Camping in France

[tigersharkjs]

Hello:  My husband and I will be doing some camping in France in order to have a look around at various areas.  We will be driving a VW van type camper. We are wondering what anyone has to say (good or bad) about French campgrounds.  Are there a lot of them?  What are they like ,   prices, etc.   Thanks for any responses!!  Janice

[M]

Mostly brilliant - even the 2 & 3 star 'municipal' campsites. Almost every town has one, and they are not expensive at all.

M

[Callie]

I second what M says. French campsites are brilliant. A lot of them close during the winter months, but most municipal ones stay open all year.

Prices vary according to how many stars they have. We like the smaller 2 star sites which have showers, loos, washing up facilities and somewhere to wash clothes. Some have washing machines. The big more luxurious sites have all sorts of extra facilities - swimming pools, a bar, restaurant, disco etc.

At all of them it is possible to have electricity - you just need to make sure you have your own extension with you.

Not 100% sure of prices, but you are probably looking at between 15 euros to 45 euros a day, depending on the site. I'm sure someone will put me right....!

[LEO]

[quote user="tigersharkjs"]Hello:  My husband and I will be doing some camping in France in order to have a look around at various areas.  We will be driving a VW van type camper. We are wondering what anyone has to say (good or bad) about French campgrounds.  Are there a lot of them?  What are they like ,   prices, etc.   Thanks for any responses!!  Janice[/quote]

 

 

Hi Janice ,

there a lots of campsites in France and not expensive but, mostly closed from October to April .

What part of France are conteplating.

Leo.

 

 

[Callie]

If you look in the Michelin Camping and caravan site book, you will find all you need to know. It's a useful book, which we don't buy every year because of the cost, but gives a good description of each campsite, whether it's in a quiet location, shady, cost of electricity, pitch etc.

[g8vkv]

A couple of thoughts ....

The electric hookup on French sites varies between the UK "Commando" type and the type of socket found inside French houses. It would be useful to have an adapter from one to t'other. Polarity of L/N is usually random and this can cause breakers to trip and is potentially [:)] dangerous. A polarity reverser sorts this out.

The sites themselves are normally terrific - the Municipals close to town are good - you can pop to a local restaurant and not need to drive back! We used to use the Caravan Club guide which is pretty accurate - and you can also amuse yourself by reading members' nerdy comments about each site.

[anniefromwales]

Hi, I see many warnings about hookups on French sites but in the last few years I have personally never found it to be anything other than EU standard, indeed I have read recently that it is now illegal for campsites not to have standard EU connection. However I do always check the supply with a polarity tester when I hook up - they only cost a few quid and they set your mind at rest, I got one from Halfords.

If you are likely to be looking in less touristy parts, get a guide that tells you where the 'aires de camping-car' are - NOT to be confused with 'aires de repos' on the motorways - aires de camping-car are small parking areas where campervans can stop overnight, not many have electric hookup but most have fresh water and waste water/loo emptying facilities. Mostly open all year, mostly close to town/village centre and mostly free, thousands of them all over France.

Also the France Passion scheme might be of interest if you speak French (staying on farms - you stay for free but are usually invited to buy some produce, wine or whatever), not much in the way of camping facilities here but nice peaceful spots and it might be a good chance to ask your hosts questions about the area and tap into their local knowledge.

Happy hunting, Tiger