The Dordogne Area of France - A British Favourite !

The Dordogne département is found within the Aquitaine region of the southwest corner of France. The region is often referred to as Périgord, a name used for the region before the French revolution. It is a lovely area to visit and there is much to see as well as just taking in the lovely countryside.

The rocks of the area are made of limestone, a relatively soft rock, and rivers have cut through the rocks leaving fantastic cliffs and vast systems of caves. Some of these caves have been found to contain prehistoric cave paintings. The area is famous for its cuisine, including truffles and foie gras and you will also find that duck and goose are a favourite in this region.
There are many chateaux to visit in the Dordogne. The Dordogne is just inland from Bordeaux, which is famous for its wine ! There is a famous dessert wine produced at Monbazilac, and cheap, drinkable reds are produced around Bergerac.
There are many places you may want to visit including the Lascaux caves, the Marqueyssac gardens, medieval Sarlat, Chateau Castelnaud, the prehistoric caves in the Vezere Valley and the Gouffre de Padirac caves.
If you are energetic, you may want to try canoeing the Dordogne. There are also lovely towns and villages to visit with the most popular being Bergerac, Brantome, Excideuil, La Roque-Gageac, Le Bugue, Riberac, Rocamadour and Sarlat.

Cave Paintings - The famous Lascaux caves The original Lascaux cave was closed to the public in 1968 to preserve it but a brilliant replica has been built 200 metres away. Everything has been reproduced as accurately as possible, including the temperature which is kept at 13 degrees C. The animals depicted in the paintings are mainly horses, deer and bulls. The caves are one of the most renowned archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. They were discovered in 1940 by teenagers when one of their dogs chased a rabbit into the caves.
A fantastic, realistic online version (the best thing I've seen on the internet so far!) of the caves can be viewed here : http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/fr/00.xml

Sarlat
Sarlat is the capital of Perigord Noir. It has 1,000 years of history in its buildings, with fine examples of medieval and renaissance buildings built in the yellow limestone with grey roofs that is typical of this region. Another fine example of architecture is the cathedral, which was erected in the reign of Henry IV.
There is an excellent market that takes place on Saturdays in Sarlat. It takes place in the "Place de la Liberte" marketplace which is surrounded by mediaeval buildings. The market stalls also stretch down the Rue de la Republique. The market stalls with their colourful canopies sell a selection of local produce including  foie gras, walnuts, wine, cheese, mushrooms, bread, pastries, herbs, spices, fruit and vegetables, sausages, cakes, biscuits, oils, vinegars, wine and, depending on the season, possibly even truffles!  The smells and tastes of the food make this a must on a visit to this area.  There is also a smaller market on Wednesdays, mostly in the area around the Place de la Liberte, and there is a covered market daily in the former Saint Marie church also on the Place de la Liberte. Sarlat has a Christmas market in December and in January or February there is also a truffle and foie gras market at the Place Boissarie on Saturdays mornings.

Rocamadour
It is well worth a visit to this fantastic village built on a hillside.

Bergerac

You can visit the old town of Bergerac with its 14th, 15th and 16th Century buildings.

Aquarium de Perigord Noir 

Europe's largest private aquarium with more than 30 separate aquariums displaying over 3,000 fish from all around the world.

Château de Castelnaud 

The most popular château in southern france. Built high on a hill in the 13th century it changed hands many times. The Château has been home to the Museum of Medieval Warfare since 1985 where you can view such things as siege equipment and trebuchets. Demonstrations of the trebuchet are sometimes given in the summer which should prove popular !  There is a magnificent view from the chateau over the Dordogne Valley.

Le Gouffre de Padirac 

The Gouffre de Padirac is a natural limestone cave. 103 metres down to the river - by lift or stairs - to the start of the tour. The visit lasts 1.5hrs and is 2km long
Restaurants shops and picnic area.

Le Gouffre de Proumeyssac

This is found to the south of Le Bugue, near the village of Audrix.  You can view the stalactites in this impressive cave as well as some interesting crystalline formations. It is in a spectacular position, high in a cliff, and can be accessed by a man-made tunnel.

Grotte de Pech-Merle

These caves include paintings of dappled horses and outlines of human hand prints from 25,000 BC.  Guided visits are given from Easter until October and numbers are restricted to 700 a day so its definitely advisable to book ahead during July and August. The guided visit lasts an hour and is done on foot. The access stair to the tour has 40 steps down and back up. The tour distance is around 400m, broken up by stops to view the panels and paintings. For more information about the caves please visit their website at : http://www.pechmerle.com/

Musée National de Préhistoire 

The National Museum of Prehistory which reflects ever expanding archeological research. It is the most important collection of items from the Paleolithic era in France.

Prehisto Park 

Theme park which traces the evolution of man from 1500BC. You can watch craftsmen using only the tools which would have been available at the time.

Le Thot - Espace Cro Magnon

Situated 7 km from Montignac this centre is a valuable first stop before visiting the numerous prehistoric sites in the Périgord. You can view animals here which are similar in appearance to the species which lived in the wild in this region during the Upper Paleolithic Age and which you are likely to see when viewing the art of that time in cave paintings. You will be able to see animals such as reindeer, the European bison, the aurochs, the Przewalski horses, the Tarpan horses, the ibex, the red deer and the fallow deer. There are also replicas of extinct species such as the mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. There are often activities to take part in such as art workshops and replica archaeological digs.

Quercyland 

This waterpark at Souillac has 6 pools and a variety of slides as well as mini golf, trampolines, pedal boats etc. and a restaurant. There is a high ropes course adjacent to the waterpark. For more information please visit their website in advance to plan your activities: http://www.copeyre.com/en/index 
The same website will also show canoe hire on the Dordogne River with Copeyre Canoë, who offer various options to canoe along the river. There are also details of a corn maze "The Labyrinth of the Hermit", 10 minutes from Sarlat.

Les Jardins de Marqueyssac 

The "hanging" gardens in the grounds of the Château de Marqueyssac are some of the best kept gardens in France. They were modelled on Italian gardens by Julien de Cerval who inherited the property in 1861. There are 6kms of walks and wonderful views. There is a candlelit walk which takes place in July and August on Thursday evenings.

