The liberty of driving round France in your personal campervan, motorhome or RV is a real escape from the every day grind. There’s one thing so satisfying about being completely self-sufficient on the street, with nowhere to be and nothing to do. Whether or not it’s for a vacation with the household otherwise you’re prepared to hitch the #vanlife motion, tenting in France with your personal car is an excellent alternative to benefit from the nice open air.
Earlier than you set off, it’s a good suggestion to get clued up on a few nuggets of knowledge that may assist make your journey go easily. Whether or not that’s sensible info for planning your journey, security suggestions when you’re there or common tenting etiquette.
Listed below are our high suggestions for travelling by way of France by campervan.
Prime suggestions for campervan holidays in France
Tenting with children
Youngsters of all ages love the barefoot freedom of a tenting vacation. Many campsites in France, significantly websites within the south of France, have glorious amenities together with waterslides, swimming swimming pools and ice-cream parlours.
Through the summer time months, bigger campsites organise children’ golf equipment with a vary of actions, together with bike rides, cooking classes, workshops and artwork courses, and leisure for the entire household, corresponding to discos, video games nights and expertise reveals.
Measure your motorhome
In the event you’re not used to driving a bigger car, it’s undoubtedly a good suggestion to know your van’s weight and dimensions. There are restrictions on sure bridges, tunnels and roads to be careful for. The dimensions of your car may decide the velocity you possibly can drive on sure roads, so ensure you examine the foundations round this earlier than you set off.
When you’ve got a roof field, bikes or anything on the roof, measure the precise, full top of your car together with these things and stick a really seen discover in your dashboard to remind you! Shedding your bikes and damaging your roof wouldn’t be a great begin to your vacation and we’ve got seen it occur plenty of occasions!
Keep linked
Tenting is a good way to get again to nature, however a dependable web connection is important, particularly if you happen to’re checking maps, importing photographs or streaming motion pictures within the van within the evenings. Relying in your information roaming protection, you could need to buy a pay as you go Wi-Fi system on arrival in France, which ought to work in most areas. A dependable sat-nav system can be invaluable if you can be doing loads of exploring. Again-up display grabs of your mapped route and/or an old style paper map are good to have, in case your battery runs out otherwise you hit an space with no cellular community protection.
Camper stops in France (Aires)
Many villages have locations the place campers and motorhomes can spend the night time totally free or for a small price, referred to as Aires.
They are often discovered all through France and a few provide service factors for water assortment and disposal. You could find them utilizing apps corresponding to Park4Night or campercontact. They can’t be booked, so that you simply have to show up and see if there’s house. You may arrive and depart at any time, nevertheless some have a most keep of 24-48 hours.
You may at all times select probably the most comforable choice of staying at a campsite, listed here are our tips about how one can discover the proper one for you.
Take time away from the wheel
Relying in your plans, the scale of your car and the intricacy of your camp set-up, you could desire to decide on a campsite in France that’s near a bus cease or prepare station so you possibly can go sightseeing with out your motorhome, leaving it on the campsite. Bringing bikes can be a good way to discover the realm with out having to drive your campervan in every single place.
Campervan safety
Get savvy with safety and don’t make it straightforward for anybody to interrupt into your own home on wheels. You could find all of our high motorhome safety suggestions right here.
France security legal guidelines
Listed below are a couple of objects that, by regulation, it’s essential to have with you or in your camper, whereas driving in France:
- Headlight beam converters (if you’re driving a right-hand drive car)
- Seatbelts for all passengers always
- UK sticker if driving a British car
- Hello-vis reflective jackets (one per individual and have to be accessible with out getting out of the car)
- Clear air sticker for driving in bigger cities (examine guidelines in your camper)
- First help package
- Warning triangle to placed on the street if you happen to break down or have an accident.
Pace digital camera detection kits are unlawful so ensure you disable this setting on any sat navs or GPS techniques. Breathalysers are not required in France.
The best way to organise a campervan vacation in France
Open-air holidays are likely to require a bit extra preparation than a visit to a resort. You might want to take into consideration what to pack, how one can journey round and the place you’ll park your campervan in a single day.
We promise it’s completely price it. So seize your favorite pocket book or arrange a colour-coordinated spreadsheet and get planning!
Packing in your campervan vacation
If solely there was one place you might go to search out out what you should take in your subsequent campervan vacation in France… Nicely, we’re thrilled to tell you that we’ve got precisely what you’re in search of. Take a look at our Final Guidelines for a campervan vacation for the entire necessities.
