Always wanted to drive over to France but never done it. Is it a bit late to be looking to plan hols for august this year?
I have always wanted to see the Alps but unsure where would be best to get the most out of the scenery. We have a converted vauxhall movano that we would be staying in.
Would be looking at 3 weeks. Half in the alps and half at a nice beach resort somewhere.
Can anyone point some newbies in the right direction?
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Perfectly possible. Make sure you have valid passports and overseas insurances, then book a ferry or tunnel and off you go.
Make for Chamonix area if you want to see high mountains - 500 miles from Calais .And for time on a beach head back to the Channel coast before you return.
All you need is confidence - and money of course, because August is peak season.
It's not too late by any means. The Alps are a long way though. I would suggest booking a ferry, downloading the Meteo app onto your phone and following the weather when you get there. The campsite search on here is useful as is the Guide Officiel.
If you get to the Alps that's great, if you don't that's fine too. You may find somewhere you want to stop for longer before you get there.
People may have more specific suggestions for sites, aires and routes if you let us know where you're starting from.
You might struggle with a nice beach resort in August, the best sites may be booked up. Unless you can leave it towards the end of the month, when the French families go home. And popular Alpine campsites may be booked up too.
However, for a French experience, and if you are happy to go with the flow, then by driving down through France I'm sure you will find campsites to stay at, most places have at least one. Buy a copy of Le Guide Officiel which lists all the campsites in France. And if you can delay your trip to include the last week in August or even later into Sept, buy a copy of the ACSI book which has a discount card. Many sites offer the discount from as early as 20th Aug, which indicates that they are becoming quieter and want to fill their pitches.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks. Can't go later in August which is a shame by the sounds of it. A quick Google of maps shows about 10 hours to the Alps. If we do a night somewhere on the way split it to 5 hours a day seems not bad at all to me or am I totally underestimating it?
If anyone has some experience of nice campsites around that way and on the south coast please let me know. Be very much appreciated.
Lots of us will be able to recommend campsites on that route and coast, however they might be fully booked at this time.
One advantage of a campervan is that you can move on day by day, as many of us here do. Yes, you could make a dash and do the journey in 2 days, but you might enjoy it more by taking a bit more time and stopping off on the way. You might even find that you prefer the places you stop off at and don't move much further.
Give us a clue what you want from a campsite and we'll try to help a bit more. Most of them are 'nice'.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Quote: Originally posted by sprite1275 on 25/7/2023
Thanks. Can't go later in August which is a shame by the sounds of it. A quick Google of maps shows about 10 hours to the Alps. If we do a night somewhere on the way split it to 5 hours a day seems not bad at all to me or am I totally underestimating it?
If anyone has some experience of nice campsites around that way and on the south coast please let me know. Be very much appreciated.
Now you are starting to make it sound hard. It isn’t.
Start fromCalais and decide where you will get to on your first night. Don’t leave it too late. Pick a campsite from this website or all the other on line sources. Go there.
Next day repeat.
But forget the Mediterranean coast in mid August. It will be full.
We stayed at This site near Geneva - not quite the high Alps, which are about an hours drive away, but in the mountains. It’s in a nice valley, so you get a sense of the area; with pools and restaurant and a lovely ambience.
Getting there, is 8 hrs from the Tunnel according to Google. That makes it four legs of two hours, a useful measure of driving time, in practice. While it might be possible to drive it, bear in mind the crossing takes time and energy, plus all the excitement of the trip. A stopover is part of the fun - as others have hinted, travelling in France is very much part of the holiday.
Worth getting a motorway tag, makes the toll roads much easier, especially for the navigator! ATMB is quite popular on here, but you might need to use Google translate a bit. You can charge to your credit card, a good idea especially if you have one that doesn’t charge for foreign transactions.
For a site near the Med, you could try the municipal at Loupian, which may still have space. It’s a little back from the main drag, so a bit quieter.
Have a great time!
Quote: Originally posted by sprite1275 on 24/7/2023
Always wanted to drive over to France but never done it. Is it a bit late to be looking to plan hols for august this year?
I have always wanted to see the Alps but unsure where would be best to get the most out of the scenery. We have a converted vauxhall movano that we would be staying in.
Would be looking at 3 weeks. Half in the alps and half at a nice beach resort somewhere.
Can anyone point some newbies in the right direction?
It's your holiday so it's up to you what you do. However, it sounds to me personally that you're attempting a lot for a first trip. Chamonix is separated from the South Coast (Frejus, say) by a large number of mountains, so Google maps recommends travelling through Italy instead, and that becomes a 25 hour round trip from Calais - at 5 hours a day thats 5 days travelling. Choose Annecy instead of Chamonix and its shorter, but personally I would aim at lower mileage for a first trip, there is an awful lot of France to see.
Post last edited on 25/07/2023 11:25:05
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Personally I would split the time between the alps and either the Drome or northern Ardeche there will be plenty of areas with river or lake 'beaches'. Only a further 4 hours from the alps and would probably have more chance of finding somewhere to stay. Any kids on the trip, that may help with recommendations aswell.
Thanks everyone I shall check these suggestions out when I get home. I don't mind stopping at a few places on the way. We would like that.
There will be an 11 year old with us so a pool wouldn't go a miss.
We have stayed at both of the below sites and can recommend both, not huge sites but plenty going on to keep the 11year old happy. The rosans site is a bit further down but in an amazing area with so many lakes and rivers to choose from. my kids loved it there. The oasis place is a bit quieter but still loads to do and again my kids loved it. We;ve not stayed in the Alps but have done the Cevennes & Alpes-de-Haute-Provence regions and can also recommend them. I think I have reviewed them all as well.
its a long way to the alps, and a long way from the alps to the south coast, asd mentioned many campsites are on a river or lake which have beaches, so for your first trip maybe dont overdo it, a suggested trip we would do is
overnight at lac d orient near troyes
a week at aanecy
overnight or a few days at vallon pont d arc
a week on the south coast near cap d agde then a few stopovers on the way back up vierzon or nevers have municipals, the choices are endless
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: First timers going abroad
via mobile 25/7/2023 at 8:31am
