We have recently returned from a 2.5 week trip around France in our camper van and I thought it might be usual for others if I gave an overview of our holiday and where we stayed etc.
Our adventure began at Dover where we used the ferry to Calais. It was the Friday that it all went wrong in Dover, but by some miracle we were only delayed about 90 minutes and managed to get on the ferry we booked.
Thanks to this forum we stayed at Chateau Gandspette (Camping Pas de Calais | Camping 4 étoiles Hauts de France - ᐃ CHATEAU DU GANDSPETTE **** - Nord de St Omer, Eperlecques), 35 minutes from Calais. It truly is a great place to stay, with a relaxed child friendly restaurant which is reasonably priced, pool and play area. We were made very welcome.
Next we headed to a campsite 30 minutes west of Dijon where we met our friends. We stayed at Camping Vert Auxois (Accommodation Camping cote d'or - burgundy , cycling Home).
This is a small site with EHU, a small pool, restaurant (which we didn’t use) and clean toilets/showers. One thing to note, you have to provide your own toilet paper - luckily we had some! The pitches were a reasonable size.
After Dijon, we travelled to Lake Annecy and stayed at Camping Europa (Camping ANNECY | Europa | 400 m bord du Lac Annecy | Piscines | Haute Savoie | location mobil homes | Location chalets) which we really loved. It has two lovely pools, a fab restaurant/bar, lovely showers and toilets. The pitches were quite narrow but longish. The campsite was a 5 minute cycle ride to the local beach, and 10km into Annecy, along a busy but safe cycle path. There wasn’t a shop but you could order bread and pastries. We loved Lake Annecy and will be returning!
Next, we headed to the Alps and stayed in a chalet located at Les Arcs 1800. The chalet was lovely with incredible views over Mont Blanc and the valley. It was a 10 minute walk into Les Arcs and we booked it though Airbnb.
Our next stop was back to Dijon, we’re we stayed in an old monastery that was converted into a hotel. It was right in the centre of Dijon, which is absolutely lovely and had such a good vibe. We really recommend exploring this beautiful city.
Paris was our next destination and we stayed at Camping Jablines (Camping Paris - Disneyland Resort © - ᐃ INTERNATIONAL DE JABLINES *** - Base de loisirs) which is east of the city and 30 minute bus ride to Chessy, the train station at Disneyland. This site is incredibly busy, with small pitches, underneath trees. The toilets and showers are just okay but to be honest not that clean. There is a very expensive shop that isn’t very well stocked. The shuttle bus to the Disney train station is €4 return and the train into central Paris takes about 50 minutes. It was nearly €500 for the four of us to visit Disneyland for a day. We wouldn’t recommend this campsite.
Our last stop was back to Chateau Gandspette.
We travelled nearly 1800 miles, and spent approximately £350 on fuel. We tried to keep the speed between 65-70 mph, anything over and the fuel economy fell off a cliff. Diesel cost between €1.86 and €2.04 litre. Tolls cost £125. We didn’t hit a single traffic jam whilst in France, but as soon as we hit the M2…..
We had an amazing time and the van performed brilliantly with absolutely no issues.
2.5 week trip around France
Our adventure began at Dover where we used the ferry to Calais. It was the Friday that it all went wrong in Dover, but by some miracle we were only delayed about 90 minutes and managed to get on the ferry we booked.
Thanks to this forum we stayed at Chateau Gandspette (Camping Pas de Calais | Camping 4 étoiles Hauts de France - ᐃ CHATEAU DU GANDSPETTE **** - Nord de St Omer, Eperlecques), 35 minutes from Calais. It truly is a great place to stay, with a relaxed child friendly restaurant which is reasonably priced, pool and play area. We were made very welcome.
Next we headed to a campsite 30 minutes west of Dijon where we met our friends. We stayed at Camping Vert Auxois (Accommodation Camping cote d'or - burgundy , cycling Home).
This is a small site with EHU, a small pool, restaurant (which we didn’t use) and clean toilets/showers. One thing to note, you have to provide your own toilet paper - luckily we had some! The pitches were a reasonable size.
After Dijon, we travelled to Lake Annecy and stayed at Camping Europa (Camping ANNECY | Europa | 400 m bord du Lac Annecy | Piscines | Haute Savoie | location mobil homes | Location chalets) which we really loved. It has two lovely pools, a fab restaurant/bar, lovely showers and toilets. The pitches were quite narrow but longish. The campsite was a 5 minute cycle ride to the local beach, and 10km into Annecy, along a busy but safe cycle path. There wasn’t a shop but you could order bread and pastries. We loved Lake Annecy and will be returning!
Next, we headed to the Alps and stayed in a chalet located at Les Arcs 1800. The chalet was lovely with incredible views over Mont Blanc and the valley. It was a 10 minute walk into Les Arcs and we booked it though Airbnb.
Our next stop was back to Dijon, we’re we stayed in an old monastery that was converted into a hotel. It was right in the centre of Dijon, which is absolutely lovely and had such a good vibe. We really recommend exploring this beautiful city.
Paris was our next destination and we stayed at Camping Jablines (Camping Paris - Disneyland Resort © - ᐃ INTERNATIONAL DE JABLINES *** - Base de loisirs) which is east of the city and 30 minute bus ride to Chessy, the train station at Disneyland. This site is incredibly busy, with small pitches, underneath trees. The toilets and showers are just okay but to be honest not that clean. There is a very expensive shop that isn’t very well stocked. The shuttle bus to the Disney train station is €4 return and the train into central Paris takes about 50 minutes. It was nearly €500 for the four of us to visit Disneyland for a day. We wouldn’t recommend this campsite.
Our last stop was back to Chateau Gandspette.
We travelled nearly 1800 miles, and spent approximately £350 on fuel. We tried to keep the speed between 65-70 mph, anything over and the fuel economy fell off a cliff. Diesel cost between €1.86 and €2.04 litre. Tolls cost £125. We didn’t hit a single traffic jam whilst in France, but as soon as we hit the M2…..
We had an amazing time and the van performed brilliantly with absolutely no issues.
2.5 week trip around France
