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Hi,

We (Me plus wife and 2 kids) are off to France for a fortnight's camping on Friday morning. We plan to have an overnight stop in Burgundy before heading down to Provence, the Cote D'Azur and wherever we fancy from there.

We haven't made any reservations at this point although I am hoping to book somewhere in Provence for the first couple of nights.

Are we likely to have any problems finding places with availability at such short notice? Would more seasoned travellers recommend booking campsites in advance?

We want to have the freedom to roam around a bit but obviously don't want to get stuck with nowhere to sleep!!

Our proposed overnight stay venue (Camping Muncipal Macon) have just replied to my email saying that don't do reservations but to get there before 5pm (which we can't do) as the site may be full after that. That's what has started my panic I think!

Thanks in advance

Others will disagree with me about booking but we have been going to France (and all over the continent) for over 30 years and have yet to book a site.

However, we don't stay right on the coast and when travelling like to stop about 4 or 5pm to have a relaxing evening.

Perhaps you could consider stopping a little further North or perhaps going a few miles off the motorway to find a siet?

We also find this website (and theeir book) very useful because it has all Municipal sites in it - many other books concentrate on the bigger, more popular sites with lots of amenities which you don't really need if it's just an overnight stop.

http://www.campingfrance.com/index.jsp?lg=uk

I note, for instance that there are a couple of municipals just N of Macon - Tournus and Lugny.

Hope this helps 

Dompierre les Ormes is a nice site about 20 - 30 minutes away from Macon. We first went there on the off chance and had no problems getting a pitch. Went middle of August. Its used by Eurocamp but not horribly busy. They will let you book.

We don't usually book and touch wood we've had no problems. THis could be the year I suppose. Last 2 years we have gone from about 1-28th August and made it down to the Med on nice sites.

Go for it!

We only booked one site for our 2 week trip to France this year.

There was no real need to do that for us, and I only booked it 4 days before we left just in case and didn't want anything to go wrong on the 1st day.

We were in May though when it was a lot quieter than it will be starting from now-ish.

It's the busiest week in France this week and next - so you're pushing it a bit!  You'll no doubt find sites, but they may have to be in more out of the way places than you'd prefer.  There's another municipal site, just south of Macon, at Creches or just north at Tournus and further north again at Beaune.  The problem is with municipal sites that few of them accept bookings - so that's why they suggest you turn up by 5.00 pm.    There are also lots of bigger sites, such at Chateau d'Eperviere, in the same sort of area, and down the Route de Cote D'Or through the vineyards there are many smaller sites.

If you 'calculate' approximately where you might be about 4.00 pm then someone may be able to help with the name of an absolute gem just in that location.

In the south, if you stick to inland sites, then you should find a pitch - but the bigger sites, down on the coast are likely to be heaving.  If you do want to be near the coast then the best thing would be to drive down early in the morning to see if you can 'grab' a pitch, just as someone else is leaving.  This year, on a popular site on the med, there were people arriving by 9.00 am to try to get a beachside pitch.

Many thanks for all the replies, a lot of really useful hints and some much needed reassurance as well.

We've booked somewhere for our 2nd and 3rd nights (La Sorguette) to give us a bit of a comfort blanket but other than that we'll take it as it comes. Can't wait!

Thanks again

Isle sur la Sorgue is lovely (watch out that you're not trying to find your way through on 'antique days'), as is Fontaine de Vaucluse, nearby - definitely worth a two night stay (or more).   You may find you stick around longer.  We were there in May this year, when the river was at its highest - fantastically green - and the area not really that busy.  There are some lovely olive oil mills around that area, too. 

This is Peter Mayle country, and you can see the old towns of Menerbes, Gordes, and Bonnieux.  This is a quieter*(!!) part of Provence, and is lovely.  The Gorge du Verdon is worth a trip, too, and if you stick up in the hills then I'm sure you'll find somewhere lovely to stay.

Liz - have you been to Bontemps?  This is the site which Claire Dupond, ex-of Val de Cantobre, has just taken on.  We had an email from her in May, and intended to visit, but were diverted because of traffic problems and good weather over the Ardeche!!!!  (We're easily diverted).  We'd like to see Claire again, and Bontemps is on our list of places to go - perhaps in August when we're off to France again - but I'd just been interested to know what you thought. 

Many thanks.

Val