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Me the wife and children are going to camp in France this summer for 3 weeks. We have never been or done this before and i would appreciate any ideas on the following:

Places to stay on the way to the south we like beaches and streems

what equipment do we need as well as a tent

where is the best place to purchase equipment

where can i get the best deal for disneyland paris as we are planning on two days their at the start of the holiday

Any replies will help.

Thanks

Where are you starting from - and have you a destination in mind?   The Ardeche is great for rivers and streams, depending upon the age of your children.  Burgundy is good, too, for lakes with beaches, as is the Limousin, or the Dordogne.   Beaches are best (I think) on the western end of the Mediterranean, though there are some lovely ones around Cavalaire, or La Croix Valmer further east.  Traffic is horrendous on the Cote d'Azur in high season, so a lot depends on when you're going, too. 

Most recommendations will come when you've planned a route, and ask for information about sites along the way, or at your intended destination.  We've been 'doing' France for 26 years, so have covered a lot of country.  Let me know your route, and I can get back to you.

Blimey! You don't want to know much do you!!

If you are completely starting from scratch, and it sounds like you are, then have you camped at all before? I'm only asking because if you have nothing then it's going to be a big outlay in one go and if you don't enjoy it, then you've spent a lot of money on stuff you won't use again.

Have you considered going to a Eurocamp/ Keycamp type site where the tents and all the stuff you need are already there set up for you? You drive there yourself but don't have the hassle of taking all the kit you will need (and with a couple of kids you are going to need either a large MPV and roofbox or a trailer -trust me I know!!) or putting it up and packing it away, which is a pain in the bum if you are planning more than one stop. With Eurocamp you can stay at more than one site if you like, and it gives you a real feel for camping.

Regarding Disneyland Resort Paris, are you wanting a package? Onsite hotel? Just tickets? If you want a self drive package (ie onsite hotel and tickets but no travel) then I'd recommend Leisure Direction www.leisuredirection.co.uk We have used them a few times and their prices are good. Try to avoid weekends there if you can they are heaving and if you only have a couple of days you want to spend the minimum time queueing for rides. Try www.disboards.com forums for more specific DLRP info.

As regards where in France, then you need to consider how far you will get with the children in the car. I know it might sound patronising but France is a hell of a lot bigger than it seems, when you realise that to drive to Paris from Calais takes 4-5 hours, it puts it into perspective. We went to the Dordogne last year and seriously overestimated the amount of mileage we could do in a day with the kids. People on here recommend the Loire, Vendee and Brittany quite a lot, all are manageable in a long day of driving, or with an overnight in a cheap motel (much better quality and value than thier british counterparts)

HTH

Amanda

hello

if you book your holiday through eurocamp/eurocamp independent you can use their tents for one night stop overs, saves getting all your gear out, about 50 quid for the night which if there are a few of you aint half bad.  good site in Paris not far from disney and get tickets over there rather than buying for too many days before you go, like val said plan route first then ask for help on campsites. we like the vendee as not too far to travel ( as roads are great) beaches are good and generally great weather.

apart from the usual camping gear, tent, beds, kitchen, cool box if you have or want an electric hook up you may need a adaptor, think they say that they are for european campsites about £10 from argos but not all sites need them.

As for equipment depends on where you live, but find a big shop and tell them that you are buying a lot of gear and that you want discount, always works ! small camping shops tend to up the price and have little variety and you know what they say about variety.

anyway good luck, Julie X

We usually take a tiny tent for overnight stops and all pile in together. Depends on number and size of kids I spose! but it does mean you don't have to limit yourselves to big sites. There are vast numbers of municipal campsites for overnight stops which are simple, cheap, often next to the swimming pool or tennis courts and give you a much better view of France than you might otherwise get.

Which south do you mean. If you're going to the Med, this one's lovely and has a stream full of frogs. If you're coming from Calais/Boulogne this is about a 2 hour drive, which means you can get a later ferry if it suits you better. Might mean making 2 overnight stops though.

If you're taking a western crossing and/or going to the South West someone here can probably suggest some other overnight stops.

Liz

If you dive on the cote azur make sure you got a french plate and an 06 then they think your a local and you get away with anything. If your a tourist they dont like you and never give way to you.

I am lucky I drive my cousins car down there so it doesn't matter I dont know where i am going cause they think I am local !!!

Biggest piece of advice i would give you would be if you are serious about going, buy your kit now while its still fairly cheap! and get as many camping weekends in as possible before you book...... you may not like it, some people dont but the more weekends you get away, the easier it is to get your tent up, get yourself sorted etc. with everbody doing their own wee job!

Dont try going abroad for your first outing! just imagine if you bought all your kit, booked and off you went and you or the kids hated it?? but having said that theres nothing to not like about camping and we are all truly a friendly bunch!

Bryan