# Help Campsites needed Carcassonne and French Med



## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

There aint nothing like personal recommendations!
We will be traveling south to the French Med in July. Collecting our daughter from Carcassonne airport, spending 4/5 days there exploring old towns and then moving on to Agde or down towards Perpignan area.
Our special request is for simple clean campsites (no swimming pool etc.etc.) within easy walking/biking access (inland) to a town and same again for campsite virtually on the beach. We don't want top end sites cos we can't afford them and don't want the extra raz ma taz!
Hope lots of you come up with some great sites.
Neil


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## Wilmannie (Feb 7, 2010)

The campsite at CarcasSonne itself is fine & an easy stroll to the town. It used to be an ACSI site so was reasonably priced. On the coast there are good Aires on the road into Leucate Plage and a good few Aires right along the coast then - Narbonne, Agde and all the way along to Ste Maxime. Hope you have a good trip.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Recommended by clianthus [Jen] so must be good.

We are giving it a go at Easter so will let you know if it still passes muster.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/camping-de-la-cite-campsite.html


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

I mentioned a campsite as we normally stay in Aires and as we are having our 28 year old daughter we feel that so we don't get on each others nerves we want to put our "zip awning" up. Can you use an awning on a municipal site?


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Whatever you do, dont stay on the Yelloh Village site at Agde. In a moment of complete madness and when unable to find a decent Aire I picked one at Random out of the ACSI book which has a habit of making them all sound nice.

Complete nightmare. Cars racing round all night, Mozzies the size of sparrows and when you ask where the motorhome service point is they direct you to the Super U service point 3 miles away.

Site at Carcassone is ACSI and is very nice if you like campsites. We opted for it as the Aire was just a big dusty bus park.


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## Cornishaich (Oct 18, 2009)

We stayed here at the beginning of November 2011 and found it Quiet pleasant and it was eighteen Euros per night including electric.
We had a couple of days here and caught up on the laundry.
Camping L'ombre des Oliviers
Lat 43.179611 Long 2.368502
http://www.alombredesoliviers.com/

As has been previously mentioned there are plenty of good aires along the coast of which we enjoyed using. I can recommend the aire at Collioure
Lat 42.522526, long3.067653 with electric at Seven euro per night.
Again we had two nights there in mid November


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## pomme1 (May 19, 2005)

Another vote for Camping de la Cite in Carcassone, large pitches and decent facilities within an easy walk of the town.
If you're going in late July, however, it may well be busy and you would probably be best advised to ring ahead.

No problems with awnings on municipal sites. They are no different to any other campsite, just lacking some of the razamatazz, and all the better - and quieter - for it. Oh, and usually much cheaper as well!

Roger


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## alitone (Jun 17, 2009)

*The place to go on Med Coast 35 minutes from Carcassone*

Yep We stayed at that one mentioned "Yellow sur med" dont stay here as its a "waste of money" and noisy and badly run .

I would reccommed "All the ayres of France Book" as mentioned worth keeping in the van. Most Ayres dont allow awnings. Best one to head for is at Narbonne Plaige.

One place on the Med coast WELL RECCOMMENDED is Narbonne Plage right on the med coast a lovely village plenty of bars cafe etc etc with quite a few camp sites a few Ayres and its only 35 minutes from Carcassone. You cant go wrong here. We had a site ( Ayre ) to the north of the village and it was next to a regular campsite for touring
NARBONNE PLAGE AYRE as Follows.
60 pitches custom water waste and some hook up
ive looked it up page....P 329 All the Ayres of France number 134 Ref H11. Pay on entry credit card 8 Euro a night 5 minute walk to beach. Sat Nav is shown on the book... but cant give it out


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Avoid the large dusty aire / bus park nearest the medieval city of Carcassone - it is expensive and unpleasant IMO as I said in this thread;

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopicp-1381230.html#1381230

Clianthus's recommendation is a good municipal site and using awnings is quite OK on those, try to arrive early, or book ahead via e-mail, this is their info. page;

http://www.camping-delacite-carcassonne.com/

you can e-mail them using;

[email protected]

Enjoy your stay, it is a good part of France - particularly if you have an interest in history - the Cathars and the Spanish Inquisition are well represented around that part of France with MANY references and sites......

If you have bikes the cycling along the Canal du Midi towards Agde is very pleasant, but there are only very limited MH sites beside the Canal.

