We are visiting family in Northern England in September 2020. Then the 4 of us want to rent a car in France and drive thru France into Spain. Not sure of which city in Spain, because that decision may factor into the drive from France. I have no idea regarding itinerary, which towns would be practical to visit in France, etc. I'm not sure how long a trip would or should take once in France, but I do have about 1-2 weeks to allow. Once in Spain, and trip has ended, we will fly back to the U.S. from Spain. If anyone has taken a similar road trip, I would appreciate your comments, questions or suggestions regarding car rental, time of year, itinerary, lodging, etc. Thank you!
Posted by
Barcelona ☀️ Sweden ❄️
3907 posts
The extra drop off fee could easily be 500+ euros, renting a car in France and dropping off in Spain, make sure to research this aspect.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you for that advice! I'll look into dropping it off in France and public transportation to Spain.
Posted by
Washington DC
27155 posts
Use ViaMichelin.com for estimated driving times as you begin piecing your itinerary together, remembering that they do not allow for any stopping, getting lost, looking for parking, or walking between your parking places and the things you actually want to see.
Even two weeks is a painfully short time to drive across a sight-rich country like France, so I would not want to include Spain on the same trip. You would spend a huge percentage of your time sitting in the car. If all you want to do is cover a lot of miles, that is far more easily and quickly done by using the express trains, which travel much, much faster than a car.
Even limiting the trip to France would not allow you to see more than small snippets of the country, so dig into a comprehensive guidebook to figure out what you most want to see. I strongly recommend focusing on a limited geographical area so you have more time for sightseeing and spend less time in the car.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
I would opt for either France or Spain, as both are large countries and there is lots to see, particularly if you only have a week - this would make hiring a car much easier. Head to France anytime other than July and August. Spain will be busy and hot at these times too.
Posted by
Madison, WI, USA
524 posts
I also urge you to consider one or the other. My sister had a similar thought as you, to do a Spain/France combo trip and as she dived into researching it - she realized she would be shortchanging one country by racing through it. So she is focusing on just France for now and then on a future trip - she will focus on Spain.
But to answer your question - here are some things I experienced. We took a trip from Logrono, Spain to Bordeaux - which meant crossing the border. I had a printout of the train schedules from bahn.de that showed the route we wanted and the train station would connect in the towns of Irun/Hendaye. We attempted to purchase that ticket in Logrono the day before departure and the agent was completely unable to sell us that route even though I could show him the route. He said he could get us to Irun - but nothing past that. He couldn't sell me the leg that got us from the border to Bordeaux. And Irun/Hendaye are weird. They are border towns that are separated by maybe 100-200 feet. So you have to leave one station and walk to the other and get on a train. It was stressful and a hassle and I was so worried about being stranded in Irun if we didn't have a connection. However, having experienced it - I would tell you that the disconnect is fine - as long as you have your bahn.de routes - you have the information and just have to buy your tickets once you arrive in France (on foot!).
There are obviously other routes that will be easier like Paris to Barcelona...but if you are leaving from Bordeaux - you are likely connecting through Irun/Hendaye on your route - beware its a bit of a hassle.
A short flight might be your best bet...should you decide to do both countries.