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France is named one of the vital camper-friendly international locations in Europe. However what’s it like RVing in France?
This weblog will share a number of the prime stuff you’ll have to know earlier than you hop in your motorhome.
Watch this video for the total scoop ⤵️
Driving
French roads could be slender, particularly in smaller villages, to the purpose the place it’s possible you’ll end up considering, “Is that this actually a two-way street?” The reply might be sure and as you noticed within the video, it could get hectic quick!
However for probably the most half, driving customs in France are much like anyplace in America. You’ll see velocity restrict indicators (in kilometers), you’ll go slower visitors on the fitting, and also you’ll keep inside the strains of your lane whereas driving. You wouldn’t assume I would wish so as to add that final one, however when you cross into Italy, you’ll instantly discover that the strains on the street imply nothing to Italians. They drive the place they please! You’ll discover vehicles half parked within the lane, half parked on the sidewalk throughout France, however they do at the very least keep of their lane whereas driving.
Associated: Planning an RV Journey in Italy
Toll Roads
Most main roads throughout France are toll roads (consider interstates or highways in America—they’re all toll roads in France).
Typically, you’ll seize a toll ticket if you enter the street and can hold onto it till you exit or till you come throughout a toll plaza. You possibly can simply pay with bank card—typically utilizing faucet to pay—and in case your French is rusty, press the British flag icon to change the toll machine to English. Extra hardly ever, you’ll come to a toll sales space with a set charge and an individual within the sales space. For instance, the tunnel within the Alps that connects France to Italy is manned and has a flat charge of round $60.
Sure, French tolls are extraordinarily costly!
That was our greatest toll ticket, however on days the place we spent a few hours on toll roads, we often paid $20-$35 in charges. We opted for toll roads once we wanted to cowl just a few hundred miles or when the non-toll-road possibility provided by Google Maps appeared a bit too lengthy.
The toll roads will provide many relaxation stops, generally known as aires, the place you possibly can refuel, seize meals, have a picnic, and even let children play on the playground. (If you happen to’re in search of a style of residence, you’ll typically see McDonald’s and Starbucks at aires.)
Highway Indicators and Alerts
Generally, street indicators in France are symbols that may be universally understood, versus worded indicators.
For instance, a Do Not Enter Signal within the US will say Do Not Enter with a crimson circle with a white line throughout the center. In France, it’ll simply be a crimson circle with a white line throughout the center.
Not all indicators are the identical as their US counterparts, however they’re pretty self-explanatory. Crucial indicators to search for when RVing will likely be width, peak, and weight restriction indicators. These white and crimson round indicators may have black triangles on the prime and backside for peak or on the perimeters for width and say “2,3 m” to let of an upcoming restriction. A weight restriction signal will seemingly say 3,5t. (Examine your RV weight earlier than you hire, however you need to be protected with this restriction! 3,5t was the load restrict we noticed most frequently.)
And sure, the place we use durations for decimals within the States, they use commas!
Site visitors lights in France are similar to the US with inexperienced, yellow, and crimson lights. Lights are vertical, with inexperienced on the underside and crimson on the prime. In contrast to different neighboring international locations, you gained’t see any flashing inexperienced or yellow lights. (Until you’re in a development zone—they do arrange yellow flashing lights.)
Mild posts are sometimes posted on the identical facet of the road as you’re, which might make seeing the sunshine not possible when you pull up too far at an intersection. We needed to again up just a few instances to see the put up. Nevertheless, you gained’t see crimson lights fairly often in your travels. Most intersections throughout the nation are roundabouts, making driving throughout the nation that a lot simpler.
Associated: 16 Variations Between RVing in America and RVing Overseas
Tenting Choices
France is understood for being one of the vital camping-friendly international locations on the planet and it lives as much as its popularity. Throughout our month of adventures, we by no means struggled to discover a place to camp in a single day. (Conversely, once we crossed over to Italy for just a few days, it was a lot more durable to search out an open campsite!)
There are a number of methods to camp in a single day in France and through our first few days on the street (seen within the video above) we tried just a few.
