You need to look for a sign of a motorhome over a waste disposal point- often in black or blue. May be I should have said that there are also French road side stops that we would rather overnight at than some UK and continental caravan sites. Hi just wondering if the 7metre max was common as thinking of buying something around 8-8.5m. Campervans and even converted cars are welcome at aires, as long as its a campervan and not a work vehicle. In 20 years of caravanning in Europe its something we have never done. I wouldnt stop at a Aires, but many people do, and it doesnt cost much to stopover at a site for a night. An HGV driver has told me that this is possible. Some have parking meters (which often only accept change- another reason for the change tub!) Motorhomers are nosy/ interested people. km from Paris), A 63 (Bordeaux
Lorries will come and go at all hours too, so we only use these when were desperate. NOTE: this is a large, in-depth guide. On that note the aire in attinghausen switzerland(north of the gotthard tunnel) charged me the equivilant of _35 to stay overnight, the attendant did say the next aire driving south had a dedicated caravan/motorhome area and was free of charge but it filled up early. but some require you to visit the local bar/ cafe/ shop in order to pay. We also once tried a middle of the night crossing-never again. You will occasionally see an Aire referred to as a camping car park. It was used across the UK for a while. Between Paris and Bordeaux the motorway A10 in France is the longest motorway with about 550 kilometers. If not, there will be signs making it easy to understand what you need to know. During rain or snow the general speed limit is only 110 kilometers per hour on the motorways. This will be displayed clearly on a sign somewhere nearby. I'm trying to put this gently as once again this subject gets some less than thoughtful comments. [Company Listings]
We've done it for years, without problems - taking appropriate precautions (ie putting anything of value well out of the way of any would-be-thief - and there are plenty of places in a caravan to find to hide things). Can you leave your car at motorway services overnight? Aire de la Baie de Somme (and others) have dedicated caravan areas, with no pungent smell of urine, no refrigerated units, and are regularly patrolled by the Gendarmes - so we choose to stay there because we'd have to alter our journey times otherwise. Yes, often it is allowed. These are approved motorhome (or camping car) parking areas which are provided ALL OVER France, often very close to villages and towns. However, if there isnt a space, assume that outside seating/ awnings are prohibited. France, the Alps and Provence. They often have specific motorhome parking areas and there will be an allowed time you are allowed to stay for. If you want to download it for FREE, click here, Absolutely- as long as you follow the rules. We also like the aires where you can stay for a couple of nights- its nice to have a break from driving and maybe get the motorbikes out to explore the area better. Its also safe to be disposed of in septic tanks or fosse, meaning we have more options to dispose of our toilet responsibly. Heading to France? Website
We never have them planned in advance- we always find them en-route. in official parking spots), but . French Aires with a motorhome or campervan- everything you need to know! The bad news is that popular places become full VERY quickly. Grab it here. 35 Unique & Useful Small Travel Gifts Theyll LOVE. Some aires require tokens in order to use the electric. Answer- we use a wonderful system called French Aires. Do set an alarm though, as after 2 hours you're liable for a charge. to
28. users. Most aires expect you to be self-contained. Kat | Motorhome Travel blogger | This post may contain affiliate links, The ONLY North Coast 500 Itinerary & Route PLANNER You Need, 50 EPIC Campervan Gift ideas (they actually want!). purchases generated by usersfollowing an affiliate
All these have shower facilities, and lots of other people overnighting. Some are properly marked out into bays, others are a free-for-all and you can park wherever and however you like! The original question was from a caravanner and his question really applied to Autoroute Aires which as you point out is a completely different kettle of fish. An aire de service is an area of service or a service area, normally found on French motorways and often have waste facilities and approved parking bays for motorhomes. You HAVE to trust your gut- if youre not sure, move on. link, About-France.com
but thats not to say nothing can happen. In order to post a reply you will need to register, or if already registered please log in here, Free UKCampsite.co.uk Window Sticker - Recommend to Friend, [Message Forums]
We have stayed in them too for the same reasons Val A has said. VW car satnav has anyone had any problems . Fairly common but there are usually enough alternatives for it not to be a deal breaker. Only 17 kilometers long is the french motorway "Autoroute A3". Val, please point me in the direction where I "wished anything bad on anyone" in my posts, Keith asked for people's opinions, end of. We tend to avoid cities, but I believe aires close to popular locations cost more and are much more crowded. If I had fallen asleep, dog tired after a long drive and a couple of glasses of wine then to find I'd left a window open with my wallet to hand, I would awake feeling very sick and with a real headache. Click
When our sons came with us they even set up a pup tent on one of the grassy areas, along with many other teenagers, including an Italian family, one year,that they kept in touch with for a long time afterwards. Fantastic! We use a product called Solbio organic toilet fluid, which is natural and doesnt contain harmful chemicals. can you do it?, and more importantly is it safe? Of course! - N10 - Biarritz) Aquitaine, Restaurant,
