10 day France trip - 1st timer (1 Viewer)

[Figaro]

I agree, Alps too far for the time you have, you`d be driving for the sake of driving.
Lots of great places in Brittany and Atlantic coast and good suggestions above

 

[Davylambretta]

Thanks any pointers will be most welcome have done the trip from Dunfermline to Rupholding in one sitting think I had the ferry crossing off and 4Hrs off whilst someone else did the driving but that was best part of 24hrs driving almost non stop cant see me doing that on my own. Any experience of using these http://www.eurocampindependent.co.uk/

 

[trophychap]

Not recently since we've had our own tents and now motorhome, but we did use them in the past and they were absolutely fine - normally on larger campsites (all nationalities) so have better playground and organised activities for kids of all ages during the school holidays - and French summer hols generally are a month from Bastille Day (15th July) to the feast of St John in mid August and that's when all campsite and other holiday prices will be the highest across the whole of France whether in a fantastic beach resort or landlocked smack in the middle.

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[holg8s]

Thanks for your help guys. Booked the eurotunnel and ready to go. We are going to head to burgundy to start with and have a few days there. Then maybe over to Alsace and see what happens. Not venturing too far. But far enough to see a bit of northern France. I've looked into all the sites you guys have given me and it's helped me with my searches. The only thing I don't properly understand is the aires. I know you all say you can rock up and go next day...but how do I know they are available at short notice? I really need something I can book... because of the kids and dogs. I don't mind paying for a site with a hook up if the kids get a pool and we get time to relax. I remember about 10 years ago I drove to Euro Disney and I always noticed lots of lay-bys along the route. Are these the aires?

 

[busby]

Thanks for your help guys. Booked the eurotunnel and ready to go. We are going to head to burgundy to start with and have a few days there. Then maybe over to Alsace and see what happens. Not venturing too far. But far enough to see a bit of northern France. I've looked into all the sites you guys have given me and it's helped me with my searches. The only thing I don't properly understand is the aires. I know you all say you can rock up and go next day...but how do I know they are available at short notice? I really need something I can book... because of the kids and dogs. I don't mind paying for a site with a hook up if the kids get a pool and we get time to relax. I remember about 10 years ago I drove to Euro Disney and I always noticed lots of lay-bys along the route. Are these the aires?

If an aire is full or you don't like it there will be another one not far away,,We try to be on an aire by 3.30,,BUSBY,,

 

[Four of us]

Aires are usually provided by a town to encourage motorhomes into the area. They usually have overnight parking and facilities to empty waste and fill up with water but not much else, although they do vary. You can't book them in advance but just turn up on spec... We use them quite a lot and love the variety they provide and the small towns we might otherwise miss. But...... since your relaxation will depend on the kids having a good time I would tend to do as someone else suggested and look for eurocamp style sites. They will have all you need to entertain the family and let you sit back... . thats what we used to do.....

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[mitzimad]

Look at the yelloh campsites their similar to our haven sites with flumes pools and activities we stayed at one near la roch ell which was great for kids
https://m.yellohvillage.co.uk/choose_your_campsite/by_country/france
They used to be in the acsi book but don't think July is covered by acsi

 

[suavecarve]

Thanks for your help guys. Booked the eurotunnel and ready to go. We are going to head to burgundy to start with and have a few days there. Then maybe over to Alsace and see what happens. Not venturing too far. But far enough to see a bit of northern France. I've looked into all the sites you guys have given me and it's helped me with my searches. The only thing I don't properly understand is the aires. I know you all say you can rock up and go next day...but how do I know they are available at short notice? I really need something I can book... because of the kids and dogs. I don't mind paying for a site with a hook up if the kids get a pool and we get time to relax. I remember about 10 years ago I drove to Euro Disney and I always noticed lots of lay-bys along the route. Are these the aires?

Welcome to the "I m English and cant comprehend that i can park my motorhome for free" club.
I should think every single one of us went over to France with trepidation about these aires, purely because we dont have any. It is almost ingrained into us to want to book and pay because we want to know we will have our position.
England, generally, has given no thought at all to motorhoming, France is designed for motorhoming.
I would take a look at
to see 100 aires quickly
or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC10cpU-dMK4oiXI75pINolA/feed to see videos of a motorhome driven by a funster turning up at several different aires.
Once you have stayed at a few and worked out you really need a satnav to find them or your eyes peeled for the signs then (if youre like the majority of us) you only use campsites once in a while (or not at all) and suddenly your holiday costs you diesel and channel crossing
The rest areas along the side of the roads are aires, but not as we know them. Somebody will come along with a definition later but i understand it as an aire is a stopping place and you get different types eg motorway aires and motorhome aires. If you dare to stay overnight along the side of the road there is a totally unproven, unvalidated myth that your motorhome will be gassed by specialists in administering anaesthetics and then steal your £3,000 rolex. Although none of that has any credence stopping on the motorway aires (like our service stations) overnight does carry risks of thievery so the official motorhome or camping car aires that you will find in campercontact, searchforsites or the book "All the aires" are very safe and visited almost religiously nightly by the gendarmes or the municipal police. I cant remember the last thread where somebody had something stolen from an aire (unless they were gassed!). (I really need to point out that there is more factual evidence of the Loch Ness Monster than somebody being gassed in France)
We have done 28 nights in France for 32p (water filling up) and you can pick and choose to travel daily or rmain where you are.
If you have decided Burgundy then possibly Alsace, work out your general route and put a screenshot of the google map onto here asking for good aires/campsites/villages/towns/sights and you will be inundated with advice. There will be shed loads of info incoming.
Mesnil st pere on the lake is a firm favourite of many (including me) but you have to have 2 days of water and an empty toilet cassette to stay there, Auxerre is very pleasant in the marina, Anywhere around Lac de Vouglans and Claiveaux les lacs is good for filling up with free water then a couple of nights out in the lakes near to the cascades du herrison (Wild camping with loads of others (so hardly wild) at lac d'ilay) then Alsace ensuring you stop at Eguishem as such a stunning village (with 32 wine houses).
You ll love it