France maps showing camp sites

Tail end Charlie
Tail end Charlie Posts: 352
edited April 2009 in Tour & expedition
I'm off to the south of France this summer, the Luberon region. Does anyone know of any maps which mark camp sites, or am I right in thinking there won't be a problem finding a site? I am quite happy with basic sites.
Any other tips would be welcomed aswell.

Comments

  • onbike 1939
    onbike 1939 Posts: 708
    There are many camp sites in France but those shown on the Michelin maps are just a few of the real total. Beware of the "Family" sites which are for extended stays and are more expensive. A guide which gives you all the French camp sites is
    http://www.campingfrance.com/campingenf ... ?idPage=56
    This include all the small farm sites and the guide is sold by the caravanning club I believe. It's in French but can be managed and is invaluable.
    Be aware that in the south in summer, the use of stoves is not allowed because of the risk of fire. Not that this is much of a problem given the food in France.
  • alp777
    alp777 Posts: 211
    Use the municapals, cheap and usually well kept and there is usually one in every town/village. If there isn't one just keep riding until you find one.
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    Michelin have only ever marked the campsites listed in their guides, but they seem to have stopped marking even those on recent maps.
    Just keeping riding until you find one usually works OK, but if you pick the wrong route you could end up riding 15 or 20 miles before you do spot a campsite.

    Probably the best bet is to get the guide linked above, and just take the pages for the area you will be visiting.

    Alternatively, if you use a suitable GPS you can download a POI file with 9000-odd French campsites from here:- http://www.archiescampings.eu/downloadpage/
  • Tail end Charlie
    Tail end Charlie Posts: 352
    Excellent, thanks fellas. It's as I thought, I've been to France a bit but never on a bike and I had noticed the municipals.
    Thanks for your help. GPS is beyond my technical ability (and pocket) though!
  • cthompso
    cthompso Posts: 20
    I've found the best bet is to head to the local office de tourisme and ask for their regional camping guide. These are usually free, comprehensive for the area and have pictures to help you avoid the ones more obviously oriented towards screaming kids and caravans.

    The only issue is they will only cover their particular department (except for 3 star offices - only in larger towns) so if you are crossing a 'border' during the day you need to ensure you can get to another odt before night falls.

    Worst case 'camping sauvage' is usually more than possible.
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    A good bet is to try Google maps (http://maps.google.com/)

    put in the name of the place you are interested in then a comma and then 'camping' eg

    'Robion, camping'

    and it will then give you a list of campsites with their locations.

    Not guaranteed 100 per cent comprehensive, but it isn't bad.

    Or try the website for the office du tourisme - or Comité Départementale du Tourisme. As well as looking up information online it is often possible to order brochures etc - which usually arrive within a few days.
    Italy Cycling Guide

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