Hi, really want to do 10 days in France this Summer Hols, so are thinking of heading over when schools break up around 20th July 2018. We have a camper and will be travelling with two 13 yr olds. I am wondering if I should book ahead and get the facilities we are after, ie pool and no Hi-De-Hi entertainment or if we could just follow the sun and find a campsite when we arrive?
Also is it worth getting the ASIC card. Not sure how it all works and if it would save me money in high season
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The ACSI card finishes around the first week in July. I think you should book ahead if you want a particular site, the're all very busy (and expensive) in July and August.
You will be ok inland but some coastal sites might be full. Campers leave every day though so arrive early afternoon before 3pm & you should be ok. Avoid Med coast at that time of yr. south west coast will be better. The cheaper coastal municipal sites don'ttake bookings anyway. It's first come first served.
If you have a campervan you can park for the night just about anywhere out by the beach in a quiet spot. Plenty do that down the SW coast. No point in an ACSI card that time of yr.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
It all depends where you are going. I can think of sites which will be full and others where there will always be room. The beachfront sites are the busy ones. The far south is the busy area. The most expensive sites usually are the busiest of all. Good sites in other areas are plentiful.
We have often toured around at that time of year without finding many problems. We take a couple of printed site guides and if we are moving on we have a couple of options in mind. Sometimes we phone ahead the day before, but most times we don't bother. If a site happens to be full we just go to the next one. There are thousands !
And if you want swimming pools you can go to municipal sites run by the local town council and pick the ones which have a swimming pool (usually free) alongside - big towns like Bayeux and Nantes, or smaller places like Sizun, Archiac, Montmorillon and Chatillon sur Chalaronne, and dozens of others.
tourist areas - very unlikely to get a pitch for a long period of time. You will probably be able to get 1/2/3 days. Away from the tourist areas, more chance of empty pitches.
Saying that, the three main pitches we were on this year had space during July and August - Perpignan / Beziers / Avignon areas. Brits were down in number - probably the Brexit induced exchange rate drop.
In Provence we did spend half a day finding a site near the Gorges du Verdon ... then found three!
If you have the time to search a little if your primary target is full ... then don't bother to book ... if you are going for two weeks in one place (always a bit of a chance weatherwise) then think about booking ahead if it's a popular area, and if you want a riverside/lake side pitch.
The main reason we won't book ahead is that it nails you to that site for your booked period ... there could be several reasons you might want to move on; weather, not as interesting an area as you'd thought it might be, poor pitch, or, just don't find that particular campsite to your liking (Websites can be very misleading! They are marketing tools!)
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Some thoughts. It depends on both where you are going and what your personality and circumstances are.
When it was just the two of us in a small dome tent, we wouldn't book but just stop at any municipal when we felt like it. Maybe we'd book the final destination for somewhere busy like Les Sables D'Olonne. When the kids were young though we'd plan and book with military precision - it's a bit different when someone small is relying on you. If you're the type to get nervous without a plan, then maybe you should book.
Also, someone mentioned arriving early - good plan. You can stop at a nearby municipal overnight then arrive at your chosen site early next morning when it's emptying.
Then again, if you've definitely decided on your destination and site 100%, then there's really no reason not to book, is there ?
Municipals are fine but they are becoming a bit like hens' teeth. So be aware. Booking ahead means being able to choose your pitch. We have started to book before we leave. After a week on our final site this year, we wemnt to book and we were told 'we have already booked you!' Service indeed.
Why don't you book somewhere you like the look of for the first couple of nights and then look at the forecast and decide where you want to head off to.
We are booking the big sites for next July where we will be staying for more than one night. The overnighters are munies and can't be booked.
The problem we will have is that we will be on foot so can't just go on to the next one if it is 15km away. At least most min cipals will fit in a qee tent but the big coastal sites probably won't.
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: Book or Just Turn up to Campsites in July
