What is a motorhome aire?
Motorhomes only
What are motorhome aires? – the French word ‘aire’ literally means area, and usually forms part of a phrase, such as aire de service – service area, aire de jeux – games area or playground or aire de camping cars – motorhome area. Motorhome aires are public parking areas for motorhomes.
The French have a great love of motorhomes – les camping cars. Motorhome users are not just welcomed to towns, they are positively encouraged to visit by towns and cities. The French know that motorhome travellers spend a lot of money whether they are buying fuel, groceries, visiting tourist attractions or eating out in local restaurants. When people are on holiday they usually spend much more freely than normally.
In France you will find aires near ports of entry, close to the beach, in dramatic scenery or in town or city centres. Aires are everywhere once you start to look for them.
What are the different types of aires in France?
There are three types of aires in France, aire de camping cars – motorhome aires, aire de service – service areas and aire de repos – rest areas.
Aire de camping cars – motorhome aires
Designated areas where motorhomes can park and stay overnight.
Aire de service – Service area
Service areas are just that, an area where you service your motorhome by emptying the toilet cassette, discharging grey water, filling with fresh water and maybe connecting to electricity.
Aire de repos – rest area
These are what the name says, rest areas, that you find along French motorways. These are simply parking areas where you can stop and rest along the motorways, often they are nothing more than parking, but some are located in picturesque areas and have picnic tables and possibly toilet blocks.
What are the alternatives to aires?
Let’s be honest, aires are not for everyone, we have stayed on dozens of aires without problem, but we have had some less than satisfactory experiences too. Usually there are limited facilities, so if you have a small motorhome you may be looking for comprehensive facilities such as washing-up sinks or showers and toilets. One of the alternatives to aires may be more appropriate, such as . . .
A campsite is a great option, especially if you want to stay for more than one night. Look out for municipal campsites, they are usually cheaper than commercial campsites and have good facilities. The best campsites have individual pitches separated by hedges with different sizes of pitch available. You will find some that have water and drainage facilities on the pitch too.
A holiday park, usually a higher cost, with great facilities such as swimming pools with slides and other activities, also restaurants, snack bars and shops on site. These are especially suitable for families.
Are French aires safe?
In general French aires de camping cars are safe, although you need to assess each aire when you arrive and decide whether or not you are happy to stay there. We have a rule that if either of us feels uncomfortable about an aire then we more on and look for an alternative. As part of our assessment we look at the number and type of motorhome that is already on the aire. In one case there was a huge old removal van that had been converted into living accommodation on the aire, it was surrounded by scrap metal and a number of children were running about. We moved on without delay!
Motorway stops are not recommended, there are many reports of damage and break-ins at motorway service areas. Perhaps access is too easy.
Common sense is your best guide to the safety of an aire, be guided by your feeling about the place.
When are aires in France open?
opening dates
French aires may be open all the year or may have dates of opening and closing for the season shown on a notice. Look out for special dates and notices that may close an aire for local festivals or national holidays such as Bastille Day. In Gevay for example, the aire de camping cars may be closed on Bastille Day so that the area can be used for a fireworks display.
Can you reserve a pitch on a French aire?
You can not reserve a place on a French motorhome aire. French aires operate on a first-come first-served basis. Some have barriers that are operated by tickets or coins, that means that once the aire is full no more vehicles can enter.
How much do French aires cost?
Free stays, jetons €3
Usually French aires are free, you pay for water and or electricity as you use them. There are exceptions of course, water is usually provided by a borne or service column, into which you put a jeton, a metal disc. Jetons are purchased locally for €2 or €3, there will be a notice telling users of the aire how much the services cost and where to purchase jetons.
The notice shown here says . . .
Stationnement Gratuit – Free stays
Maximum length of stay 3 nights
Jeton cost €3 and gives you one hour of electricity or 10 minutes of water from the tap.
Jetons available from at partner providers, see map.
How long can you stay on an aire in France?
48 hours maximum stay
As a general rule you can stay on an aire for 48 hours, but keep in mind that this is a generalisation. There will be notices clearly displayed showing important information such as how long you can stay on an aire. It’s always worth stopping outside an aire and reading the information before you drive in. In some cases you may decide not to stay.
