socksat15

Hi
New to the site
We are moving to just outside Obidos early August 2017 and driving. Looking for any advice and the best route to take. We are in no rush and would like to take in some scenery on way. Just me and the wife no kids or animals. We have been told to go from New Haven to Dieppe as Dover at that time of year is a pain.
Any advice welcome.
Chris & Sue

peterfc

Hi Chris and Sue

Come out of Dieppe go next is Rouen then Alencon then LeMans then Tours then Poitiers then Angouleme then Bordeaux then Bayonne then Vitoria then Buros then Valladolid then Salamanca then keep going till you are over the border.

From the border i don't know a route for where you are going.

That's the route i use about four time a year when i go back to the UK.

Peter

socksat15

Thanks for that Peter.

MikeJ

If you are just tootling along and in no great rush then once you get into Spain near San Sebastian then continue along the north coast and make for Santiago De Compostella; cross into Portugal at Vigo and then down via Porto, Coimbra, Obidos.
Going that way myself in June. If in a hurry the we usually take the Burgos Valladolid Salamanca but continue on the A22 to Sevilla and then the A49 to Portugal.
We have overnighted a couple of times in Madrid to do a bit of sightseeing. The driving in Madrid is not as bad as you might fear - particularly if you hotel near the ring roads and take the metro into the centre.

macliam

I'd agree with MikeJ in part, but I presume he means for you to cross into Portugal at Tui/Valença - you'd have problem doing it from Vigo.....

If you do go that way, stop over in Santaiago for a night, see the Cathedral and the "Hostal de Los Reyes Católicos" now a Parador and the oldest continuously operating hotel in the world (built 1486) - then visit the market and treat yourself to Chocolate con Churros for the journey ahead.

Then head out towards Pontevedra, maybe with a diversion to O Grove, then down past Vigo, taking in the lovely views across the Rias to Tui, mentioned by Pliny in the first century, crossing the Minho via the International Bridge to Valença do Minho, with it's fantastic fortress.

Then on down through Porto - although I'd throw in a sidetrack to Ponte de Lima to see the mediaeval bridge. Then on to Batalha to see the huge abbey built, like Battle Abbey in England, to commemorate a famous battle (Hastings on the one hand, Aljubarrota on the other) then to Alcobaça to see the tombs of the famous lovers D.Pedro and Inês de Castro...... and on to Obidos. How many weeks have you got?

brodev

The following website gives access to cheap clean basic hotels in France roughly equivalent of Travelodge. I have used most at one time or another except Formule1 as they do not have ensuite.

Budget Hotels in France – Find a cheap or budget hotel in France

gedscottish

That's one hell of a detour to take in the north west of Spain, it's very nice but it's got to be an extra 500 kms?

If that's too much then as suggested take in the beautiful city of Salamanca, over to Viseu, Coimbra then down to your destination,
Another nice route is to cut in further north and catch the new a4(great road and scenic) past chaves and head south at Vila Real and on to Viseu etc

MikeJ

Around 200-250 kms. But the route is very scenic and Santiago is a 'must visit before you die' destination

gedscottish

In that case, it's worth it! I thought it would be way more, in that case as mentioned above take in more of coast before Vigo via Grove/Lanzada/Sanxenxo(I holiday there every summer, gorgeous)

macliam

Agreed - I went there for a birthday, not because of any religious leanings, but because there had to be something special about a place that people have been visiting for over 1000 years....... and there was!

If you eat, the scallops are great, but expensive, and the many, many ways to serve octopus will amaze you - octopus is the bacalhau of the Galicians. For me, Polbo a Grella - Par-boiled, then grilled and served with potatoes and a special dressing at the Dezaseis restaurant - accompanied by the house wine!