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Thinking of heading to France

  • 01-07-2015 11:33pm
    #1
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭


    Hi, thinking of heading to France in my camper but have no idea what to expect, Will be traveling with 5 Yr so need to keep her happy.

    Would it be possible to go without too much planning routes?

    If I was to go any recomdations on a route from Roscoff to head but not far from port max 1/2 day's drive that maybe we would could find some stops on route.

    Planning to go 2nd week in aug for approx 2 weeks.

    Any advice welcome.


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Comments

  • #2
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    France is a country made for motorhoming. The only planning you need to do is how to avoid the toll roads as tolls are expensive. However, half a day from Roscoff means you're limiting yourself to the near half of Brittany which has the advantage of being toll-free, but you are excluding about 90% of France and not really getting the best out of France's motorhome-friendly infrastructure.

    In your situation, I'd do two half-day drives - morning, visit location No.1 for lunch & midday stroll/playground, then an afternoon drive, and stop for the evening in location No.2. Repeat x14.

    My youngest was only 4 when we first started touring (France) in a motorhome and she - like the others - got loads of fun out of the starting, stopping, buying baguettes in a different boulangerie every day, discovering different parks, playgrounds, fountains, whatever - and being on an aire de stationnement with another campervan just like ours (Benimar, not that common in France).

    If you're not familiar with the "aire" system, Google it - (mostly) free overnight parking, mostly in town centres or within 5-year-old walking distance, or in wonderful beauty-spots. Avoid the over-hyped tourist areas (basically all the west coast) and you can have a great holiday for nothing more than the cost of your fuel and ferry ticket.


  • #3
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭m8


    I guess I'm be carefull but your right 1/2 day is not far enough so I will maybe head away southish for 3 to 4 days and then back another route.

    Any recomendations on a route?

    Towns I should head for for?


  • #4
    Benbecul97
    Registered Users Posts: 988 ✭✭✭Benbecul97


    Be careful not to overdo the driving. While you might see alot of France by driving every single day of your two week holiday, do you really want to do that much driving. Not my idea of relaxation, but horses for course I suppose.

    Another option is to use the Municipal site available in many larger towns. Not free but not expensive either. Park up in one of these and base yourself there for a 2/3 days and then move on. The site fee in one of these will probably balance out the diesel you would use if driving every day.

    Or maybe a blend of both options. Just a thought.


  • #5
    campingcarist
    Registered Users Posts: 337 ✭✭campingcarist


    I like to stay two nights in most places. Arrive in the afternoon, visit my chosen location the following day and head off to my next location the next day which is usually no more than a few hours drive away.

    Depending on what you like to do/see, google different places of your chosen interest and make a basic itinerary. Sometimes you may find that a place is not really your cup of tea (or coffee) and will therefore move on the next morning.

    Bon voyage!


  • #6
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    Using Aires is a very good way to tour France, there are over 7,500 of them, a lot are free but with only the rare exception you will never come across one charging over €12 (high season).

    Another alternative is to use the network of Municipal Campsites. These are full service campsites (showers, toilets, ehu. etc). Municipal Campistes are sometimes adjacent to the municipal swimming pool and other municipal facilites and are a good option for those with children and on a tight budget, expect to pat between €8 and €14 per night, all in. EXAMPLE

    Click http://www.camping-municipal.org/index.htm and allow Google to translate.


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  • #7
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    The choice between aire and camping municipal really comes down to the spec of your camper. If you're fully independent (toilet, shower, electricity) then there's not much extra that a campsite will offer, they're pretty basic. Unless it's specifically prohibited, you can park a camper overnight anywhere in France (I stayed outside the gates of the Château de Versailles a few months ago). The aires just make it a little bit more convenient - decent sized parking bays and some services like water/electricity/waste.

    If the budget is tight - or even if it's not - I would recommend finding a lake "resort" for swimming instead of the municipal pool. There are hundreds of them, often with an aire included, and at this time of year usually with catering and some kind of entertainment provided.

    If you're not against the idea doing a loop, and if your legs are up to it, for your own interest I'd suggest heading for Dinan (south of Dinard, don't bother with that place) in Normandy - lovely town, nice aire over looking the river (small charge) then on to St. Michel (the aire there is on the inside of carpark, so you pay the daily rate and get the shuttle service out to the Mont, and maybe as far as Honfleur (another aire with a fee), then head back.


  • #8
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    ...................................... then on to St. Michel (the aire there is on the inside of carpark, so you pay the daily rate and get the shuttle service out to the Mont, and maybe as far as Honfleur (another aire with a fee), then head back.