France Ardour
Greater than the rest, we used France Ardour to search out free campsites throughout France. France Ardour is a membership (about $35) that lets you camp free of charge at wineries and farms throughout France. (France Ardour was the inspiration behind Harvest Hosts, the place you possibly can camp free of charge on wineries in North America.) And it was extremely straightforward to search out stunning locations to spend the evening! In actual fact, after driving throughout the nation, I’m fairly positive 99% of the French countryside is vineyards. Miles and miles of lovely vines.
(We’ve got an upcoming video displaying off extra of what tenting at France Ardour websites is like, however you can even see our very first one on this video!)
Associated: Why You Ought to (and Tips on how to!) Camp on Wineries and Farms
House Camper
House Camper is the place you possibly can keep in your motorhome at individuals’s houses/on their property—similar to a HipCamp or Boondockers Welcome. You’ll want a self-contained RV (AKA your personal rest room) and also you’ll most likely need to know a bit French, because you’ll be conversing with locals.
We used House Camper on our second evening within the RV to remain within the yard of a champagne home in Epernay. (Pictured above) This web site provided electrical energy, loos, showers, and playgrounds, however facilities range by web site.
Wild Tenting
Boondocking is sometimes called wild tenting or freedom tenting overseas. In France, we used the Park4Night app to search out boondocking spots throughout the nation. Within the video, we camped in a forest free of charge and began our day mountaineering one of many many trails that began from our free in a single day spot. Even higher, it was quarter-hour away from a fort and a brief drive to a close-by village for morning pastries and low.
Associated: 31 RVing Phrases You Ought to Know
Campgrounds
The very first thing that involves thoughts when RVing in France is perhaps staying in conventional campgrounds. Just like an RV park or campground within the States, right here you’ll discover electrical energy, water, and sewer hookups in addition to facilities like a bathhouse, playground, and laundry. RVing with a child and a toddler, we spent much more nights than we thought we’d in campgrounds doing laundry whereas the youngsters performed.
We had been shocked at how kid-friendly many campgrounds had been. At one specifically, there was a big outside tent stuffed with toys for teenagers. Blocks, dolls, a kitchen, bikes, a trampoline—Europe actually is extremely kid-friendly!
Campsites in campgrounds different. We stayed at one with degree, poured concrete websites (above). At one other, we had an unlevel grassy space with towering bushes on both facet. One other, a grassy space with vines separating websites. Truly, quite a lot of campgrounds used grapevines to separate websites! I informed you, 99% of the nation is rising grapes for wine.
Usually, your campsite could be very easy in comparison with States, so don’t count on an excessive amount of. However what the websites lack in niceness, the campground makes up for with recent baked items. Oh sure, you possibly can odor the croissants and pan au chocolat out of your campsite. Heath swears one of the best pastries of the month had been at a small campground in Lourdes, France simply outdoors Pyrenees Nationwide Park. We stayed there for 3 nights for “the proximity to the nationwide park” however Heath isn’t fooling anybody. It was the croissants.
Aires
And lastly, aires. Sure, these relaxation stops that I discussed discovering off the toll roads? A lot of them provide in a single day tenting. We didn’t truly keep in a single day at any aires throughout our journey, however we spent many afternoons dumping tanks, letting the youngsters play, and grabbing meals. Which brings me to 1 different key a part of RVing in France…
RV Providers
Within the States, tenting free of charge creates just a few issues. The place are you going to refill your water? The place are you going to dump your black and gray tanks? The place are you going to throw out your rubbish?!
For a lot of campers, the reply is to seize a campground for an evening and deal with the RV.
However in France, no want. Yow will discover potable water, RV service stations, and plentiful public trash cans in most cities. Heck, you’ll find sorted recycling bins in virtually each city too! France lives as much as the hype and it was shockingly straightforward to search out the companies we want for the RV.
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That is additionally the place aires actually turn out to be essential. They’re one of the best, best place to service your tanks, refuel (on fuel, diesel, and propane), and even take out the trash whilst you’re driving down the freeway.
RV Tenting in France
Have you ever heard about tenting in France earlier than? It’s rising in reputation for worldwide vacationers like us and it blew us away!
Subscribe to our Youtube channel to maintain watching our RVing in France sequence 🙂
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