I would say that from Calais to Madrid in one go is a bit much although I have known people who have done it. It would take about 15 hours without stops and obeying speed limits. I usually stop around Bayonne and what the hotel costs I save by not using the toll roads. Campanile hotels are fine by me. I usually stay at their cheaper option Premier Classe. The following link gives a good selection of good value hotels. http://www.day-tripper.net/hotels-in-france-goodvalue.html I avoid Formule1 as they don't have ensuite.

Hi
We have done this trip this August as we wanted to be able to stay for a longer holiday. We caught the ferry from portsmouth to santander and then drove down to mijas costa. The ferry was a very rough crossing as their were storms over the Bay of Biscay but it was fantastic to see dolphins and whales whilst on our journey. Once we arrived in spain the journey was very easy. Spanish motorways are fantastic compared to those in the UK. They are much bigger than ours and their is hardly and traffic on them. Their are plenty of service stations en route and they are not over priced like the UK ones. We decided to use the toll roads and in total this only cost 23 euros! This is well worth the few hours you save in driving! In total it took us 12 hours and we had 3 stops. 2 were for 20 mins and then we had a longer stop for about an hour. I did this drive with my partner ( who doesn't drive) and with 3 children. This is a managable drive for one person but it would be a simple drive with 2 drivers! My partner is now learning to drive so we can go again as the total money saved from going by ferry and car compared to going by plane and hiring a car allows us to have another holiday! In total the cost of petrol came to £300 for a 7 seater 1.6 car ( this was from the midlands to portsmouth, there and back, santander to mijas costa, there and back, lots of day trips on holiday, and also the petrol lasted for 4 days after returning). We have decided to do this for most holidays from now on as we can not believe the amount of money we saved! Just be safety concience when driving, dont stop for random strangers. If you do need to get out of the car for any reason lock it straight away and you,ll have a pleasant trip!

Welcome to the forum Boots1980.

Sounds an interesting trip. I wouldn't mind going by car as I think you see so much more & is more exciting

Have done this drive 3 times now, London - Nerja (2003, 2008, 2010) It is a tough drive as I am the only driver but a fantastic experience too, We do it over three days, Calais - Bordeaux - Bordeaux - Madrid - Madrid - Nerja...I think its favourite to spend a night in Calais, a good night sleep then you're ready for a nice early start and well rested. Aim yourself for Rouen (try to avoid Paris ) tricky ring road and plenty of traffic there !!
I've done both toll and non toll roads, the tolls are not cheap but in the long run saves so much time literally hours. ( theres a uk company Sanef Tolling (google them) you can now get a gadget to fix to your windscreen which allows you to fast track through French tolls and they invoice you toll fees after your holiday ( saves all that queuing and looking for change. For your overnight stays check out " Booking. Com " a really good site and something to suit everyone's budget.
Some of the drive is a little tedious but the some of the scenery is so beautiful, especially when you near the Pyrenees, Basque region and mountains near Granada, and yes I must admit many of the roads on the Continent put ours to shame.
Always be aware of personal safety, only stop for breaks where there are lots of other people ie motorway services or similar. Obey the driving laws as at very least they can be very, very expensive if broken.
At the start of your journey I believe is better to fill up with fuel in France ( only at French supermarkets not motorways ) rather than UK but check first as this may only apply to diesel !!
If you get the chance to take this journey, then please do, it's fun and interesting, probably no cheaper than flying but you do save on the car hire at the other end !!!
DRIVE CAREFULLY AND STAY SAFE :-)

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