Campervan documentation
In the event you’re driving in France, you should have all of those paperwork onboard:
- Passport and full driving licence (in date)
- Motorhome insurance coverage paperwork (legitimate for driving in Europe)
- Breakdown cowl (legitimate for driving in Europe)
- Car V5 logbook (authentic)
- Private journey insurance coverage.
Planning your route by way of France
From grand chateaux to verdant vineyards, and spectacular mountain ranges to good seashores, your tenting journey to France shall be unforgettable. Fortunately, we’ve carried out the exhausting be just right for you and located a few of the greatest routes and locations so that you can select from.
Reserving your campsites
Reserving your journey couldn’t be simpler. Head to Campsited.com and search to your coronary heart’s content material. You may filter your campsite search by area, environment, facilities, and specialist themes, so you’ll find precisely what you need.
FAQ: Your campervan vacation questions answered
Ought to I e book my campsite upfront?
You could must e book upfront, relying on when and the place you’re going. Summer season is the peak season for tenting in France. Campsites are likely to refill for July and August nicely upfront, significantly bigger campsites alongside the coast and near vacationer locations. There are additionally completely different facilities you could need to look out for, and understanding how completely different campsites differ in worth.
In case you are travelling within the low season, you could not must make reservations, particularly if you’re simply stopping over for one or two nights.
Can I take my pet with me after I’m tenting in France?
Many campsites welcome four-legged associates (discover our record of pet-friendly campsites right here), however at all times examine the campsite’s pet coverage earlier than you make your reservation, as there shall be site-specific guidelines and facilities. Most campsites request that canines are saved on a lead throughout the campgrounds, for instance. Bringing a pet can also incur extra charges. There are additionally authorized necessities it’s essential to comply with when taking your pet overseas – take a look at our weblog on tenting with canines for extra suggestions.
Are you able to park a camper wherever in France?
Parking your campervan within the daytime is way the identical as parking a automobile in France, until there are particular indicators prohibiting it. If you wish to know the place to park your campervan in a single day, see above for details about Aires, or beneath for details about wild tenting.
How a lot does it value to rent a campervan in France?
The price of hiring a campervan depends upon the kind of car you’re in search of, the time of the yr, the age of the motive force and the extent of luxurious. It may be wherever between £300 and £1200+ per week. One of the best ways to know is to spend two minutes filling in your vacation particulars in our campervan rent search device and get quotes from all of the rental firms.
How outdated do it’s a must to be to rent a campervan in France?
The everyday age requirement for hiring a campervan in France is 25 years outdated. Sure firms will hire to 21-year-olds, however you could must pay a bit of additional. Examine instantly with the rental firm – will probably be detailed within the phrases and circumstances of all of the quotes supplied by our motorhome search device.
If an organization does settle for a youthful driver, a completely different insurance coverage coverage might apply, so additionally learn the insurance coverage phrases and choices rigorously, as you undergo the reserving course of.
Lastly, examine within the phrases in case your nationwide driver’s licence is suitable. Some rental firms might require an Worldwide Driver’s Licence.
What sort of amenities can be found for campervans at French campsites?
In the event you’re travelling with a motorhome, a completely serviced pitch usually consists of electrical energy hook-up, water fill factors, and waste disposal for chemical bathrooms and gray water. It’s also possible to use communal campsite amenities, corresponding to washing machines and BBQ areas, in addition to eating places, cafés and swimming swimming pools.
The dimensions of pitches will differ from campsite to campsite, so make a request upfront if you happen to require a bigger pitch or one thing extra personal. Relying on the campsite, you may additionally have the ability to improve to a pitch by the river or a spot with a view, so you possibly can arrange your awning and chill out within the shade.
Do all campsites settle for campervans?
Most campsites provide pitches that cater for tents, campervans and bigger motorhomes, though it’s at all times a good suggestion to examine upfront.
The worth of a campervan pitch at a French campsite will differ relying on the variety of stars, the variety of folks per pitch, and whether or not you’re tenting throughout excessive or off-season.
Is wild tenting permitted in France?
Wild tenting is a little bit of a gray space in France, with restrictions in nationwide parks, alongside the coast and near historic monuments to guard the pure atmosphere and heritage areas. In different areas it’s usually tolerated with the permission of landowners, however it’s best to take your waste with you, by no means mild a hearth, and attempt to depart earlier than 9:00AM. Examine the indicators wherever you’re, to keep away from paying a nice. See above for details about designated camper spots in France referred to as Aires.
We hope you’ve found plenty of useful suggestions and recommendation to make your subsequent French tenting journey unforgettable. Now all you should do is pack your baggage, put collectively the last word street journey playlist and get on the street.
Bon voyage!
