Driving from France to the Algarve

Clipped from www.tripadvisor.com

Re: driving through france to Portugal

Sorry to ask, but did you read these answers to your post about 10 days ago????

http://bit.ly/dn9huw

It is motorway all the way. It is true that the traffic between Bordeaux and Burgos can be a bit heavy by if you go at it steadily you should have not problem.

You should try to avoid routing around Paris as the traffic there is usually heavy.

I would suggest that you route Calais, Rouen, Le Mans, Tours, Poitiers, Bordeaux.

If you are departing from Salisbury I would suggest that you overnight on day one in Rouen or at a pinch Le Mans. Day 2 head for Burgos/Valladolid/Salamanca and then Day 3, the Algarve.

Bearing in mind it is winter and early evenings, you probably will not have much time for sightseeing, so you should try and find hotels as close to Motorway exits as possible.

Another tip! Fuel! Do not buy on the French Autoroutes! It is much more expensive. Around most large French towns, if you come of the Motorway at a major exit you will usually find a large hypermarket complex run by Carrefour/Intermarche/LeClercs/Auchan. Most of these have discount fuel outlets where prices can be up to 5 cents per litre cheaper than on the Motorway. Given that you will be paying tolls (know in France as Péage), it helps to save money. These shopping centres also host outlets like McD's or Quick where you can eat junk food more reasonably than in cafes etc.

If you do layover in the Burgos area, one hotel, I recently stayed at, about 5 minutes off the E80 motorway on the N120 road is the Hotel Camino de Santiago.

See: http://bit.ly/a8SXFN

We got a good internet deal there on the last trip in October. Be warned it is outside Burgos BUT easily accessible from the Motorway although the last 300 metres is a bit of a dog's breakfast as you have to slide into a slip road and then run along parallel to the N120.

There is a restaurant and cafe in the Hotel. It is very clean and the staff were very pleasant.

As you slide into the slip road to approach the Hotel, you will see on the right a taverna type place called the Hotel Restaurante Los Braseros. We walked there from the Hotel Camino de Santiago and had a great and very reasonable Tapas Supper at the Bar. Read more at www.tripadvisor.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/fobl