french alps

[tom a]

we are hoping to go to france next september.it's our first time abroad with the caravan and we would like to stay near the french alps.also like to visit euro disney on the way down to keep two 16 year olds happy.any advice on sites,routes and when and with who to book would be much appreciated.

 

[MikeG1]

Hi Tom......went to Annecy this year. The veiws are well worth the effort of getting there. You say your going via Disney...I think I might reverse that and go on the way back. If you would like more info feel frre to contact me. >>> michael.greenfield@ntlworld.com

Mike

 

[chrissie2]

We have stayed at 'Le Coin Tranquille', near Les Abrets, which is not far from Chambery. We booked it through the Camping and Caravanning Club's Carefree Travel Service, but I think other operators, including Select Sites, also offer bookings on this site. It has a good pool area and there were lots of children, of many different nationalities, around when we were there, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Whether you do Disney on the way there, or the way back rather depends upon personal circumstances. The route obviously depends upon where you are travelling from in the UK and which ferry crossing you are hoping to use. You will almost certainly need another overnight stop on the journey that does not include Disney. For this, you can either book through a tour operator (if you decide to use one) or play it by ear and look for a suitable site (perhaps a Camping Municipal) when you feel you have travelled far enough. We have done both, and on the whole I prefer the latter - in nearly twenty years of high-season travel, we have only once arrived at one of these simpler sites to be told it was full.

 

[unknown_948849]

Hi Tom, we went to the Alps this year and would definitely recommend the area - the scenery is stunning. We don't bother using operators but book it all ourselves using the internet and email. For overnight stops look at this site - http://users.pandora.be/leo.huybrechts/camp1.htm - which provides details of sites all over Europe. If you click on France you can pull up a list of sites near motorways which is really useful. We used this to select a Camping Municipal which was only a few miles off the autoroute and was excellent for an overnight stop. One final point, once you know your travel dates you can then book your Channel crossing, in general it seems that the earlier you can book the better the price. Hope this helps, Simon

 

[Richard_5041394]

Hi Tom;

For the Alps can recommend the area around Chamonix, lots of good sites here (we stayed at Les Rosas), several within easy walking distance of the town and from here you can use the network of cable cars and railways to do lots of sightseeing/walking. You can even go by cable car up Mont Blanc and across the glaciers to the Italian border. The scenery in this area will take your breath away. Road access is easy using the autoroute network in France and approaching via Geneva. It would be easy to go via Paris/Disney in one direction and use A26/A5/A31 Reims/Troyes route in the other. You will need to break your journey en-route but its up to you where. I can't recommend the Caravan Club foreign sites directory highly enough(called Caravan Europe - not the brochure), its packed with honest listings of sites reported on by other members and trust me, you will NEVER be stuck for somewhere to stay once you pick your area. Regard it as your travelling bible!France is very well equipped with sites listed under virtually every town. I never pre-book the sites unless its really peak season, or I'm going to arrive late. There's a much more laid-back 'just turn up' culture with the sites there, which leaves you free to decide 'on the hoof'. Regarding Disney, again this directory will be useful to you, there are several sites listed within easy reach. When I did Disney a few years back Disneys own 'Davy Crockett Ranch' still took touring caravans, and this was very good (but expensive!), However I hear that Davy Crockett has now been given over entirely to 'log cabin' statics, which is a shame. I've just come back from France and had a few days at Camping International, Maisons Lafitte, Paris. This site is in a green suburb of Paris on the WEST (ie opposite to Disney), but was a good site on the River Seine and was a 10 minute walk to the RER Metro Line 1, which does take you across the city direct to Disney (Marne la Vallee)at the other end. If you intended having a day or so in the Paris area I recommend you try and get a site with good access to the metro, as its an excellent and easy way to enjoy the area, and the RER (express suburban metro) goes quite a way out in all directions - including literally to the gates of Disneyland!. However if you stay nearer to Disney and use your car, road access there is easy too and there is acres of well signed parking. Regarding booking ferries etc - again I say give the Caravan Club a go; they will book you just ferries, or ferries and some sites if you want, or ferries and insurance etc. You will get the best deal on price booking your ferry with them. They can't be beaten, and are very nice to deal with. If you book ferries and insurance with them (which I always do, and highly recommend) you'll get a Camping Carnet provided, which is a must on all continental sites. Once you know your dates get a quote -it is true that the earlier you book the better the deal available. This is the way the ferry companies operate now. But most of all, just have a great holiday. Don't worry about a thing (don't be put off by horror stories either - France is a lovely, caravan-friendly country of empty roads and wide open spaces. Stay on proper sites (not the roadside!) and you will be fine. Happy planning and travelling! Enjoy! Richard.

 

[tom a]

Thanks for the all the info.We are going to book the ferry with one of the clubs and use camping cheques and see what takes our fancy when we get in the area.