# France trip planning help needed



## busterbears (Sep 4, 2010)

Now that I've completed christmas for another year we can seriously start planning our first trip abroad in the MH. 
After reading my way through much of the france touring section, I'm quitely confident we can pull this first MH trip off with 2 teenage daughters - if they both decide to join us at all? But I still need a little help s'il vous plait  

The plan so far is -

tunnel over courtesy of tesco vouchers (already ordered)
aire stopover not too far from calais (all the aires book still to be purchased)
drive down to franche-comte/jura to lac du chalain area
stay at site with full on facilities for teenagers for week or longer (thinking about domain du chalain) while we leave them to it (whatever 'it' may be) and go mountain biking
across to switzerland and round lake geneva (probably aires as we tour about, assuming they have them there also) 
possibly into Geneva for some serious retail therapy
back up to calais maybe sidestepping into Belgium 

So my questions are (apart from the obvious "why are you taking your teenagers")

1) what's the best (cheapest) website for booking campsite pitches?
2) what's the best route to the Jura area from Calais ?
3) is Lake Geneva and Geneva itself worth a visit?
4) if popping into Belgium for a couple of days, where's best to go?
5) is there a serious flaw in the above plan that I've not yet spotted?

Merci beaucoup!


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

A good free stop 1 hour from Calais is the French Passion site 'Les Deaux Caps on Coast Rd towards Boulogne.
On way back why not stop at bruges aire 2 mins walk to centre of Bruges.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Lake Geneva*

Hi

Personally not keen on Geneva itself, but around the lake are places like Montreux - there is an aire there too! A little bit further on for the Chateau de Chillon.

Russell


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## andyandsue (Sep 7, 2008)

*some ideas*

into our 4 th year fulltimming in europe ( last before heading back to the Far East) and a few tips for you . gravelines near dunkerque is a great aire , belgium is great for motorhomes and has aires..check out all the aires benelux and scandanavia. the french book is great ..pick up the updated version out soon. buy the acsi card book as its a great deal on campsites . consider germany and partic Bavaria as they have thousands of aires ,love kids and its safe and well set up, oh and for switzerland use the free water and waste and elec points on their safe motorways ,,we never kip on motorways at all!!!!! but we do in switzerland as they have no through traffic ,,no problems with itineriants and a well organised police force ENJOY


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

Can't really help with your specific questions - still a relative newcomer ourselves, between to France twice - and loved it!

I would just add - a decent Sat Nav is your best friend over there, it really helps make for a stressless journey.

And I would get a Camping Card - costs about £5 from CC or C&CC and it means you don't have to leave your passport with reception on sites as ID;

http://www.anwbonline.com/camping/en/


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## lafree (Dec 31, 2007)

Hi,We stayed at Kawan Village La Pergola by lac De Chalain in 08 expensive site terraced pitches by the Lac ,good pool close to Swiss border.We drove from Calais to Forge De Saint Marie near Joinville rural site good pool and cycling we were on route to Annacy.
Lafree


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

Hi busterbears (just noticed you are from Dumfries 8) )

I appreciate you may want the full works campsite for the teenagers, but think carefully before booking for the full week. Not a lot of bells and whistles campsites are cheap and you may want to move anyway after a couple of days. Unless you have to go the first 2 weeks in August (in France) you may want to risk pot luck and have a plan B ready if the first choice is full. Although we go to France every year we only book (happened on a couple of occasions) if we want a particular pitch.

We sometimes go via Tunnel but stop in Oxford or similar for a night or two. That journey to Dover seems to take ages so we make the journey part of the hols. Not easy to do if you are limited to a couple of weeks or so.

Bruges is lovely. Either the aire (busy and expensive) or the campsite are fine. Camping Membling is not easy to find. We know exactly where it is and still sometimes miss it :roll: :roll: :roll: 

Sorry don't know about Franche Comte/Jura area as we have only stayed in Arbois (?spelling) and Dole during a detour from Burgundy.

Where ever you go and what ever you do have fun.

Sue


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Hi , we never make plans too far ahead.
We watch the weather forcasts for different areas.
Last trip to the Italian lakes saw us as far south as Pisa and Florence

Don`t try to do to much travelling.
Kids and wifey get bored.
After saying all that I have booked tunnel and sites in Holland for spring. Keukenhof gardens and WSB Assen.
Lady p does not know about Assen yet. :wink: 
Dave p


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I wasn't that keen on Lake Geneva area but just a few miles south back in France is Annecy. The whole are and the lake are fantastic, unmissable if your in that neck of the woods.