    Noooooooooo. The motorhome parking within the Mt. St. Michel car park is a massive rip-off, IIRC in the region of €22 per 24 hours, 24 hours and 1 minute will cost €44.

    Seek out a Municipal or Aire for about a tenner in the locality and use bikes or local bus to get to The Mt.

    The reason I mention using a Municipal camp site is your 5 year old will have somewhere to safely let of energy, Aires are usually not that safe for children to be out and about with passing traffic and they are after all public areas.


  • #9
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    niloc1951 wrote: »
    Noooooooooo. The motorhome parking within the Mt. St. Michel car park is a massive rip-off, IIRC in the region of €22 per 24 hours, 24 hours and 1 minute will cost €44.

    Seek out a Municipal or Aire for about a tenner in the locality and use bikes or local bus to get to The Mt.

    Oh, I agree! I wouldn't stay there, not when I can park for free on the side of the road half a kilometre away, but I've been wild-camping with my children for ten years so everyone knows the drill. The OP doesn't have that advantage ... and le Mont St. Michel is worth a visit, especially now that they've made it an island again.
    niloc1951 wrote: »
    The reason I mention using a Municipal camp site is your 5 year old will have somewhere to safely let of energy, Aires are usually not that safe for children to be out and about with passing traffic and they are after all public areas.

    False sense of security. I wouldn't let a 5-year-old be out and about on their own in a camping municipal. They're bigger and attract more people - especially in August - compared to an aire in an out-of-the-way village where there might be just two or three other campers, but perhaps a dozen local families enjoying the playground/sportsground/boulodrome.

    From where I'm sitting right now, I can see one such amenity, with about thirty children and teenagers in it, no adults in sight. If it's safe for the local children to play without supervision, then it'll be OK for a visitor; on a campsite, all you know is that you don't know anyone and neither does anyone else. (I'm assuming that at least some of the teenagers down below are supposed to be supervising the younger children)


  • #10
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭m8


    I have booked now ;).

    What does everyone do for WiFI when in France, are there some options?


  • #11
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    m8 wrote: »
    I have booked now ;).

    What does everyone do for WiFI when in France, are there some options?

    Apart from campsites which are usually a rip-off we usually rely on McDonalds, shopping centres and restaurants.


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  • #12
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭m8


    Wherecan I buy some Disposable breathalizers in Ireland?

    How many would I need for 2 weeks?

    Is there anything else needed to comply with French law not required here?


  • #13
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    m8 wrote: »
    Wherecan I buy some Disposable breathalizers in Ireland?

    How many would I need for 2 weeks?

    Not required. Proposal to make them a legal requirement never went through.


  • #14
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    It did actually. They are a legal requirement (to have one, not two) ... but there's no penalty for not having one. Anyway, they're useless, don't waste your money buying one. See this thread for more about mandatory items.

    Regarding wifi - McDonalds ! Many rural communes are setting up free wifi hotspots (not coincidentally, right next door to their aire de stationnement, tourist office, community hall, starting point for walks, etc) but it's still hit-and-miss. You can also subscribe to a 3G/4G mobile data package, either through your own provider if you have one in Ireland, or buy a SIM card in France if you've got an unlocked 'phone, then use the phone as a portable hot-spot for other devices. Some campsites have wifi, but rarely powerful enough to cover the pitches, so you have to sit by the office (outside of office hours, you're better off going to McDs)


  • #15
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    .........................You can also subscribe to a 3G/4G mobile data package, either through your own provider if you have one in Ireland, or buy a SIM card in France if you've got an unlocked 'phone, then use the phone as a portable hot-spot for other devices................

    Tried this option earlier this year. I got an SFR pay as you go sim. The data package did not allow hotspotting or VOIP :mad:


  • #16
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    niloc1951 wrote: »
    Tried this option earlier this year. I got an SFR pay as you go sim. The data package did not allow hotspotting or VOIP :mad:

    I used a lebara sim no problem including torrenting and hotspotting


  • #17
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    That's odd. SFR made a point of unblocking VOIP over mobile to compete against Free a couple of years ago. Sounds like it might have been a device configuration problem. The French networks are fussy about some things. Were you using an unlocked mobile?


  • #18
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    That's odd. SFR made a point of unblocking VOIP over mobile to compete against Free a couple of years ago. Sounds like it might have been a device configuration problem. The French networks are fussy about some things. Were you using an unlocked mobile?

    Perhaps so, but SFR now have over 4 million mobile WiFi hotspots as an expensive add-on which is probably why mobile data is so restricted, BTW it was also painfully slow the network connection we were getting was rarely showing G or better.
    Maybe in France, where they have always lead the way in telecoms, they are concentrating on basic voice and WiFi hotspots instead of fast mobile data.
    The device used was a Nokia Windows phone and the configuration is not an issue.


