Recommend me a camping route through central south France this summer

Hi all

We’re lucky enough to have 3 weeks in France camping in late June/early July. We normally do Brittany/Loire/& west coast down to Bordeaux. This year we’ll have a campervan and need to do 3 nights in Paris first so instead of going west we’re looking at exploring south/south east

What might a meander down and back to the Med look like and where might you recommend on a south of Paris Massif Central and SE France kind of route. Including aiming some nice places on the coast, and stopping for a couple of nights in each spot.

Particularly interested in “wow” things like driving over the Viaduc de Millau, or swimming in the Verdon Gorges, or climbing the Puy de Dome. Things that are not massive tourist traps, but worth a detour. I don’t really want to drive for more than 3 hours between each stop so trying to find a nice meandering route that is filled with good things.

All wisdom, thoughts, and recommendations for nice campsites welcome.

Avoid the South coast of France in summer. Hectic and you’ll get rinsed at campsites.

We had a couple of nights at Camping de la Bageasse in Brioude last month. Nice little site, right by a lake, loads of walking and cycling around the area, not necessarily “wow” but certainly ‘ooh, this is lovely’.

To be fair, with a bit more time we very well might have found the ‘wow’ bits as there’s clearly loads to do in the Auvergne region, but we chose it in a bit of a rush the night before we went and only stayed a couple of days as the weather wasn’t great. We would definitely have stayed longer otherwise.

Can highly recommend turning left after Valence and follow the route past Crest down to Sisteron and then could head onto Verdon gorge if desired, lots of places to stop and see along the way, Sisteron is nice. Gorges de la Meouge is nice for a morning but busy. Esparron de Verdon is nice as is Moustier St Marie. We headed further east as well to Entrevaux which is a small village with Citadel and a basic campsite that has its own lake. If you have bikes then Valberg isnt far and is a cool little mountain resort. Couple of places noted below to stay.

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To be honest, every time we’ve been in France in need of a campsite we just show up somewhere and look for one. We’ve never had a bad experience. The average standards are far higher than in the UK.

All you need is access to Google Maps for pictures and reviews.

La Palud municipal site above the Verdon gorge is great. Great walks (through route in the gorge is a must, shuttle bus at each end) in the area. Campsite at the top of Cassis (Les Cigales) is good value and secure, shuttle busses to town and the amazing Calenques for walking and swimming in the Med. We left our van at the site and had an overnight in Marseille which is much more attractive than its reputation would suggest, campsite wouldn’t take any money for leaving the van there too.

To be honest, every time we’ve been in France in need of a campsite we just show up somewhere and look for one. We’ve never had a bad experience. The average standards are far higher than in the UK.

All you need is access to Google Maps for pictures and reviews.

This.

La Palud municipal site above the Verdon gorge is great. Great walks (through route in the gorge is a must

It’s years since I’ve been but yes to both the above. The water in the gorge is bloody cold though.

See the Millau Bridge from the side is way better than driving over it. I’d recommend a stop in Le Mont Dore, lovely spa town, a couple of KM up the hill is the base of the Puy De Sancy, a great walk up and back in c 3 hours (or cable car ride)

See the Millau Bridge from the side is way better than driving over it.

This, definitely. And the town of Millau wasn’t bad for a spot of lunch.

The Roquefort caves are nearby if you feel you need a cheese fix, we did a tour which (while obviously pretty touristy) was quite interesting, and (as expected) ended up in the shop for a tasting and a chance to buy some of the stuff. Helpfully the tour was in English and French.

This is all brilliant and exactly as hoped for. Many thanks for all of your wisdom.

If you go to Mont Dore, then Salers is only 2 hours drive away. If you’ve got bikes (or you can rent there) you could ride the TDF climb of the Puy Mary. It’s a popular walk to the summit too. Salers is a lovely little medieval village and worthy of a night. Less than 5 miles out of the village is a brewery which does lots of local artisan beers and the food is supposed to be good too. (Not had chance to eat there myself yet). The restaurants in Salers itself are pretty good themselves.

The Pedalorail is popular too now they are e-assisted 🙂

I went up Puy de Dome last week….tbh i found it a bit meh. One of those places that Looks more impressive from a distance.  I was glad I took the train up rather than a 90 min walk.

We stayed here a Fab little campsite about 30 mins east of Valence, in a gorge in the foothills of the Alps.

There’s an excellent camping municipal with pool at Ispagnac up the Tarn from Millau. Rent some Canoes or Kayaks and paddle down the Tarn. There’s pony trekking in the area, mtb and walking. One horse place is run by an endurance racer who has some very fast Arabs, any experienced riders interested can PM me.

