DIRECTIONS: From CAMBRAI take N43 EAST to CATILLON SUR SAMBRE. Take N43 thru village & cross CANAL, turn immediately RIGHT after BRIDGE to the AIRE next to the canal. The introduction and first chapter if you have written it or a short sample piece of writing as if extracted from your proposed book Some aires are gated, which helps if you want to leave your van for a day out. Many though, are not but this has never deterred us – we have always felt safe. Follow our top tips for staying safe when you’re staying on an aire; There are well over 5,000 aires across France. Most large towns and cities will offer somewhere for motorhomes to park, and many rural villages too. Along popular routes and wherever there is a tourist attraction, you’ll find a French aire. Salles Curan: A view of Lake Parloup – the largest lake in the Midi-Pyrenees - and sheltered parking makes this the perfect place to relax in hot weather.

You’ll often find an aire signposted from the nearby motorway or on the edge of towns and cities — especially during peak season. Aire de repos’ are also found at the sides of roads, and again are approved rest stops. You’ll often find campers and lorries parked up in these but there are rarely any facilities, except for a couple of picnic tables.

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These are definitely not safe (or peaceful!) places for motorhome stopovers, even though they often have an area of the car park designated for motorhomes. How much do French aires cost? The word ‘aire’ is short for the French term ‘aire de service’, which is essentially a free or low-cost motorhome camping area where some basic services – such as water, waste disposal and perhaps toilets/showers and electricity – are provided. The term is commonly used throughout Europe, although you may see local words too, such as ‘parking para autocaravanas’ in Spain or ‘aree di sosta’ in Italy. In an aire de service, you will often find motorhome disposal points, where you can pay a couple of euro to empty your waste tank and toilet, and refill with fresh water. It’s not always clear if the water is suitable for drinking or not; if in doubt, don’t put it in your fresh water tank or use chemicals like this to make it safe for drinking.

Absolutely- as long as you follow the rules. Find out more about wild camping with a motorhome in France (and how to find places to stop.) Normally you can’t book an Aire. However, the company Camping-Car Park offers a service to book in advance at their operated Aires, so long as you buy their privilege pass first. We do not know of any specialist caravan aires in France, or Spain for that matter, probably because caravaners tend to go to their destination and stay put, rather than touring. What services do aires have? Aires are official overnight motorhome parking locations. They’re first-come-first-served, some are free and some cost a few Euros (in cities you might pay €20 to €30). On recognising the distinction between the two and the fact that motorhome owners move on every day or two, the French authorities introduced the Aire system.

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Euro-Relais service point with drainage platform. Good toilets, sinks & showers are available (but only open July/ Aug). Similarly, if the aire does not have designated spaces, leave enough room between your van and the next so that you can’t hear each other using the loo! Aires are generally just a place to park up and not somewhere to embark on a full blown camping trip!

They are the same as a service station in the UK and provide fuel, toilets, restaurants, a shop etc etc. You can often buy refillable gas from an aire de service too, although not always. There will often be a vending machine for hot drinks and sometimes a microwave for public use too. The books are broken down into colour-coded regions with maps, making it easy to search geographically around your location. A picture and a description are included and each aire is inspected by All the Aires periodically. Some aire de services are free but there’s often a small charge of a few euros. Euro relais is a common type of machine where you drop in coins or use a bank card (these are becoming more common now) and get a certain amount of fresh water and/or electricity in exchange. Disposal is almost always free unless there’s a barrier to get at the service point. Aire de repos

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Arromanches-les-Bains: Perfectly situated for golden beaches ( Gold Beach in the D-Day landings) and a sweetly bustling seaside town. There are two aires in town, this is the one just north of Camping Municipal. When going out for the day, close your windows, put your blinds up and hide any visible valuables. Thieves want to know it’s worth taking the risk of breaking in and may just move on if they can’t see inside.

Others, we don’t leave the van unattended at all and move on the next morning until we find somewhere better. You HAVE to trust your gut- if you’re not sure, move on. Confused already? No idea what I’m talking about? Don’t worry- we didn’t know aires existed until we bought our first camper, so you’re not alone! In this post, I’m going to share all about how to find, use and enjoy French aires with your motorhome or campervan- and open up a whole new world of freedom for you.In addition, you can still find Aires that have the local Gendarmerie collect the fee in the evening or sometimes a manned booth at the entrance where someone collects the fees. The Mayor of the town dictates the rules and the length of stay and a sign will be displayed showing the details. 11. What Facilities Are There? France is a huge country, so there is no single region that is best for motorhomes. Instead, you’ll want to choose a region based on your personal preferences and desires.