Aires, not that impressed really... (1 Viewer)

[snowdrops]

We bought the Aires book 2 yrs ago and the ACSI app and membership very soon after. Is it just me who feels the book/aires are really not all it's meant to be ? We've ended up using ACSI sites 99% of the time. Most of the Aires need you there not long after noon to get a spot and some are only a few euros less than wonderful campsites with pools, bars, restaurants etc.

We did love the Dinan aire and the only other one was Neufchatel, tho we've arrived there many a time and it's full. The rest have been packed in or not in great surroundings. I do know I suppose that for some people they just use them to sleep, but if you need to park up by lunchtime that's your day gone.

Opinions please ? PS I probably shld have added that we spend most of the time down south of France. Provence, Cote d'azure etc.

 

[Fenman]

Just my guess but if it was me I would probably be one of those getting there early, parking up, getting out to explore the village/town or whatever is nearby and only coming back for evening meal or sleep.

 

[Stroppy Bird]

I think it depends on how and when you use them.

We tend to travel out of the main holiday season so many campsites are closed and aires are the only option for us.

We've also changed the way we use them. Instead of getting to them early evening, sleeping, having a look round and then moving on early afternoon, we now get to an aire reasonably early, look round, sleep, get breakfast then move on to the next aire by mid/late morning. This way you're more likely to get a good spot. Obviously if where you want to visit doesn't have an aire and you still then need to find one later it doesn't help with that. Doesn't really affect us too much because as I say, we travel out of the main holiday season.

We also may use one aire to visit a place but because it's not really that nice (i.e. just an area of a towns car park) we may then move on to a nicer one to stay overnight on.

Also worth downloading the park4night app. It's free and has aires in addition to the ones in the Aires book, along with reviews (albeit mainly in French but it has star ratings if you can't read French).

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[Don Quixote]

Not sure which Aires your using, but in 4 years of MH'ing France never paid for one yet! Granted some of the better ones you do need to get there around 12:00/13:00 to get in, but that then leaves the rest of the day to explore or just chill out. As we do not use sites that have a pool, washing machine, showers, toilet, bar etc etc etc the aires are great. Some are not good and others are having EHU, grey waste etc etc, but again it's knowing where to look. This for us is half the pleasure exploring France.

 

[Glandwr]

Try the CamperContact and or CCinfos apps. Available in iTunes or Playstore they knock the Aires books into the second division AND cover the whole of Europe. CamperContact is in English, CCinfos in French but easily understandable. Both also have a website for searching.

Dick

 

[Robert Clark]

Have you considered joining France Passion - stay on Farms, wineries etc free of charge
Membership is about £20 from memory

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[Deleted member 29692]

Not sure which ones you're using. We usually arrive mid to late afternoon and have never not been able to park.

Aires are not campsites and 99% of them don't pretend to be. That's the attraction for us.

If you want pools and bars and restaurants on site then aires aren't going to be for you. They are parking places, nothing more.

 

[Allanm]

I think the new 2 book edition of All the Aires is pretty bad. Lots of stuff well out of date and no really up to the minute information. We still use it though, with caution.
Our method of travelling suits using Aires we tend to get to Aires around mid day and leave mid morning. Very few don't have spaces at that time, but if they are full or not too nice, we always have a couple of back ups.
Obviously, Aires aren't for everyone, and there are some pretty naff ones, but overall, we have been impressed with them and wouldn't think of using campsites. We never stay longer than 2 days, and even that is rare. There's so much to see!

 

[chaser]

Get this app for android devices,
Link Removed
You will always be less than ten miles from another aire if it's full, another one is park4night, free on all platforms, don't know what time of year you go , we go spring and autumn and have never found a full one and mostly free but the paid ones are rarely more than a fiver.

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[The Wino]

We think they are great never stayed on a site in France the aires and free parking places are so good wish we had them here can't see the point in paying asci as we don't use sites anyway!

 

[snowdrops]

Have you considered joining France Passion - stay on Farms, wineries etc free of charge
Membership is about £20 from memory

Not really, as our 5 weeks in France are our only hols, we tend to make sure we have lots of pool/chilling time and the rest of the time we explore, lots of the places we've seen or yet to see don't have aires near enough and the Passion would be the same. A friend of mine loves the Passion farms too. May look to that some time in the future

 

[dabhand]

There are lots of Aires that are not in the actual all the aires book, as the above posters have said Park 4 night, camper contact, and Archie's all very good, recently spent a month in Brittany and just drove around, didn't plan anything, when I fancied the look of a place just got my phone out and checked out the above apps, always found a place to stay, yes, even occasionally paying, (such as 4 nights under the viaduct in Dinan) for me the beauty of not planning and part of the fun of motorhoming, is I still find places perfectly suitable to stay the night that are not listed anywhere, and are invariably free. In Grand Camp Maisy in Basse Normandy ( I know, not in Brittany, but wanted to see some of the D Day landing beaches) the circus had completely taken over the large aire, which happens a lot in France by the way, so parked up on the harbour wall, harbour one side sea the other, lovely little spot, no signs anywhere, on this occasion we walked to the tourist office and asked them if this would be ok, they rang the local police for us who confirmed that, as long as we didn't "camp", chairs and table out etc, it would be fine, and it was.

