5 Tenting Choices in France (Free & Paid!)

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Trying to camp in France? France is thought for being one of the crucial camper-friendly nations in Europe and a type of causes is the plentiful tenting choices. Right here we’re diving into the highest 5 choices for tenting in France.

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1. Campgrounds

That is essentially the most easy, conventional technique to camp in France. Like RV parks within the States, campgrounds in France supply designated campsites and facilities.

At campgrounds, you’ll be able to entry electrical energy, water, and presumably a dump station. You’ll additionally discover laundry, showers, loos, and—even within the smallest campgrounds—a playground.

Campgrounds are an incredible place to remain, however as a result of France is a particularly camper-friendly nation, there are numerous extra distinctive motorhome stopover choices. 

Learn extra: What Campgrounds in France Are Like

2. Aires

Aires are relaxation stops meets gasoline stations.

You’ll see indicators for aires about each 10 minutes on the freeway they usually have various ranges of niceness. Some are like picnic areas within the states—a spot to park and a few tables. Others are full-blown gasoline station relaxation stops that join the east and west sides of the freeway with a sky bridge, supply a number of eating places, and all of the basic issues campers want like dump stations and showers. It’s fairly the vary.

How Do Aires Work?

These are usually first-come, first-served in a single day parking spots. Many aires are free, however some could require a small price (lower than $10 and normally provided that they provide providers like electrical energy). Dump stations and water fills are sometimes free, however you’ll need to native examine signage.

Not all aires supply in a single day parking, so double-check the data on Park4Night earlier than planning an in a single day keep. I additionally advocate studying the evaluations (they need to translate for you within the app) for crime experiences. France is mostly secure, however sure areas of France have extra petty crime than others. In case you’re in a extra crime-ridden space, you’ll see experiences of prowlers or theft in Park4Night evaluations.

How do you discover aires?

We solely used Park4Night to seek out aires due to the evaluations and the options itemizing. After we wanted to discover a place to eat lunch and stretch our legs on a protracted drive day, we searched and located an aire with an enormous picnic space and a playground for the children.

You may, nevertheless, additionally simply preserve your eyes peeled for signage or search “aires” on Google or Apple Maps. 

3. Wild Tenting

Wild tenting, known as boondocking within the States, is tenting without spending a dime in nature. We discovered wild tenting choices all through France, typically in forests or on rivers. At one specific campsite—which was actually a gravel space on the facet of a quiet nation highway surrounded by bushes—we had miles of trails proper outdoors our door.

We loved a peaceable night time in nature and wakened and hiked by way of the forest. Even higher, that campsite was quarter-hour from a citadel and a three-minute drive right into a tiny village the place we loved espresso and pastries the subsequent morning.

In line with the web, wild tenting is each allowed and never allowed in France. Formally, it’s banned. However it’s additionally as much as native ordinances. To place it within the easiest phrases doable, you realize while you see a photograph of a tent on Instagram in the midst of nowhere surrounded by mountains? That’s a giant no-no in France. You may’t simply go wherever in nature and name it wild tenting.

You’ll have to discover a designated in a single day tenting spot to keep away from getting ticketed. Don’t fear, it’s surprisingly straightforward to seek out free in a single day parking everywhere in the nation.

How Does Wild Tenting work?

We, once more, use Park4Night to seek out wild tenting spots. Park4Night is only a itemizing app, in order that they don’t personal or coordinate any campsites. However they’ll present the precise location coordinates you want, typically paired with images and evaluations. You may click on the navigation button or copy-paste the GPS coordinates and head towards the tenting space. Park4Night is particularly for motorhomes and caravans, so that you received’t get something that might take you offroad or the place you’ll be able to’t drive. Learn the evaluations if there are top or size restrictions that may stop your RV from making the drive.

After we arrive at our “campsite,” we discover a degree place to park that’s out of the best way of any highway site visitors and leaves house for different campers to hitch us. There are not any providers while you’re wild tenting, so organising your RV is so simple as placing it in park. We frequently instantly arrange our tables and chairs outdoors so we might take pleasure in as a lot time outdoors as doable.

Our Expertise Wild Tenting

Wild tenting felt each secure and quiet. We by no means encountered any rowdy campers or loud highway noise. We, as vacationers, are additionally overly cautious of native signage to ensure we’re tenting in the suitable spot. The very last thing you need on vacation is to get woken up by the police in the midst of the night time telling you to depart.

4. Dwelling Camper

Dwelling Camper is the place you’ll be able to keep in your motorhome at folks’s properties/on their property. (Similar to a HipCamp or Boondockers Welcome.) You’ll want a self-contained RV (AKA your personal onboard lavatory) and also you’ll most likely need to know a little bit French, because you’ll be conversing with locals.

We used Dwelling Camper on our second night time within the RV to remain within the yard of a champagne home in Epernay. We had been greeted by Frank, who guided us to a big discipline the place we parked with 4 different motorhomes. That will sound like quite a bit, however we had loads of house between our RVs! This website provided electrical energy, loos, showers, and playgrounds, however facilities range by website.

