Driving from Santander to Algorfa

Brilliant thank you for your advice. Really appreciate it 😊

Did it most recently last November. It’s an pretty easy drive and you’ll be fine. Can be done in 7/8 hrs depending on car but make that 9 or so and take a few breaks. Probably best way for you is on the 3 motorways of A1, A3 and then A31 that’ll get you close to Alicante. I vary route a bit each year to avoid boredom but there are still many barren miles in the journey either way. Plenty motorway cafes which are ok. Fuel is expensive on the motorways though and far cheaper if you step off it. This link may help www.komparing.com/es/gasolineras/gasoil

Thanks for your help and advice. If I put that in the sat nav it gives me Two routes but I’m not sure which one is best to stick to motorway and less roundabouts etc. I understand one way is with one toll and the other there is two which is one in Madrid I’d prefer to not have to go directly through Madrid if this can be helped. 

Many thanks 

Hayley 

I never use the toll routes as there’s no real difference time wise between toll or non toll. The savings on the tolls buy me a very good lunch. The savings on fuel between motorway & non-motorway filling stations saves me around another €50-€60 or so depending what I’m driving. There’s no road through Madrid only around it via the A1 & M50 peripheral so won’t harm you. Maybe bit slow at rush hour. Same with Burgos & Albacete but very minor delays. I would think for July/August the route from Santander will be very quiet over COVID. Safe travelling & enjoy the trip 

Ok that’s again great advice. I’m guessing by coming off somewhere To refuel will be much cheaper than on the motorway itself. Would that be easy enough for me to do? I am a woman driver after all 😂

Hi,  Like others I have made the journey many times without any problems. Because Santander is further West than Bilbao the most direct route is to go around Madrid, which isn't a problem. 

However if this makes you a little nervous head towards Logrono, Zaragoza, Valencia then south to Alicante. Its a very quiet route with a few small tolls and plenty of motorway cafe's / fuel stops. I haven't found a great difference in fuel costs maybe 4 or 5 euros extra for a tank full. Therefore not worth the hassle of going 'off piste' searching for a cheaper station. 

It is an enjoyable drive, safe and without hassle.

Regards 

Ok thanks that’s great 

You’ll be grand once travelling by day. Use the auto pumps & your bank card if preferred. Some of the cheaper fuel stops are on the main route itself & some are off it. I would not advise going too far off on your own. The price difference can be 20 cent a litre so savings on your small average 60 litre car is €12 per fill & an 80 litre car is €16 and so on. I arrive nearly empty off the boat and fill up quickly on arrival. If taking the jeep I’ll need to fill twice more unfortunately so saves me €60+. If using the car then just twice. The differences between Uk fuel prices & Spanish fuel prices of course are far more significant.

Hi,

I’m really not scaremongering, but following my experience in 2012 when I drove from Bilbao to Algorfa to live, I feel that I should warn you to be aware of a couple of possibilities.

Parking up at roadside cafes and petrol stations require vigilance as I had my tyres slashed by ‘bandidos’ and was then followed to be robbed until I pulled up in a lay-by with a flat. Luckily, the police had arrived to an earlier victim. Getting rescued in the mountains on a bank holiday is another story. No signal to call my insurers either.

Time of year important too. It was freezing in the early hours and the earlier journey across the Bay of Biscay was extremely turbulent. An 8 meter swell even leaving the UK!

Also, if you haven’t driven in  Spain before, be aware that a Garmin counts slip roads as first exit at roundabouts. At least mine did. So when I thought I was taking the first exit, I was in fact taking the second. Hence, stopping off to buy a map at a roadside cafe....Hope this helps you to avoid my ‘slip ups’ and that you have a good journey.