Driving from the UK - Page 3

We travel with our little dog too we travel the toll roads we first started staying in Bayonne and Bordeaux coming back . Now we stay in Limoges and Zaragoza just Google dog friendly hotels in in those places . Zaragoza is beautiful lots of little cafes on the side of the street and very dog friendly 

Hi, whilst the toll roads are quieter and quicker they can be costly so it is worth marking a map with the cost if you do take these roads so you can avoid next time. Some of the dual carriageway roads are busier but actually free and are shown on maps as free motorways(blue) or trunk roads (Green). (An example the N10 from Poitiers to Bordeaux is free but the A10 is a toll road ). Be careful as the speed limit is 110km on these roads compared to 130km on toll roads. 

Some tolls are definitely worth avoiding (eg the toll is a hefty €27 on A65 from Bordeaux to Pau) 

Also the tunnel Somport from Orthez to Jaca is free 

Hope this helps 

We travelled to Almería with our cat and stayed at two Ibis hotels who are pet friendly. There were plenty of people with dogs there too. 

Take a look at https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

Once you input start & destination you can modify preferences such as tolls, off road connections etc. The route description includes the price of tolls and each available route shows time, distance, fuel costs & tolls. Also shows hotels along the way and possible arrival times

As an example we are initially going from St Malo to San Sebastion. 

(1) route with tolls - 7hour 21mins, 737km, 46euro tolls, 138euro fuel - total cost 184euro

(2) route avoiding tolls - 10 hour 19 mins, 793km, 148euro fuel cost

Easier driving & 3 hour saving for 46 euro....We're using the tolls.

Yes I can totally recommend getting a EU pet passport when in Spain. Ours cost €50 at our local vets in Cocentaina it included a compulsory rabies jab that lasts a year. The next shot lasts 3 years. The only other stipulation is that the dog needs tapeworm treatment within 1 to 5 days before your return journey and this is recorded on the passport. In sumner have a gel cool mat for your pouch to lie on in the back. We also bought a Clío on USB powered mini fan which we fixed to the back of our headrest which he really appreciated. Probably not required in a December trip.

When drove over 4 years ago we landed at Cains.  We stayed over for the night then drove 5.5hrs to Bordeux.  Following day drove 5hrs to Zarragoza then 3rd day 4.5hrs into Moraira.

We had a small manuel Ford Street KA convertable with one bag in the boot and another strapped on top.

Used main roads all the way.  90% of the time we were the only car on the road.  It felt like being on the set of The Walking Dead!!! Best car journey I've ever enjoyed.

Used Satnav and found all the places we were staying at with ease.

Enjoy your journey

Hi Tia, we are driving to Lliber in a week or so with our 2 dogs, and have done this route before.

First night we stop off at Reims.

Second night Montpellier.

Then drive to Lliber the next day.

If you stay at Ibis hotels the majority are dog friendly, but if you go on their website it tells you which ones are pet friendly, and they charge €5 per dog per night.

This route does include tolls, but it’s a nightmare to avoid them.

Ibis are pretty basic but do the job.

I hope this is a help to you.

Hi, I’ve driven both from Calais and Bilbao to our place on the Costa Blanca. May I suggest you use a booking site like Booking.com or Hotels.com. You can search in the intended areas of your stops and filter your results to only display those where pets are permitted. You can also view your results on a map so you can judge if it’s location is suitable to you. Chris

Done this many times. From Calais we use B&B Hotels in Bourges and Perpignan. Right next to motorway. Don’t know if they take dogs.

Ferry to Bilbao (about an hour closer than Santander).  Get the ferry that arrives in Bibao 0800.  Easy drive down to Moraira in one day.

I got a eu passport for our dog last week from veterpet in quesada. 50 euros including the rabies jab. Customs at Portsmouth didnt even look at him on the way back.