Driving to Mallorca - Help & Advice please.

[Mark]

As already mentioned above, with a decent Sat Nav such as Tom Tom or Garmin with Europe maps the navigating will be easy.
Choose one with 'lane guidance' so it shows you which lane to be in on approach to junctions etc.

Remember that a satnav is only a guide, always use common sense as well as the sat nav or you may go on a few mystery tours.

Always helps if your front seat passenger reminds you which way to look at junctions etc and reminds you which side of the road to drive on

I always find the hardest part is when arriving back in England and remembering which side of the road to drive on when leaving car parks etc, Especially at night if the roads are really quiet and there is no one to follow

Some links to make you aware of some of the tricks the criminals get up to, if you now what to look out for you wont get caught out.

How To Beat Car Crime in Barcelona

Spain: Car crime in Spain, How to protect yourself, All European countries have a problem with car theft and

This business of car jacking


Spain travel advice

 

[whaleywanderer]

Wow Mark, that all makes rather scary reading but as you say it's better to be aware of the threat of possible scams. Thanks

 

[cumberland8]

Me & my son were mugged in a very busy Barcelona underground station, no one offered help.
My best friend works for Interpol, Barcelona has the worst crime rate in Europe triple any where else & that's the crimes that are reported, only Prague comes close.

 

[Sparky]

Wow Mark, that all makes rather scary reading but as you say it's better to be aware of the threat of possible scams. Thanks

We need to keep this in perspective, of course you must be on your guard but i think that goes for most big cities, ferryports and airports, after all thousands make the journey with no problems. While i was booking the ferry someone did try to lift hubbies laptop from the car while he was sat in it , do park the car in the security area as soon as you can, there is a cafe/bar next to this area so you can leave the car without worrying. We had about 9 hours to kill so take something to read or a pack of cards, anything to keep you occupied.
I honestly would not want to do the trip again but am still glad we had the experience and all the stress just melted away as we drove around the bay in PP. You and hubby will be fine Whaley .

 

[Nick]

Common sense, common sense and common sense and you should be fine.

 

[Sparky]

Whaley the Barcelona/Alcudia ferry starts sailings in March .

 

[med777]

Comedy Duo !

Hiya whaley,

if my comedy duo could make it from Scotland to PP then u can !
And ohhhh, the luxury of a proper satnav... well that pair managed with only Richard's blackberry ! ( and that included him driving and reading the blackberry satnav thru paris so they could stop there for lunch ! ) ( and I never said that...... right ! )
Enjoy every minute of it and make sure we get all the details !

Miriam

 

[whaleywanderer]

Thanks Miriam

You will certainly be with us every step of the way. Hopefully it will read as a journey travelog and not a black thriller!

 

[Jilly]

Whaley the Barcelona/Alcudia ferry starts sailings in March .

Thanks Sparky, looks like a shorter ferry crossing as well.

Got an outline plan now, think we can do early morning Eurotunnel (so much cheaper than the ferry to Cherbourg or Santander) , then get south of Paris for evening time for an overnight stay. Next day we can have a leisurely 400 -500 mile drive to Barcelona for the midnight sailing to Alcudia.

Just a few queries if anyone can help

- any recommended stop overs south of Paris, somewhere south of Orleans and north of Clermont-Ferrand
- there is a discount on the Balearia ferry for those with a NIE number, does anyone know what paperwork they ask for at the port ?
- does anyone know what the ferrys are like, look fairly reasonable Irish Sea type, failrly functional ?


Out of interest, there are 5 of us travelling, but only 4 can book a cabin, so one adult has to get out of the car and walk onto the ferry as a foot passenger, then bunk in later on, not the most flexible booking system.

Excellent thread, full of so much useful information

Thanks

 

[Sparky]

Hi Jilly we used Acciona so i can't comment on Balearia. The ferry itself had good facilities and very comfortable cabins but i must say embarking and disembarking was pretty chaotic .
When i was in the terminal booking office the guy (who spoke good English) asked if i had a Residencia number/NIE, which i didn't at that time, so not sure if you need to show a certificate as proof or if just being able to give the number is enough.
As for the situation with only 4 being able to book a cabin, is that just because they only sleep 4?, i assume you would have to either book 2 cabins or 1 cabin and a seat for the 5th person. Hope this helps and good luck with your trip, do keep us informed on how you are getting on .

