There are three routes by which a vehicle can be transported from the UK to Spain :
1. Portsmouth to Bilbao , with P&O Ferries
2. Plymouth to Santander , with Brittany Ferries
3. Folkstone to Calais , with EuroTunnel (and then driven through France to Spain )
The following is intended as a guide to what you can expect when using each route; prices will vary according to the date of travel, but what follows is will give an approximation of standard cost, accommodation, and journey times.
1. Portsmouth to Bilbao
P&O Ferries offer a 32 hour crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Tickets can be booked online at www.poferries.com , but pay special attention to peak, off-peak, and bargain fares, which can present significant differences in price.
Travelling off-peak, a family of two adults and two children, plus vehicle, can expect to pay around £270 for the ferry crossing, plus £65 for a standard 4-berth cabin without sea view, making a total of around £335. Note that during peak travel times, this can rise to +£500, whereas on bargain sailings savings of up to 30% are available. Each cabin is equipped with bunks, en suite facilities, towels and bed linen. An extra premium can be paid for accommodation on a higher deck level, or with a sea view.
2. Plymouth to Santander
Brittany Ferries offer an 18 hour crossing from Plymouth to Santander twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays, from March to November. Tickets can be booked online at www.brittany-ferries.co.uk . Alternatively, you can call the UKoffice on 08703 665 333, or the Spanish office on 0034 962 360 611. There is a £5 discount for online bookings.
Travelling off-peak, a family of two adults and two children, plus vehicle can expect to pay around £296 for the ferry crossing, plus £92 for a standard 4-berth cabin with en suite, but without sea view, making a total of £388 (including the £5 online booking discount). Once again, this can increase to +£500 during peak times. All cabins are air conditioned, but the level of facilities varies.
3. Folkstone to Calais
EuroTunnel offer a 35 minute journey from Folkstone to Calais , 4 times an hour, 24 hours a day. A family of two adults and two children, plus car, can travel on EuroTunnel for around £170.
Tickets can be booked online from a number of websites; note that www.eurodrive.co.uk in particular also offers competitive fares on the ferry crossings to Bilabo and Santander. If possible, travel early or late on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to find the best fares. A small booking fee may be payable.
Once you have disembarked in Spain , the journey to Málaga is fairly straightforward. From Bilbao , the journey lasts around 9 hours, whereas from Santander it takes around 10 hours. www.drive-alive.co.uk has a very good and detailed route-finder, but the following directions should give you a good sense of where you are headed.
From Bilbao : Head towards Miranda de Ebro via AP68 From Santander : Take N623 towards Burgos
Join AP1 near Burgos (note: there is a toll here of 14.8 Euros) At Burgos , take A1/E05 and follow signs for Madrid
Take A1/E05 at Burgos , and head towards Madrid
From Madrid : Take A4/E05 out of Madrid
At EXIT 292 , take A44 towards Bail é n and Ja én
At Ja én Norte and Torredonjimeno, take A318
At Alcaudete, turn right onto N432 , left onto A333 , left onto N321 , and right onto A333
At Estación de Salinas, take A359 towards Málaga
At Villanueva de Cauche, take A45 and exit towards EXIT MÁLAGA NOTRE
If you are travelling from Calais , the journey will take around 19.30 hours. There are frequent tolls on this journey.
From Calais : Head towards Arras , via A16 and A26
At Arras , take A1 towards Paris
Close to Zone d'activité Paris Nord II, take A3 towards Bordeaux , and continue to follow signs for Bordeaux
At Bordeaux , take the E05 towards Bayonne/Archaron
At Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, take A63/E05 into Spain
At Behobia, take A8/E05 towards Donostia-San Sebastián, and follow signs for Burgos . From here, follow the directions from Bilbao as given above.
Tips for driving in Spain
Spanish Traffic Regulations require that all drivers carry the following in their vehicle:
-two warning triangles - officially approved by the Ministerio del Interior (i.e. those with the round symbol E9 and the code 27R03).
-a spare tyre and the tools to replace it.
- a set of bulbs and tools to replace them.
- a reflective jacket, and spare glasses (if the driver wears them).
A fine is payable if these are not carried - in fact, it is also advisable to carry sufficient money to pay the fines!
Assistance can be contacted using the roadside SOS telephones, which connect you to the nearest police station. Tolls must be paid on all except urban motorways - a free map of all the toll roads in Spain can be obtained from your local tourist office, or by contacting ASETA, Calle Estébanez Claderón 3, Madrid 20. Dipped headlights must be used on motorways and fast dual carriageways in daylight hours. Be careful to observe the finer points of driving in Spain, as well; note that in towns reversing and three-point turns in side streets are forbidden, and be sure to know the date when parking in one-way streets - on even dates, park on the side where the house numbers are even, whereas on odd dates you must park on the side where the houses have odd numbers!
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