Château de Milandes 

Old home of Josephine Baker the famous musical hall singer. Built 1489 in a wooded region between Castelnaud & Berbiguiéres. Falconry displays several times per day. Restaurant on site. Night flights to observe the chateau from the house's own captive hot air balloon.

Château de Hautefort 

One of the most prestigious châteaux in southwest france, classified as a historical monument. Built between 1630 and 1670. Surrounded by superb gardens.

Château de Monbazillac

Visit this chateau with its vineyard and its fantastic views over the Dordogne Valley.

For more information about Camping in the Dordogne : Go to Best French Campsites

French Campsite Pitches and Emplacements - is 80m² enough for you ?

Campsites can vary quite a bit in the amount of space offered on the pitches, or emplacements, for tents and mobile homes. Here is an ideal pitch with lots of extra space :

However, pitch size can vary from a minimum of between 80 m² to 100 m² to well over 100 m² right up to a maximum of about 200 m².

It can depend on location. Campsites in prime tourist spots near the beach etc. often have smaller pitches are smaller, whereas, you may find spacious pitches in some more rural campsites.

We have seen mobile home pitches where you if you park a car on the pitch you only have room left for your table and chairs and little else. For me that is less space than you might expect. And if you are taking young children with you then you might want more space. If you do find yourself in this situation you may be able to use a car park elsewhere in the campsite but it's not ideal.

Another thing which you may wish to consider is whether the pitches have hedges between them to give some privacy. Many campsites have been established for a number of years and the hedges and trees have grown to maturity and provide privacy as well as shading from the hot sun. Read the campsite descriptions carefully - Eurocamp often give descriptions of what type of pitch you can expect.

If you place a typical mobile home, sized 7.50m long x 4.00m wide on a 80 m² emplacement then this is what the area would look like :

We have some of the best campsites in France reviewed on our Best French Campsites website. Below are a list of the pitch sizes you might expect to find on some of the campsites we have reviewed :

Normandy
Château Lez Eaux, St Pair-Sur-Mer - Pitch size: 80-150m²
Château Le Brevedent, Pont L'Eveque - Pitch size: 80-100m².

Brittany
La Grande Metairie, Carnac - Pitch size: 80-100m². (You can request a Premium Pitch here with Eurocamp)
Château de Galineé, St Cast - Pitch size: Greater than 100m².
Les Deux Fontaines, Nevez - Pitch size: 100 -170m².
Pointe St. Gilles, Bénodet, Western Brittany - Pitch size: 80-100m²
Raguénès-Plage, Raguenes Plage - Pitch Size : 80-100m2
La Baie, La Trinité sur Mer - Pitch size: 80-100m²


Vendee
Bel at La Tranche Sur Mer - Pitch size: 80 - 100m².
La Garangeoire, has pitch sizes advertised with Eurocamp at greater than 100 but if you are taking your own tent and book with the site itself then you can book a pitch between 125 to 200 m²
Le Clarys-Plage - Pitch size: 80-150m².

Loire
Château des Marais, Chambord - Pitch size: 80-100m².

Paris
International Pitch Size : 80-100m².
Berny Riviere Pitch Size - 80-100m². (You can request a Premium Pitch here with Eurocamp)

Go Back to Best French Campsites

The Vendée

We chose to holiday in the Vendée last year, 2010. We had decided to move further south from Brittany which we loved, in search of just a little more sunshine for our summer holidays.

We had heard that the Vendee has a sort of micro-climate with as good a record for sun as the Cote d’Azur. We were certainly granted our wish as we arrived in the middle of a heatwave which lasted most of our holidays.

We had decided to stay at the “La Garangeoire” campsite which is situated in the green countryside 15 minutes drive inland from the popular tourist coastline of the Vendée. 


The Vendee is famous for its 140 km of excellent wide beaches and its popular tourist resorts. 

However as we ventured out on walks from our campsite and further afield in the Vendée by car, we began to learn some of the fascinating history of this region, much of which was unknown even to French people growing up in the region until a few years ago when the history was re-discovered and stories which had been hidden were passed on to a new generation.

The "Vendée" is named after the river which runs through the south-east of the département. The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the “Bas-Poitou” and is part of the former province of Poitou. The River Vendee crosses the forest of Mervent then flows through the town of Fontenay-le-Comte, the old capital of “Bas Poitou”. Napolean changed the region to be called the Vendée after the French Revolution of 1789 and he decided that the capital should become La Roche-sur-Yon from where his soldiers could control the Vendéans more easily. The river meanders on through the marshes to meet the Sevre Niortaise, and turns west to meet the sea in bay of l'Aiguillon.

The main seaside resorts of the area are St-Jean-de-Monts, St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Les Sables-d'Olonne and La Tranche-sur-Mer.

Visitors to the area will love the excellent historical theme park at Le Puy du Fou near Les Epesses,

in the east of the Vendée, with its five fantastic shows during the daytime “Grand Parc”, which is packed with fun for all ages, including a Roman amphitheatre with chariot races and gladiators, falconry displays and recreated villages from several different periods of history or you can go along to the breath-taking night-time son-et-lumière spectacle, known as the Cinéscénie.

Visitors to the Vendée can also enjoy are a day on the tranquil waterways of the Marais Poitevin, or Venise Verte ("Green Venice"), in South East Vendée. You can hire boats and punts to explore this area in the villages of Velluire, Vix, Damvix and Maillezais. Maillezais also offers a good restaurant next to the boat hire as well as the ruined abbey to visit.

There are also some lovely islands to visit off the Vendéen coast, all with a different character. You can journey across the incredible causeway that links the island of Noirmoutier (north-west of the Vendée) to the mainland at low tide or visit the popular Il de Ré which is reached by bridge from La Rochelle, or by boat from some of the coastal resorts.

It has a charming port at St Martin-sur-Re (see photograph to the left), beaches, restaurants, lighthouse to visit and is well known for its many cycle routes in the salt-marshes.

The history of the Vendee goes right back to prehistory with various ancient burial stones etc. The Romans then settled in the area and in fact there was an old roman road going through our campsite at La Garangeoire.

In the south-east corner of the Vendee, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) and was part of her kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England (the Lionheart) often had his base in Talmont. The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.

There were a considerable number of influential Protestants in the Vendee and the region was greatly affected by the French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. Eventually King Henri IV issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 caused many Huguenots (French Protestants) to flee from the Vendée.

