Driving Directions from Santander Port

[nifaro]

Hi there everyone. I am looking for some help. I am returning back to spain to live with my children in September and am driving from the Port of Santander through Malaga, my final destination being El Burgo. I have driven before back in 2006 but I was following another driver, this time I am driving without them. I have been on the AA Router website but to be honest the layout of the route looks somehow different to what I remember. Last time it seemed I was on a motorway for almost the whole journey, cant remember the name of the motorway, think it was E- something?? Sorry to sound so dim about all this. If anyone can help me out I would really appreciate it, many thanks in advance, Nikki

[masterob]

You can either take the N623 from Santander down to Burgos and then join the main N1/A1/E05 south towards Madrid or take the motorway A8/E70 east beyond Bilbao and then the AP1 toll road towards Burgos and then as above.

The first route goes through very attractive country but can be slow as it isn´t a dual carriageway road. The second route, longer but much faster. The AP1 is a toll road but worth it in my view.

[teralin]

There is a new free motorway recently completed that you can take from Santander directly south and then turn off to Burgos. I will try to find the name of this motorway and post it soon if no-one else posts first. This a very fast way to get to Burgos and continue on south on the E5 as mentioned by Masterob.

The A623 is very beautiful but also a very tortuous route and if you get stuck behind a lorry it's difficult to pass.

[nifaro]

You can either take the N623 from Santander down to Burgos and then join the main N1/A1/E05 south towards Madrid or take the motorway A8/E70 east beyond Bilbao and then the AP1 toll road towards Burgos and then as above.

The first route goes through very attractive country but can be slow as it isn´t a dual carriageway road. The second route, longer but much faster. The AP1 is a toll road but worth it in my view.

Thanks masterob for the info. I am quite nervous to drive, as I said earlier the last time there were two of us. Nevermind hopefully I will find it ok, maybe I should pal up with someone on the ferry and ask if I can follow them LOL Thanks once again though. I did have the route written down step by step but yes Ive lost it

[nifaro]

There is a new free motorway recently completed that you can take from Santander directly south and then turn off to Burgos. I will try to find the name of this motorway and post it soon if no-one else posts first. This a very fast way to get to Burgos and continue on south on the E5 as mentioned by Masterob.

The A623 is very beautiful but also a very tortuous route and if you get stuck behind a lorry it's difficult to pass.

Thanks Teralin for the info. Its a great help when you know other people have done it. I did have it all written down step by step but Ive lost it. It seemed really easy when i left malaga to return to the uk, really straight forward. How long does the journey take roughly to malaga? Thanks again, Nikki

[Jennifer]

Hi nifaro,
I've just come over by road to UK.
Best map info is on www.viamichelin.co.uk
From Santander follow A67 Palencia it's motorway thru the mountains now
Turn of on to N627 Burgos, as you come into Burgos you might find the "new bypass" route open, they were painting the white lines on as we came up on 19 June. but either way follow signs to Madrid A1, as you come into Madrid about 30 km north turn off onto M50 and follow signs for A4 and R4, I find it best to to use the R4 out of Madrid , its a toll road(5.75e and 1.90e two tolls) and rejoins the A4 near Ocana.
The service areas on the R4 are open for fuel only now.
Fill up only in service areas you can see from the motorway, saves driving off to some remote village.
There are some Hotels in Manzanares (that's about 7hrs driving from Santander) Hotel El Cruce 926 611 900 www.hotelelcruce.com is one I've used a lot on the way down.
I'm coming back down again in two weeks so will update you on the Burgos bit.
J

[nifaro]

Hi Jennifer and thanks for the mesage on my driving directions, its a big help. When I drove back to the uk in July 2006 it all seemed so straight forward it was great, I felt like I just kept driving on one road until I reached the signs for Santander No worries though, I will get there. Thanks everyone though for your help!!
Nicola Falla Romero

[Jennifer]

Hi nifaro,
As promised an update, we have just driven down from Santander.
Took the N623 from Santander over the mountains, no problems with slow lorries, the road was quiet and the odd overtaking we did was easy.
This route is very picturesque as it cuts thru high rock formations. The other route as I posted on my way up is motorway with a section of single carriage way to Burgos.
The Burgos bypass looks even closer to opening, they now have the signs up , the run thru Burgos this time was ok as it is dual carriageway with controlling lights.
Use the M50 and follow signs for A4/ R4 round Madrid. Took us 30 mins to get from joining M50 to R4 at 7 in the evening, so a good run
Only have enough fuel to get to Santander as you will pay in euros what you pay in pounds per litre.
We used the Hotel El Cruze at km 173 south of Madrid (337miles from Santander) , had a room for three with breakfast for 103e.
Enjoy the trip down
J

[alexander1]

Has anyone done this journey recently? If so, which route do you recommend. Would prefer motorway and toll roads as opposed to scenic route. Many thanks.

