All the Aires France

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The term service point simply refers to the area which provides water and waste water disposal for the visiting motorhomes. There are several types of motorhome service point, professionally manufactured brands include Flot Bleu, Euro Relais and Aire Services. Around half the motorhome service points in France are custom made. Service points normally facilitate 3 vital functions: This maybe marked tarmac bays, gravel, grass, sand or dust, basically anything is possible. 14. Is there somewhere to empty and fill? 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. Mont St Michel: A private, secure, landscaped aire with plenty of facilities, just 5km away from the astonishing sights of Mont St Michel. I recommend the cycle route, which gives stunning views on the approach to the citadel.

Germany and Austria are also well set up for campervan and motorhome touring with their ‘Stellplatz’ system, although these are typically privately run and so can be slightly more expensive than elsewhere in Europe. 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.

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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? 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. There are a growing number of commercial aires which have barriers and are more strictly controlled, but are generally very well run and often have additional facilities such as showers and restaurants. The largest provider is called Camping Car Park France , who run over 250 commercial aires in France. No- or at least very very rarely. (Occasionally, it is possible to book online, especially in the mountains in winter if you’re going motorhome skiing.) The whole point of aires is flexibility and freedom.

Often this comes at an additional charge and you will need change to use these facilities- we carry a pot in the motorhome and put all our spare Euros in there for moments just like this!

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We sleep great in French Aires. They’re often quiet, and motorhome owners tend to look out for each other. We’ve had complete strangers shout at local kids who have come over to look at our motorbikes- warning the kids to stay away and not touch. We have never had a disturbed nights sleep in an aire… except for with the puppy wanting to sit on my head! 🙁 There are a few different things to consider when choosing the best places to stay in France. The first thing to decide is which region of France you would like to visit. France is huge, so this can be a tough choice. Once you’ve decided on a region, you can start to look for the best motorhome stopovers in France. 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. 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. Drinking Water: Thoughtless users are known to contaminate taps when rinsing toilet cassettes. Using disinfectant wipes or spray before drawing water will improve hygiene. Taps are normally threaded to assist connection of hoses. Flot Bleu Euro and Pacific Service Points have all the facilities located in one enclosed space increasing the risk of cross contamination. In addition, we have found the drinking water hose down the toilet emptying point on several occasions, so consider disinfection essential.

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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If you follow the rule book then by rights this isn’t permitted, simply because it’s then classed as camping behaviour. Apps and online maps can be very useful, and there are many available with directories of motorhome aires in different European countries and beyond. The aire may not be suitable for large or heavy motorhomes (this could be due to access or designated space size) – think over 5,000kg or 7m long. Don’t try and get in if this is the case, as you’ll take up more than your share of room.

There’s also a scheme called France Passion, which is a collection of vineyards, farms and other places where they offer free or cheap overnight motorhome parking. It’s a bit like BritStops in the UK. Aires are operated and funded by the French government, with the key objective of keeping the country’s roadways free of parked vans. We generally use the app park4night.com to find aires or approved overnight motorhome places. We decide whether we want to wild camp for the night or whether we need facilities/ want to charge motorhome batteries etc.An ‘aire de service’ is an ‘area of service’ or a service area, normally found on French motorways and often have waste facilities and approved parking bays for motorhomes. This type of motorhome aire should not be confused with a motorway aire, properly called an aire de service, which is a fuel station and motorway services.