On another coast road found a small bottle bank in between two villages, just big enough for a couple of motorhomes yet leaving enough room for the locals to park up for the beach and to dispose of their bottles, it was actually one of my favourite night halts, nothing around but the rocks and the sea, I appreciate its not everyone's cup of tea but the wife and the dog both loved it!

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[snowdrops]

Yeah I do get that peeps hol in different ways. We did try a few aires. Maybe we were just unlucky. Tho as I said, a lot of the negative for us is needing to have the van stay put to have a space. With the sites we found staying on one for 3 days, we could have some pool time and also leave to explore further afield and still come back to our same pitch. It's all very interesting. Only been home since yesterday evening and desp to go back.

 

[snowdrops]

There are lots of Aires that are not in the actual all the aires book, as the above posters have said Park 4 night, camper contact, and Archie's all very good, recently spent a month in Brittany and just drove around, didn't plan anything, when I fancied the look of a place just got my phone out and checked out the above apps, always found a place to stay, yes, even occasionally paying, (such as 4 nights under the viaduct in Dinan) for me the beauty of not planning and part of the fun of motorhoming, is I still find places perfectly suitable to stay the night that are not listed anywhere, and are invariably free. In Grand Camp Maisy in Basse Normandy ( I know, not in Brittany, but wanted to see some of the D Day landing beaches) the circus had completely taken over the large aire, which happens a lot in France by the way, so parked up on the harbour wall, harbour one side sea the other, lovely little spot, no signs anywhere, on this occasion we walked to the tourist office and asked them if this would be ok, they rang the local police for us who confirmed that, as long as we didn't "camp", chairs and table out etc, it would be fine, and it was.

On another coast road found a small bottle bank in between two villages, just big enough for a couple of motorhomes yet leaving enough room for the locals to park up for the beach and to dispose of their bottles, it was actually one of my favourite night halts, nothing around but the rocks and the sea, I appreciate its not everyone's cup of tea but the wife and the dog both loved it!

The Dinan aire was my fave eva, loved it. We don't plan our sites either, we use the ACSI app and wherever we are or are headed I'll look for the nearest or most suitable. Sometimes we end up staying 4 days if we love it, Parc Bastide in St Remy is a fine example of that, we return every year now lol. We've got lost a few times and ended up on little acsi sites in the most quaintest of villages.

 

[magicsurfbus]

It all depends on how much you want/need what campsites have to offer. Of course you're not going to rate aires if you want pool, club, bar, restaurant, and your own designated pitch.

No need to buy aire books if you've got the free CCI satnav POI files and mobile App, which are updated daily.

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[FIDGET]

Hi, As I said in my thread , where can you park /stay for 16 nights 47 euro's, 14 aires , 2 c/sites
All of the aires were within 200 yards from either a beach , lake or river. ( I do my homework/research)
I couldn't fault the aires we visited. but it was mostly Brittany & 3 in Normandy & it was Sept . didn't have to pay for water .

 

[Granjan]

I am with you on this @snowdrops for most of the time, especially in the south of france I want some space around me, a sense of security, my air con and gadgets. I will use aires occasionally for moving about but I am happier with a toilet block, a nice long shower a swimming pool and a settled place. Campsites can be expensive in summer though.
I like to see all the campers enjoying themselves and laugh at all the little dramas that unfold. Its nice to sit out all evening too and have the awning groundsheet and chairs out.

Out of season, in cooler weather, touring and for an extra cheaper break aires are Ok.

 

[iandsm]

You are seeking opinions but have already decided Aires are not for you so whatever opinions you get they probably won't change your view of Aires.

I would say that the book you refer to should be renamed, "Some of the Aires on France" because there are a hell of a lot of delightful ones that's are not in it. Some prefer Aires, some prefer campsites. I think for long term touring campsites would be too expensive for us. Being way four months of the year just wouldn't be possible without Aires.

Personal choice really.

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[Don Quixote]

And @iansm has hit the nail on the head. Personal choice, each to his/her own.

 

[Judge Mental]

We bought the Aires book 2 yrs ago and the ACSI app and membership very soon after. Is it just me who feels the book/aires are really not all it's meant to be ? We've ended up using ACSI sites 99% of the time. Most of the Aires need you there not long after noon to get a spot and some are only a few euros less than wonderful campsites with pools, bars, restaurants etc.

We did love the Dinan aire and the only other one was Neufchatel, tho we've arrived there many a time and it's full. The rest have been packed in or not in great surroundings. I do know I suppose that for some people they just use them to sleep, but if you need to park up by lunchtime that's your day gone.

Opinions please ? PS I probably shld have added that we spend most of the time down south of France. Provence, Cote d'azure etc.