Moving to slightly more recent times, the main period of French history which you may be familiar with is the French Revolution. If you are a bit sketchy about your history like me then what you might know of the French Revolution was that the peasants revolted against the upper classes. Louis VI and Marie Antoinette were the rulers at the time. The country fell into the hands of the Emperor Napoleon and from that era we have the saying of France “Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité” (Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood).

There is much to discover about the history of the Vendée and in fact there is a display at the Puy du Fou theme park showing this era. In fact many locals are only now discovering about their history, a history which was not taught to them at school and they are discovering more about the 100,000s of Vendeens who were massacred at that time.

Here is a short version of my understanding of the history which I have gathered and which I must emphasise could well be inaccurate but I hope might at least help you to begin to understand this area’s history (Any improvements or comments gratefully received !) :

At that time, class differences were not as great in the Vendée as in Paris or in other French provinces. In rural Vendée, the local nobility seems to have been less bitterly resented than in other parts of France. Many people in this area of France also had a strong adherence to their Catholic faith.
The Vendéen peasants initially fought on the side of the revolutionaries but they resented the changes imposed on the Roman Catholic Church by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) and eventually broke into open revolt in defiance of Napoleon’s Revolutionary Government's military conscription requiring Vendéans to fill their district's quota of 300,000 in March 1793 as they wanted and needed to return to their farms to continue their labours The populace took up arms as "The Catholic Army", "Royal" being added later, and fought for "above all the reopening of their parish churches with their former priests. This guerrilla war, known as the Revolt in the Vendée was led at the outset by an underground faction called the Chouans (tawny owls).

However Napoleon finally got wind of this and sent his forces to sort it out. Initially the Vendéens had the upper hand as they were familiar with their land and the twisty lanes and high hedges. They also used the windmills which were throughout the area to send signals from village to village. The windmill sails were used to send signals across the countryside by being set either vertically or horizontally meaning either safe or watch out troops coming. However, eventually Napoleon sent his forces in columns through the land, burning and pillaging as they went. Many were killed and captured and to this day the Vendéen countryside bears the scars with low population and very few old houses remaining from those times. Examples were made of the people and thousands were taken to Paris and thrown in the Seine. The people had managed through this to try and hide their priests and this is tied into the history of this time. By the end of 1796, more than 100,000 Vendeens had been killed. Much of this history can be viewed in displays at the excellent Puy du Fou historical theme park.

In the 19th Century, the wild coastline of the Vendée was tamed when pine forests and grassland were planted to stabilise the sand dunes and with the rise in popularity of sea bathing, holidaymakers began to come to the Vendée. With the arrival of the railway in 1936, the popularity of the Vendée as a tourist destination was beginning to increase !

There is some history of fishing at St Gilles Croix de Vie, where sardines were a popular catch. The “label rouge” sardines from St Gilles Croix de Vie, fish from Les Sables d’Olonne and eels from the nearby marshes are all served in all the best restaurants along the coast. You can find out about the fishermen from Morroco who lived here and brought their talent for fishing to the area. Apart from this, the Vendeen people did not have a great history of fishing, and tended to see the sea more as a threat with the constantly shifting dunes.

You will also see the Vendée-Atlantique oyster being produced in oyster beds all along the coastline and particularly in the Baie de l’Aiguillon and also on the Il de Ré.

Another industry you will see in the Vendée makes use of the extensive salt marshes to harvest salt. The Vendée was once the Western world’s main salt storehouses.

Salt was a valuable commodity in times pre-electricity when it could be used as a preservative for meats. Salt from Brittany and the Vendee were traded as a commodity. Nowadays salt production still carries on at Les Jardins des Salines in the north of Les Sables d’Olonnes. The skills have been passed down through the generations. The marshes and salt flats are cleaned out over the winter and then early in the year the sea water is brought in. The water then evaporates with the higher temperatures of the summer and salt crystallises out and can be harvested. The clays of the soils give rise to some trace elements in the salts and give the salt its distinctive grey colouration. However the most prized salt is that which crystallises on the top and is called the “fleur de sel”. You can go on boat trips to see what is going on. These marshes are also home to some wonderful birds and there are bird sanctuaries and the area is very popular with ornithologists.

The Vendée also manages to produce some very fine wines from the sandy soil which can be very hard to dig. However the long days of sunshine lead to wonderfully ripe berries and some lovely wines. In 1984 they were given the appellation “Fiefs Vendéen”, which covers red, white and rose wines which have been produced in the region since roman times. The wines are produced today from a variety of grapes which are suited to the locals soil and ground and the relatively cool maritime climate.

The reds are made predominantly from Gamay and Pinot Noir, complemented by Cabernet and Negrette grapes. The whites are made from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The appellation is broken down into four sub-zones named after villages at their centre : Brem, Mareuil, Pissotte and Vix. None of these villages are further than 20 miles from the Atlantic coast and the climate plays a big part in the style of these wines, which are generally slightly lower in alcohol and sweetness, but fresh, crisp and with noticeable acidity. We enjoyed trying some of the red wines last year and the shop at “La Garangeoire” stocked some good examples, including some Fief Vendeen wines. I also brought one home to keep for Christmas - to get a reminder of sunny Vendee in the middle of our British winter !

Since 1989, the famous Vendée Globe round the world yacht race has set off every 4 years from Les Sables d’Olonne.

So if this all appeals to you then why not think of visiting the Vendée next year.
I can recommend three campsites in the area, all with very different characters.
To the north, on the coast at St Jean de Monts you will find the busy campsite of Le Clarys Plage right in the heart of one of the main tourist areas. Inland in the quiet of the lush green countryside yet only 15 minutes drive from the coast is La Garangeoire where we stayed. And if you would like to be based in the Southern Vendée then Bel campsite at La Tranche Sur Mer is a lovely base, near the beach and is ideal as well if you have a young family.


Go Back to Best French Campsites

Exciting Train Rides in France !

We have been finding out about some unusual train expeditions in France.

