# Toll road prices against ferry cost



## lien (Feb 6, 2010)

We want to go to Portugal and have just got the price of the ferry to northern Spain, so. Does anyone know the price of driving from Calais to Spain using the tolls.


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## philbre (Nov 13, 2008)

*try viamichelin*

it will allow you to accurately calculate your fuel & toll costs


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

From Calais to the Spanish border would, according to 'ViaMichelin', cost around €73 in tolls and take about 10 hours driving.
The most economical route costs nothing in tolls but takes around 15 hours driving.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

Or use the french autoroutes site.

http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/homepage.html

Just feed in start and finish points and it will give you peage and non-peage routes and give you an estimate of the fuel cost as well if you also feed in your typical fuel consumption figure.

Don't forget to allow a bit more on top of all that for wear and tear (on the driver as well as the m/home :wink: ).


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

+1 for autoroutes.fr

To get the correct charges for Classe 2 (sub 3.5 ton, single axle) select "Car + Caravane" in the more options section.


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## ned (Dec 12, 2006)

*tolls v road*

Hi,

I have just done a similar calculation working on 25mpg. With my ferry price (portsmouth to bilbao ) £365. -1day. Portsmouth - Bilbao via ferry or tunnel £347. Possibly 3 days travelling. This includes the tolls. No brainer really. Get of the ferry at Bilbao and an hour to the campsite at Haro (ACSI) then off fresh and relaxed the next day. Even the dog prefers it as we got a dog friendly cabin instead of the kennels. Going out on the 8th of April for 6 weeks.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I think you will find the price of the ferry crossing in the summer holidays is a little more expensive !!


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## hymermick1 (Aug 22, 2005)

*Re: tolls v road*



ned said:



> Hi,
> 
> I have just done a similar calculation working on 25mpg. With my ferry price (portsmouth to bilbao ) £365. -1day. Portsmouth - Bilbao via ferry or tunnel £347. Possibly 3 days travelling. This includes the tolls. No brainer really. Get of the ferry at Bilbao and an hour to the campsite at Haro (ACSI) then off fresh and relaxed the next day. Even the dog prefers it as we got a dog friendly cabin instead of the kennels. Going out on the 8th of April for 6 weeks.


Hi Ned,
How did you get a price that low? I have tried with Brittany Ferries on that day with my Hymer and they quote £425. 
thanks mick.


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## sooty10 (Feb 22, 2009)

Ned,

Just wondering how you got the ferry etc to £340. We have just booked a ferry with 7mt motorhome for £24 with Norfolk Line, that leaves above £300 for tolls and diesel?. If you do use the tolls it is an easy 2 day drive.

Sooty


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## ned (Dec 12, 2006)

forgot to say that we have a brittany ferries travel club discount!


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## lien (Feb 6, 2010)

I have just priced it up for August and it comes in at £1300 Portsmouth - Bilbao return. i can't see why there is such a massive price difference.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

lien said:


> I have just priced it up for August and it comes in at £1300 Portsmouth - Bilbao return. i can't see why there is such a massive price difference.


Isn't it called "supply and demand" ?

They supply a service and demand a massive fee at a time when they can! :lol:

We also have BF Owners Abroad discounts and it is NOT a cheap option to take the ferry........

We go Plymouth - Roscoff most frequently as the toll charges only start just below Nantes rather than just outside Calais....

With a 7m van, the cost of a return trip via Santander is in excess of £1400, but you do arrive relaxed (apart from the steam coming out of your ears due to the cost of the trip). And it is convenient to be able to travel for a solid 24 hours without having to stop to change drivers, have a meal break etc.... 

Hence why they can demand such a supply of money from those that decide to do it.......  :roll:

Dave


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## Skar (Jul 13, 2010)

lien said:


> I have just priced it up for August and it comes in at £1300 Portsmouth - Bilbao return. i can't see why there is such a massive price difference.


Have you considered the Saint Nazaire - Gijon ferry?

I've just priced it up for August, for us (under 6m) the ferry is £438 return including outside 2 berth en-suite cabins.

Saint Nazaire is about 7 hours from Calais (650 km) and tolls are about £60 each way.

steve


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Skar said:


> lien said:
> 
> 
> > I have just priced it up for August and it comes in at £1300 Portsmouth - Bilbao return. i can't see why there is such a massive price difference.
> ...