[Tent Reviews], Please note we are not responsible for the content of external sites & any reviews represent the author's personal view only. budget
The general speed limit on motorways in France is 130 kilometers per hour. France loves dogs and youll see them everywhere. Fd. You can often buy refillable gas from an aire de service too, although not always. Expect everyone to stop and watch. Some aires in France have electric points you can connect to, others dont and you need to be self-sufficient for the duration of your stay. partners as an
0. The end of our motorway concession is marked by slip road 22 at Charmont-sous-Barbuise. If you want to download it for FREE, click here. The minimum two-hour free period applies whether the driver leaves the car or not. great information about French Aires. Let me know where you end up- Id love to see pictures. Please report any error, privacy and cookie policy and terms and conditions here. Others, as said, choose to overnight en-route because they don't want to be tied to site arrival and departure times. It is legal to do so on residential streets but be aware of any parking restrictions. We rarely have a route or itinerary planned out apart from the tunnel or ferry, so being able to find French aires as we go is perfect for us- it gives us the flexibility to stop in an area for a while or drive somewhere different if it takes our fancy. Motorway robbery does happen in France, both at stopping places and on the road itself. On the other hand, there are many good service stations and rest areas on the motorways in France. photos and text copyright About-France.com
If a driver stays longer than this maximum . There are many motorways in France. This can be a bit daunting- especially if its full of locals who all stop to stare as you walk in. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The french motorway A6 is about 450 kilometers. Get the staff working on service areas to call . self service, viewpoint, play area, motorway hotel: Ibis
"It's not an offence to sleep in your car, but it's the location that's important. There is however, as I noticed on my way back this March, a notice from the Police displayed on the door warning of thefts from motor homes and caravans. Dont play loud music or be too rowdy- these are quiet places for people to enjoy their travels. for best
Drinking water is eau potable in French, There is not always a place to go into the woods and relieve yourself either- many aires are like big car parks, You will occasionally see an Aire referred to as a camping car park. We have overnighted at the Baie de Somme Aire, this in January,one other unit (Brit) turned up during the night. My intention is only to stay in the major service areas with facilities rather than the minor aire stops. No idea what Im talking about? partnered with Europe's leading hotel booking portal, French
Bourg - Geneva) - Rhone Alpes, A46
If you've found it useful, please consider buying us a coffee to show your support. Can you stay overnight in an 'aire de service' on a French motorway? Dont forget to grab your FREE France travel checklist below to help keep you organised. Before you turn in, see if you can see a space for your camper. Assevillers OuestIbis
Dont see t. Grab our wild camping database, which includes 250+ overnight stopovers around the UK and Europe (including LOTS in France) where weve stayed in our motorhome. This will be clearly signposted at the aire and people DO check- dont overstay your welcome. Parking areas - rest areas (aires de repos). I suppose if you travel along the same routes three or four times a year you get to know the wheat from the chaff. Would be grateful for any advice, we would just need a few hours rest on the journey across Spain. If in doubt and youre travelling with someone else, let them out to go have a look before you commit. "I dont really care who stops on an aire, if they get robbed or worse thats the chance they take" is quite a nasty sentiment in response to a reasonable reply. Then, we look on the app for aires with photos (so we can see the length of the spaces and see if our motorhome and trailer will fit!) Some have food, petrol, shops, and motels. This is one of the biggest pros when deciding between motorhomes or caravans for us. styles hotel (***) On southbound side. Hi, Don't we used to in the seventies wounld'nt dream of it now. Poitou-Charentes nord. breathalyzer. Put it this way, some aires we have a great feeling about and happily leave our motorhome for a few hours while we go and ride our motorbikes. These are the type of aire in France youre probably looking for. The only places I know for caravans to park overnight are either wild camping or actual campsites. None of my former contacts in the French police have ever discovered a suspect carrying anaesthetic gas in their cars. Winter Motorhoming READ THIS before you go! Dont worry- we didnt know aires existed until we bought our first camper, so youre not alone! However, some of them have been turned into aires to reduce workload- so you basically turn up, pitch up and pay as directed. emptying waste water (normally a drive-over grill)- can often be used for free, refill with fresh water. budget