In South West France :
The Petit Train Jaune or "The Little Yellow Train" 
Travels into the high Pyrenees from Villefranche to Latour de Carol. The station it starts from is the highest mainline station in France and it then proceeds to climb higher into the mountains !
Possibly not for the faint hearted but watch this video to find out what the journey might be like !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NicKaeAuMoI  and this one as well with an open carriage.  The train has steep sections, which if it had been built 15 years earlier would have required a "rack and pinion" system, but instead the train has motors right along the train, spreading the driving force etc.  The starting station can be reached by train or car from Perpignan in Languedoc Roussillon, SW France.

Here is a link to a timetable and further information -

• http://telechargement.ter-sncf.com/Images/Languedoc_Roussillon/Tridion/FH06_PerpignanLatouV2_tcm-22-82326.pdf
• http://www.raileuropetrade.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=2329
• Click to Find out more.

In South East France :

Nîmes–Clermont-Ferrand
Nîmes is the starting point for this journey through the remote, wild country of the Cevennes. The line is 303km long, and features 106 tunnels and almost 1,300 bridges, including some of the most impressive viaducts on French railways, such as the 28-arch viaduct at Chapeauroux and the 41-arch near-semicircular Chamborigaud Viaduct.  There is also an impressive stretch of track on a ledge over the River Allier.  To find out more :

• http://www.raileuropetrade.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=2325

Other interesting trips include :
The Mont Blanc express :
From Chamonix (Gare de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc) to Vallorcine then from Vallorcine you change train to Martigny in Switzerland.  The trip to the Vallorcine (French/Swiss Border) is very picturesque, and you then change trains for the trip to Martigny in Switzerland,  This is a very scenic route through the mountains where you are perched on the side of the mountain !. The scenery is breathtaking and you can see for miles. You then you go through the mountain for the steep descent into Martigny. You almost feel like you are in an aeroplane as you cannot see much to the side.
If possible, try and sit on the left when going to Chamonix and on the right from Chamonix, assuming you want to get the best views.

Trains des pignes from Nice to Digne-es-Bains
http://www.trainprovence.com/
A steam train runs on this route on certain days, often on Sundays - http://www.gecp.asso.fr/

Train Corse 
Discover Corsica along an incredible journey between earth, sea and mountains.  Nicknamed "U Trinighellu" (the trembling), the train connects Bastia to Ajaccio, with stops in Ile Rousse, Calvi or Corte.  The train travels between land, sea and mountains, on an unforgettable journey through Corsica, through plains and valleys, streams, pine and beech forests and along the rugged coastline of the Mediterranean with views of incredible beaches and coves with white sand and turquoise waters.  The journey starts in the Baroque city of Bastia in Corsica then coninues via Cardo, the town of Ile Rousse with its beautiful bay, then via Calvi.  Then, finish your trip in Ajaccio. Surrounded by mountains and with one of the most beautiful shorelines. It is a great way to see the island of Corsica and en route you will spot such things as the traditional shepherds.

Of course these are just a few of the most spectacular journeys, there are numerous other train rides available, including steam trains and also the Petit Trains Touristiques. One good example of these runs from Collioure in the SW of France :
http://www.petit-train-touristique.com/en/intro/collioure-and-port-vendres/guided-tour

And for steam trains here is a listing of steam trains you can visit in the different regions in France :
http://trainvapeur.fr/13.html

With thanks to French train driver @Conducteur_SNCF on Twitter for some of these suggestions !

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Hotels at Ferry Ports

Here are some of the hotels we have stayed at before catching an early morning cross channel ferry to France. We have listed hotels in Poole, Portsmouth and Plymouth. Can anyone send us recommendations for Dover or the other ports ?
We like the Premier Inn type hotels, lowish budget, clean hotels which are reasonably close to the ferry ports.

POOLE

• The Premier Inn at Holes Bay which is nice as it looks out over the sea so you feel as though you are already on holiday - it also has a nice restaurant with a well stocked collection of wines in the bar! http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/POOHOL/poole-centre-holes-bay Although does not take dogs.

• The Salterns Hotel at Poole  - We were very pleased to discover this one as its a very nice hotel and is adjacent to a marina. It involves a short drive through Poole to get to the ferry port - check with hotel for timings. They delivered the following breakfast (see photograph) to our rooms at 5am, as we were catching the 7am ferry - pretty good work for that early in the morning ! Thoroughly recommended.  They have a suite room which is ideal for a large family group, and they also allow well behaved dogs.

Here is a link to things to do if staying in Poole :
http://www.pooletourism.com/
We can also recommend the South Lychett Manor campsite if you are looking for somewhere to stop over with your caravan near Poole : http://www.southlytchettmanor.co.uk/index.html. We also enjoyed eating at the Baker's Arms pub.

PORTSMOUTH

• Travelodge in Portsmouth. This is in the city centre so can be a little noisy and the surroundings are not all that inspiring but the advantage is it is directly across the roundabout from the Cross Channel Ferry port for Brittany Ferries : http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/info?hotelId=62

• If you want to stay a little out from the centre of Portsmouth then the hotel which we stayed at when it was an Innkeepers Lodge but is now a Travelodge is called Portsmouth Hilsea : http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/info?hotelId=479 This was a nice hotel when we stayed at it. It had a Toby Carvery which was excellent and may allow dogs.

PLYMOUTH

• We have stayed at the Premier Inn, Plymouth East, which has a Beefeater restaurant. http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/PLYMAR/plymouth-east

Does anyone have any other recommendations ? Does anyone have recommendations near Dover/Calais ?


Go Back to Best French Campsites

France Motorhome Hire

France Motorhome Hire provides reliable and carefully maintained motorhomes and campervans for English speaking visitors wishing to explore France & Europe.

If you’re looking for an English-speaking motorhome company who’s centrally located in France, look no further!

Who is France Motorhome Hire?

Launched in 2009, France Motorhome Hire is run by English owners Phill and Hannah Spurge, who have lived and worked in France for over eleven years providing holidays in France for English speaking clients.

France Motorhome Hire offers great customer service from a team with unrivalled experience of France and motorhome trips. Long-term campervan hire solutions are also available.

Why book with France Motorhome Hire?

Aside from being renowned for delivering exceptional customer service, France Motorhome Hire operate their own fleet so you deal directly with the team who hand over your vehicle on arrival. 

