France / Spain border in January

Easyliving

Easyliving

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We are driving through France to Spain in January 2020. I have All the Aires France and Camper Contact so places to stop are not a problem.

My enquiry is, what’s the best place to cross the France / Spain border? I want to avoid, if possible, too much snow and twisty roads. I don’t mind paying tolls if I can avoid problems.

Any ideas?

Paul
 
Avoid the A75 going through (Massif Central) and cross on the Med coast road at La Jonquera.....it'll be cold anyway (y)
 
We crossed using the Somport tunnel in May this year.Easy ascent on the French side and descent down to Jaca on the Spanish side.
No border or customs issue at all.
However , in January you will need to be careful with the weather conditions, winter tyres may be required etc. please check.
 
If you check the resources section there are quite a few routes shown for France to Spain, depending on the area of Spain you are planning to visit
 
As Jim says really does depend on where you plan to go to in Spain..
I can only assume you want to be south for the winter sun so in January most people take what is called the "western route" through France via Bordeaux.

To be safe then just stay on the Motorway down to the border at IRUN and cross there.
You may get stung for higher toll charges as you have a coachbuilt on your profile and will register above the 3mtrs for class 2. Press the button and state "camping car" most but not all times you can get away with the lower price. Unless you get Madam stroppy ?

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Last edited:
Many thanks for the replies. Seems like a western route through France is best. Should I use Jonquera as recommended by Barclaybasher or Irun as advised by tonka. We have almost 3 months for this trip and hope to find a bit of Winter sun by heading south. I notice Mr porky is asking about a cross Spain route, I assume via Zaragoza is best?

Thanks again.

Paul

Oh and we are only 2.89 metres tall, always been class 2 so far.
 
Hi Here's your route below. Also, time it so you can brin just after crossing the Spanish boarder, the fuel difference between France and Spain is significant. The Alcampo fuel station sells discounted fuel and is used by many.

ALCAMPO IRUN - Real time petrol prices

Current petrol prices, opening times and adress of ALCAMPO IRUN in 20305 IRUN, PARQUE COMERCIAL TXINGUDI, ZONA ARASO.B. VENTAS, 80
www.fuelflash.eu www.fuelflash.eu

Firstly, routes and route maps for France and Spain. This first link is an award-winning database, ‘about France.com’. It has a host of information on best routes to many locations. I have selected the famous N10 route from Calais to Irun which is used by many motorhomes when travelling to Spain. It’s almost all Toll free (more on that a little later) and almost all duel carriageway from start to finish with the exception of about 100 K. This route is great for motorhomes small, medium and large. Note: (HGV’s are not allowed on French roads, Sunday’s, so plan your journey over a weekend if possible).

(Note: Toll costs for a class 2 Motorhome. Calais – Irun. €149.40). (Fuel €151.62 Based on 1083 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.40 per ltr. 3.5T motor-home). N10 Calais - Irun. Using partial Toll = €11.50). (Fuel €147.84 Based on 1056 K @10K per Ltr. @€1.40 per ltr.)).

https://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

Tolls: Avoid the toll road from Calais to Abbeville and save 12.50 Euros. The non-toll route is quite scenic and fairly straight forward, between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Abbeville.

At Abbeville, join the A28 Motorway and cross the river Sein at Rouen. We take the second exit immediately after crossing the bridge (about 50 m past the first exit at the end of the bridge), swing down and under the bridge you have just crossed and continue on this road and join the A13 motorway until the N154 which takes you down to Evreux. (Note: there are a number of different options for getting through Rouen and no doubt other members will have their own preferences. We find this very straight forward on both outward and return legs). Approaching Tours on the D910 join the A10 toll road at Jct. 19 and exit at Jct. 23. This will take you through the city via the toll road, (€1.80). At Jct. 23 take the exit lane for Montbazon which returns you to the D910. (Reverse for the return leg). That’s the last toll to pay until you hit the bottom of the A63 after Bordeaux.

To save toll fares on the A63 south of Bordeaux please read the route recommendations in the above link. Do not come off the A63 near the bottom as all roads will be heavily congested and it’s worth paying the last few tolls. This route is also recommended during winter, due to its proximity to the Atlantic ocean, which means little to no problems with ice and or snow, unlike using the A75 to cross the Massif Central. Although the A75 is quickly cleared, it is advisable to have winter tyres fitted and there may be some small delays due to snow ploughs clearing this route.

If heading to the Mediterranean side of Spain, it’s worth taking the N121-A to Pamplona after crossing the Spanish boarder on the A63 at Irun. It’s clearly sign posted (Large white sign) Immediately after the Spanish border crossing on the motorway at Biriatou, Spanish Exit 1 (not French exit 1 before the border), clearly marked as the exit for N121a for Pamplona. Also here are Repsol fuel stations and shopping opportunities. You will find more details in this link for the N121-A and how to navigate Spain toll free.

https://about-spain.net/travel/no-tolls.htm

If you decide to pay Tolls in order to save time getting to Spain, your best route options are in this link.

https://about-france.com/tourism/routes-to-spain.htm

Should you choose to plan your own routes anywhere in Europe and also establish Toll costs, (or toll free costs) use this link. Under route options, select caravan then select toll roads. Toll costs for a class 2 motorhome will be calculated for the whole journey. You can also choose Non toll routes and other options. This is currently one of the best online free route planers.

https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

As for stop overs on routes, you can’t go wrong using the App below which is free but I would recommend getting the paid version for about £6.00 which you can then use off line. You will find numerous places to stop along the above route and I have deliberately not made any recommendations so drivers can make their own choices. This app is also brilliant for finding other places too and highly rated by many users.

https://www.campercontact.com/en/content/app

There is another popular app/website that is used which you may also find useful if you’re doing a lot of wilding and looking for free overnight stops. It too is used by many motor homers in Europe. Get the paid version to use off line for around £9.00

https://www.park4night.com/



One of the best off line MAP ‘App’ and used by many. It also includes a sat-nav function which is quite good and can also be used off line. Again many motor homers use this, especially in Morocco.