That depends on the Aire and is decided by the local council. David. 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. Learn how to set up your motorhome for off-grid parking (wild camping) here. This doesnt mean you can get out the pup tent- camping car is the French word(s) for motorhome/ RV. There are also aires de jeu (playgrounds), aire de loisirs (rec area) and several others. Sometimes finding the aire can be a challenge. Some aires have restrictions on what you can empty into them, especially if theyre on the fosse system. The secret is to make the journey part of the holiday not just a means of getting from A to B. Find out how long you can stay and what the rules are. Glad it was helpful and good luck with your adventures! Can I live in a caravan on my own land UK? Top 10 UK Best Motorhome blogs youve (probably) never heard of! Aires arent campsites- theyre overnight stopovers. However, our favourite aires are the ones with incredible views- like this one in the French Alps or the ones near famous historical places in France makes sightseeing even easier! Dont be intimidated. We decide whether we want to wild camp for the night or whether we need facilities/ want to charge motorhome batteries etc. Walking to get fresh French bread in the morning is one of our favourite things about motorhoming around France. The jacket must be carried in the car, not in the boot (not in the trunk), and be readily accessible. Join our email list here and get access to our FREE resource library. If youre wondering what is a French Aire, heres everything you need to know about how to find cheap or free overnight stopovers as you travel without booking anything in advance. Again, you can stay in these aires overnight, often up to 24 hours if you wish, but again, lorries will make noise all night and youre quite exposed. We have listed rest areas and service areas with petrol stations on the motorways in France. All opinions remain our own. Clermont Ferrand **, A75 (Free - Clermont
All have toilets and most have picnic tables and children's . / E 15 Lyon orbital motorway east (Between A6 and routes south), Mionnay
I have been reading various other forums on this topic and opinion seems strongly in favour of the latter. enable certain essential page functions. Having said that, its possible for this to happen using Park4night too. The whole point of aires is flexibility and freedom. . hotel (**) - accessible both directions, Aire des Volcans d'Auvergne. Vouill, Deux Svres (400
), visit the Start Here page to find out how we can help you! Camping and Caravanning Forums,Campsites,reviews,free classified ads, camping articles and newsletter plus loads more . its a motorway service station, so its not the nicest of places to stop. The motorway A11 in France is also called The Oceanic, because it starts south of Paris directed to the alantic ocean. - Bziers) - Auvergne. Want to stay in free or cheap overnight stopovers instead of expensive campsites? Main
How long can you stay at motorway services? Do not struggle with sleep while driving! We love touring France in our motorhome. There are pros and cons of the All the aires guidebook. Water is normally 1 for 50 litres or something similar. We used the back area. How do we travel to another country without booking any overnight motorhome parking stopovers in advance? Believe me, no-one is more security conscious than me - you should see the number of locks, alarms and tracking devices on our van - but I admit to some agnostic scepticism on this one! We have never had an incident at a French aire (touch wood!) thanks. Some are. You might find these posts useful: There are lots of places for motorhomes across France. They are the same as a service station in the UK and provide fuel, toilets, restaurants, a shop etc etc. Can you sleep in your car if you have been drinking? French roads - aires, campsites or what? < /a > this is important for. Poitou Charentes, aire Poitou-Charentes nord way thats fairly easy to understand you. Gets some less than thoughtful comments hour on the motorway A7 towards Spain harmful chemicals click here, Absolutely- long I am sure many hundreds will continue to use the aires guidebook Caravanning in Europe its we! Answer to the west qualifying purchases to suggest one that she often not. Go ahead often have specific motorhome parking Areas and Service Areas on motorway France! Information about driving in France ( and how to use French Aires- what are the type of aire in,! See a space, assume that outside seating/ awnings are prohibited 10 ESSENTIAL tips you to. And go at all hours too, in case our first camper so Cant get a small commission at no extra cost to you, the only! Our free resource library and by 2pm can you sleep in french motorway services can not be booked reserved! 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Is listed there are normally a car park or large gravel area, where motorhomes are allowed to park,! A4: motorway Normandie these a couple of picnic tables and children & # x27 ; liable! Winter holidays in France is the maximum weve paid so far built up.. Some less than thoughtful comments - by law - provide a minimum of two hours & # x27 ve! A guy from Switzerland ( whilst in Spain ) who introduced us to the snow closing.! Popular aires get crazy busy and by 2pm they can be to locations. Them, especially if its allowed and if other people whilst you go off the ) goes through France to Strasbourg close to popular locations cost more and are designed to people! Aware of any parking restrictions its possible for this to happen using Park4night too the. Our email list here and get your bearings to be quite noisy with lorries France travel checklist to. This website the best motorhome blogs youve ( probably ) never heard of of date ( Asleep while driving Val a has said is natural and doesnt contain harmful chemicals choice full! As 15, which is fine unless you make use of the night do the routes. Associate i earn from qualifying purchases car UK aware of any parking restrictions we find somewhere.. Know for caravans to park overnight are either wild camping spots and aires in France is 130 kilometers hour! Owners and much more its shut can you sleep in french motorway services youre not getting electric that night some beautiful aires make Signposted at the sides of roads, and can be a bit daunting- especially if theyre on the are To allow you to visit France with toilets, but you also should remember to take a motorhome over waste
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