Booking with France Motorhome Hire is easy and there’s absolutely no hidden costs. All this is included, free of charge:

• Unlimited mileage
• Fully comprehensive insurance (plus breakdown insurance)
• Bedding & bed linen
• Towels
• Outdoor table and chairs
• Cooking equipment
• And much more!

For more information, trip planning advice or to get a quote today, visit www.francemotorhomehire.com

The France Motorhome Hire vehicle range

Whether you are hiring a motorhome for the first time or have lots of experience, France Motorhome Hire aim to provide you with the cleanest, best equipped and most reliable motorhome you will ever hire.

View the full motorhome vehicle range
from France Motorhome Hire here

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Learning French

If you hated learning a foreign language at school, don't despair !  There are some fabulous online resources which make learning fun and you can find something to suit you, whatever level your language learning is at. And, these resources are all free ! 

We have picked out a few of our favourites here but if you find any others to recommend please let us know - you can comment here.

There are some great websites and in some you can even listen to how the phrase should sound ! RFI from French TV channel TV5monde is a great site aimed at presenting the French news for those learning French - there are exercises to try. It would be ideal for school learners as well as those trying to learn French for holidays or business :

http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/statiques/accueil_apprendre.asp

The BBC Language resources are also very extensive and offer something for every standard of learner !
If you really only want to get away with the absolute minimum of French then here are the 10 essential phrases to make life go just a little more smoothly while abroad ! You can even listen to how they should sound.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/

Ski phrases - 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/ski.shtml

Beach phrases - 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/quickfix/summer.shtml

Rugby phrases even from RFi ! http://www.rfi.fr/lffr//images/141/FP_regles_rugby.pdf

And then there are online dictionaries too which offer all sorts of help and you can listen to the words and phrases here too !

Larousse - http://www.larousse.com/en/dictionaries/french
Collins French English dictionary - http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-french

For Children and Primary School learners (or those who want to keep things fairly simple !) the BBC Primary languages resources are fun - with games included ! You just dont realise you are learning ! http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primarylanguages/

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Great Budget Camping Holiday Idea for Low Season Camping - use Camping Card ACSI

If you are planning to go camping with your own tent, caravan or motorhome in May, June, September or October then you should think about joining the CampingCard ACSI scheme.

This scheme lists over 2000 campsites in 20 European countries which offer pitches in these low season months for between 12Euros - 16Euros a night (at time of writing this was about £11-£14). When you join up you receive a guide book listing the sites and a mini atlas.

They have a website at : http://www.campingcard.co.uk/gb/en/europe/
Although I must admit there are extensive site listings for French campsites but there are not terribly many listed for UK sites.

Campsites are rated as either lively or relaxing etc. and average pitch sizes are given as well.

So this could potentially be a great idea if you are planning to tour or are hoping to have a holiday on a tight or limited budget.

You can also read reviews from other users on their website and add your own once you have stayed at a campsite.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Christmas Competition - Win a Year's Subscription to France Magazine

Our competition to Win a Year's subscription to the excellent "France" magazine is now Closed. Congratulations to our winner Mr M. Coupar.

However see below for a great offer if you would like to try France magazine. The popular "France" magazine is published monthly and has some great articles about different towns and regions of France as well as articles about French culture, travel, language and food and wine !
________________________________________

France magazine is a great read for anyone planning a holiday in France or for all those Francophiles who enjoy French culture !

A year's subscription at £30.99 (see below) would also make a fantastic Christmas present - you could package up the magazine subscription with some French chocolates and a bottle of wine !

In the meantime, if you would like to try the magazine, they are offering this great trial subscription deal :

Try 5 issues of FRANCE Magazine for just £5 – SAVING 75% by Direct Debit   What’s the catch? There isn’t one!
You can cancel your subscription at any time after the first payment has been taken. Alternatively, you can subscribe for a year’s subscription with a one off payment of just £30.99, saving 30% on the full cover price. To try FRANCE Magazine for just £5 [click here] link; http://www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/France-Magazines/France-Magazine/UFRBFCS1

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Its French Film Festival Time Again !

Find out where you can watch some great French films at cinemas all over the UK -
http://frenchfilmfestival.org.uk/FFF2012/wp/

This has been a great year for French film, with Jean du Jardin winning Best Actor at the Oscars for his role in The Artist, which won the Best Picture award.  And the film Hugo, which was set in Paris, also picked up some awards. 

Another great film from this year is "Untouchables", which tells of the friendship between a quadriplegic and his caregiver, and registered more than ten million at the box office in France in its first four weeks of release. It has thus been placed 27th in France since 1945 for box office numbers during its first four weeks. Among French films to have exceeded ten million admissions in France over the past 50 years include "Welcome to the Sticks" ("Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis") Dany Boon (2008, 20.4 million viewers), "The Great Ramble" ("La Grande Vadrouille"), the classic comedy/war film by Gerard Oury (1966), "Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra" by Alain Chabat (2002) and "The Visitors" by Jean-Marie Poire (1993). For the latest news about "Untouchables" : http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/sep/19/france-untouchable-foreign-language-oscar

Let us know if you have any great recommendations or reviews of any of the films you go to see !

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Self Catering in France

A Self Catering holiday is a fantastic way to enjoy a relaxing holiday in France. No deadlines, no set dinner times. You choose your own timetables - its a holiday after all !

Some great self catering holiday options include :

• rent a villa, for example a Gite or,
• stay in a mobile home or tent on a campsite
• stay in something more unusual like a treehouse or a gypsy caravan
• or tour around in a motorhome (you can buy one or rent one !) 
• or why not try youth hostelling !

Self catering allows you to stay in beautiful locations and sample a slice of real French life, whether you chose to stay in a small rural hamlet or in a large beach or mountain resort.

So what are the options ?

Gîtes

The term gîte originally meant quite simply a form of shelter. Gîtes today vary from being luxury holiday homes to very basic apartments. The owners very often stay nearby.

There are a number of classes of gîte, including "Gîte Rural", self-catering accomodation in the countrysde, near the sea or in the mountains and "Gîtes d'Etape" which useful for an overnight stopover

Campsites

Campsites in France are rated according to facilities. So for example a 5 star campsite might have a swimming pool, shop and a good number of other facilities. It is not necessarily going to be better than, for example, a more simple 2 star campsite with friendly owners, but the 2 star site is likely to have fewer facilities. So it all depends what you are looking for.

