# Bilbao/Santander by road to Alicante



## Hope2005 (Feb 2, 2016)

Hi! 

We are going to try and hit the roads as I am becoming more afraid of flying. We are going to take the Britanny ferries from either Portsmouth or Plymouth either to Santander or Bilbao. Which of these city is better to take for an easy route to Alicante? 

What is the best way to do this? We are going to travel with young kids..(age 3 and 5). 

Are sats navs good to trust your journey? 

Any places, roads , motorway to avoid? 

Any other tips we should be aware off? 

Any stopping between cities? 

Overall travel ( hours) 

Overall cost in fuel? 

Thank you so much.

Hope


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

This might give you a place to start: 

Michelin Santander to Alicante Route: find the best itinerary

It doesn't have all the info you have requested but it is maybe a good starting point


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## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

We drove from Bilboa to just South of Valencia , Alicante would have been another hour in 81/2 hours , depends on your vehicle , how often you want to stop , time of day etc. We took the most straightforward route , tolls werent too expensive and fuel is cheaper in Spain but again all depends on your vehicle and the fuel consumption. Sat Nav was spot on as was the google map we had printed as a back up. The journey was really easy and the roads relatively quiet but extremely quiet compared to the UK !


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## ccm472 (Jan 6, 2016)

Deleted


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Hope2005 said:


> Hi!
> 
> We are going to try and hit the roads as I am becoming more afraid of flying. We are going to take the Britanny ferries from either Portsmouth or Plymouth either to Santander or Bilbao. Which of these city is better to take for an easy route to Alicante?
> 
> ...


In January 2008 we drove from Roscoff (Brittany) to the Alicante/Valencia border, with the final leg of the journey (from Irun, close to the French border) being covered in a little over seven hours. We used the AA online route planner (Route Planner | Directions, traffic and maps | AA) 
to map our route, and this will give you accurate timings and an estimate of fuel consumption (didn't have a satnav at the time!). The roads were almost deserted for most of the journey and it was an easy, relaxing drive, with regular stops to exercise the dog and take refreshments. We now use a Garmin satnav to find our way around Spain and this is fairly reliable and extremely helpful. Enjoy your trip!


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## GraemeA (Feb 3, 2016)

Hi 'Skipper', how long approx was the journey from Roscoff to Alicante? Did you stop overnight on the route?


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## GraemeA (Feb 3, 2016)

Oh, and how did you get on with your dog on the ferry? Many thanks &#55357;&#56835;


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

GraemeA said:


> Hi 'Skipper', how long approx was the journey from Roscoff to Alicante? Did you stop overnight on the route?


We left Plymouth on the early morning ferry, arriving in Roscoff late afternoon. We then drove for a couple of hours to a dog-friendly hotel that our French daughter-in-law had pre-booked for us and rested up for the night. I can't remember exactly where this was, but probably about 120 miles south of Roscoff. The next morning we got up early and left before breakfast, crossing the Spanish-French border late afternoon. We had pre-booked a room at a dog-friendly hotel in Irun and spent our second night there. The final leg of the journey, Irun to near Alcoy, took just over seven hours. We were driving a well-laden Fiat Doblo with our German Shepherd dog in the back, so taking it easy and having regular stops.


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## GraemeA (Feb 3, 2016)

Thank for replying, sounds like the journey we'll be taking as we're from Plymouth.


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## SandraP (Apr 23, 2014)

We are travelling from Bilbao to Ontinyent in September, but we are having 2 nights in Madrid on the way down and stopping somewhere on the way back before having 2 nights in Bilbao before getting the ferry back home.


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## TeeMyob (Jan 6, 2013)

Hi,

If you send me a private message, I can help you with the trip.

I have done this many times in 30 years

TM


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## SandraP (Apr 23, 2014)

SandraP said:


> We are travelling from Bilbao to Ontinyent in September, but we are having 2 nights in Madrid on the way down and stopping somewhere on the way back before having 2 nights in Bilbao before getting the ferry back home.





TeeMyob said:


> I have done this many times in 30 years
> 
> TM



Where would you stop for one night on a return journey? I want to stop somewhere that something interesting to see eg an interesting/unusual building, bridge, sculpture etc. Can you recommend a town or village on the return to Bilbao?


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## MUFC Johnny (Jan 31, 2019)

Hola Sandra !.
Me and my girlfriend have recently moved to Ontinyent and saw your post (albeit 3 years old !) and wondered if you or anyone else could help us with a couple of queries.....firstly , we are bobbing back to UK in an empty Renault Grand Espace to collect the rest of our furniture. Can you remember roughly how much all the tolls cost you from Ontinyent , and also what documents do we need to go Bilbao - Portsmouth in our Spanish registered car ?. 
And , we're looking for a small, CHEAP (new or decent second-hand) wood burning heater , approx. dimensions are 80cm long , 45cm wide (deep!) and 65cm high. Any help would be much appreciated. Gracias😊


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