# Driving from St Malo



## highlandbob (Feb 25, 2015)

Brittany Ferries just cancelled my booking next week to Santander due to the ferry being out of service for repairs and can't offer me anything except a ferry to France so I am going to St Malo. 
Can anyone suggest the best route from St Malo to central Portugal and any suggestions where to stop off and stay for the night on the way down.


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## Janina k (Nov 30, 2011)

Hello

We haven't used St Marlo but when we come of at Dieppe we set the Satnav to avoid tolls and motorways. Many of the roads are just as good as motorways. As for a break we share the driving so we can get home quicker and while Fred sleeps I drive and visa versa. By avoiding tolls and motorways we have a great drive through and get to see some of France. We leave again Sunday to return to Serpins Fred will drive first in the nighttime and then I will take over this suits use but others want a stopover and that's fine for them sorry I can't suggest somewhere to stop over.

Krystyna


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## oronero (Aug 24, 2012)

I do a similar thing to Krystyna, arrive at Dieppe but set the Sat/Nav to avoid Tolls only. The Sat/Nav seems to do a combination of free sections on the motorway and rural routes to circumnavigate the toll sections.

With regards to where to stay there are plenty of budget motels in the larger French towns and likewise in Spain. Plenty to be seen on the route that my Sat/Nav decided to take. It depends upon how long you hope to take doing the journey...I expect to have one night in Spain and another in France.

I have done this journey almost a dozen times in the past year, UK to Portugal via France and Spain. Finding a place to stay, be that parking up in the van or a hotel/motel has never been an issue, though be sure to try and find a room before 9pm. Otherwise it could get difficult and then you'll be forced to spend a night under a steel roof...I've worn that T-shirt a couple of times now, I was in the middle of nowhere and on another occasion misread the time due to my van clock being on UK/Portugal time thus an hour behind the French/Spanish time.


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## brodev (Jan 3, 2010)

There are a variety of budget hotels available through the following link.

Budget Hotels in France – Find a cheap or budget hotel in France

Personally I like the Premier Classe Hotels


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

We have done the drive many times from St.Lo in Normandy to Rio Maior. About 18 hours if non stop. We normally aim to stop around the south of Bordeaux, and then again in either Valledolid or Salamanca.


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## Vedeco (May 21, 2016)

There is a ferry route with (I think) DFDS from Portsmouth to Gijon in central North Spain. Unless you are committed to Brittany Ferries that would make your drive very much shorter with no need for a night en route.


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## Vedeco (May 21, 2016)

Sorry - I've just double checked online and that route from/to Gijon in Spain seems to have stopped. A shame, I did it last August and it was great.


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

highlandbob said:


> Brittany Ferries just cancelled my booking next week to Santander due to the ferry being out of service for repairs and can't offer me anything except a ferry to France so I am going to St Malo.
> Can anyone suggest the best route from St Malo to central Portugal and any suggestions where to stop off and stay for the night on the way down.


I've done London-St Malo-Tomar and back over the last couple of years in several different vehicles. The route and where to stay depend entirely on your view of driving. It's about 1000 miles so overnight ferry to sleep and can drive all next day, St Malo, Nantes, Niort, Bordeaux, Bayonne, Valladolid, crossing the boarder at Ciudad Rodrigo. Trying to time it so missing Bordeaux in the rush hour and then continue driving in the evening as the roads are quieter. Regular shortish stops with the idea to go as far as possible without getting tired . In both France and Spain there are many cheapish hotels near the route so a couple of hours before stopping for the night I log on the interweb and book one. This way means you don't have a prebooked and paid hotel to try and get to. I have also slept under the stars on one of the picknic tables in a rest area (toilets and washing facilities supplied) as there was almost no night traffic on the motorway and was certainly nicer then most of the budget hotels. If you are taking longer to get there - as in the journey not the destination - then there a endless possibilities with places like Salamanca well worth an evenings visit.


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## Jormedawson (Apr 4, 2016)

Hello there,

Personally i stay at my dads in the middle of france and then in Vitoria in middle of spain. Booking.com has many deals at last minute and usually i get a 4star hotel for around 30euros a night. If you have a smartphone then download the app and find a wifi zone along the way. or book before you leave England. 

Regarding the route, why dont you use the Michelin Route Planer? it gives you approx amount with tolls and without. Also calculates fuel costs. I dont know where you live but from St Malo to Lisbon its:

With Tolls: 228.35euros (Tolls 91.50 + 136.85 fuel) 17hrs 58Mins = 1035miles.

Without Tolls: 164.22euros (Tolls 0 + 164.22 fuel) 25hrs 44Mins = 1134miles.

For 64 euros extra i feel it would be worth taking tolls. You will drive 100 miles less and take around 8hrs less too, 

The above is based on a hatchback,Petrol car so if you have diesel then it will be even less. 

Michelin website car be found via google!


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