  • #19
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    No, that doesn't make sense. All operators are aggressively rolling out 4G services, and the competition in providing all-in packages is fierce. It's the one thing that really shocked me when I thought about moving back to Ireland (or even the UK) - telecoms are so expensive compared to the options here ... and I feel hard done-by with my 0€/month 3G offer, including calls to international landlines! :)

    However, if you're on a decent tarif in Ireland, you should be able to get a decent roaming allowance for two weeks at reasonable rates and not be bothered getting a French SIM.


  • #20
    m8
    Registered Users Posts: 905 ✭✭✭m8


    I have a LHD Camper and have beambenders on my headlights, would I get away without removing htem?


  • #21
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Yes.

    You'll hardly be doing much night-time driving, and there are so many French vehicles with dodgy lights, you'll blend right in! :pac:


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  • #22
    campingcarist
    Registered Users Posts: 337 ✭✭campingcarist


    m8 wrote: »
    I have a LHD Camper and have beambenders on my headlights, would I get away without removing htem?
    I managed to do 3 weeks in France last year with no headlights at all. As I don't drive at night, I only discovered that the only lights working were the side lights.

    Never had a bother. Also I have a LHD and it got through the DOE without beam benders. All set for this year though.


  • #23
    niloc1951
    Registered Users Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭niloc1951


    CelticRambler wrote: »
    That's odd. SFR made a point of unblocking VOIP over mobile to compete against Free a couple of years ago. Sounds like it might have been a device configuration problem. The French networks are fussy about some things. Were you using an unlocked mobile?

    Yes, and it worked perfectly for incoming and outgoing calls and mobile internet, though very very slow.
    No problems when on WiFi.


  • #24
    Dexter Bip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 142 ✭✭Dexter Bip


    Just go and enjoy it. All the advice given above is good. Don't try to see it all in one go and make good use of the municipal campings and the aires. Get a good guide book for both ( These have been posted before on this forum so go have a look) and don't be too bothered about planning too far ahead. You'll always find somewhere to park up. Sometimes getting away from the internet isn't a bad thing. Learn a few words of French - once you make any effort it opens doors and makes friends. Anywhere south of the Loire will have fairly good weather if you are looking for sunshine - the climate in Normandy isn't that different from Ireland.
    Many municipal campsites will have facilities to suit your child - playgrounds,access to a pool, child minders etc. but they vary. Many Aires are situated close to places you would want to see or visit.
    Autoroutes are a bit expensive but are good value for money if you need get somewhere far away in a short time. The most you would pay would be 25-40 Euro for a long drive. If time is at a premium then it isn't a bad idea. Autoroutes are of a Uk standard but without any traffic and are fairly stress free. You can get to La Rochelle in an easy day's driving from Cherborug in this way.
    Have a great trip and may it be the first of many.


  • #25
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    Dexter Bip wrote: »
    Autoroutes are a bit expensive but are good value for money if you need get somewhere far away in a short time. The most you would pay would be 25-40 Euro for a long drive.

    Those are car prices, and only for a "long" drive by Irish standards. You need to double it, or more for a camper (class 2) - about 10-15€/100km, and 100 km is nothing in France (I'd usually do 3-400 per half-day). You'll also pay more in fuel because of driving faster, especially if the wind is against you (particularly the Mistral and Tremontane, or strong coastal breezes coming off the Channel)

    That said, there's very little motorway network in Brittany, and there are toll-free sections in Normandy, which is probably as much as the OP will cover in two weeks.

    Speaking of fuel - for the best price, buy it in supermarket service stations or the Total Access network (not Total, just Total) but be prepared to pay by card at an automatic pump. www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr gives the day-by-day prices and also has a route planner tool that allows you see the different service stations and prices along the way. It's especially helpful if you're using S95-E10 petrol as not all départements have it. Or even E85 !


  • #26
    colmll
    Registered Users Posts: 52 ✭✭colmll


    Hi all, as this thread is on motorhoming in France, I would appreciate some advice also. I am heading down from Cherburg to a campsite about 50km south of La Rochelle for 10 days next Wed and I am looking for any suggestions on what aires or campsites we could overnight on the way down. We don't book into the campsite until Fri so will need two overnights. I would also like to stay as close to the coast as possible and avoid motorways/toll roads. Any advice greatly appreciated.


