Alex71

I'm in the process of planning a road trip through Spain and Portugal for the summer. We've been to the Mediterranean coast as well as to the Algarve many times, therefore, we are looking to explore the Atlantic coast as well as Madrid. We'll have our two kids with us (11 and 9), so will have to keep them happy with some beach days, etc.

The route I have in mind is:

- Bordeaux
- Biarritz
- San Sebastian
(open for suggestions for an inbetween stop, since this is a 6 hour drive)
- Santiago de Compostela
- Viana do Castelo (plus surrounding beaches)
- Porto
- Lisbon
- Madrid
(need to add stops to the north to break up the trip back)

Does this sound interesting? Any tips and suggestions on what we should add or leave out?

LupineChemist

Don't know how many extra days you have to play with but I would be very sure to stop in Asturias. (Covadonga and the lakes above the town are pretty neat, though it will be a bit crowded with cars)

And 100% be sure to make a trip to Islas Cíes from either Vigo or Cangas in Galicia. There are limited entries to the island, so you have to be sure to reserve a spot on the boat online weeks before in the summer.

Depending on how much you want to see some spectacular cliffs, I would take it slow through Galicia stopping at all the neat lighthouses and outcrops.

Here's just a random photo I took with my phone around there.

Palal

Beach days... the ocean is cold, it's not the med.

Between Porto and Lisbon add Coimbra, Nazaré (and around), Óbidos, Sintra (only for the "Harry Potter" library, as the town will be deserted).

On the way from LIS to MAD you can either go through Castelo Branco, Serra de Estrela and Salamanca (worth a day), or through Évora and Estremoz.

Alex71

Fantstic, will add a night in Vigo to allow for a day trip to Islas Cíes and will add to side trip to Asturias/Covadonga on the drive from Bilbao to Santiago.

I understand that the water will not be very warm, saw an avarage water temperature of 17 degrees for July. It will still be fun for the kids to play a couple hours at the beach and to get their feet wet. I'll also book hotels with pools.

The suggested routes from Porto to Lisbon and on to Madrid sound great. I'm adding a night in Salamanca.

This pretty much fills the three weeks we have available. I'm allowing for three nights both in Madrid and Lisbon.

Thanks again to both of you!

spainlover

I'd suggest at least a quick stop in Bilbao to check out the Guggenheim Museum (Frank Gehry architecture) and maybe get another great meal. You'll eat sooooo well in Pais Vasco (San Sebastian, Bilbao and surrounding region).

Alex71

Thank you, yes, got two nights down for Bilbao with the intent of spending one full day there. I wasn't able to find a reasonably priced hotel in San Sebastian, so will have to cover as a day trip on the drive from Biarritz to Bilbao.

Concerto

A great favorite of mine is La Coruna in Galicia. Great place! And I totally echo the suggestion to stop in Bilbao to see the Guggenheim (and enjoy the Pintxos and amazing food scene as well as getting drunk in a number of cafes on wine you will never have heard of).

I've done a couple of road trips in Spain and along that northern coast the distances can be shockingly un-European. I set out to follow the N 634 all the way from Santiago the French border, an amazing road, and never quite finished it.

MSPeconomist

Instead of Viana de Castelo or Vigo, I'd do Bayona (various spellings).

The autoroute that hugs the coast in northern Portugal is dramatic and fun to drive. IME it doesn't get a lot of traffic (toll road).

I second the suggestions of the additional towns in Portugal. Try to stay in at least one Posada.

Between San Sebastian and Santiago de Compostela there are some nice smaller historic towns along the northern coast. I stayed in one of these in a not very impressive Parador. Good fish and a distinct regional culture. Do try to stay in the Parador in Santiago--it's one of the very best in the system.

To drive back to Madrid, expect rather slow secondary roads and border crossings that might not be open 24/7. Zamora has a Parador in a historic small city. Salamanca is very very special. There's also a more northern route through Avila. There's some interesting countryside (castle) on the western side of Madrid.

How much time do you have? Can you add Toledo, Sevilla, Granada, etc. and even Guadeloupe (spelling?) for the old monastery/convent? I'd be inclined to focus on the places that require a car and do the big cities near major airports (Lisbon, Madrid) at a different time if necessary.