See the Millau Bridge from the side is way better than driving over it.

I concur…

The road up the Tarn under the bridge is delightful on a bike out of season but frightening in Summer with a mix of tourists and vans pulling trailers piled with kayaks racing back for the next lot of paddlers.

driving over the Viaduc de Millau,

Yup, seeing it from the gorge on a kayak is more impressive, ime.

Three weeks to get down to the Med and back….? France is big. That’s a lot of driving!

If you’ve a van then get the Park4night app. You’ll find a few places off the beaten track for zero cost.

I live in Millau . There is a brilliant bike patk below the viaduc . The road to go up is the one used during the build .
Marine Cabirou and Dylan Levesque ride there weekly .

Lots of Campsites in les Gorgés du Tarn

We stayed at

Sainte-Énimie : un cadre idéal

It was lovely. There is a small beach to swim in the river.  Loads of kayak hire places,

We had a brilliant day, only saw one other boat, although we went early May last year. The pitch was fantastic and the photos don’t do justice to the scenery.

The Gorges du Tarn has to be worth 3 nights+ and the campsites are pretty much all lovely. I recommend La Blaquiere. One day exploring the gorge by van, one day hire kayaks and do La Malene down past camp (the most spectacular section but also the easiest). Loads of companies to choose from at La Malene.

On the way out, do the Millau viaduct; from below and from the services on the north side is great for views of it, but you still have to drive over it, just because.

Le Montdore and Puy de Sancy is a good call actually, you can do a circular route over the top via quite a nice narrow but easy ridge (tiny bit of almost scrambling).

Put de Sancy approached from Maison de la réserve is nice loop around Vallée de Chaudefour and avoids most of the crowds heading up from Mont Dore

Fab suggestions thanks. I’m a bit worried about the driving too but will reflect a bit. Thanks all

I’ve been trying to convince myself that I don’t need to drive all the way to Millau this summer to relive a teenage adventure but now you’re all making me think again! Although I’m definitely not repeating the 3km pot holing experience I had at 16, I would like to repeat the river stuff in the Tarn Gorge. Adding this thread to my ‘how to book a ferry’ thread for summer planning!

We will be heading to the Tarn again this summer, although we don’t stay in the gorge itself. We stay on a campsite in Lanuéjols, ran by a scot & french lady, it has one of the best night skies I have ever seen. It also hosts the Astronomers Nuits du Causse Noir event which is cool to see all the telescopes all gathered on site.

Again super suggestions. Its just me driving as my better half does not like to so the distances I need to work out. But fab and generous suggestions. I need to get away from the idea that holiday = seaside and maybe I don’t need to get to the Med.

Plenty of beaches in the Auvergne alongside the Lacs created by the hydro dams

Never mind beaches Lac de Guéry has ospreys!!!

Best observer with binoculars from the beer garden at the auberge 

😎

I can confirm you definitely dont need to head for the coast, we go every year and havent been to the coast for the last 5 years, much prefer the lakes & rivers.

@ifra

I know exactly where photos 1&3 were taken, so for general interest, I’m naming them!

1 Celles looking across the lac du Salagou.

3 cascade de la vis, St Laurent du minier

Whereabouts are the other two? I’m guessing they’re a little further inland and possibly not so busy in summer.

@ocrider

You are correct 😁, apologies I did mean to name them but then just sent the post with out doing it. The other two are noted below. I have many more other places like the above, just love the place

2: Pas des Ondes in Cornillon-sur-l’Oule  its a managed lake so a small fee but well worth it, two lakes, one to fish one to swim.

4: This is the private lake at Camping du Brec

Up on the Causses

Water is a bit chilly

In the past we’ve taken our own kayak but this time just hired

We even rode our bikes

Damn I love France .. The Vercors-Ecrins-Verdon-Luberon square area is just heaven for me. Mercantour too. I keep aiming for different national park areas on each ride across France and I’m never disappointed.

All stwers coming to Millau can give me a shout for a bit of local knowledge .

Your trip is amazing! When we traveled through France, we had a similar route in mind. Driving through the Massif Central region was stunning, especially the volcanic landscapes around Puy de Dôme. It’s worth a hike for the panoramic views. Another gem is the Ardèche Gorge, perfect for kayaking or just soaking in the scenery. And if you’re heading to the coast, don’t miss Cassis near Marseille. The calanques there are breathtaking, perfect for a swim or boat tour.