Dave


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

Thanks for the information so far. 
Campsites are new to me as we love the ease of the French Aires, we don't need ECU as we don't need to power up a television etc. But having a grown up daughter changes things with the need for a side tent at least at night. so the municipal campsites seem to be a step between Ayres and independent campsites. I haven't yet run comparison charges yet, any views?? 
So at Carcassonne (camping de la cite") seems ideal (thanks for that) and on the Med, the Narbonne Plaqe Ayre seems fine, any more recomendations ?
I see that there is a French guide, "Le guide officiel camping and caravaning" which it claims covers all municipal sites. Is this a worthwhile guide or a waste of money and space?
Lastly we will be down there for a couple of weeks from about July 10th, do we try and book in advance or just turn up before midday and hope for the best, I don't know how crowded it will be.
Thanks for your help.
Neil


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## alitone (Jun 17, 2009)

neilanddot said:


> Thanks for the information so far.
> Campsites are new to me as we love the ease of the French Aires, we don't need ECU as we don't need to power up a television etc. But having a grown up daughter changes things with the need for a side tent at least at night. so the municipal campsites seem to be a step between Ayres and independent campsites. I haven't yet run comparison charges yet, any views??
> So at Carcassonne (camping de la cite") seems ideal (thanks for that) and on the Med, the Narbonne Plaqe Ayre seems fine, any more recomendations ?
> I see that there is a French guide, "Le guide officiel camping and caravaning" which it claims covers all municipal sites. Is this a worthwhile guide or a waste of money and space?
> ...


Its Narbonne PLAIGE ayre .. but be careful as two ayres here and one is better than the other .. best one is near the beach where you will see lots of windsurfers and 2 minutes to the sea and a nice 15 minute stroll along the Prom/cycle track.. brings you into town


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

*Re: The place to go on Med Coast 35 minutes from Carcassone*



alitone said:


> Yep We stayed at that one mentioned "Yellow sur med" dont stay here as its a "waste of money" and noisy and badly run .
> 
> I would reccommed "All the ayres of France Book" as mentioned worth keeping in the van. Most Ayres dont allow awnings. Best one to head for is at Narbonne Plaige.
> 
> ...


Narbonne Aire is fine but my choice would be for the Aire about 5 miles further along the coast road from Narbonne at Gruissan. I think it is called Aire de Quatre Vent. This Aire is large and people holiday there. No problem using Awnings or sitting out. The marina and shops/bars etc where there is a Lidl is only a short walk away.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

*Re: The place to go on Med Coast 35 minutes from Carcassone*



Mike48 said:


> alitone said:
> 
> 
> > Yep We stayed at that one mentioned "Yellow sur med" dont stay here as its a "waste of money" and noisy and badly run .
> ...


There might be problem at Gruissan Port, as last year the Mayor decided he wanted to close it and build some sort of holiday centre for Kids.
Last September,we spoke to the girls who run the aire and they hoped it would not close, but they, just did not know what the outcome would be.
I do hope it stays open as the location is great and better than the plage aire or the other across the lagoon!


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

Thank you for todays very helpful postings regarding the municipal ayres. The one thing I am not sure of due to lack of experience is how full these sites will be mid July and whether we have to try to book up a few days or weeks before, can anyone advise please. Neil


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

neilanddot said:


> Thank you for todays very helpful postings regarding the municipal ayres. The one thing I am not sure of due to lack of experience is how full these sites will be mid July and whether we have to try to book up a few days or weeks before, can anyone advise please. Neil


Neil. you cannot book aires, or at least I have not come across one you can. In mid July the beach side ones are popular but there is a god turn around each day. Arrive late morning or early afternoon to have the best chance. Ray


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Our arrival time on an aire, can depend on the type of aire.
On a coastal pay aire, I agree, late morning or early afternoon is as good as any, but we have frequently found at about 10 Oclock, there can be more better pitches (for want of a better word)
On free aires, early afternoon works for us as many French will use an aire to eat lunch and move off again.
Just go with the flow and I am sure you will enjoy!
Regarding Carcassone, drive alongside the Canal du Midi and you will find some super quiet places.


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## pomme1 (May 19, 2005)

Neil,

I don't think you will have a problem with municipals, but Camping de La Cite, which is not a municipal, may be busier, and it may be worth a quick call.

Don't get the wrong idea about municipals, they are fully equipped campsites, with generally excellent facilities, and excellent value. They simply lack all the noise generating extras such as pools, bars etc and are usually in very good locations.

Roger


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## Gazzer (May 1, 2005)

Grath said:


> Our arrival time on an aire, can depend on the type of aire.
> On a coastal pay aire, I agree, late morning or early afternoon is as good as any, but we have frequently found at about 10 Oclock, there can be more better pitches (for want of a better word)
> On free aires, early afternoon works for us as many French will use an aire to eat lunch and move off again.
> Just go with the flow and I am sure you will enjoy!
> Regarding Carcassone, drive alongside the Canal du Midi and you will find some super quiet places.