On a first expedition to France for a family holiday then it is definitely an easy option to book with a tour operator such as Eurocamp or Canvas Holidays. They will book your ferry travel for you and on arrival at the campsite you are often met by an English speaking rep, so if your French language abilities are needing a bit of extra help then this can be reassuring to know there is an English speaker close by.


Motorhome

However you may then become more adventurous and want to explore different areas of France or even go touring with a motorhome. In that case you will probably want to try a variety of campsites. Many towns and villages in France also have stopping off points, called Aires, where you are perhaps allowed to park your mobile home overnight.

We have seen some great car parks where you can park up overnight in your mobile home and enjoy a sea view. For example at Tahiti Plage in Nevez in Brittany.

The sign to the right was taken from near Roscoff in Brittany and it is directing Motorhome owners, or "camping caristes" to the nearest Aire de Service where they will find water and facilities for emptying their tanks and parking overnight.


Youth Hostelling - Auberges de Jeunesse

In 1930, Marc Sangnier, co-founder of the Fédération Internationale des Auberges de Jeunesse (I.Y.H.F.) th hostel in France. He was inspired by a similar German movement 11 by Richard Schirmann.

In France they are open to young people, group and to families.

They offer reasonably priced accommodation, a convivial atmosphere and the chance to get to know others while cooking in the communal kitchens or enjoying some of the activities on offer. You may also have to join in some household cleaning duties, which are an important part of the whole ethos of the youth hostelling movement ! Everyone needs to participate to keep things going smoothly !

At one time there were over 400 Youth Hostels in France. Today only 200 remain. Youth Hostels are non profit associations. Therefore you need to get a membership from the Youth Hostel federation in your own country or by any Youth Hostel of the country you plan to visit. Memberships are usually valid for 1 year and give access to any Youth Hostel in France and worldwide.

Accommodation is often in dormotories but there are also options to stay in individual rooms and family rooms. You just need to check what is offered at each youth hostel when booking. Although they are generally self catering, some youth hostels offer breakfasts or meals. You usually have to take your own sheet or hire one and before you leave you should leave the room as you found it by folding your blanket, hoovering your sleeping space, empty the bin, and taking the sheets back to the reception.

So travel light, put on your rucsac and head off to wherever you want !

And self catering holidays definitely seem to be becoming more popular in France, both from French customers themselves and with visitors to France.

2011 saw a record number of holidaymakers staying in camping and mobile homes in France, with 106.8 million overnight stays, according to a survey by the services of the Secretary of State for tourism, Frédéric Lefebvre.

Campsites and mobile homes recorded an increase of 2.8% from 2010 attendance. It has become even more popular with the French who showed an increase of 4.1% while foreign customers had stayed roughly the same at an increase of only 0.4%.

Campsites on the Mediterranean coast recorded the greatest increase at 5.1% while those on the English Channel and North sea only had an increse of 1.3%.  4-5 star campsites showed a large increase of 14.3 %

Other interesting possible self catering holidays include youth hostels, the huttopia group of sites or centerparcs. There are also numerous companies offering villa holidays in villas that are privately owned. The Pierre et Vacances group also has interesting self catering apartments among other options.  They have quite a few of the places which are rented out in the Alps in Winter for ski-ing but are available in the summer for a fantastic Alpine holiday offering all sorts of activities such as walking, climbing etc. Pierre et Vacances is the european leader in holiday apartments and villages in France and Spain!

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Walks and Footpaths in France

On our recent camping holiday to Brittany we walked some of the Breton coastal footpath GR34. This was a well laid out, easy to follow stretch of footpath which offered great coastal views.

The Breton coastline of sea inlets, coves and cliffs is particularly stunning and makes for interesting walking.  The whole GR34 route would take you over 1000 miles right around the coast of Brittany and is predicted to take about 10 weeks, but thankfully you can chose to walk just part of the way !
Depending on where you are holidaying in France, you can see if there are any routes near you.

France has a national network of long-distance footpaths or hiking trails, which are known as "Sentiers de grande randonnée". The 35,000 km of marked and signposted footpaths that make up the main network are designated by the letters GR followed by a number. More locally, you will find local hiking routes which are designated as PR paths or "Chemins de petite randonnée".
GR routes are marked (on trees, posts, stones, etc) by a short red band above a white band. PR routes are marked with a yellow band. If you see the marks making a cross shape then you have veered off onto the wrong route !

Most of the major long-distance trails run through villages so if you are hiking the whole route, then you will be able to plan for overnight stops in accommodation such as bed and breakfasts, "gîtes d'étape" (rather like small hostels), campsites or small hotels.

Examples of some of the long distance hiking trails include :

GR2 - From Le Havre, via Paris, to Dijon.
GR3 - The Loire Valley trail - From La Baule, to the source of the Loire
GR4 - The Alps-Atlantic trail: from Grasse, in the Alps, to Royan, on the Gironde estuary.
GR6 - The Aquitaine-Alps trail, from Ste. Foy la Grande, near Bordeaux, to Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye.
GR10 - The High Pyrenean trail, following the line of the Spanish border.
GR 34 - The Breton coastal footpath, from Vitré to Quimperlé.
GR 36 - The 1000 kilometre trail, from the Channel coast to the Spanish border.
GR 37 - The central Brittany footpath, from Vitré to Douarnenez.
GR 39 - The Trans-Brittany trail, from Mont St. Michel to Guérande.
GR 51 - The Mediterranean Balcony - from Marseille to Menton
GR 59 - The Jura and Bugey trail, from the Vosges to Grenoble.
GR 65 - The Santiago de Compostella pilgrimage route, from Le Puy en Velay, via Conques, to the Pyrenees.
GR 2013 ® - A Brand new walking path laid out from Aix en Provence as part of the events surrounding Marseille as a European Capital of Culture for 2013
GR 223 - The Cotentin and Normandy beaches trail.
GR 700 - Regordane Way - historic pilgrimage route from Le Puy en Velay to St. Gilles du Gard.


Some Useful links :

http://www.ffrandonnee.fr/ - The Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre is an excellent source of information about hiking and walks in France. The Federation represents over 3,000 local hiking clubs and aims to promote hiking.

