Do I need to book ahead for a Campervan in French campsites?

[QueenoftheIceAge]

We are planning to spend a few weeks touring France in our Campervan. How are French campsites for giving you a place on site on the day, or do we really need to make some plans and book ahead? We’d ideally like small, friendly sites but preferably with a pool and something for the kids to do. Anyone done this and can give any advice?

We're over in Europe at the moment and have do far stayed on 3 sites in France and 1 in Spain without prebooking. According to various motorhome groups on Facebook everywhere is full but as I say we have found otherwise.

Depends on the campsite whether you need to prebook or not. Some are super popular and exclusive. Best thing is to either call ahead with a range of dates or have a few likely sites for each region so you can find an opening. You can always find a site, it just may not be a very nice one or overpriced.

Thank you, that’s useful. Any top website tips for finding good campsites?

We use Search for sites, you don't need to buy the app, although it's useful if you don't have any signal, just go on their website, you can filter your results so it helps if you're looking for certain things.

sometimes I just wait till we get near where we want to go and just Google campsites near me, We find you can nearly always get on a municipal site but they are usually very basic, ok for an overnight stop.

Really depends on the site and where you want to be. If you are wanting a pool and something for kids to do I would be tempted to book some. We have a caravan so slightly more difficult just to turn up with. We avoid anywhere with organised children’s entertainment or that is too big but always go somewhere with a pool or access to swimming water so a lake or river. How old are your kids and where in France do you want to go?