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Over 11 million British holiday makers head to France each year, with many of those packing a tent or towing a caravan to provide their accommodation for the week or two that they’re en France!

Whether you’re heading for the sun drenched beaches of the south of France, the rural charm of Provence or the wine filled vineyards of the Loire there are a few essential items that are important to include before you leave home.

1. Spare wheel – make sure yours is legal and that you have the relevant jack and wrench – and the locking wheel nut tool if you have one. There’s only one thing worse than a flat tyre while you’re on holiday and that’s not having a spare!
2. A Liber  t-tag.  Keep on trucking with a pre bought and registered French tolls t-tag. When all you want to do is get to your pitch, pop the tent up and start enjoying your holiday, the last thing you want to do is queue up with all the other non-French tourists at the Autoroute toll booths. Well now you don’t have to as – for the very first time – the Liber – t tag can be ordered and paid for in the UK, using your UK bank account and the good old British pound. Paying French tolls has never been quicker or easier.
3. Sat Nav including French Maps – AND a map. Many of us have a Sat Nav for the UK and some of us just assume that it will carry on working whilst we’re aboard. But this is not the case, you need to get French mapping software and make sure you know how to use it before you go away. You also need a map – just in case the Sat Nav fails, gets stolen or suddenly decides you’re actually in Italy and not in France – it does happen!
4. A good cooker and a kettle. We Brits don’t half like our tea and in my experience – the French don’t. So it’s essential for the good of all to be able to brew up whenever the mood takes us. From beside the road on a break from driving to every lovely, lazy and relaxed morning of the holiday – there’s nothing like a good cup of tea.
5. A big cool box. No matter how precious you think the space is in your car, caravan, camper van etc. In our experience a nice big cool box is essential for keeping water and juice cold while you’re traveling and beer and wine chilled for when you get there and start unwinding.

As a regular traveller to France, Rachel Wheats makes use of Sanef Tollings Liber-t tag to take the hassle out of paying French tolls.

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One of the most popular places to go camping in the EU is France. The whole country is set up to welcome campers, whether they are in cars and caravans, campervans or simply with a tent in the boot of the car or attached to their backpack.

Pretty every much commune will have a campsite somewhere and these will often be a ‘camping municipal’ meaning that they are owned and maintained by the local commune (or council). Although this kind of campsite doesn’t have a big swimming pool and entertainment programme, they are always scrupulously clean and well maintained. It is such a vast contrast to many campsites in the UK.

The commercial campsites in France also make a great choice – especially if you have children who are confident enough to go and join in with the entertainment provided. Once you set up your site and introduce the children to the ‘animateurs’ who run the entertainment programmes, you might not see them except for mealtimes and bedtime!

Where to go
Camping near to the Dune du Pyla is a great place to spend a summer week. You have easy access to the beach, and most of the campsites are set in the shady pine forests that are just behind the beaches and dunes. This way you have the best of both worlds – beautiful sunny beaches, yet a shaded place to camp, so that at the end of the day you don’t have to go into a baking hot tent or mobile home.

If you’re a single traveller or a couple, then the most economic option is to take the car and throw your sleeping bags and tent in the boot, so that you can go where you want, but only need to pay the site fees for a tent rather than a caravan or the cost of hiring one of the fixed mobile homes that campsites hire out. Of course, the other option is to hire one of the fixed tents that the campsites also have on offer – far superior to anything that will fit in the back of a car! It really depends on how long you want to stay in one particular place or whether you prefer a holiday on the road.

About the author of this article:
Steve is a camping enthusiast who enjoys taking off for the weekend with his mates and their fully loaded rucksacks.

The post Camping in France – where to go appeared first on Europe Explored.

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In France, “le camping” is something of a religion. Families take everything but the kitchen sink to their favourite destinations – often setting up for a whole month of alfresco living.
Almost every commune has a “camping municipal” a publicly provided campsite – which are cheaper than the private ones and usually have excellent facilities. These can be particularly useful if you’re only staying for one or two nights as you travel around. A couple of good Vango sleeping bags and a cheap tent are all you’ll need any time between May and September.

Where you decide to go camping in France is entirely dependent on what you most love to do. France is a very diverse country with varied landscapes.

In the north, the coastline is rugged, while the south coast offers classic Mediterranean stretches of golden beaches.

Inland, the landscape is lush with landscapes carved by famous rivers such as the Loire and the Dordogne, whilst the Alps offer a mountainous landscape beloved by outdoor sports enthusiasts in every season for different reasons. You’ll need you best Merrell gear during any season here.

Also, the Vendée, Royan and the South-West along the Atlantic coast are perfect for family holidays camping in France. There are huge stretches of open sandy beach and the sea is perfect for swimming and water sports during the summer. Be warned, though, it can be exposed in these regions during the hottest months as the beaches are so open and the landscape generally flat.

Wherever you decide to camp in this magnificent and hugely varied country – you won’t be disappointed by the camping facilities.

Bon voyage!

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