 

[debz1]

We will be driving down through Spain again this year for the 4th time as we've enjoyed it so much the last few years ..apart from a few 'dramas' last year!!

We view it as an extension to our holiday, as we take around 5 days to get to Palma from Portsmouth, and we've had overnight stays in some beautiful places in Spain. The first year we drove from Calais and although France was lovely it's VERY big and there was a lot of driving.

This year we are going Portsmouth/ Santander then driving to Valencia to get the overnight Trasmed ferry to Palma. The main reason being to take another route so we can stop off at different places on the way, one of which being Gandia on the Costa Azahar. This was a beautiful resort we went to 3 years on the trot between 1984/87 when the children were babies, before PP captured our hearts. There were very few English people there at that time but it was very popular with the Spanish. It will be interesting to see how it has changed!

We have previously always used the Balearia ferry from Barcelona so I would be interested if anyone has done the Valencia route and also used both ferry companies to compare?

 

[Molt de Renou]

The Transmediterranea ships tend to be newer.

Balearia also have a service from Denia, south of Valencia.

I think it all depends on their timetables, as a lot of people prefer to do the crossing in daylight.

PS Finding the ferry terminal in Valencia can be a nightmare, as opposed to Denia´s, which is basically the only thing there.

 

[debz1]

Thanks looks like I'll have to do a bit of research although has to be better hopefully than Barcelona

 

[Molt de Renou]

Yes Barcelona isn´t that easy is it, although there is comfort in the knowledge that if you keep on driving, you are bound to get there sooner than later.

Columbus´s column helps as well, which in case you didn´t know, has steps all the way to the top.

 

[Molt de Renou]

Also, don´t forget that Balearia have a ferry service from Barcelona to Alcudia.

 

[debz1]

The Transmediterranea ships tend to be newer.

Balearia also have a service from Denia, south of Valencia.

I think it all depends on their timetables, as a lot of people prefer to do the crossing in daylight.

PS Finding the ferry terminal in Valencia can be a nightmare, as opposed to Denia´s, which is basically the only thing there.

PS Finding the ferry terminal in Valencia can be a nightmare, as opposed to Denia´s, which is basically the only thing there.

You say it's a nightmare but have you actually used the Valencia route as I'm looking for specific details for getting to the ferry terminal. There is a map on the website that doesn't look that complicated so I'm confused by your comments. Can you be more specific as to why it's a nightmare?

 

[Deanscroft]

Ray is right about it being illegal to leave a non-spanish reg car in Spain but it is not 6 months. Six months is the longest you can leave it here if you are then taking it back again. If you intend to leave the car in Spain it should be reregistered onto Spanish plates within 30 days.

 

[Molt de Renou]

You say it's a nightmare but have you actually used the Valencia route as I'm looking for specific details for getting to the ferry terminal. There is a map on the website that doesn't look that complicated so I'm confused by your comments. Can you be more specific as to why it's a nightmare?

Yes I have, on several occasions. As the ferries tend to leave at night, getting there generally takes place in the evening rush, which complicates matters.
Put it this way, I don't like it as much as Barcelona. Maybe you will have better luck than me.

 

[Gommar Goffer]

Can anyone advise me on security on the ferries. I am coming over in 10 days time taking the Portsmouth/Bibao ferry and then a three day trip to Barcelona stopping in Zaragoza mid way. What is the security of the car decks like? I have a cabin booked for the UK/Spain leg so I can move very valuable stuff into there for the crossing but what about the Barcelona/Palma ferry as I only have a seat booked. Are there any secure lockers on board?

Any other advice would also be most welcome. I am coming over in an aged Land Rover Defender

 

[majprop]

Something that may interest those of you driving down through France, there is a new ferry service starting shortly from Toulon in France direct to Alcudia, the service is being operated by Corsica Ferries, check their website but ensure that you go into the correct website of Corsica ferries as there are a few other ferry companies advertising the service via themselves.