spain (particularly) can be enormous. Clermont Ferrand to Caen is a real slog! Happy driving

Interesting. We found some great roads in Andorra and had zero delays on the borders. The tunnels were also great with cars that had interesting exhausts

[DB4DM]

Maybe we were victims of spot checks but it was all luggage out etc etc, mostly looking for contraband cigs etc it seemed. Tunnels are fun but the view from the top is better!

[blueg33]

IMO I think the op will have a great trip, but for me I would try and spread that distance out over more time to get to hidden gems that you miss by covering 100's and 100's of autoroute miles.

Having done France extensively, I would always start and finish that trip at Santander. One year we did the Picos, norther Spain coast, Santiago de Compostela and ran right down into northern Portugal which has stunning hilly National Parks.

[omniflow]

blueg33 said:

{snip} Having done France extensively, I would always start and finish that trip at Santander. One year we did the Picos, norther Spain coast, Santiago de Compostela and ran right down into northern Portugal which has stunning hilly National Parks.

This is something I've spent far too long thinking about. We've done ferries to / from Santander several times to and from both Plymouth and Portsmouth. We've even managed (twice) to book one of the 3 cabins on the Portsmouth boats that has a double bed and much more space. Even with that cabin the Portsmouth ferry journey is just massively tedious and the crossing timings on the outbound are just so uncivilised. Plymouth is better - the crossing is quicker, the timings are better and the choice of cabins is significantly better.

We do our roadtrips in a much more leisurely manner - last one was 6 weeks right round pretty much the entire coast of Spain and Portugal. For that trip we had 3 * 5 night stays in AirBnbs - these were by far my favourite parts of the trip. We started and finished that one in Santander. But, ror the next Spain roadtrip, I am very seriously thinking of starting off with Portsmouth -> St. Malo and then just hooning down the west coast of France straight to San Sebastian in one hit, saving the long ferry crossing for the journey home by which time we'll be roadtripped out.

[blueg33]

omniflow said:

blueg33 said:

{snip} Having done France extensively, I would always start and finish that trip at Santander. One year we did the Picos, norther Spain coast, Santiago de Compostela and ran right down into northern Portugal which has stunning hilly National Parks.

This is something I've spent far too long thinking about. We've done ferries to / from Santander several times to and from both Plymouth and Portsmouth. We've even managed (twice) to book one of the 3 cabins on the Portsmouth boats that has a double bed and much more space. Even with that cabin the Portsmouth ferry journey is just massively tedious and the crossing timings on the outbound are just so uncivilised. Plymouth is better - the crossing is quicker, the timings are better and the choice of cabins is significantly better.

We do our roadtrips in a much more leisurely manner - last one was 6 weeks right round pretty much the entire coast of Spain and Portugal. For that trip we had 3 * 5 night stays in AirBnbs - these were by far my favourite parts of the trip. We started and finished that one in Santander. But, ror the next Spain roadtrip, I am very seriously thinking of starting off with Portsmouth -> St. Malo and then just hooning down the west coast of France straight to San Sebastian in one hit, saving the long ferry crossing for the journey home by which time we'll be roadtripped out.

I rather like the Plymouth/Santander ferry. usually manage to get a decent cabin, have a good nights sleep, arrive at mid day which is perfect timing to get to Potes for dinner

[DSMSMR]

blueg33 said:

DB4DM said:

According to your tastes, Guggenheim might indeed be half a day, or half an hour. Concur best view of Millau is from below. I'd avoid Andorra, not much there and by experience, the customs queues to enter France or Spain (particularly) can be enormous. Clermont Ferrand to Caen is a real slog! Happy driving

Interesting. We found some great roads in Andorra and had zero delays on the borders. The tunnels were also great with cars that had interesting exhausts

Agree as well, we drove in and out no problem at all, no queues nothing but we did stop to buy a shedload of very very cheap booze

[RSTurboPaul]

I assume you have good international breakdown cover