# Aire at Collioure



## Philippft (Feb 16, 2008)

Just received email from Tourist office that cost of a 24Hr stay for a Camping Car is now €15.00.
This is a significant increase and I have asked them to confirm as my understanding is that it's €12.00.
I would be grateful if anyone has up to date knowledge of this years prices.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Yes...meant to put this on MHF but forgot. We were there Friday 31st May and it is now 15 euros per night. That includes the navette to town. I have a photo of the charges board which did not, in both our opinion and that of both Belgian and French MHers, make the charging system crystal clear.

From 30th September to 31st May it was 10 euros but changed on the 31st to 15 euros. 

That included EHU if you were down the bottom though I don't know much about how that is dispensed and how long you get as we were up on a higher level.

I'll dig out the photo.

If you have a dog then the navette has a notice to the effect that dogs are not accepted though an exception might be made at the discretion of the driver.

G


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## kenp (Sep 8, 2006)

You have chosen a beautiful harbour town that we have stayed by several times, usually arriving for 2 nights and staying seven.
However we go out of season and stay 2km away on a clifftop site called Les Criques de Porteils an ACSI discount site (No. 1853) at 16 euro. There is also another Acsi site that is nearer at 1.5 km away called Les Amandiers (1872) but we have not tried it.

We enjoy watching the French Marines giving French army recruits a wet taster session on the RIBs and canoes whilst we have a wine and smokey bacon gallette. We'll be there again later this year no doubt.

Did you see the town on "Home or Away" last week?

Kenp


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Still looking for the photo...

My OH, who studied the notice, says that the entry barrier machine ( drive up close to it as it detects your presence and you need to be close) detects a motorhome automatically. You are then issued with a ticket that charges you 15 euros for a stay up to 24 hours in duration. Even if you stay one hour it still costs a motorhome 15 euros. Cars are detected and charged for the length of stay so a lot cheaper for a short stay in a car.

When you leave you pay (CC accepted) at a machine in a booth beside the entrance and then insert your paid-up card in the barrier at the exit.

The navette runs at 30 minutely intervals from the entrance between 10 am and 5.45pm and is free. Watch out for last return trip however as it is likely to be changed if the bus driver is needed elsewhere for a school run. You will be warned and there will be a typed notice in the bus. It is a long steep climb back up from town to the car park !

There is fresh water, a dump and a loo on the bottom level by the entrance.

G


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

How much for an Aire, that's outrageous :roll: :roll: 

cabby

talking of Aires, how is the list building.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

cabby said:


> How much for an Aire, that's outrageous :roll: :roll:
> 
> cabby
> 
> .


Rather our feeling but we had no space ( van behind) to stop and look at the notice before we were through and got our ticket so committed to 15 euros anyway. It's basically the town P&R. We were up at the top so had no facilities other than a piece of slightly sloping tarmac.

We did find aire charges up in many places to the extent that it was cheaper or the same price to stay on campsites with ACSI or CCI reductions. At least on a campsite you can put out your chairs etc and are not sitting jammed up against your neighbours door. You also get unlimited EHU and loos etc if you want them.

G


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

Don't know which aires you normally frequent but from your comment on price they will most likely be in the places that are trendy or frequented by the rich and famous (like Collioure), even in the general Med area most are in the region of 7 to 10€, never found a campsite near that sort of price at this time of year, added to that campsites come with swimming pools entertainment and loads of noisy people and screaming kids.

Yeah I know bah humbug!


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

eurajohn said:


> Don't know which aires you normally frequent but from your comment on price they will most likely be in the places that are trendy or frequented by the rich and famous (like Collioure),
> 
> Yeah I know bah humbug!


No, no places frequented by the rich and famous ! (Collioure ? Really ?? Nice little place but for jet-setters. Surely not !)

We tend to go for the inland areas, away from the coast, where the CCI discount gets you a pitch on a nice, quiet municipal for 10 to 12 euros or your ACSI discount card for between 12 to 16 euros. The campsite at Collioure was ACSI price 16 euros when we were at Collioure on the 31st May this year so the rich and famous must have been elsewhere. We only went there in the hope of a little sunshine or less rain. It was however cold and VERY windy.

You must be tied to high season, as we are not, if the sites are full of screaming kids and noisy people but in spring and autumn the children are in school and the noisy people working somewhere. Pools are not usually open...hence the discounted price.

Each to his own...as I believe the inimitable Zeb said somewhere. We use aires when in transit and small campsites when we want to stay a couple of nights and even big campsites if there is no alternative.