Have always felt similar. Tend to use them on route and touring around but much prefer campsites. as My wife is in education still have to go away in peak times...Aires not so great in high summer! packed with litle or no shade ( I know there are exceptions)

This attitude may change when wife retires and money will be tighter, we can then go away on the shoulder months rather then peak.

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

As mentioned earlier - it depends what you want from an aire. It is after all primarily just a parking space for the night.
Why stick to those in that aires book? They're the ones everybody heads for and will therefore be the ones likely to fill up. Personally I'd just hate to arrive at an aire to find it like a Sardine tin - in fact I'd just drive on to Plan B.
Also, don't forget that with a fully fitted unit you don't need an aire every night, you just need somewhere to park and in France that means almost anywhere.
Download something like Archies (there are several others) and while away your "at home" time uncovering those hidden aires that are unlikely to be busy and even less likely to charge - just explore with Google Earth and Street View.
Also loads of parking (not aires) places on the wild camping sites.

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[maison]

We use Aires and campsites in France.

Generally we love the Aire "experience" but have pulled into some and then straight back out again.

We have found the experiences of MHF Members to be a good guide. There are several good videos provided on the site which illustrate the Aires well.

You pays yer money (or not) and takes yer choice.

Do what suits you .

 

[Kool Kroozer]

I have to agree with snowdrops, we only use aires if we really have to (desperate) only because we have yet to find one thats half decent (no disrespect to those who use them regular) i too would prefer to pay a few euros more and stay on a campsite with all the facilities and safety surroundings - seeing rows of motorhomes all parked up on an aire with all the tables an chairs an awnings out right by a main road isnt my way of relaxing and getting away from it all - i may as well of just parked in our street an set up shop there (no difference to me ) we stopped overnight last week at Gravelines and even though it was convenient for our overnight before setting off back to Calaise i think its a little overpriced at 7euros just to park - no water or nothing else on site, think you had to travel down the road for service points - but didn't dare leave as it was full an may have lost our place.. They're there for convenient and is always nice to know that there are always somewhere to go if your desperate - more than what can be said for the UK !

 

[chaser]

Don't want to start an argument for once but in my opinion if you are going to just stay in campsites there's not much point in having a motorhome , might just as well go by car or plane or even train and rent a static or even , God forbid , a package holiday in an hotel, save all the hassle and expense of running two vehicles , to us the motorhome is the holiday , living in it , useing our own toilet and shower, and all our own cooking with local stuff purchased off the markets, in way out country places , not your usual holiday places, and never except to do the washing and stuff useing campsites where loads of other people are all useing the same facilities

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[Ivory55]

Some people are petrified of flying so driving abroad is the only option if they wish to go to Spain etc, also people might be more happy surrounded by their own stuff . A motorhome might be used as they do not like towing. Everybody is different.

 

[teensvan99]

We fulltimed for over seven half years and in the summer months in france we only ever used aires. On average we would use 2/3 per week. Found the most wonderful aires and little village's very close by. Only ever used one campsite in France.

steve & ann. ............teensvan

 

[GeriatricWanderer]

We fulltimed for over seven half years and in the summer months in france we only ever used aires. On average we would use 2/3 per week. Found the most wonderful aires and little village's very close by. Only ever used one campsite in France. steve & ann. ............teensvan

Now there's a brave post! (words like: other thread and freeloading come to mind! )
Those poor old French campsite owners. 7 years of missed business - hang your head in shame

I was an avid airer but am gradually changing to village centres for overnighting - nearly always greeted with a smile and frequently find myself invited to share drinks/meals/boules - the Real France.

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[Nirvanauk]

Don't want to start an argument for once but in my opinion if you are going to just stay in campsites there's not much point in having a motorhome , might just as well go by car or plane or even train and rent a static or even , God forbid , a package holiday in an hotel, save all the hassle and expense of running two vehicles , to us the motorhome is the holiday , living in it , useing our own toilet and shower, and all our own cooking with local stuff purchased off the markets, in way out country places , not your usual holiday places, and never except to do the washing and stuff useing campsites where loads of other people are all useing the same facilities

Thank goodness it's just your opinion...

 

[EuroTrotters]

I agree with the OP.

I find it hard to find a nice aire. Those that are nice are often overcrowded and over priced.

Pont-à-Mousson being an example. It is €9.20 to park and €2 for water and €3 for WiFi. Some said that they have been charged €15 overnight.

Cavaliere is a great spot. But with no EHU and limited water supply in high season €15 is too much.

I have stayed in some cracking campsites in the ACSI book and many that are not paying as little as €8 with no EHU.

We use stellplatz a lot to traverse germany and find them a bit better.

 

[Judge Mental]

the municipal campsites in France can be fantastic value and in really nice spots. not all singing dancing, but even in high summer surprisingly reasonable prices. I like to stretch out under an awning, on a patch of grass in bare feet, bbq on, drink in hand etc...

Its the outdoor life that attracted us to camping in the first place....Better then being stuck inside a van on an packed Aire on a lovely summer evening any day!

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