Simalar post the "the Aires" I wonder if anyone can explain to me the "France Passion" system for camping (from what I gather you buy a book every year with a window sticker which allows you to camp for free in secure basic places through out France - is this correct?) Again, does anybody here use the France Passion, how do these work etc? are they safe? Is there any in particular to avoid and indeed any that you'd recommend?
Thank you in advance for any help or advice offered...Angie & Family
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Yes, you do buy a book and get a sticker for your window and you can then stay for free (24 hours only) on vineyards and suchlike places. You are not charged for this and often there will be no facilities at all, sometimes a tap but not always. They will all sell their produce, but you do not have to buy anything. A good way to buy local produce.
We stayed in some of them last year - all very nice. One was a cider farm, another a goat farm (no, it didn't smell) and another was a restaurant. The owners were all very nice and really pleased to welcome us - well we did then buy things from their farm shops and a meal in the restaurant. The main drawback was finding them as some are really off the beaten track, although the instructions in the book are quite good, the road signs often aren't very useful.
We haven't rejoined this year as we didn't feel that we used them enough to justify paying again. We usually use the small municipal sites and farm sites if possible.
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Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
France Passion is a great way to stop all over France. We have stayed at several vineyards, a brewery, a lavender farm, farms and restaurant car parks. You do not have to buy their produce, but it is a great way to taste the wine, and buy a bottle or two if you like it, also we have bought fresh milk, eggs, cheese yoghourt from farms. I think it costs about 24 euros for the book and maps etc each year, which is well worth it, as you might find yourself staying in beautiful chateau grounds etc. The directions to find these places are very well worded, and the direction signs are well placed. We have found ourselves in all sorts of areas we would not have thought to go. I would thoroughly recommend joining.
We are heading ofv next month and have bought France Passion 2008, as well as Camperstop and Camping Card ACSI. We now have listed so many sites we'll probably never come home again!
Camperstop includes cheap and free stop-overs with GPS co-ordinates.
ACSI, if you go for the DVD option, gives a discount card for €10, €12, €14 sites plus a great mapping system for your laptop.
The France Passion sticker is in the windscreen, the van is getting quite excited. Directions in the book look much on the lines you might give someone of they stopped and asked you directions (though without the arm waving_ - but does not include full address or GPS data.
Have now stopped at a few (though this email is courtesy of a camp-site with wifi) and had consistently good experiences. We have eaten with a farm family, chatted in Franglais over drinks with fellow campingcarists, and bought some excellent Bergerac rouge and had a really good tour of how they make it, and feasted on duck bought on a France Passion farm.
Definitely to be recommended. We have also done well with the Camperstop Europe book, generally accurate and plenty to choose from and the ACSI card has saved us plenty on campsites and the DVD of ACSI sites is proving excellent.
Great news! - we are off to France on Thurday and will try a passion stopover on our way as a prelude to attempting 5 nights on way back from the south in August.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: France Passion
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