All the Aires France

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In some super popular aires, there is just enough space to open your door or window and it’s obvious when you arrive that this is how you need to park. Completely free aires in France do exist, but it’s more common for municipal aires often offer free parking areas for motorhomes, with a cost for services. The cost of motorhome services can vary – you might pay €1 for 50 litres of water for example. Which vehicles can use an aire in France?

No, not really is the short answer, remember the camping behaviour rule? So, if you want to socialise outside your motorhome until late then this won’t go down well. There is no hard or fast rule and each area is different on where they want motorhomes to park up. 10. How Long Can You Stay at an Aire?Fontaine de Vaucluse: This aire is at the heart of some stunning scenery and is close to the biggest spring in France, the source of the River Sorgue. If you’d like to follow more of our adventures or keep up to date with our travel hints and tips, please join our Facebook group, we’d love to connect with you all! – https://www.facebook.com/groups/309295536220437 There’s also a scheme called France Passion, which is a collection of vineyards, farms and other places where they offer free or cheap overnight motorhome parking. It’s a bit like BritStops in the UK. Biscarosse: Cool relaxation in a pine forest, a short walk from the wave-pounded Atlantic beach. Very chilled, very peaceful, very French. Some are totally free, unless you make use of the facilities. Some cost a couple of Euros and others cost as much as 15€, which I think is the maximum we’ve paid so far. We tend to avoid cities, but I believe aires close to popular locations cost more and are much more crowded.

That being said, if you want to have a picnic or set up some outdoor kit, don’t do it in a place where another vehicle could park .Motorhome stopovers are not confined to France and every country that has motorhome Aires has its own name for them. In Germany there are at least 3,000 motorhome stopovers called Stellplatze. In Italy the over 2,300 motorhome Aires are called Aree de Sosta. There are also two generic words that refer to these motorhome service areas. In the UK they are known as motorhome stopovers and in Europe they can be referred to as Camper Stops. So whether you stay on an Aire, Stellplatze, Aree di Sosta, stopover or camperstop, it is all the same thing. What they are not is wild camping or free camping areas. Often, these are run by the local council and are designed to encourage people to visit the area. They are nearly always well kept and welcoming, with signs in French and often English. If the signs aren’t in English, the info will be displayed in a way that’s fairly easy to understand. Some gated aires closed during the height of the Covid pandemic. France currently has few restrictions and most aires are fully open, although where there are services like toilets and showers, they may remain closed. No- or at least very very rarely. (Occasionally, it is possible to book online, especially in the mountains in winter if you’re going motorhome skiing.) The whole point of aires is flexibility and freedom. Ah- here’s the magic of travelling without a plan. There are a couple of ways to find aires in France, especially as you’re travelling. We never have them planned in advance- we always find them en-route. Can you book Aires in advance?

Nancy: La Capitainerie is a quiet spot next to the river in a fascinating French city, with a wonderful mix of baroque and art nouveau sights. In an aire de service, you will often find motorhome disposal points, where you can pay a couple of euro to empty your waste tank and toilet, and refill with fresh water. It’s not always clear if the water is suitable for drinking or not; if in doubt, don’t put it in your fresh water tank or use chemicals like this to make it safe for drinking.

How to find aires in France

There’s no way around it- if it’s shut, you’re not getting electric that night. If you’re desperate, look for an aire which doesn’t need tokens, but ideally you’ll want your motorhome to be able to survive a night (or two!) without the need for electric. If you’re planning to do a lot of motor homing in France, the All the Aires guidebook definitely worth the investment/ space in the camper.