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## Bethune (Apr 21, 2008)

Whilst I know you are headed for Lake Geneva and sorry to confuse the issue but might I suggest you look at the Bodensee. I suspect this is a lot more teenage friendly than Lake Geneva. We were there last May for a few days on Reichenau (http://www.sandseele.de/) and then again in June when we cycled all the way around the Lake almost entirely on cycle paths or country roads. Highlights, Stein-am-Rhein, pretty but busy village but teenagers would love the tubing down the Rhine and then catch the train or bus back, Konstanz- University town with plenty of youngsters around. Free bus and rail passes around Konstanz and neighbourhood, bicycle friendly ferries all around the lake to Lindau (Dornier and Zeppelin museums), Meersburg (wine!!). Konstanz offers good retail therapy too.
Hope this is helpful if a little off the subject
Philip


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

I would go with the advice regarding not committing to one site for a whole week.

All-singing, all-dancing sites can be very noisy, very full and packed like sardines, plus ridiculously expensive.

You don't give the ages of the children - but there are teenagers and there are teenagers

The disco that is keeping you awake in your van 'til the wee small hours may be the one where the kids flounce back at 11 complaining that there are no decent lads there.

Incidentally, why call them wee small hours - when you are trying to get to sleep the hours can seem very long!!!!


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Aires*

Never heard of the Free Electric on Swiss Motorways before!

Swiss Government know exactly where Most of their citizens are any time they want them. Many Swiss have firearms, so not the best place for baddies!.

I would consider Lake Annecy instead of Lac Léman.

Brugge is nice, but you need at least one full day.

Have you considered coming back one way from Zeebrugge to Hull?

TM


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

Hi,
save money using aires/French passion as you travel and offset against more expensive sites with teenage activities for longer stay.
We spent many years going to a site on Lake Garda italy with all activities known to man and superb pools for teenagers.It was worth every penny. 
We walked along beach in to cute town for bars restaurants and atmosphere whilst the teens did not want to move from the site.
We 'forced' them to come with us to Verona for some 'culture' one day and they spent most of the time in the swishest McDonald's I have seem :-((
Im sure you already know if the teens are happy then everyone is happy.
Your teens of course may be far more refined than mine were.! :? :?


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## busterbears (Sep 4, 2010)

We're hoping to be away for almost 3 weeks so thought the one week on a bells and whistles site would suit the girls (will be 17 & 15) so they'll be the ones partying and keeping the whole place awake - MEES the last word i would ever use to describe my girls is refined! We use to drag them to days of culture as we've travelled over the years but its a lost cause now! 

So many of you seem to be saying Annecy is a great place so may journey a bit further south for that.

I've tried to buy the 'all the aires' book but it seems the last edition was 2008 so have to wait for the new one in 2011 i think.

All the other areas suggested look lovely and I'll add them to the list of future possibles.

thanks all so far


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## darach (Dec 15, 2006)

Hi, Regarding the best place to book camp sites, if out of season ACSI or camping cheques are the best for price. If you want to use aires which are great, look up camping car infos on your computor. Excellent site in french but dead easy to use. 
As far as the route to the Jura we came up in the summer from Geneva up through to Besancon then up on the N57 past Nancy, Metz, Luxembourg, Namur on the A4 across to Lille then over to the coast near Dunkirk and down the A16 to Calais. All motorways are free on that route. Also when going through Luxembourg you can pick up cheaper diesel and gas. There is a free aires you can use at Luxembourg with water and dumping and supermarket close by. (49.47157 - 6.07815) Dudelange near railway station.
Do you know about vignettes for Switzerland? If under 3500kg you buy a vignette for the year if over 3500kg you can buy a 10 day pass. Not expensive in comparison to french motorway charges.
Lake Genava is a beautiful area and so is Lake Annecy. As far as night life is concerned we are a little bit past that one!!! Only place I can think of with lots of night life and hill walking cycling etc nearby to Geneva is Chamonix Mont Blanc. Beautiful place. 
Stayed in a very nice camp site in the Jura for a couple of nights with a swimming pool next door and mountain biking all around. Highly recommended. Ornans (La Roche D'Ully camping cheque site ) (42.10012 - 6.16122) Derek from SW Scotland


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## darach (Dec 15, 2006)

If you want any of last years literature about the Jura I will be in dumfries next week some time and I could drop them off for you somewhere.
Derek


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## brockley (Mar 6, 2009)

I would also recommend Gravelines as a a first night or last night stop. Great fortified town to explore on bikes. The aire shown here as the furthest south on the map, you can use the resources at Camping des Dunes (also marked here) for a couple of euros if you need to, only a couple of kilometres away.

ACSI, great option with kids of your ages, I would be looking more at the sites priced 15 euros/night, again with kids those ages. Having said that, anyone notice more and more of the sites are now the top price? Still great value for money though.

The Swiss vingette (up to 3.5 tons) will cost £25.50p online. If you leave it to the border they will stop you and charge 31.50 euros. Don't know about anything over that weight.

I think it has already been said, but even with the kids, it might be worth not committing yourselves to too many nights. Enjoy, I'm sure you will.


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