Car travel route from Basque area to north of Barcelona?

Zaragoza or Huesca make sense on the Spanish side, with either being about the mid point between your start and finish locations.

I don't have a specific answer for you, but I have few semi-relevant tidbits :

I have driven from Biarritz (France) to San Sebastian (Spain) and back. Unlike driving into France from Germany (no border control at all), there were police and/or army guys with guns when trying to re-enter France from San Sebastián. I was waived through, but I had French plates.

Biarritz is stunningly beautiful place on the French side. However, it seems you can easily drive from San Sebastián to Barcelona without entirely within Spain.

Roger when are is your trip?

Zaragoza is very interesting, but it can be very hot in the summer.

Huesca/Jaca are also nice but not in the winter ( normal winters with snow that is).

@Railrider the entry into France is actually a toll booth and they take advantage of it to review cars, but more vans. When you enter Spain the toll booth is a few kilometers on. And if you look you will see Policia Nacionales and Guardia Civil.

Regarding Andorra, I heard from employees in the hotel in Toulouse that people drive down there to buy cheap things - possibly gas. It's a tiny little place though - and you can see some videos of what it looks like.

Other than Barcelona, my favorite places in Spain are Sevilla and Granada. And in that area are half a dozen cute villages that RS has recommended (Arcos, Ronda, etc) plus some he has not mentioned. I always wanted to visit those but I did not have a car. That entire southern region seems to be the most interesting part of Spain. You can also get down there from Barcelona or Madrid very quickly on their Renfe high speed train (and rent a new car) or drive down.

Regarding the border into France, this was 4.5 years ago, but I also crossed from Italy into France, and Spain into France and both times I saw guys with machine guns but no toll booths. I had French plates, and a soldier said something to me in French (seeing my French plates), I said "What did you say?" in French, and in an irritated voice he said "Allons-y" (Move it), which I did. In fact, I usually always obey guys carrying assault weapons.

There's lovely mountain scenery around Andorra-the-country (and elsewhere in that area), but Andorra la Vella, the capital, is sometimes referred to as an "outlet mall" these days. It wasn't even that great when I visited it in 1972. Unless it's on your direct route, I'd take a pass. There are better options. La Seu d'Urgell is an attractive town, as is Puigcerda (poo cher DAH), and some of the tiny places along the highway between them are worth a quick stop. Low-lying towns in that area (including Puigcerda) can be very hot in the summer--though not as bad as Zaragoza, I guess.

There's nice scenery on the French side of the border as well. I used public transportation in that area, so I can't give a driver the most useful recommendations. You can go to ViaMichelin.com for suggested routes then zoom way in. The most scenic stretches of road will be outlined in green.

What route are you taking? Along the Ebro river or over the Pyrenees? I'd agree with others that Zaragoza is the ideal mid point, further down the road in Catalonia you could also consider Lleida if following the Ebro. If going over the mountains consider Jaca or Vielha.

I would not recommend Andorra la Vella, a town turned duty free mall.

May I ask why you are going all the way to Figueres or Cadaqués? If following the Ebro you will have to pass Barcelona anyway, why not just go to Barcelona, drop off your car, then day trip to Figueres or Cadaqués another day? FYI the drive to Cadaqués is not for the light of heart nor should be done after the long drive.

Hi, thanks to all for the feedback! To answer some questions, our trip is planned for the later half of September this year. Also, we’ve already previously been to Madrid, Seville, southern Spain, Mediterranean coast and Barcelona (all wonderful!), so this trip is intended to explore the area of Spain north of Madrid and Barcelona, with no plans to go west to Santiago. In the Pyrenees, we have no plans for hiking, etc, we just want to view the scenery there and stop overnight somewhere interesting and pleasant.
Looking only at the possible travel routes and travel times, I’m thinking about taking route A-64 east (in France) from St-Jean-de-Luz, then head through the Pyrenees on route N125 and N-230. Then… I’m not so sure, N-260 to La Seu d’Urgell (very windy route, too slow-going?), or continue south on N-230 then N-260 via Talarn/Tremp? I realize it will be about 4-5 hours driving per day for two days, with just one stop - maybe I need two overnight stops en route to Figueres…

@Carlos, thanks, we’re going to Figueres and Cadaques primarily to see the Dali museum and Dali house. I thought it would be best to go and spend two nights there with the rental car, then proceed to Barcelona and drop off the car, and spend a few days in Barcelona.

Thank you for the clarification, if going across the Pyrenees as you have outlined, then the only way to reach Figueres is with the N-260, which is the winding mountain road, definitely will take two nights to make the trip, just to be safe. For overnight stops: Vielha, La Seu d'Urgell, Puigcerdà, and Ribes de Freser would work.

Along the way be sure not to miss:

Vall de Boí - a mountain valley with many old 1000+ year Romanesque Churches, Vall de Boí is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Vall de Núria - an excellent area for all kinds of hiking. The Sanctuary of Núria is also an important pilgrimage location in Catalonia.

Val d'Aran - little known autonomous region in the northwest corner of Catalonia, quite an interesting place with their own unique language and culture harkening back to Medieval Gascony. Here's an excellent recent BBC article about the area - https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220117-aranese-spains-little-known-language

@Carlos, thanks, that’s great information. Also, I’ve now zoomed in on the road entering into Cadaques and I can see that it’s not a good road to do after a long travel day (as you mentioned).

Scenery on the road to Cadaques is very good, but I don't know how much of it the driver will be able to enjoy. I took the bus from Figueres.

Figueres, incidentally, is far from being one of my favorite towns in Spain. Many, many places have more interesting architecture. The Dali Theatre-Museum and the related (nearby) jewelry collection are both great sights, though. I must not be the only person with a very "meh" opinion of the town itself, because hotel rates are comparatively low. I'd definitely favor staying in Girona (between Figueres and Barcelona) instead if that is practical. Girona is easily worth a full day. I cannot comment on the parking situation.

If you are going into France don't forget to book your rental car as being driven in both Spain and France. When we looked into it (for Spain and Portugal) crossing borders seemed to add a couple of Euros to the daily rate.

@acraven, thanks for the comments. I was originally planning to stay two nights in Cadaques, and drive back and forth to Figueres for the Dali museum, after the first night in Cadaques. But on Google maps the road into Cadaques looks a little bit tedious for doing that. Although Google says it’s just a 45min drive, so maybe it’s fine. Girona could be an alternative- thanks for the suggestion. Or maybe the shoreline town of Roses, between Figueres and Cadaques?

I've only been to Cadaques, Figueres and Girona (and points west). I'm not familiar with other coastal towns in that area. ViaMichelin.com estimates identical driving times from Figueres to Cadaques and Girona--though who knows what would happen during the actual drive. Girona's much larger, so it's possible dealing with parking there would be a bit more time-consuming.