12 Things You Should Know Before You Go Camping in France this Summer

I’m the last person you’d expect to write an article about camping in France. My idea of roughing it is a three-star hotel without a minibar. My only real camping memory is a night spent on hard dirt next to a muddy river in the Australian outback, swatting flies and wondering why anyone would do this on purpose.

Then the family persuaded me to try a campsite at Soulac-sur-Mer on the southwest coast. Clean modern facilities, a lovely pool the kids loved, beach access, and not a single revolting hole in the ground toilet in sight. It completely flipped my view on what camping in France can actually look like.

But France being France, there are rules. Plenty of them. And some will catch you out if you turn up assuming a French campsite works the same way as one in the US, UK, or Australia.

12 Things You Should Know Before You Go Camping in France

My mom has always used the phrase “forewarned is forearmed,” and I’m inclined to agree with her on this. Knowing ahead of time what to expect helps you enjoy your vacation with less stress.

1. The French Campsite Rating System

Atout France, the official tourist body, inspects campsites every five years and assigns them a star rating from 1 to 5 based on pitch size, facilities, the languages spoken at reception, and amenities. Five-star ratings only became possible in 2013, so anything carrying that grade has been earned recently.

The gap between a two-star and a four-star site is bigger than the numbers suggest. Two-star sites give you the basics with cold or lukewarm showers and small pitches. Four- and five-star sites offer private washing cubicles with hot water, pools with slides, kids’ clubs, evening entertainment, and pitches over 80 square meters. The site we went to was a 4-star.

If you’re new to camping or bringing children, aim for at least three stars. The price difference is often less than 10 euros a night, and the experience is in a different league.

2. Wild Camping 

Camping sauvage, the French term for wild camping, is heavily restricted. You can’t pitch a tent on the coast, in any national park, near a classified historic monument, or within protected natural sites. Fines range from 1,500 euros, and within a listed natural area, the penalty can reach 100,000 euros and prison time.

The narrow exception is bivouacking. That means one small tent, one night only, set up after sunset and packed away at sunrise. Hikers and cyclists doing long-distance trails use it, but it’s not a workaround for a family holiday.

If you want to camp on private land, you need the owner’s written permission. Some farms offer camping à la ferme, which is a tiny official campsite on agricultural land with up to six pitches. Worth looking into if you want quiet.

3. Book Early

French schools break up in early July and don’t go back until late August or early September. The whole country goes on holiday at the same time, and the coast fills up fast. Add in Dutch, German, and British campers, and the popular sites along the Atlantic and Mediterranean are booked solid by April.

If you want a four- or five-star site on the coast for August, you should book the previous autumn. Mobile home rentals at the big resorts sell out even earlier than tent pitches.

Smaller one and two-star sites inland are more relaxed and often have space for walk-ins, but checking ahead is still wise. Camping municipal sites run by local councils are your best bet for a last-minute spot.

4. Reception Keeps French Hours

Most campsites close their gates between 10 pm and 7 am. If you come back from dinner at 11 pm, you’ll park outside and walk in. Some sites give you a key fob or magnetic card for after-hours access on foot, but cars stay out.

Reception also closes for the French lunch break, usually between noon and 2 pm or noon and 3 pm, it is France after all, and 2-hour lunch breaks are mandatory, well, almost. Plan your arrival around that, or you’ll be sitting in the car park watching the staff eat lunch.

Arriving Sunday afternoon? Check reception hours before you book. Some smaller sites have very limited Sunday reception, and a few close entirely between guests.

5. Quiet Hours 

The standard is 10 pm to 7 am, and at most sites it’s properly enforced. No loud music, no shouting kids, no slamming car doors. Repeated complaints can result in being asked to leave without a refund.

Even outside those hours, the French take a dim view of noisy neighbors. Setting up the speaker for a poolside party at 4 pm will not win you friends.

This is part of what makes French campsites so popular with families. You can let the kids run around all afternoon, but by 10:30 p.m., the whole site is quiet enough to hear the cicadas.

6. Open Fires and BBQs

From around June through September, large parts of France are at risk of fire. Open fires are banned outright in most regions, and many campsites don’t allow charcoal or wood BBQs at all. Gas and electric grills are usually fine.

In the south, the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, the Gard, Hérault, the Aude, and Corsica, the préfet can issue an arrêté préfectoral that bans all outdoor cooking with no warning. These can stay in force for days or weeks during heatwaves.

Check the signs at the campsite entrance and ask reception when you arrive. Lighting an illegal fire can land you with fines starting at 135 euros and going much higher if it spreads.

7. The Tourist Tax 

The taxe de séjour is a small tax paid per adult, per night, that goes to the local commune. On a campsite, it’s usually somewhere between 20 cents and 1 euro per person per night, depending on the star rating and the area.

Children under 18 are exempt across France. The tax isn’t always included in your booking quote and gets added at checkout, so don’t be surprised when the final bill is slightly higher than expected.

Some communes charge it from the first night, others have a minimum stay before it kicks in. Reception will have the exact rate displayed at the entrance.