Understanding the markings on these walking routes : http://www.tonyturton.com/articles/balises/

Fab interactive map of walking routes and veloroutes etc. in Brittany : http://www.randobreizh.com/CarteInteractiveRandonneesBretagne.php

Link to the new Marseille/Aix en Provence/Provence route the GR 2013 ®
http://www.bouches-du-rhone.net/les-sentiers-les-topoguides/gr-2013/

To find a map of walks in the area of France you are going then you can search on Amazon, starting with "carte de randonnees" and you should begin to find some maps.

Plesae let us know if you have any other links which walkers would find useful and which we could list here !

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Paws in France - taking a dog to France

We are just back from a camping holiday in Brittany in France and this time we took our dog with us!  It all went pretty smoothly!  Although, I must admit there was more planning went into making sure we had the dog organised than there was for making sure the rest of us were organised !  However it all went well and we enjoyed our holiday.

We had booked a fast ferry sailing from Poole on the South coast of England. As it was an early morning sailing involving a 6am check-in, we decided to stay overnight in Poole. We couldn't stay at our usual (budget family travel !) hotel, the lovely Holes Bay Premier Inn as they don't take dogs. However we found another couple of options, the Thistle Hotel and the Salterns Hotel. We chose to stay at the Salterns Hotel and it was a great choice. Here is the view from the room :

We had to leave the hotel at 5.30 to get to the ferry on time but look at this fabulous Continental breakfast which was delivered to our room. What a great start to a day !

We had decided to travel by the Brittany Ferries/Condor Ferries crossing from Poole to Cherbourg as it is a Fast Ferry crossing of round about 2.5 hours. (It also has a very nice gift shop on board with lots of lovely perfumes !!) 

Our Pet Passport was checked along with our own and the microchip was read with a microchip reader at this stage. They then placed a "Pet on Board" sign on our windscreen. I had read beforehand that we would be placed together with other pet carrying cars in a ventilated area and in theory if it is a smooth crossing they might agree to accompany you down to check your pet. However on both journeys we made I cant say I noticed us being treated any differently to other cars. We left all our windows open a couple of inches to ventilate the car, and certainly we werent crossing on warm days and the car was sitting in a shaded spot. Both our crossings were slightly "wavy" and as all the staff seeemed pretty busy, we didn't actually ask to go to check her. (although as I will explain our return crossing ended up longer than expected)

Anyway, the outward crossing went well and she was perfectly happy when we returned to the car.

We then journeyed to our campsite Book a Holiday at Les Mouettes Campsite with Eurocampat Carantec in Brittany (this is an affiliate marketing link).
En route (that's French !) we were able to stop at some motorway "stopover aires" - open spaces with toilet areas and grassy picnic areas - ideal for a quick dog exercise and toilet stop.

Here she is settled in at the campsite !

The campsite was pretty good for dogs - we had chosen to have decking at our mobile home and we had requested a stair gate which we were able to put across the entrance to the decking. We had asked to be put in a fairly out of the way spot to avoid too many passing people. 

Dogs are not generally allowed on tourist beaches in France, but near this campsite there was a small beach and country road area and as it wasn't apparently classed officially as a proper "tourist" beach then dogs could be exercised on it. Obviously we took her to the far end well away from holidaymakers at the end nearer the campsite. However this walk made a nice end to the evening each day. And on the campsite itself, dogs were made welcome. She was able to sit with us in the bar or on the terrace. She was well behaved and sat quietly. There were a few other dogs on the campsite and we met those as well, including two lovely French Shetland Sheepdogs - 3 year old Nina and her 1 year old toyboy husband !
We were even able to take her into a restaurant in nearby Roscoff at one point - the excellent Marie Stuart Restaurant in Roscoff (named after Mary Queen of Scotland and France who left from Roscoff as a young girl).  I don't know how widespread this would be but certainly when the weather is sunny there should be no problem sitting in pavement cafes.

There were plenty of walks around Carantec. There is a coastal path which goes right around the town and in fact the whole peninsula and this offers some lovely views. On another day we took the short ferry crossing from Roscoff to Ile de Batz and again that is great for walking dogs.

If you enjoy cycling with your dog, there is a stretch of Voie Verte green cycle route not far from the campsite which takes you into Roscoff (about 11 miles) - I believe it is off-road but as the weather was too mixed when we were on holiday we never got round to trying this.

A Pet Passport requirement is that you must visit the vet between 1 and 5 days before you return to the UK. The vet must give them a tapeworm worming tablet. We had booked beforehand with the Feydy Veterinary Practise in St Pol du Leon, about 5 miles from Les Mouettes campsite. She was given a Milbemax worming tablet, the microchip was scanned and the Pet Passport was stamped. We found them to be a very nice vets practise. Thanks to them !

The only problem in our whole holiday planning came from the fact that we got a message half way through the holiday to say that our return ferry trip had been cancelled due to technical difficulties. Brittany Ferries thankfully moved us to the only other possible crossing from Normandy on the day we were due to travel, which was the other fast ferry crossing from Caen (Ouistreham) to Portsmouth.

Our final campsite stop was at the lovely Chateaux Lez Eaux campsite near St Pair Sur Mer in Normandy (this is an affiliate marketing link). Chateaux Lez Eaux is a lovely campsite in spacious, green grounds. There was an area where they said we could exercise the dog and also the long driveway was fine for a quick morning walk.  We were able to take her into the bar that evening, when there was an excellent Celtic band playing music from the lands of the Celts - Brittany, Ireland, Cornwall, Wales and Scotland.  Great fun ! The Bar is very nice - cosy and snug. With the weather we had that evening (early summer? 2012), we could have been in the Highlands of Scotland ! 

From Chateaux Les Eaux it is approximately an hours drive to either Caen or Cherbourg Ferry terminals. We had been changed to the Caen (Ouistreham) crossing with the Normandie Express ferry. The crossing was due to be a 3.5 hour crossing but due to the weather, it ended up as a 4 and a quarter hour crossing. So that was definitely the upper limit of how long our dog could possibly spend in a car. However I must admit she had had a good spot of exercise beforehand as we walked her just near the end of the beach at Ouistreham - just round from the ferry terminus, and she had also got out while we were waiting for the ferry so she had had chances to stretch her legs before the trip.

