DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

My wife and I drove from the UK (via Channel Tunnel) to Malaga on 19/20 Sep, with a one night stop over in IRUN, which was very straight forward and we had no problems whatsoever. We plan to make return trip in the next week or so but we are unsure if this is possible or not, any advice would be really appreciated.

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

Maybe you should also enqire on the France forum as you will be driving through two countries

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

Where are you resident, if UK then you have the right to drive back observing the attestation required to drive through France.

https://www.gouvernement.fr/sites/de...erogatoire.pdf

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

There isn't a box on this Attestation to tick for people passing through France to return to their country of residence. Until an Attestation for international overland travel is available, the OP and every one in the car would have to add something like "retour au Royaume Uni, mon pays de résidence" at the bottom. No problem with the French Gendarmerie if they're driving in the right direction and their car is UK-registered - they are more on the look-out for people driving around where and when they shouldn't be. I know that Irun is in Spain, but one problem might be finding a hotel open during lockdown, and no restaurants are open between the Spanish border and the Tunnel.
I agree, the question should be asked on the France forum, where some members are planning to return to the UK where they are resident, and others, at present in the UK, want to return to their principal residence in France.

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

We have stayed more than once at an Ibis hotel just outside Irun and during the last lockdown a no. of Ibis hotels were open. We now stay at the Cuidad Burgos right on the motorway heading to France. We used it when we were heading north for the summer. It is open and has a good restaurant. They also take pets.

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

I was just warning the OP that French chains like Ibis which might be open, can't open their restaurants for meals, although breakfast is served in the rooms. During the first lockdown, it apparently wasn't possible to buy food on the autoroutes.... There might be dispensations for professionals, but returning holidaymakers will probably have to cater for themselves...
Those in the know on the France forum will be more up-to-date....

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

We drove back from Almuñécar last April. We struggled to find an emergency hotel in Spain but found one just outside Burgos. We crossed the border no problem with our forms and although we had booked a place in France the motorways were so quiet we did not stop overnight but took it in turns and drove all the way to Calais. I had packed food but all the service stations we stopped for coffee had some food available and toilets open. Our papers were given a cursory check just after a few of the tolls but no problems at all.

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

Thanks Fred I will also check French forum

Re: DRIVING FROM MALAGA TO CALAIS
 

Really helpful, thanks for your advice.