How Does Dwelling Camper Work?

To make use of Dwelling Camper, you’ll first want to enroll and create a free account. Then you’ll be able to browse their listings, see images and evaluations, and request or e-book a reservation. We discovered a phenomenal spot in Champagne after which chosen our dates, our car sort, and the way many individuals had been in our social gathering. Most Dwelling Camper listings cost per individual (like campgrounds do) however don’t cost for younger kids like ours. You’ll add your bank card info to request your reservation.

We clicked request and obtained a request affirmation by way of e-mail. It notes particularly that if our request expires or is declined, we received’t be charged.

4 minutes later, our host, France (pronounced like Frank), accepted our reservation.

With the reservation affirmation e-mail, we acquired the handle, telephone quantity, and e-mail handle of our host in addition to arrival info. We had been advised to reach at 5:00 PM, which we mistakenly learn as after 5:00 PM. France was ready at his gate patiently at 5 whereas we had been sitting at a champagne tasting downtown. This was a complete cultural miscommunication on our half. As soon as we realized our mistake, we known as and let him know we had been on our means and headed to the champagne home.

The rationale this was essential for this specific reservation was that the images of the property confirmed acres of inexperienced grass and bushes surrounded a phenomenal chateau. We drove down a tiny metropolis road lined with buildings getting meters away from our vacation spot and we had been past confused. Shouldn’t we be in nature?

However there, behind a concrete wall and a large gate, was the hidden property. If somebody wasn’t ready by the highway to get our consideration, we’d’ve gotten misplaced.

France greeted us and we apologized for our delay. He confirmed us the place to get parked and the way to hook as much as his electrical energy. After which we had been free to discover and benefit from the property. We performed on the playgrounds, drank France’s champagne, and he even introduced over a couple of eggs he plucked from his rooster coop.

We stayed one night time, although we might’ve booked extra if we had the time!

5. France Ardour

Regardless of what the title may recall to mind, this isn’t a French relationship app. French Ardour is a membership program the place you’ll be able to camp without spending a dime at farms and wineries throughout the nation. This was our favourite technique to journey throughout France!

As a result of it is a membership, there may be an preliminary price. However after becoming a member of the membership, you get to camp without spending a dime throughout France!

How Does France Ardour Work?

Earlier than heading to France, we signed up for a membership on-line. (I’ll cowl signing up in a second.)

As soon as signed up, we’d browse their e-book or their app for nice locations to remain alongside your tenting route. With over 2,000 places, you’re at all times certain to seek out one close to you. Remember to take a look at the itemizing particulars to see in case your motorhome can match, if children/pets are welcome, and in the event that they require calling earlier than arrival.

While you present up at your chosen campsite, join with the house owners to know the place to park. We at all times had a grassy space to ourselves. After getting parked, it’s customary to patron the enterprise. This implies shopping for a wine tasting, bottles of wine, produce, or meals. We felt that this was an effective way to get actually native meals and loved shopping for wine, olive oil, and different native treats from every place.

Be respectful throughout your keep by cleansing up outdoors your RV and never dumping any of your refuse or tanks. While you go away—there could also be most popular “go away by” hours—take a second to depart a assessment within the France Ardour app. You can even go away a assessment on Google. Selecting to remain at France Ardour websites means you’re supporting native household companies and each assessment counts!

How do I be part of France Ardour Program?

The France Ardour program is fairly old fashioned. To enroll, you need to order a bodily e-book. I used to be barely confused at first on whether or not or not I’d additionally want to enroll and pay for an app individually, however you don’t. In essence, you simply go to their web site to buy a e-book and you then’re enrolled.

The associated fee to enroll is at the moment at $33 yearly (contains the bodily e-book, your membership card, and app entry).

Associated: How the France Ardour Program Works

Our Expertise Staying at France Ardour Websites

I communicate zero French. With my huge data of the French language, I used to be a little bit involved about coordinating with hosts. (I’ll cowl French phrases to know within the subsequent chapter!)

I imagined calling French hosts and attempting to elucidate in English that we’d like to return and keep of their winery. They might most likely begin asking me about our motorhome size however then I’d get confused and assume they had been inviting me to a chocolate tasting.

Fortunately, that didn’t occur.

First, the vast majority of the hosts spoke English. Second, for those who didn’t, I used to be in a position to bust out Google Translate (my finest pal when touring overseas) and we managed to get sufficient phrases like “tenting automobile” into the combo or “France Ardour”. Inevitably, as soon as they heard France Ardour they gave an enthusiastic sure.

Tenting Choices in France

In case you’re planning a highway journey round France, you’ll not wrestle to discover a place to remain for the night time. As you’ll be able to see, there are a number of free and paid tenting choices in France.

Need journey ideas for motorhoming in Europe? Take a look at a few of our widespread articles: