Grand Traverse of the French Alps

mbarrett1986
mbarrett1986 Posts: 14
edited January 2012 in Tour & expedition
Trying to organise this route for late in June 2012. Trying to get cost of accommodation most likely camping. No website seems to actually tell how much it will cost. Is anyone able to give me a steer at how much campsites in this area tend to cost and whether they need to be booked in advance or we can just turn up? Any other tips for this route would be much appreciated.

Comments

  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    edited January 2012
    Campsites in France IME are usually about 7-9 euros in low season- although you can pay more if it has a pool etc or it's in a popular area. You'll pay less per head if there's more than one of you. It's very easy to check prices: very few campsites don't have a website. Go to the website if the département or region's tourst office. Or go into Google Maps and type in the name of a place you are interested in and then 'camping'.

    EDIT www.alanrogers.com is also very useful as is www.acsi.eu.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • LeDomestiqueTours
    LeDomestiqueTours Posts: 56
    Just turning up should be fine in June. The only time we have had problems with availability is during August when the French tend to go on holiday. Lots of the websites are a bit of a pain to book through and don't let you book single nights so I wouldn't bother (keeps things flexible as well).

    Worth bearing in mind that in general the more facilities the campsite has the more attractive it is to families with kids so if you are looking for a peaceful night then avoid pitching near the clubhouse/swimming pool!
    http://www.ledomestiquetours.co.uk

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  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Campsites should cost anything from €9 to €25 depending on the facilities on offer. Municipality sites are the cheapest and while basic are still very nice. Ive found a couple of great private sites with pools for like €16 a night, but have paid up to €25 at some. Still, all cheap compared to the UK.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    Things get busy in July, you should be ok for June. My tip would be to try later in June because some passes are not open until late May. A snow flurry is possible at anytime but the longer you go into summer, the warmer it should get. But pack warm gear, the weather can change anytime and some descents can take an hour, you'll get a real chill if it is cold or even snowing.
  • satanas
    satanas Posts: 1,303
    ^ And if it's snowing then fingers can get frozen fast, which makes braking "interesting." Some sort of windproof and/or waterproof gloves might prove useful, even just washing up gloves. I've very, very rarely bothered booking anywhere and cannot see the point if you'll be camping as there's usually always somewhere out of view one can put up a small drab-coloured tent.

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