Driving to Mallorca - Help & Advice please.

[graham]

Just arrived on the Corsica ferry from Toulon. Very comfortable and incredibly cheap compared to Balaer from Barcelona to Alcudia. Can anyone explain why crossing from Toulon to Alcudia is 10 hrs but return is 13?????

 

[ragdollabbi]

Just arrived on the Corsica ferry from Toulon. Very comfortable and incredibly cheap compared to Balaer from Barcelona to Alcudia. Can anyone explain why crossing from Toulon to Alcudia is 10 hrs but return is 13?????

Can I ask how long the journey took you to Toulon and how many stops you had in France? Interested to try out journey perhaps next year.

 

[clinkham]

Just arrived on the Corsica ferry from Toulon. Very comfortable and incredibly cheap compared to Balaer from Barcelona to Alcudia. Can anyone explain why crossing from Toulon to Alcudia is 10 hrs but return is 13?????

It's uphill going north.....

 

[Rockape]

It's uphill going north.....

Or its against the tide!

 

[Rockape]

This thread made me have a quick look at what it costs to come out for a month from mid Sept to mid Oct (dreaming) bringing my car and having a relaxed trip through France. The Ferry from Dover is £146 rtn and the Toulon ferry £186 rtn, £260 of fuel, so when you factor in having your own car on the island for a month, its not an expensive option. Obviously considerably slower than flying, but no taxis or carpark fees and car rental. Plus you can bring out a load of stuff too.

Definitely will do it at some point in the future.....hopefully!

 

[Shaun&Caro]

...costs to come out for a month from mid Sept to mid Oct

And I imagine by choosing dates / ferry times carefully you might be able to squeeze those prices down a bit further. Definitely on my list to do at some point...

 

[Hanser]

Or its against the tide!

Perhaps if they turned the ferry round for the return trip, it might sail faster with the pointy end at the front?

 

[Julian Simms]

Re the ferry timetable, I would imagine that it is because they need to arrive on time in Alcudia before they lose their place, whereas the return trip is overnight and there is no point arriving before Toulon harbour is ready for them or at 3 in the morning !

They also save fuel by running the engines at lower revs, in other words at less speed, which means less noise and vibrations for people trying to sleep.

During the day, you don’t notice them as much.

 

[Julian Simms]

Re time taken to drive through France, it all depends from where in the U.K. you are driving from.

Also there is no point in rushing to then have to spend a whole day in Toulon.

To give you an idea two years ago I drove from Teddington in West London, leaving at 06,30 arriving just north of Montpellier at around 8 pm.

This was done using the channel tunnel, driving through the centre of Paris and avoiding toll motorways whenever possible.

 

[graham]

Can I ask how long the journey took you to Toulon and how many stops you had in France? Interested to try out journey perhaps next year.

We got the 8.20 Eurotunnel, stopped for a leisurely lunch in Arras then overnight in Beaune. Left Beaune at 10.30 on Monday, lunch in Vallence (fab) and a final 3.5 hr drive to Toulon. Ferry left at 8pm. Arrived in Alcudia at 6.30am following morning.

So 2 days in all, with probably about 12 hrs on the road and some very pleasant stops.

Did it 2 years ago using non-motprway roads almost all the way to Barcelona via the Loire, dordogne, Carcassonne and Pyrenees. That took 4 days.

Costwise I reckon there's not a lot in it when you look at tolls, ferry and petrol v airfare, carhire and taxis etc. it's the overnight stays which can get pricey. But if you treat them as an integral part of a longish holiday, then it makes a lot of sense.

 

[ragdollabbi]

We got the 8.20 Eurotunnel, stopped for a leisurely lunch in Arras then overnight in Beaune. Left Beaune at 10.30 on Monday, lunch in Vallence (fab) and a final 3.5 hr drive to Toulon. Ferry left at 8pm. Arrived in Alcudia at 6.30am following morning.

So 2 days in all, with probably about 12 hrs on the road and some very pleasant stops.

Did it 2 years ago using non-motprway roads almost all the way to Barcelona via the Loire, dordogne, Carcassonne and Pyrenees. That took 4 days.

Costwise I reckon there's not a lot in it when you look at tolls, ferry and petrol v airfare, carhire and taxis etc. it's the overnight stays which can get pricey. But if you treat them as an integral part of a longish holiday, then it makes a lot of sense.

Thanks, sounds like you enjoyed the journey......something to look at for next year perhaps

 

[Julian Simms]

I agree with Graham. The trick, if at all possible and financially feasible, is to make the trip down part of the holiday.

Of course “going” on holiday is one thing; coming back from holiday is quite another, so the trip back can become a bit of a slog.

I put my foot down as I had to be in southern Spain the following evening.