Hi we are driving over 17th March,we have a 2.5 diesel Range Rover and now I`m getting scared about how much it`s all going to cost.We are planning to go tunnel,then down to Troyes where we will do a stopover then poss another stop near Perpignon before continuing down to Alicante.We have a 6yr old daughter so I think we will need 2 stops to relieve boredom.Does anyone have any experience of toll charges fuel costs and also can you reccomend any good b&b`s.

Hi maddiemole,

Try this site:

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...ng_directions#

Supply the info: departure, destination, vehicle, etc., etc.,

It will give you toll charges, petrol charges, easiest route, fastest route, cheapest route, etc.

We have found it very useful.

Good luck and drive safely

Can't help sorry mate....but hope all goes ok

Our friends did something similar, but not here to ask as back in UK at the mo....but they said a portable DVD player for in the car and a few good DVD's made it soooooo much easier...they said it was a Godsend.

The Scooby Doo film is now that most hated film by the parents ...(there kids were a tad younger)....

All the best xxxxxxx

DVD player all charged up and ready to go,as is leapster etc.Just hope we don`t run out of batteries.Don`t think I could cope with are we there yet for 1200 miles!

nor could I ......!!

Does she like making things ? You could buy a surprise for her like one of those bracelet and necklace sets...and keep it for emergencies. Just in case .....
We bought a cotton reel set for our 3 year old for the plane..in case he started playing up...it worked (but that was only a 2 hour flight... )

Im driving down to the costa del sol next month, and it kinda makes sense to get the ferry from portsmouth to bilbao. Get the right one and its about £230. If you compare that with the 700 miles of fuel and road tolls you would save + ferry crossing to france + hotel in france, it works out a bit more economical. OK you are two nights on the ferry, but it will certinately be easier on the 6 year old.

Day 1: Drive down to portsmouth get to ferry in the evening, and board. Stay the night on the ferry.
Day 2: Spend the day on the ferry - it goes whale watching! theirs kids play areas and stuff apparantly. So should be entertaining enough. Cinemas too. Spend the night.
Day 3: Get off the ferry in the morning, Drive to alicante from Bilbao.

Seems quite ideal to me. Thats my plan anyway.

When we came over last year we found it very helpful to have each of the toll costs in individual money bags with the amount and which number toll it was written on a little piece of paper. This meant that at each of the tolls we were able to give the exact money and this lessened one stressful factor from the experience. You can find out the amounts on the Michelin site quoted in another posting.

If you have time before the journey to set some things up for your little one a thing that I always found useful was to find pictures of places or things that could be found on the journey and let the child help you to find them and also to add things that you hope you might see - a bit like the eye spy books from years ago.

Good Luck

Rosemary

To add to Rosemary's posting, I don't know about France but once you reach the first Spanish service area pick up a free leaflet in English detailing the motorways, services toll booths etc.
Graham