Hi Steve,
It's worth booking a three or four berth cabin on this ferry at little extra cost (at least when we went) as these cabins have two bottom beds rather than bunks. The Bay of Biscay can be rough so two bottom bunks are much easier. Gijon was worth a day and there's an excellent site on a headland a few kilometres north called Perlora. Trains and buses run from very near the site into Gijon.
Lala


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

Unless you are a on a budget or tight income or have time constraints it really is a you pays your money and takes your choice and personal preference thing

I am going out, landrover, 4 adults, 3 dogs, Portsmouth Bilbao 01 April and return 09 April, 2 cabins each way, kennels out and dog friendly cabin back £900. I am off to Barcelona and we only have the week and as we are already travelling IOM Heysham on 31st and back 11th 02.15 and driving between Heysham and Portsmouth this will save an 18 hour 800 mile continental journey each way as against a 5 hour 300 mile continental journey each way, via Calais, better for us, the dogs and other road users

Overall saving 1,000 miles, £200 in fuel and about £140 in tolls, takes about 10 hours longer but we have a holiday on board and arrive refreshed and ready to work and get back refreshed and ready for work

We looked at flying, no dogs, £200 kennel fees to add, and limited luggage. We are going down to check inventories and set up our apartment and farmhouse for summer lets, so are taking things down

The boat wins hand down every time for me. But then I have spent a life time having to get on a boat to go anywhere.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I keep doing the maths for a trip to Spain but my other half works in a school so can only have holiday when the school does !! At around £1500  for a return trip with a 7.5m van I keep saying "just think how many nights on a campsite and meals out that £1500 will buy us in France !!!

The really daft thing I have found is that it is actually cheaper to go out from Portsmouth rather than from Plymouth :? even though its a LONGER trip, seeing as its the same b**dy ship is that perverse or what ??


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hmm.

If anybody is time restricted and factoring the daft money with the long ferry route, you might as well fly out on a package holiday and leave the van at home. :roll:


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## machilly (Feb 10, 2007)

Just come up from Spain in the last three/ four days, Diesel cost (7m Hymer + Towing small car, driving about 60mph)

Diesel average €1.40 per litre €220

Tolls €120

Aires Free

We used Tesco Vouchers for Tunnel

So our total cost excluding Food € 340

We expect next year to convert all our Tesco Vouchers to Air Miles and then use these for the Brittany Ferries....


hope this helps


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We did the one way trip ( Portsmouth-Santander) on 4rd Jan this year. With an outside two berth cabin it cost us £365. We had a pleasant mill-pond smooth crossing and it was an excellent start to the holiday and money well-spent, avoiding as we did several nights on aires without water and days on the road in the snow and ice. We returned via Dunkerque and wished, all the way north, that we'd booked a return from Santander.

We talked to someone who had done the outward trip a few days later and they had a vile crossing; stormy all the way and they arrived feeling terrible and took some days to recover. They paid much the same price as us but would rather have walked to northern Spain than do it again in such conditions.

There are so many factors to take into account that, if you can afford to buy the ticket, then it comes down to personal preferences.

G


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## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

hi thieawin,
we also are gong out 1st april to bilbao, with a pet friendly cabin one way its 440.00 we prefer to do it this way, and meander back after 3 months to a chanel port, it suits us to do it this way, we are arriving in warmer weather (we hope) and then slowly head north. not everyones cup of tea but its the way we prefer, even though its a bit pricey.

give us a wave at heysham, you will have to drive past our place, or see you on the way down.

tomnjune


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

If you do do the long ferry crossing then I would strongly advise taking a small mains travel kettle and some tea, coffee and milk with you. There is a mains plug in the cabin though you need a continental adapter. It does mean you can have drinks whenever you wish and avoid having to trek off to the bar or restaurant - and pay their prices.

G


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

There are a few inaccuracies on here. Your eventual costs will depend on how near your starting point is from Dover, Portsmouth or Plymouth. Travelling from Plymouth saves me a 500 mile round trip so costs should be calculated from your home and not the Port of departure.

Calais to Santander and return is 1614 miles and tolls from Calais to Santander are £212 return. Figures from via Michelin.

Then add the saving from the trek to Dover and return if there is one.

You can make additional savings by joining the BF Travel Club costing £100 to join plus annual subscription of £100. For that you get a 20% off your Spanish sailing plus meal vouchers. (For France the savings and benefits are better.)

If you had stated where you live and where you were heading it might have helped provide a more accurate response. As someone who also had to take school holidays you will find Spain and Portugal excessively hot in August but that is another matter.


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