If you’re busy planning your first time campervanning in France then you’ve come to the right place. We spent two weeks driving through France in our campervan last summer and had the best time. It is a country well set up for camping and campervanning and it is very easy to travel there.

We had been excited to go to France ever since buying a campervan and found it straightforward to travel around. We also combined our trip with some campervanning in Switzerland, which I would really recommend if you have the time. 

Although campervanning in France is pretty simple, there are a few things which are particular to the country. So I’ve put together this post to answer some of the questions we had before our trip. I hope you find it helpful!

Getting to France by campervan from the UK

Getting to France by campervan from the UK is really straightforward. You have a number of options and can sail from ports including Dover, Portsmouth, Plymouth or Poole. Crossing times vary from between 90 minutes to 10-12 hours for an overnight crossing. So it depends what port in France you’re heading to and what your budget is.  

With two small children, and plans to head down the east of France, we chose the fastest crossing from Dover to Calais and travelled with Irish Ferries. These crossings do get pretty busy in the summer holidays, so it’s worth booking in advance if you can. However, one of the things I like is that as the crossings are so frequent, if you arrive at the port early, you are often allowed onto an earlier crossing. 

The crew is very used to packing vehicles in, so don’t be surprised at how closely they ask you to park to the vehicle in front! Once on the ferry disable your campervan alarm, so that it doesn’t keep going off with the rocking of the boat.

When you leave the ferry at whichever port you decide to travel to in France you will be required to drive through passport control booths and show your passports. There is usually a big queue for this, but it does tend to move quite quickly. As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter France and can stay for up to 90 days.

Is it easy to drive a campervan in France?

It is quite easy to drive a campervan in France. They drive on the right hand side of the road, and speed limits are measured using the metric system. Make sure you stick to them as on the spot fines can be given if you’re caught breaking them. Plus anyone with an EU driving licence found to be exceeding the speed limit by more than 40 km/h will have their licences confiscated on the spot.  

Depending on the size of your campervan, you may also have to consider whether some routes are suitable for your vehicle. Some of the smaller towns and villages have very narrow streets, so make sure you plan your route in advance. We also found that some carparks in busy areas could be difficult to find larger parking spots in.

Need to know: If this is your first time campervanning in France, don’t forget your campervan must display a UK sticker on the back and you will need headlight adapters. There are also 12 regions in the country which restrict vehicle movement depending of how polluting they are. If you are planning on travelling in any of these areas, your campervan must display a Crit’Air sticker in the windscreen. These can be bought for a few euros from this official government site before you travel.

Do you need to buy a toll pass for motorways in France?

Whether or not to buy a toll pass for motorways in France is somewhat debated in campervan circles. It’s very common to have to pay a toll to travel on many of the major roads through the country. Toll passes are purchased in advance and mean that the driver does not need to stop to pay at each toll. I know plenty of campervan owners who swear by it and say that it saves them time and avoids queues. However, we didn’t buy one and just paid as we went. We never had to queue and didn’t find it any more of an inconvenience, as you can pay by card so don’t need cash available.

We also found that by not having the pass, we didn’t automatically choose the fastest route. Often if there was less than an hour’s time difference by going on an unpaid road, we would opt for that as they are usually more scenic. We loved driving past all of the sunflower fields and through smaller villages, for example.

However, if you are travelling solo or alone with young children, a toll pass would probably be useful. This is because the booths are on the left hand side of the vehicle, so if you don’t have a passenger you would either need to lean right over or get out of your van to pay.  

If you would prefer to buy a pass, you can do it through a number of different third-party websites.

Do you need to book campsites in advance in France?

The question of whether you need to book campsites in advance in France is down to personal preference. There are so many campsites available that you will always find somewhere to stay. However if you are travelling during the peak season of summer or visiting popular areas, you may prefer to book in advance.

Even though this was our first time campervanning in France, we decided not to book any campsites before we travelled. This is because we wanted to enjoy the freedom of being able to change our plans or stay longer somewhere. We are pretty laid-back travellers, so this worked really well for us. It also helped me to get the balance of how to live a life of adventure with a family. Despite travelling in July, we always managed to find somewhere to stay. The only place we struggled was Annecy, which was extremely busy, and we had to try three sites before we found a spot.

However, I think one of the beauties of having your own campervan is that its easy to drive on to the next place to find somewhere. So this was something I never personally worried about.

What are campsites in France like?

Campsites in France vary greatly and a way to distinguish between them is by their star rating. Campsites are rated from one to five stars depending on the facilities. These include everything from the municipal ones (called aires) which are very basic and cheap, to the resort style ones, which include many more facilities, but come with a bigger price tag.

We mostly stayed in mid-range campsites, which cost around 30 euros a night. These seemed to have a good balance of not being too busy, having a few facilities including a play park for little ones and a small restaurant.

We also stayed in a couple of more basic ones, which we always found to be clean and tidy. However, you do need to supply your own basic essentials like toilet paper and soap.

Tops tips for first time campervanning in France

As I’ve already mentioned, you will no doubt find your first time campervanning in France pretty straightforward. However, there were a few things we quickly learnt along the way which I thought I’d share here.

Receptions at small campsites typically aren’t manned all day. So if you have any questions/problems, go first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. In terms of checking in, people usually arrive at campsites at around 4pm to 5pm. Some sites will have designated pitches for you to park on (usually grass) but others will allow you to choose.

In the summer it gets very hot during the day, so head for a spot with shady trees if you get the chance.

If you’re booking on arrival, I’d also recommend having a quick look around a site before you commit to taking a spot. We found that in busy places like Annecy, they really pack campervans in and yet still charge a 70 euro price tag!

Many sites have a restaurant on site and we found these to be really good. Some of the best meals we had during our time campervanning in France were here. I would recommend booking a table when you arrive if you want to eat in the restaurant that evening. They do tend to get busy, especially in small towns where locals often turn up too.

Top tip: Look for campsites which are next door to municipal swimming pools. These are often much cheaper than the bigger resorts but are just as fun, especially for little ones. You can also take your own picnics in so they make a pretty cheap day out. 

Do you have to wear speedos in France?

It is correct that men have to wear speedos in France. Apparently the custom of requiring men to wear swimming briefs is to do with hygiene and is very strictly enforced in swimming pools, both on campsites and at municipal pools. So make sure you pack a pair of speedos before you go!

Something to note is that this rule also applies to children. Both of our little adventurers have very fair skin, so we also dress them in UV protected long sleeved sunsuits. However, we were told by a lifeguard these aren’t allowed. The weird thing was they were perfectly happy with my son just running around in a swim nappy.

I hope this guide to first time campervanning in France has been helpful. If you have any other questions, please let me know in the comments below!