G


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## eurajohn (May 9, 2005)

Collioure is very nice as you say but almost always very full of people no matter what time of year, the rich and famous was said with a bit of tongue in cheek.
We're retired so like you do not travel in the high season (although away at moment but on way home soon).
Have for many years visited South East France mainly for the reason you didn't like, the wind, which is quite prolific in the area when off shore from North it is called the Tramontane and when from sea is known as the Marin (although that has regional variations) excellent for windsurfing.
Off season I've found many Municipals are shut down and whilst normally have the objective of giving sites a miss completely do use them when necessary, although they always seem to be 16€ and up, which when you have no desire to use the extra facilities makes for an expensive overnight parking spot.
On the Municipal subject, just spent a week at Rogne le Sept Ecluse in Burgundy, superb site beautiful surroundings electric and wifi included for 8.50€ a night or if preferred there are 4 aires which are free but limited in stay.
Now at a cherry farm aire overlooking the Seine very nice


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## Qnapper (Jul 26, 2012)

Well we are parked up right now, so went down and checked and it does say from 1st May to Sept 15 euros ( all be it a very small sign ) but still states 10 euros per 24hr period within the area you pay. 
The electric is free ( we are on level 3 and can reach the power point with ease ) and the bus is free and runs until 23:00hrs or it did last night as we used it. 
Even if it is 15 euros ( which I FAILED to notice when we arrived at 15:00hrs yesterday ) we will stay until tomorrow or Monday as it is clean and well light at night ( also has 24hr camera surveillance on each level ) , water is supplied, toilets are clean, as stated electric is free and the bus service is great ( just about to use it now back to a very nice little town with lots to see. Having a scooter as well means we can travel up to the 2 or 3 castles and small villages within the area.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

It will be interesting to see how much you pay Qnapper. We paid 15 Euros on 31st May this year-the day it changed from 10 Euros, -but perhaps they have had a change of heart. I wondered about the navette: it did seem to finish very early but there was no indication that it was a winter timetable. It seems we paid summer rate ffor low-season service ! 

G
.


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## Qnapper (Jul 26, 2012)

Grizzly said:


> It will be interesting to see how much you pay Qnapper. We paid 15 Euros on 31st May this year-the day it changed from 10 Euros, -but perhaps they have had a change of heart. I wondered about the navette: it did seem to finish very early but there was no indication that it was a winter timetable. It seems we paid summer rate ffor low-season service !
> 
> G
> .


Grizzly, just been down and chatted to a young lady who opened office by the pay machine. In my best broken French ( then she starts talking English ) they put the charges up because of running the bus late into the evening and having 24hr camera coverage and the free electric points. She was very clear that if they went back down to 10 euros they would charge 3 euros for 10 hours electric and 2 euros per person per journey on the bus ( at this point I did not make her any angrier!!! )
I asked about the sign not clearly stating the price hike and she will look at this being fixed. 
I have walked round and there are 45 MH's here ( 20 with 10Amp power points connected ) now at 1100: local time so they must all be happy to pay.

I'm off now on the bus for a beer and walk ( should be the other way round! ) in local town again........


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Thanks John'

The aire was not full the night we spent there but we parked at a higher level so as not to be surrounded. We didn't examine the EHU at length but thought they were limited time supply so did not bother. I agree about the sign not being clear. We're both sure we took a photo of it but can't find it. 

It was cool and very windy when we were there so we were glad to get back to the van quite early but it would have been a reasonable thing to expect the new bus timetable to start on the same day the prices changed if that is their justification for changing them ! 

Enjoy the rest of your stay,

G


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

I suppose the rationale behind aires, that they are there to encourage tourism and the economic benefits to municipalities is redundant these days for the honeypots.

It would be difficult to present a case to city fathers (or mothers  ) that such a service subsidised or at cost would be beneficial to them in places that are so popular that management of traffic is the primary concern. It then becomes the price that the market will bear

Dick


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

On the other hand it is in the interests of the city fathers not to have motorhomes roaming around the crowded roads so the provision of parking for them and a means whereby the owners can get to the things that they have come to see, is in all our interests.

I'm watching Redbridge P&R in Oxford at the moment. It is busier than I've ever seen it at the moment and surely the time has come to extend it to contain more than 10-ish vans.

. I've not got fingers crossed however as Oxford needs less not more tourists and we don't need to encourage them on economic grounds ! 

G


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