  • #27
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,695 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    That route crosses territory I'm not particularly familiar with, but as you've got two days, I'd recommend swinging around the bottom of the Cotentin Peninsula on your first day and stopping in Dinan (again!). It'll add about 50km to your journey, but the total is only 600km, so only one day's drive and you've got three days to do it.

    Depending on how close to La Rochelle and/or your final destination you want to be on Day 2, you could do 300-350km to end up in either La Rochelle itself or the town of Niort, both of which have good aires (and, like Dinan, apply a small charge for 24hrs parking).

    The "aire" in La Rochelle is just part of a big carpark, but almost smack in the city centre. Very easy to get into and out of, but not always easy to get space, especially if you arrive after 16h00. I've only used it in the winter season and there could be 30-40 MHs there, a good number parked in the ordinary (car) bays. I've never had any trouble, but in August it might be a different story.

    Edit: in fact, I think the camper spaces might be free in La Rochelle ... can't quite remember. Car spaces are free overnight and on Sundays, like just about everywhere in France.

    Niort is a much nicer facility, but tricky to find. On my first trip, I was fortunate to be following someone else who did all the hesitating for me! Even so, I couldn't quite believe he was indicating left and about to turn into what seemed like a crack in the wall. :eek: He was and he did, and I did too. It was more of an optical illusion than a really tight squeeze.


  • #28
    moodrater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,638 ✭✭✭moodrater


    Don't know why people think you have to drive so much I'm camping around Ireland 35 years and only see a fraction of it. We spent 18 days in France last summer and only drove about 350km. There is something cool at least every 5km in coastal France. Also worth cycling you see more in 10km on your bike than 1000km driving.


  • #29
    killalanerr
    Registered Users Posts: 1,322 ✭✭✭killalanerr


    colmll wrote: »
    Hi all, as this thread is on motorhoming in France, I would appreciate some advice also. I am heading down from Cherburg to a campsite about 50km south of La Rochelle for 10 days next Wed and I am looking for any suggestions on what aires or campsites we could overnight on the way down. We don't book into the campsite until Fri so will need two overnights. I would also like to stay as close to the coast as possible and avoid motorways/toll roads. Any advice greatly appreciated.

    I don't recall any tolls on that route,i use the the airs in nozay when I'm down that way only 3 hours from the ferry and just off the motorway https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/Cherbourg,+France/Nozay,+France/@47.7882001,-0.5156283,8z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x480c970b9d33188d:0x40c14484fb97e90!1m2!1m1!1s0x480f5ceb1c5287a1:0x40d37521e0decf0!3e0
    I would drop by Mont Saint-Michel if i had a day to kill there is a nice airs on the way to it (not the new car park)

    If your any way handy with the computer which I'm not you could put the pois on to your satnav http://www.archiescampings.eu very handy


  • #30
    Dexter Bip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 142 ✭✭Dexter Bip


    killalanerr wrote: »
    I don't recall any tolls on that route,i use the the airs in nozay when I'm down that way only 3 hours from the ferry and just off the motorway https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/Cherbourg,+France/Nozay,+France/@47.7882001,-0.5156283,8z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m2!1m1!1s0x480c970b9d33188d:0x40c14484fb97e90!1m2!1m1!1s0x480f5ceb1c5287a1:0x40d37521e0decf0!3e0
    I would drop by Mont Saint-Michel if i had a day to kill there is a nice airs on the way to it (not the new car park)

    If your any way handy with the computer which I'm not you could put the pois on to your satnav http://www.archiescampings.eu very handy
    Nozay is nice and has diesel and a supermarket nearby. We usually stop off there for a break on day one heading south. Spent the night there once in November. Free electric hookup.
    La Rochelle has changed. The large free car park in the centre ( Parc les Esplanades) has been reduced to about twenty places with a barrierd aire at the edge of town instead at € 15 per night. Still worth the visit though.
    Lots of nice aires and towns all along the coast. All advice given is good. Take your time and enjoy. It's all about doing it at your own pace and doing what you like.


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  • #31
    killalanerr
    Registered Users Posts: 1,322 ✭✭✭killalanerr


    Dexter Bip wrote: »
    Nozay is nice and has diesel and a supermarket nearby. We usually stop off there for a break on day one heading south. Spent the night there once in November. Free electric hookup.
    La Rochelle has changed. The large free car park in the centre ( Parc les Esplanades) has been reduced to about twenty places with a barrierd aire at the edge of town instead at € 15 per night. Still worth the visit though.
    Lots of nice aires and towns all along the coast. All advice given is good. Take your time and enjoy. It's all about doing it at your own pace and doing what you like.

    It has one of those barriers now so not free anymore but still a handy spot,good advice Dexter, don't over plan and take your time


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