Any particular parts of the Canal du Midi that you could recommend Graham?


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Gazzer said:


> Grath said:
> 
> 
> > Our arrival time on an aire, can depend on the type of aire.
> ...


It,s all very nice, and the Canal du Lateral which runs down to Toulouse, but my favourite is a little place called Le Segala, or you could go to Homps, where there is canal side moorings, restaurants and a lake to swim in!

parked at the lake at Homps










canal side at Homps


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

Great I can now sit back and start dreaming, thank you all so much I now feel confident about getting a pitchon site esp. with the suggested times for arrival.
Hope you all have great trips this year
Neil


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## charlieivan (Apr 25, 2006)

*Re: The place to go on Med Coast 35 minutes from Carcassone*



Mike48 said:


> alitone said:
> 
> 
> > Yep We stayed at that one mentioned "Yellow sur med" dont stay here as its a "waste of money" and noisy and badly run .
> ...


If looking around the Narbonne Plage area try going on beyond there to St Pierre sur Mer. There is a very large aire there with hookups available for the occasional top up of batteries. Very close to beech and short walk into shops, bars etc. A large market is held regularly there and if you get fed up of the aire then there is a Municipal campsite right next door to it.
One other thing to consider is that the time you are thinking of visiting is also the French holiday period so expect most places to be busy.


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## Gazzer (May 1, 2005)

Grath said:


> It,s all very nice, and the Canal du Lateral which runs down to Toulouse, but my favourite is a little place called Le Segala, or you could go to Homps, where there is canal side moorings, restaurants and a lake to swim in!


Homps looks nice but I can't find Le Segala? Any chance of a link please?


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Gazzer said:


> Grath said:
> 
> 
> > It,s all very nice, and the Canal du Lateral which runs down to Toulouse, but my favourite is a little place called Le Segala, or you could go to Homps, where there is canal side moorings, restaurants and a lake to swim in!
> ...


Sorry, no links, it is just a very small village and is on the Michelin map.
Just north of Castlenaundry! (about 5km)
No shop, just a bread van and a restaurant!
It is not in All the Aire,s


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

More photo,s of Le Segala

Evening activity


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Grath said:


> Gazzer said:
> 
> 
> > Grath said:
> ...


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

HermanHymer said:


> Grath said:
> 
> 
> > Gazzer said:
> ...


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

Mike and Grath the problem we may have with Aires still may be the awning tent at night, now it could be said who cares if at 10pm you zip walls onto a previously extended sun awning, probably it is all right. I don't know...??It would be great if we can. It may be that some of the more spacious aires would be ok.
Great tempting photos on this rainy day!


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

neilanddot said:


> Mike and Grath the problem we may have with Aires still may be the awning tent at night, now it could be said who cares if at 10pm you zip walls onto a previously extended sun awning, probably it is all right. I don't know...??It would be great if we can. It may be that some of the more spacious aires would be ok.
> Great tempting photos on this rainy day!


You would be OK with the awning out all the time at places like Gruissan and some of the larger coastal aire,s which are used by the French for a few weeks, but I wouldn't recommend trying it on the smaller aire's
I think I would say, try the Municipal sites, as mostly they are excellent and quite friendly. Before we used aire's, we always used Municipal sites.
They are not all singing, dancing with swimming pools, but many are located very near to the public swimming pool or a sports centre.
They also have some great locations and no need to pre book!


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

Yes it makes sense Grath and we don't want an all singing and dancing campsite and thanks to you all for your help, I was getting a bit twitchy as we have never been in France at this time and have only ever used Aires.
Neil


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## SaracenGill (Dec 8, 2012)

Not too far from Carcassonne is Puivert, a lovely little village with a great castle (museum is also ace) and a campsite right on the lake, which has a swimming beach. Recommended if you can resist the coast!


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## StephandJohn (Sep 3, 2007)

Les Cigales at Cassis. Its a municipal site at the top of Cassis which is a lovely smallish place (not too touristy) on the Cote D'Azur. You can get buses and trains all along the coast from Marseilles to Nice and even another train up in to the mountains to Tendre which is on the French/Italyborder.
We went there fr a few days and stayed for nearly a month.
Magic!


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## neilanddot (Apr 4, 2008)

StephandJohn said:


> Les Cigales at Cassis. Its a municipal site at the top of Cassis which is a lovely smallish place (not too touristy) on the Cote D'Azur. You can get buses and trains all along the coast from Marseilles to Nice and even another train up in to the mountains to Tendre which is on the French/Italyborder.
> We went there fr a few days and stayed for nearly a month.
> Magic!


Thanks we will bear this one in mind!
Neil


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