TurfrigFind it. Build it. Live in it.Bay of Biscay
Portsmouth / Plymouth – Santander / Bilbao
Brittany Ferries · 20–32 h · 2–4 a week
Car £250–600 one way with a cabin
Van or camper £350–800 one way with a cabin
Europe and North Africa › Spain
Spain
Diesel is usually 20 to 25 per cent cheaper than in France: fill up after the border. Siesta hours still close rural pumps.
Drives on the right · EUR · reviewed 22 Oct 2026
Fuel this week
Diesel£1.571.89 €
Petrol 95£1.461.75 €
LPG£0.921.10 €
Per litre, with tax. Diesel is 42p cheaper than at home. Week of 26 Oct 2026, European Commission, Weekly Oil Bulletin (prices with taxes). Converted at the ECB rate of 30 Oct 2026 (£0.834 to the euro).
- Spain → France +39p
- Morocco → Spain +37p
- Spain → Portugal +25p
What to know
Tolls and vignettes
Most motorways (autovías) are free since 2021. The AP-7 south of Barcelona is free; paid stretches remain around Madrid, in the Basque Country (AP-1, AP-68) and Galicia (AP-9). Vans over 2.3 m pay the light-goods class.
Clean air zones
Zonas de Bajas Emisiones in Madrid, Barcelona and, on paper, every town over 50,000. Foreign vehicles need a DGT environmental label or registration with the city; Barcelona fines by camera on weekdays.
Sleeping in the van
Legal to be parked anywhere parking is legal, as long as nothing is outside the vehicle (no awning, steps or chairs). Many coastal towns ban motorhome parking by sign. Free and paid áreas are growing fast.
Kit you must carry
Two warning triangles (or the new V-16 beacon from 2026), hi-vis vest, spare glasses if you wear them.
Speed limits, van under 3.5 t
120 / 90 / 30 in town on single-lane streets, 50 on two-lane
When to go
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Spain | 13° | 14° | 16° | 17° | 20° | 23° | 25° | 26° | 24° | 20° | 16° | 13° |
A dot marks the months we would pick: warm enough, dry enough, not yet crowded. Rounded from 1991–2020 normals. Coasts and mountains differ from their region.
Crossings
Strait of Gibraltar
Algeciras / Tarifa – Tanger Med / Tanger Ville
Baleària, FRS, AML, Inter Shipping · 1–2 h · hourly in season
Car €150–280 return for car and two
Van or camper €200–400 return (priced by length)
Routes through here
- Calais to Andalusia, the long way down: France at your own pace, then the whole of Spain.
- Santander to Marrakech: The ferry does the boring bit; Morocco does the rest.
Fuel: European Commission, Weekly Oil Bulletin (prices with taxes); Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices (OGL v3); European Central Bank reference rate. EU figures are the week of 26 Oct 2026; UK the week of 26 Oct 2026; † marks hand-checked indicative figures for countries outside both series. Map: Natural Earth, public domain. Climate: rounded 1991–2020 normals from national meteorological services. Crossings and country notes are our own and dated. Something here is out of date already, so check before you go.