Where do you find reviews and information about aires?
How do you decide whether to stay on a French motorhome aire?
What services are on French aires?
On most French aires you will find parking spaces for motorhomes, that’s the first requirement. After that the services are variable, the ideal aire in France will have marked pitches plus water, discharge of grey water and toilet cassettes, rubbish disposal and electricity. What is actually available depends entirely on what the municipality or town wants to provide, and of course whether you are paying for the services.
As an example, the aire de camping cars at Sainte Claire, Neufchatel-en-Bray can be considered as the gold standard in terms of aires. Let’s look at what is available at Neufchatel-en-Bray.
- Motorhomes only
- Entry and exit barrier
- Large pitches separated by hedges
- Pitch includes grass sitting area
- Electricity at every pitch and included in the price
- Water at every pitch and included in the price
- Toilet block
- Showers – at extra cost
- Washing machine – at extra cost
- Drier – at extra cost
- Toilet cassette disposal point
- Drive-over grey (used) water disposal point
- WiFi included in price
- Limited to motorhomes under 8 metres long
- Price €14 per night (at the time of writing)
The aire is adjacent to a campsite too, so if you can’t get on the aire you have the option of going 100 metres along the road. Payment machine inside the toilet block. Our review and photos of this aire.
At the other end of the scale are aires such as Chartres and the Ecluse de Somont that have no facilities of any kind except to the space to park a motorhome, and the surface is earth.
Which vehicles can use French aires?
French aires are for motorhomes only, cars and caravans can not use French aires.
What are the rules for staying on aire de camping cars in France?
The general rules for French aires are that you park within the marked spaces if they are marked, park a respectful distance from other motorhomes and in a similar orientation. Aires are for overnight stays not camping. The way this is policed is by defining ‘camping behaviour’. Camping behaviour is . . .
- Unwinding an awning
- Putting wedges under wheels to level your motorhome
- Cooking outside of your motorhome
- Putting out a table and or chairs
- Eating outside your motorhome
- Socialising in groups until late
The best guide is to look around the aire and take note of what other motorhome users are doing. If you do place chairs and other items outside make sure you put them inside overnight.
Reasons not to stay on a French motorhome aire
Don’t stay on a French aire if you have any uncomfortable feeling about the location or the other occupants of the aire. Don’t stay on any of the motorway rest areas, they are noisy from passing traffic, trucks starting and stopping at all times of the night and refrigeration units running all the time. It’s much easier to use an aire that is intended for overnight stays.
How do motorhome users find the best aires in France?
There are a number of apps for mobile phones that have the details of hundreds of aires across Europe plus websites. Here on ourtreks.uk we have a section dedicated to frank reviews of places we have stayed too. We have found the best apps to be Campercontact and Park4Night.
Vicarious Media website (opens in a new tab) publish a series of guide books giving locations and information about aires throughout Europe, the books are easy to use and carry.
What we consider the best aires is subjective, we want quiet, with level parking, good disposal facilities, water and refuse disposal. Other motorhome users may be more interested in the view, local facilities or perhaps a swimming pool. It really does depend of what you want.
Be aware that camping-car park is a membership organisation rather like the Caravan Club, it operates a booking system for campsites, to be able to use camping-car park you have to buy a card to hold some credit to pay for overnight stays for €5 AND you need a privilege pack, the website is difficult to understand and does not make clear exactly what you need to pay for. However, we sat outside one camping-car park site and tried to make reservation only to discover that the final cost for one night was around €50 when all the mandatory extras had been added. You also need to be aware that the subscription renews automatically. We did not stay and promptly deleted the app from our phones, but many people use the service and are very happy with what it provides.
What are aires called in Belgium?
In Belgium aires are called Aires, French is spoken in Belgium so the same name applies.
What are aires called in Germany?
In Germany aires are called Stellplätz or Reisemobileplätze, you may also see Wohnmobil Stellplatz.
What are aires called in Spain?
In Spain aires are called Area de Autocaravanas.
What are aires called in Italy?
In Italy aires are called Aree de Sosta, or Area de Sosta