8. Swimming Pool Rules for Men

This one tripped my husband up badly at Soulac. French public pools, including the ones I’ve been to in France, ban swim shorts for men. The rule is hygiene-based. Shorts can be worn as everyday clothing, so they could carry dirt, sweat, or whatever you walked through that morning into the pool water.

Men are required to wear close-fitting briefs, the style most English speakers call Speedos. My husband described his first walk to the pool as the most exposed he’d ever felt in public. He got over it.

You can buy a pair at any French supermarket for under 15 euros if you arrive without one. Carrefour, Intermarché, and Decathlon all stock them. Lifeguards will turn you away if you rock up in board shorts.

9. Dogs at Campsites

France allows two main categories of restricted dogs. Category 1 covers attack dogs like American Staffordshire Terriers without pedigree papers. Category 2 covers guard and defense dogs, including Rottweilers and pedigreed American Staffs. Category 1 dogs are banned from all campsites. Category 2 dogs need to be muzzled, leashed, and accompanied by an adult with insurance.

Beyond that, every campsite sets its own dog policy. Some refuse all dogs in July and August. Some charge an extra 3 to 7 euros per night. Some only allow dogs on certain pitches or in specific mobile homes.

You’ll need an up-to-date European pet passport, proof of rabies vaccination, and either a tattoo or microchip ID. Dogs must be on a lead at all times inside the site and are usually banned from the pool area, the restaurant, and the play areas.

10. Campsite Amenities 

Bring your own toilet paper if you’re using public shower blocks. Most French campsites stock it during high season, but supplies run out, and refills aren’t always quick. Flip-flops for the showers are essential.

Dishwashing happens at communal sinks at most sites, including some four-star ones. You’re expected to bring your own sponge and washing-up liquid. The same goes for laundry, where you’ll usually find a paid machine in a shared room and need to buy tokens from reception.

Hairdryers, kettles, and toasters aren’t standard in mobile home rentals. Check the equipment list before you book, especially if you’re traveling with kids who can’t survive a week without toast.

11. Motorhomes Have Separate Rules

If you’re driving a motorhome or campervan, France has tightened up considerably since 2024. Around 25 cities now operate ZFE low-emission zones, with more being added through the end of 2026. You need a Crit’Air sticker on the windscreen to enter, and older diesel vehicles are increasingly banned outright from Paris, Lyon, and several other major cities.

Parking a motorhome on a public road is legal as long as there’s no specific sign forbidding it. The moment you set out chairs, an awning, or a table, you’ve crossed from parking into camping, which is illegal outside official sites. Discreet overnight stays in lay-bys are tolerated in rural areas but actively policed near the coast.

The better option is the network of aires de camping-car, official motorhome stopover spots run by towns and villages. Many are free or cost a few euros a night. The CaraMaps and park4night apps will show you the closest one wherever you are.

12. Handing Over Your Passport

French law requires campsites to register every guest staying on site. Reception will take your passport or national ID card at check-in and either photocopy it or scan it before handing it back. This applies to every adult in your party, not just the lead booker.

The information goes into a fiche de police, a register that hotels, B&Bs, and campsites must keep and make available to French authorities if requested. 

Some sites will accept a driving license alongside a passport for additional guests, but the lead booker always needs the passport itself.

There’s plenty more that would catch you out if I tried to cover every detail. Electric hook-ups in France use European CEE plugs, so bring an adaptor and a 25-meter cable if you’re coming from the UK, US, or Australia. 

The 10 km/h speed limit inside the site is enforced, and ignoring it will get you a warning from the manager within minutes. Prices on the same pitch can double between late June and mid-August, so the shoulder weeks either side of peak season give you the same weather and the same facilities at a far better rate. 

And if you want cheap and cheerful, look up your destination’s camping municipal, the council-run sites that cost a fraction of the commercial ones and are perfectly clean for a night or two.

What I will say is this. A year ago, I’d have laughed at the idea of recommending camping to anyone. After Soulac, I get it. The trick is knowing what you’re walking into before you arrive, because France will not bend its rules to suit you.

Where To Find and Book a French Campsite

A handful of sites do the heavy lifting for English-speaking campers in France. Each has its own strengths.

Camping France is the official site of the French Federation of Outdoor Hospitality and lists over 8,000 registered campsites. The filters let you sort by star rating, region, dog-friendly, pool, and waterfront access. Booking goes directly to the campsite, so no middleman fees.

Pitchup has around 837 bookable French campsites and is one of the easiest platforms to use in English. Real-time availability, instant confirmation, and verified guest reviews. Pricing is transparent, with no hidden booking fees.

Camping Qualité is an independent French quality label. Only campsites that meet their hospitality, cleanliness, and transparency standards get listed, and bookings go direct with no commission.

Alan Rogers has been hand-picking European campsites since 1968 and remains a trusted name with English speakers. Their guide highlights smaller independent sites that the big platforms often miss.

For motorhomes specifically, the CaraMaps and park4night apps are essential. Both show official aires, free overnight parking, and motorhome service points with up-to-date user reviews.

If you want to skip the platforms entirely, search the campsite name directly and book through their own website. You’ll often find better rates and more flexible cancellation terms than you’d get through a third party.