Broken Link Removed

Finally, for those looking for a data sim card for their ‘Mifi’ unit or tablet (WiFi) this is the best deal in the UK and possibly the best deal in the whole of the E.U. at this moment in time. A massive 50GB of 4g data for only £30.00 a month on a monthly rolling contract. Cancel the contract after two months to get the full 3 months usage throughout the whole of the E.U. Other options also available.

(Tip!) (Go on their online ‘Web Chat’ and ask them to confirm the contract starts when you activate the sim and if they agree (they did with me) keep a copy of the Web Chat that they will email to you, otherwise the contract will start from the day your order the sim card). After two months contact customer services by phone and cancel the contract by giving them 30 days’ notice. This prevents their fair play usage kicking in after 3 months and you paying through your nose for Wi-Fi. If they say the contract started from when you made the order contact the complaints number and they will honour the agreement made with the Chat agent! (UK number is 03333 041 524 (standard call charges apply, they will even call you back if you ask them and they are very helpful)). The Wi-Fi coverage is exceptional.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/bundles-and-sims/sim-only-data-bundles/

Vodaphone APN settings for an unlocked MiFi.

https://search.vodafone.co.uk/search?proxystylesheet=default_frontend&q=APN+settings&x=0&y=0
 
Phew, that’s what you call a long post. I will have to reread it I think and maybe print it out.

Thanks for the info, very useful.

Paul
 
Agreed, Take your time and don't forget to open the links, especially for the routes in France and Spain.
 
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Very informative PhilandMena. Thanks for taking the time as I'm sure we will refer back to your post in early 2020 when we start heading that way - in our new van !!

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PhilandMena that's, as always, a great post. But because it's quite lengthy why don't you put it in the Resources and just provide a link? Yes, I know you probably use copy and paste, but so many folk ask for the info.........
 
TerryL said:
PhilandMena that's, as always, a great post. But because it's quite lengthy why don't you put it in the Resources and just provide a link? Yes, I know you probably use copy and paste, but so many folk ask for the info.........
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Hi Terry, I put it into the resources section years ago, and updated it. However, it's never viewed so I just slap the whole thing into the face of the person asking the question and catch any others following the thread. It is a paste job each time. No way would I type this out each time.
 
TerryL said:
PhilandMena that's, as always, a great post. But because it's quite lengthy why don't you put it in the Resources and just provide a link? Yes, I know you probably use copy and paste, but so many folk ask for the info.........
Click to expand...
LOL Now added to the Resources section. I should listen to you more often.
 
If you want to take the east end of the pyrenees there is a toll motorway A9 which just takes you through to the costa brava. There is also a 'scenic' coast road.

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Easyliving said:
We are driving through France to Spain in January 2020. I have All the Aires France and Camper Contact so places to stop are not a problem.

My enquiry is, what’s the best place to cross the France / Spain border? I want to avoid, if possible, too much snow and twisty roads. I don’t mind paying tolls if I can avoid problems.

Any ideas?

Paul
Click to expand...
We are doing the same as you, for about the same period and first time for us :eek:

Will be keeping an eye on this thread

Andy
 
tonka said:
people take what is called the "western route" through France via Bordeaux.

To be safe then just stay on the Motorway down to the border at IRUN and cross there.
Click to expand...

Definitely the best advice and route,it’s worth noting that the authorities are seriously geared up in the event of snow unlike the U.K. if any weather hazard is expected they are on the button and it’s dealt with extremely efficiently if you do get stopped by a weatherfront just sit tight because it will be cleared and the road opened ASAP they don’t hang about.

Also they don’t get the wrong type of snow or leaves or water whatever they get they sort it. As it happens I’m returning to the UK in early December on this route and will be returning on the same route early January.
 
Littlewheels said:
Definitely the best advice and route,it’s worth noting that the authorities are seriously geared up in the event of snow unlike the U.K. if any weather hazard is expected they are on the button and it’s dealt with extremely efficiently if you do get stopped by a weatherfront just sit tight because it will be cleared and the road opened ASAP they don’t hang about.

Also they don’t get the wrong type of snow or leaves or water whatever they get they sort it. As it happens I’m returning to the UK in early December on this route and will be returning on the same route early January.
Click to expand...

just to add to this good advice, if bad weather comes in they will pull you off to a holding area a large car park, there is usually some facilities there... if the weather is bad you could be there a day or two....
 
Capitanjohn said:
Do not try the Costa Brava scenic route.
Click to expand...

Agree....

Not scenic, more traffic, traffic lights, speed restrictions....a real pain

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