About Camping in France

• France is the premier European Camping Country

France is where revolution is born, rabbit is eaten, and pétanque is played. At the brink of the 21st century, France is as comfortable on the world stage as it is on the beach. While balancing their international committments and esteemed culture, the French still manage to boogie every once in a while. And while all roads do run to Paris, there is no sense putting all your eggs in one basket: France's riches are many and it is only by heading off to the four corners of this land that you will begin to enjoy them.

Without a doubt, France is the most popular camping destination in Europe. Which is hardly surprising given the diversity of landscapes coupled with the fact that there are around 11,000 campsites scattered across France. These range from minimal facility farm campsites (camping à la ferme) through to all-singing, all-dancing luxury holiday parks.

Different Types of Camping in France

Nearly all French campsites are graded by stars, one to four in much the same way as hotels are the world over.

One Star Campsites

One-star campsites are fairly basic and becoming increasingly rare these days as owners strive to improve amenities, gain extra stars and attract more custom.

Two Star Campsites

These are by far the most numerous and generally provide a reasonable level of comfort. Municipal sites, often found on the edge of towns and villages, usually fall into this category, though there are some that reach for higher gradings.

Three and Four Star Campsites

These sites will nearly always provide quite a high degree of luxury, often extending to first-class restaurants and beautifully landscaped swimming pools, sports facilities and extensive entertainments programmes. More like staying in an open air luxury hotel than the 'boyscout' camping many of us remember!

Important : The number of stars does not necessarily translate into the overall quality of a campsite. The grading provides information about the nature and more often than not, the number of amenities and services that you could expect to find. It defines for example the minimum area of the pitches, the quota of washbasins with hot water in relation to the number of pitches.... but will not take into account where the site is (local countryside etc) or the quality of your welcome.

Camping in France - Extras to Consider Plug Adapters - Do You Need Them? Some French campsites have a standard French mains socket for the hook up supplies so it may be worth making up an extra adapter lead to hook up.