10 days in France, pre-book campsites?

[J-Lo]

Planning a tour to france in normandy & brittany for around 10 days. Thinking about August time... So maybe a stupid question, but should I book campsites before I get over there? Never camped in france before, but im told there are municipal campsites in every town, is this true?

Could I get by booking the first few days worth and after just turning up at campsites with my fingers crossed after? Not sure if this is a good idea, but ive heard other people do it? Only thing with 10 days is booking all in advance seems way to restrictive for routes etc and where you visit along the way.

All advice appreciated! Thanks

 

[rollinstok]

There are indeed municipal campsites in most towns ( and quite a lot of the villages too ). I did a fair bit of touring through France a few years ago and never had a problem just turning up at campsites. The vast majority are very well run and individual pitches are quite often hedged so you get a bit more privacy. I must admit I didn,t get over to Brittany, but I cant imagine it being much different to other parts of France.

 

[andy_spacey]

I DID THE WHOLE LENGTH OF FRANCE LAST YEAR IN HIGH SESSION, JUST TURNED UP AT EVER CAMP SITE AND SOME WHERE EVEN AFTER OPEN HOURS, ( JUST PITCHED UP AND PAYED IN THE MORNING, THERE WAS NEVER A PROBLEM. I JUST RODE AND HAD A TARGET OF 50 -60 MILES SO WHEN I WAS AT AROUND 40 MILES WOULD PICK A CAMP SITE IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT I WAS HEADING ON MY GPS ( GARMIN 60CSX) , THAT'S HOW I DID IT, OTHER PROBABLY DO IT DIFFERENT.

 

[PK99]

Planning a tour to france in normandy & brittany for around 10 days. Thinking about August time... So maybe a stupid question, but should I book campsites before I get over there? Never camped in france before, but im told there are municipal campsites in every town, is this true?

Could I get by booking the first few days worth and after just turning up at campsites with my fingers crossed after? Not sure if this is a good idea, but ive heard other people do it? Only thing with 10 days is booking all in advance seems way to restrictive for routes etc and where you visit along the way.

All advice appreciated! Thanks

I'm pretty sure that you will be ok at most sites - pre booking is advisable for cars with mobile bungalows for tents, most sites will squeeze in a cyclist with small tent

 

[Fran143]

I generally booked if I was looking for a few days on the one site but have also gone off season just winging it. You should have a look at ACIS camping card or camping cheques as it gives discounted rates for sites.

 

[Kirstie]

We have tried a mixture of both. We used a french government published guide to every single campsite in France to plan a tour a couple of years ago. We sent emails to a few campsites (in French asking to book a spot) and found that some had booked us in and some hadn't. If they hadn't it turned out not to be a problem, even when they had to squeeze us in. We turned up at a few on spec, discovering that they didn't exist, or had closed. If you're on the road and are aiming for a place, after that last experience if you have the language I would say call in advance to check they are there first!

 

[Dave Davenport]

I DID THE WHOLE LENGTH OF FRANCE LAST YEAR IN HIGH SESSION, JUST TURNED UP AT EVER CAMP SITE AND SOME WHERE EVEN AFTER OPEN HOURS, ( JUST PITCHED UP AND PAYED IN THE MORNING, THERE WAS NEVER A PROBLEM. I JUST RODE AND HAD A TARGET OF 50 -60 MILES SO WHEN I WAS AT AROUND 40 MILES WOULD PICK A CAMP SITE IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT I WAS HEADING ON MY GPS ( GARMIN 60CSX) , THAT'S HOW I DID IT, OTHER PROBABLY DO IT DIFFERENT.

+1 except using a Michelin regional map instead of gps and in small case.

 

[rich p]

I've never booked and never had a problem. It's an exaggerration though to say that every town and village has a municipal campsite. They're pretty frequent but doing some online research before you go and using the tourist information offices when you're there is worth doing.

http://en.camping.info/

 

[rich p]

+1 except using a Michelin regional map instead of gps and in small case.

As far as I know, Dave, the new Michelins don't mark campsites which is a bugger.

 

[Terry Kay]

We went a few years intending on doing some touring - the only time space was a problem was at a site that could only put us up for one night! No trouble fitting in otherwise..
Much better to do it that way as if you find somewhere you like you can always stop on.. We tried La Rochelle but couldn't find a campsite so headed over the bridge to Ile de Re.. Ended up staying there for the rest of the holliday! Fantastic place.. We camped up near the bike hire shop.. First time we'd gone cycling in years!

 

[yello]

As a rule, a single person on a bike wouldn't have a problem just pitching up (ho ho, 'pitching' 'tent' geddit?) even in high season.

As a second rule, if it's full then you maybe wouldn't want to be there anyway! Full of kids and 'Butlins' like. This really only occurs at popular and/or seaside destinations in July/August.

It does depend on where you go but in my experience, like that of people above, I don't think you'll have a problem not booking.

 

[Dave Davenport]

As far as I know, Dave, the new Michelins don't mark campsites which is a bugger.

You're right Rich, I meant 'head for a town and assume it's got a camp site' works 'most' of the time!

 

[jjb]

If you've never been before, worth trying campsites just a little bit in from the coast (a couple of miles) as well as those on the coast. You can compare and contrast the site and the demographic it attracts (fewer teenage kids inland, out of sight of the sea sometimes). I must say, I do remember Brittany as seeming to have a village campsite at every turn!

 

[steveindenmark]

I have never booked a campsite anywhere and have never been turned away from one. It is also worth checking out hostel world and Airbnb. The prices can often be the same as a campsite.

Steve

 

[doog]

If you use a garmin gps or similar you can download maps with campsites on and aim for one at the end of the day, also there is a chap who has downloaded all known camp sites (will find link)

However as stated not every town has one yet you may suddenly trip over one that is municipal and unmarked. Really cant see you having an Issue in Brittany / Normandy.