Palal

You can do motorways all the way if you so choose. I'd say the Portuguese part through Castelo Branco is pretty scenic even on the tolled motorway.
Stop dating yourself - there are no border crossings and the routes are all open 24/7.

A few other things...
Fuel is MUCH cheaper in Spain, so fill up before crossing the border.
Figure out how you're going to pay for tolls in portugal on roads that have no toll booths.

North of Bilbao - definitely check out Vizcaya Bridge - should be interesting for the kids.

LupineChemist

So long as you enter via a motorway, it's very obvious on how to do it. Though I suppose I haven't done it coming from Galicia on the traditional toll road so I don't know if they have the post to enter your card info there as well.

But yes, the idea of closed border crossings seems so antiquated now.

Also, forgot to add to OP, if they can get some international data Waze is really good about knowing where the random speed traps are.

Alex71

Thank you, looking forward to the time in Bilbao. We've been to La Coruna as a stop on a cruise and really liked it.

Yep, we have a couple nights in Biarritz, which is only a few km from Bayonne, so will definitely visit it. Looking at the hotel situation, we may actually end up in Bayonne rather than Biarritz.

The Parador in Santiago looks fantastic, but unfortunately does not seem to have family suites / rooms. The Posadas seem to have rooms for four. Looking at some of them to see if I can work a night into the budget.

We've been to Sevilla before, so will leave off this time. A routing through Toledo would be an alternative to Salamanca. Reading up on both of them as well as on the other places Palal recommeded for the two alternative routes from Lisbon to Madrid.

In general, we want to stick to the coast for a good part of the trip, since it will be cooler there. We will go three weeks from mid July to early August.

In general, we will have to mix culture with beach / pool time, hikes, soccer stadium tours and other things that will keep the kids happy. Otherwise, it will wear them out and make them grumpy.

The Vizcaya Bridge looks cool, we will definitely have to ride it.

Thanks for the info on tolls. That easy toll pass seems pretty straight forward. I wasn't aware that Portugal had such a system. It will make it easier to get on and off as we stop for interesting location.

Fuel prices will fortunately not be an issue, since my car comes with fuel included. I have to make sure though that I find gas stations that accept the fuel cards, that I have to my disposal. I have Routex (e.g. BP, Agip), Total Euro Traffic and Shell.

Thank you, I'll look into Waze. I have CoPilot on my phone and had planned to use that. My phone is a company phone and they discourage extensive data roaming while on vacation. My wife typically gets a data package, so she might be able to install Waze.

IAN-UK

You've talked about this drive in an earlier posts: I was baffled then as I am now.

The Portuguese A28 doesn't hug any coasts, and the A3 is much further inland.

There is a coast road north from Viana: it's pretty in parts, but short on drama.


Yikes! This takes me back to my very early years - cross-border trips complete with customs inspections on trips to raid Spanish supermarkets

Alex71

Planning out the trip further raises the question of where to stay in Madrid. I understand that parking in the center is limitted, making it impractical to stay right there. I see lots of availability for early August out at the airport, but from what I've gathered, many of the hotels there are in unappealing industral areas, making this an unattractive choice.

Ideally, we would like to stay in an area, that has some character to it, including some restaurants and shops, good parking and easy metro access so that we could reach the center in 15 or 20 minutes by public transport. The kids love to ride trains, so having to use the metro will be a plus rather than a minus.

Thanks in advance for any recommedations.

Palal

I remember that some hotels around Nuevos Ministerios may have parking included.
I found this site and it lists some decent rates, but haven't used it personally.

LupineChemist

Depending on if you care about paying for parking, you can probably expect 20€ a day or so in a proper public garage. That said, parking is free outside of the M30 ring road.

I know there are a couple hotels near the Pinar de Chamartín metro stop, but that is probably 30-40 minute ride into the city center. If you stay at the Holiday Inn Pirámides you can drop your bags then drive to the other side of the river and find a spot for free and make the 10 minute or so walk back. Best time to arrive is probably around 5 PM as it avoids most traffic, but it's before parking spaces become a very precious commodity.

Also, keep in mind all parking is free after 3 PM in August (though there are neighborhoods with 24h restricted access in the historical center)