Going camping abroad with 2 kids (10 & 8) for the first time. Arriving in Zeebrugge on the 11th Jul for 20 days and looking for the cheapest and easiest way to get around. extremely flexible with itinery. Open to any suggestions on sites and hazzards to look out for.
au revoir
merci beaucoup!
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Get the Alan Rogers site guide and stick to the municipal sites if you want to be flexible as you can normally just turn up without reservations. The bigger all singing and danceing sites tend to be fully booked from the start of our school holidays until the middle of August. The municipals are cheaper too but they have excellent facilities and are often in stunning places
They are usually excellent, small but well tended and cheap - we never pay more than £10 night and most are about £5-6. If you want lots of entertainment for the kids, you may have to pay more for commercial sites, but if you are near the coast, the beach may be all you need to keep them occupied - loads of great places in Brittany.
By the way, to feed kids cheaply try "Flunch" restaurants - found at the supermarkets, Auchan etc. Most expensive meal is about £5 but kids meals cheaper and the veg (including chips!!) are "a volonte" in other words they can go back as often as they like an get more!!
Yep, municipals. Plus, looking for a specific campsites, you often see more along the road. Although it is a busy period, municipals usually have enough place. But id you want to be certain, start looking around in time. Before 5 o'çlock you should be fine, 16 hrs is absolutely certain about anywhere, plus gives you a more relaxed evening.
If you have the Alan Rogers guide, or the Michelin camping guide (I use the latter), you have the telephone number with you and you can always phone during the trip to the site you choose, to check if they have enough pitches.
I do that when I expect to arrive a bit late, say 20 or 21 hrs. 'They don't consider that as reservation, so they dont charge as reservation, but you do know that there will be apitch for you.
Other very cheap places are the Campings a la ferme (Green signs).
Some prices I paid last year per night, caravan, two persons with electricity:
Crèvecoeur en brie: €18.--
Camping le Sorbier (a la ferme) in Montignac (Dordogne, on the Vézère, the part with the most prehistoric remains): €10.20
Camping municipal in St. Julien de Lampon, actually 'on' the Dordogne itself: ca €14.50
Campong Municipal in Champs sur Tarentaine (Auvergne/Corrèze), near the Massif du Sancy and the Gorges de la Rhue): €9.20.
And going back in Beaulieu dur Loire, on the Loire Canal, the 'Camping Municipal du Canal', €5.50 without electricity (would have been €2.- extra).
We just checked a bit in the Michelin guide. We had beautiful campsites, especially in Montignac and in Champs sur Tarentaine, although St Julien de Lampon was also quiet all right.
Plus there are small sites like the one of La Touche and the one Stu and Syb are starting. They are in the loire Valley.
I have also been in the Pyrenees i.a. in Luzenac (also municipal, very good one), very near Ax les Thermes. And in the valley to Gavarnie in Luz St Sauveur (actually a farm site just a bit further in the valley at 'St Bazerque'. Very good if you like mountains.
Dordogne, Auvergne and Pyrenees are also good for cheap but good restaurants.
You will get around. have fun.
------------- WL
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
"Before 5 o'çlock you should be fine, 16 hrs is absolutely certain about anywhere, plus gives you a more relaxed evening."
That's excellent advice - you will get to have a good look round the site and choose the best pitch! And have the advantage of sitting with a glass of wine watching the "flustered late arrivers" rushing to pitch tents and prepare an evening meal!
On the subject of Brittany - we took our kids there when they were the age of yours, found a quiet site (cheap also!) at Foret Fouesnante and they loved the beaches (sheltered, safe bathing, windsurfers/pedalos etc for hire, lovely sand and rock pools, cafes, parking "on" the beach etc at Cap Coz. My brother chose a site near Beg Meil (Pointe de St Giles I think) that had everything - pool, games and "creche", activities for kids, football matches, disco, bars, restaurants etc in the evening, he used to have breakfast with them and not see them again 'til bedtime - it suited him!
Towns nearby Quimper for the hypermarkets/market. Concarneau for fantastic seafood restaurants!
There is a local tourist board website (with a list of campsites) at
> with a glass of wine watching the "flustered late arrivers" rushing to pitch tents and prepare an evening meal! <
Very nice. And it happens frequently as the French have a tendency to arrive late.
> loved the beaches (sheltered, safe bathing, windsurfers/pedalos etc for hire, lovely sand and rock pools <
Correct, but please do watch the tide. It comes in very fast and draws outward strongly. Very strong at some places. There are large differences per location. Difference between high and low tide is 5 or 6 mtrs, at some location up to 9, even 11 metres. So do use the safe beaches. Tide coming in is very nice to observe, see the crabs suddenly coming out in little rock pools etc. If the kids are climbing on the rocks, let them take care not to be enclosed by the tide. If you are climbing on a promontary rock formation, it is very well possible that they crossed some crevace or split between rock formations which will be filled up when tide comes in. Same is possible on banks. Suddenly you will see water behind you, especially on places where you can walk for a mile or more to the sea at low tide.
If you take these precautions it will be great fun.
We always go to the Royan area - South West coast - mainly because you can almost guarantee hot sunny weather July - September (apart from the odd night time thunderstorm). We have a 1 and 3 year old, and can't think of anything worse than getting stranded in the wet in the North of France! Also, there are loads of things to do in this area - some of the best beaches in France and the wonderful La Palmyre Zoo (one of the best in France) which the children would love. We're staying here: www.campingcoquelicots.com in July - been twice before. It's a good, clean site which is cheap, and best of all - you'll probably be the only Brits there!
We always do an overnight stop on the way down (look at www.logisdefrance.com - Auberge St Jacques in Meung Sur Loire, South of PAris, which is cheap and good.
If youre going for Municipal sites - one to AVOID - the site in Anet - was more like a refugee camp - as we could not find another site and it was 8 at night - we finally stayed in an hotel.
Just got back from 3 weeks in the Dordogne - half way down stayed at a really nice site in Chateauroux, near large lake and river - Camping Belle Isle.
I use the Camping and Caravaning Club guide to sites in France. I rate this one because it's in alphabetical order as opposed to Department order (I rarely have a clue which department I'm in!!) When it gets to 4pm I look up nearest town (easily), find a campsite et voila! We go in August, 2 kids (7 & 9) and have always found a site. We head down to the south, via the alps or wherever, and usually end up on a beach site in Port Grimaud, no booking. Good advice to find a camp around 4pm, we were given same advice and on the odd occasion when we have arrived late we have not been so relaxed (to say the least!) We've found that the boys need a good run around before bed time!! Have fun
There you find great campsites for families with children. Roan offers "self-driven"roundtrips too, so you can see a lot of the country for less money and stay in comfortable bungalow tents or caravans.
Have fun and enjoy!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
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: Camping in France for 1st time