[Enrique]

Hi alaxander1,
Save me writing it out again please read Jennifer' s post from last year.(22-July-2008)
Updates for this year.
A67 out of Santander signed Palencia, then N627 to Burgos, the Burgos bypass is now fully open.

Timings:
Keeping to the speed limits, stops every 2hrs and with good weather, 3-3.5hrs from Santander to Lerma( Hotel Alisa) just south of Burgos.
Santander to Manzanares ( Hotel El Cruze) 7- 8hrs, from here to Malaga (centre of known universe) estimate 5 - 6hrs.
Some road works through the Desfiladero de Despeñaperros , thats were the A4 crosses the Andalucia border. They are repositioning the motorway away from the village.
Also some road works north of Jaen rebuilding the carriageway.

[markwilding]

Because of the new motorway from Santander it's now also possible to go South not passing through Burgos or Madrid
You take the A67 to Palencia, Then the A62 to Valladolid and Salamanca, Then the A66 to Seville , And from there the A92and A45 to Malaga,
someone mentioned just the other day that as it's a newer motorway it's very straight with three lanes once you have passed through the mountains south of Santander

[Enrique]

Hi alexande1,
Just checked out your destination..........Manilva near Estepona
Best to use the A67 from Santander and stay on the "west" route as suggested by Mark.
Putting info into .........
www.viamichelin.co.uk

Shows distance as 1040km of with 1024km on motorways.

[alexander1]

Many many thanks to you all for your help. Sorry to be a pain but can anyone now suggest hotels about half way down? Really want somewhere with either secure parking or off the main drag. Have trawled through so many sites but not come up with anywhere yet!

[Lavanda]

To follow on from Mark's post ...

Santander - Burgos (ancient capital of Spain)
Burgos - Valladolid (former capital of Spain)
Valladolid - Salamanca (reputedly the oldest University in Europe but the hardest entrance exam)
Then through the stunning Gredos Mountins ...
Salamanca - Plasencia - Cáceres - Mérida on the E803 Ruta de la Plata
Mérida - Sevilla still on the E803 Ruta de la Plata
OR
Mérida - Córdoba

... and then it's easy.

This route is over two thousand years old but the Ruta de la Plata is now a modern, new motorway that is direct (the Romans knew how to build roads) and, the best bit, almost no traffic. Where to break your journey? Well, to be honest, every single one of these places!!!

Have a safe trip.

[Cliffs Dad]

Hi,
we stayed at the Hotel Azar in Plascencia. It is just off the main Route de la Plata and on the edge of Plascencia so very easy to get to and get back on the road. There is parking on site outside the front of the Hotel.It is clean and has English speaking Staff if your Spanish is not to good. They have a restaurant or a large snack bar to choose from. The rooms are nice and comfortable. I would definately recommend it. There is a website - http://www.hotelazar.com we liked it and are staying there in a couple of weeks time.

[alexander1]

Thank you all for your help. The hotel in Plascencia looks good Cliffs Dad. That might be for us on the way back as I think it is only about 100 odd miles to/from Santander? (Feel free to correct me!) Seems very reasonable too. Want to get further down though, possibly Caceres and have been looking at the Barcelo V Centenario in Caceres as this one too seems pretty close to the motorway. Anyone stayed there?

[Lavanda]

I know the hotel and it seems to be fine but I've not stayed there. It's on your route and easy to find. I've stayed in the Hotel Extremadura and can recommend that but it's much more central. Cáceres is probably better stayed out of - unless you want to visit the World Heritage Site Old Town.

http://www.walkingextremadura.com/walki ... rding.html

[Cliffs Dad]

We to have stayed in Cacerces, in the Hotel Alfonso. It can be a bit difficult to find and we had to park in the underground carpark but it was secure and the hotel paid for it, so not to bad. It was well worth the little bit of driving thru the town to get there as the Old Town is well worth seeing. Very impressive.