Here is a sign from the Ouistreham beach, this sign says the beach (la plage) does not allow our doggy friends (est interdite a nos amis les chiens) even if they are on leads ! (meme tenus en laisse) - except on the small eastern area of the beach (la partie EST)

We made sure she would be comfortable in the car by leaving plenty of water on board and we didn't feed her beforehand just in case she was sick on the crossing. This worked fine for us as she is not normally fed until lunchtime anyway so her meal was just a little later than normal. In fact she was fine when we returned to the car and didnt seem to mind the crossing - unlike a few other members of our party ! We discovered why these fast ferry crossings have the rather unpleasant nickname "Vomit Comets!"

So overall, it was a successful and enjoyable holiday. For crossing the channel, the simplest option to consider must be the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle service which is only 35 minutes and you can keep your dog with you in your car.

Or take a Dover to Calais crossing which would be a shorter time. However those of us travelling from Scotland, West or SW of England or North of England will probably still find the Poole to Cherbourg crossing to be a good option.

So, overall would we do this again - the answer is YES ! and finally of the two teenagers and one other child and the dog who we had on the trip - who do you think was the easiest to entertain and best behaved ? - yes you got it in one ! - THE DOG !!

Here is an interesting book you might like to try :

Go Back to Best French Campsites

National Parks in France (Parcs Nationaux)

There are currently six national parks in mainland France. These are the Vanoise, Port-Cros, the Pyrénées, the Cévennes, the Ecrins, and the Mercantour. A National Park is a territory which is protected and managed due to its biological diversity, scenic beauty, cultural interest and character. Every year they attract millions of visitors and each park offers spectacular views and incredible biodiversity to visitors.

Why not stay at the Airotel Pyrenees to vsiit the Pyrenees National Park ?

The Cevennes National Natural Park is located over parts of three départements – Lozère, Gard and Ardèche – and two regions, Languedoc-Roussillon and Rhône-Alpes. It is an area of great biodiversity, with more than 2250 species of flora and 2410 species of fauna. It has lower mountains than some of the other national parks, with the main peaks including Mont Lozère (1699m), Mont Aigoual (1567m) and the Causse Méjean. There are valleys with winding rivers of clear waters and hill slopes covered in forests of sweet chestnut and mulberry bushes. The summits of the Cevennes are made up of a succession of plateaux. There are many walking routes, including the "Tour of Cevennes" and it can make an interesting alternative to the more commonly visited areas such as Provence. If you plan to visit, there is an information centre at Florac.

We have attempted to draw a map showing the approximate locations of the different national parks relative to some of our campsites :

The Ecrins National Park is located between Grenoble, Gap and Briançon. It has 740 kilometres of walks and includes peaks like La Meije (3,983 m) and La Grave (3,946 m). You may see chamois, ibexes, marmots and golden eagles while walking ! The Ecrins National Park.

The Mercantour National Park is where you can explore the “Vallée des Merveilles” with its 40,000 prehistoric engravings as well as visiting the largest altitude lake in Europe. You may even catch a glimpse of a Wolf !

The Port-Cros national park stretches between Port-Cros and Bagaud islands and is the first marine European park. The small town of Port-Cros has a castle and an ancient harbour.

La Vanoise National Park was created in 1856 to protect ibexes against the hunters. The ibexes are now numerous but you can expect to see other wildlife like chamois and golden eagles.

The Pyrenees national nature park has high mountain peaks and many high altitude lakes and a rich variety of flora and fauna, including raptors, lynx and the last wild bears in France.  (Is that true ? - have any of you seen a bear there ? Maybe not a good place to pitch a tent !!)

If you like the sound of these areas and enjoy wildlife, walking or scenery then why not book one of our campsites near these areas.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Vet Vocab - French phrases/words when visiting Veterinaire in France for Pet Passport

If you are like us and are fairly proficient in French but not exactly fluent, and.....you plan to take your dog to France with you on holiday.....then you will require to visit the Vet in France to get your dog (or cat) or rodent - a tapeworm treatment, before you return to the UK.

Here are some useful phrases you might like to use - if you can send us any more good Vet Vocab then please do ! :

Je voudrais prendre un rendezvous pour mon chien/ma chienne avec un vétérinaire pour les exigences du passeport des animaux.

Le transpondeur/la micropuce de mon animal - the pet's microchip

Le numéro d'identification de la puce doit avoir été implantée avant la vaccination contre la rage = the microchip needs to have been implanted (and the identification number recorded) before the vaccination against rabies

Programme de Voyage des Animaux de Compagnie - Pet Travel Scheme.

un test sanguin = a blood test

ticks - rhipicephalus sanguineus  (tick treatment is no longer a requirement of the pet passport - check DEFRA website to be sure of details)
worms - echinococcus multilocularis

Tapeworm treatment must contain praziquantel
Le médicament doit contenir praziquantel.

Votre chien doit être vermifugé (contre l'échinococcose) avant son voyage vers la Grande-Bretagne

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Camping near Blue Flag Beaches in France

Our favourite beach near Nevez which has won again !

The blue flag eco-labelled beach awards have been announced for 2012.

The awards are voluntary but winning beaches are found to have :

• quality bathing waters,
• good waste management, and have,
• made efforts with environmental protection as well as environmental education. 

 Winning Beaches can fly the recognisable blue pendant flag during the summer. 

In France, 377 beaches and 87 marinas have gained an award this year, with 15 new winning beaches this year. New awards have gone to 8 beaches on the Atlantic Coast and one on the English Channel.

Languedoc-Roussillon is still at the top of the labeled regions with 28 communities winning awards, followed by Cote d'Azur with 19, Pays de Loire with 15 and Basse-Normandie  with 15.

Some beaches which were commended for gaining awards for a continuous 25 years are : "Le Grand-Village-Plage" (Charente-Maritime), "Villeneuve-les-Maguelone" (Hérault), "Argelès" (Eastern Pyrenees) and "La Londe-les-Maures" (Var). We have campsites near Argelès on the Mediterranean listed at http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com

To gain a blue flag award, bathing waters should be found to be classified as "Excellent" when tested at least five times over the season. The results should be displayed on the beaches.

You can check the beaches in France that have won awards at :
http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Awarded+sites/2011/Northern+Hemisphere/France

Go Back to Best French Campsites