Eurocamp northern (?) France with 3 kids under 6

[Mindmeld2023]

Hello!
I was wondering if anyone had experience of Eurocamp in Northern France (ie easily accessible via Eurostar + TGV/ local trains) with young kids in the summer holidays?
Our kids will be 6 and 2 x nearly 3 (twins) this July. None of them can swim so it needs to have shallow pools/splash pads. I'm thinking 4/5 nights. I want to keep costs low.

Any suggestions for specific camps very welcome. Thank you!!

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MNHQ update: If you’re short on time, here’s a summary of the best sites Mumsnetters are recommending on this thread:

😎La Croix du Vieux Pont, near Paris

😎La Vallée, Normandy

😎Duinrell, Netherlands (as an alternative to France that's accessible via public transport)

😎Beekse Bergan, Netherlands (as an alternative to France that's accessible via public transport)

For more inspo, check out our guides to the best Eurocamp sites in France and the best Eurocamp sites near airports, both featuring more recommendations from Mumsnetters.

Hopeful bump, and also to say that I haven't travelled apart from car trips to stay with relatives since 2017, hence my total cluelessness!

Hello, our friends do this, but they fly out instead. There is a Eurocamp just outside of Paris that is accessible for Disney land too.
They always do good deals, especially blue light card etc.

The only draw back my friends say is the amount of stuff you need to bring for a self catering holiday if you aren’t driving.

you could also look at other camps sites, we go to the south of france a lot, we use swimming pools of the camp sites (pay to visit) there are so many out there… just not euro camp branded.

Also is driving a possibility , makes life a lot easier

We went here when our kids were 2 and 4 - only about half an hour from the tunnel.

https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/france/picardy/domaine-de-drancourt-campsite

I'd book accommodation directly with the site though - always so much better than Eurocamp!

https://www.yellohvillage.co.uk/camping/domainedeedrancourt/ourrentallaccommodation#content

We were very lucky with the weather though!

If you do go to northern France, go to Parc Bagatelle - it's a fab little theme park aimed at younger kids.

www.parcbagatelle.com/en

https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/france/paris/la-croix-du-vieux-pont-campsite

We have been here 6 times and are booked for our 7th trip in August.

It's 3 hours from Calais by car, or about 45 minutes by Paris on the train if you Eurostar (alighting at Compiègne or Soissons), but you will need a taxi for the final bit of the journey.

It is absolutely brilliant.

Thanks so much!
@Christmastree455555 we don't drive (I know, mad with three kids) and luckily our kids are train-mad so hoping the Eurostar trip will be a highlight of the trip for them! I hadn't thought about the fact that of course you're bringing sooo much stuff if it's tent type situation... I kind of dread the idea camping with kids and was hoping it would be more like a cheap version of Center Parks...

@mafsfan this is really helpful, thanks!! How did you find it with a two year old?

@Mindmeld2023

Eurocamp us. You don't have to book a tent. There's caravans, lodges, and apartments at the site I posted. Lodges come with linen included as do some of the high end mobiles (caravans), others you pay a supplement.

There's a massive supermarket about 1.5 miles down the road. To be fair, one of the adults could easily walk it with one of your cases, do a food shop, and then wheel it back. There is a shop on site that's pretty well stocked, but you'll pay a premium. There's a bakery on site, and two in Vic sur Aisne, which is the town 1km from the park (we used to walk to the bakeries with the DC on their scooters, it's flat and very quiet). There's also a restaurant on site as well as a pizza/burger joint, and both the beach and pool bars serve food, so you'd be fine just getting your basics from the onsite shop for a few days. I genuinely cannot recommend it enough. Your children will love the pool complex, and there's a man made beach and lagoon, too.

I say used to walk it with the DC on scooters as although we still go, they're 12 and 10 now, so I usually go alone as they're still sleeping!

We started going when ours were 3 and 5. We've had two years 'off'. One was when we went to Beekse Bergan (Netherlands) and one was Covid. We were considering somewhere different this summer, but we spoke to the DC. They voted to go back to Croix du vieux pont for the 7th time. They love it. And now they're older, they have more freedom to be independent there as they know it so well.

Alternatively, if you're not set on France, we went to Beekse Bergan by public transport. You can get the Eurostar to Amsterdam and then it's two trains and a local bus. Really easy. It's got an onsite safari park where you get unlimited entry if you stay more than 3 nights.

Have you looked at an interrail pass? Your children travel for free because of their ages and it might be a cheaper way to book tickets. It covers both the journey from your home starion to London, and the Eurostar, too. We're skiing at Easter, and it's how we're getting there.

@RhubarbFairy amazing, thanks for all the info!

Have a look at Duinrell - this can be done by train / bus via Amsterdam or Rotterdam on the Eurostar.

Domaine de Drancourt is in the countryside so difficult to go anywhere once you're there if you have no car.

La Croix de Vieux Pont is probably doable. Lots to do and you can walk to the town/village.

La Vallee is good with little ones. 45 mins from Caen ferry port so you could probably get a prebooked taxi. Site is walking distance from the town and beach and there's a railway station in walking distance too.

There's a site just outside Calais that I've heard of people using public transport to get to. Ferry to Calais first.

All the above are Eurocamp

Hth

I know it's not North France, but we used to go to Duinrell in the Netherlands as kids and my parents returned recently with their foster kids. Soooo much to do. Theme park, water park and the biggest sandpit I've ever seen. We always stayed in a caravan rather than a tent.

Another vote for Duinrell. We always drive to Dutch/French/Italian campsites but this one would be much easier by train than most French sites. Easy to do day trips by public transport as well.