Tailor-made aquatic spaces for à la carte bathing
Campsite water parks can offer a variety of facilities, including swimming pools, slides, artificial rivers, children's water games, whirlpools and sometimes even artificial lagoons. And for thrill-seekers, there are wave simulators.
These parks are often designed to appeal to all ages, from toddlers to adults, whether alone or with the family. You can go for a swim or a dip, but it's more often to enjoy the solariums lining the lagoons and pools that you put on your swimming costume.
A true aquatic paradise offering a change of scenery
Many campsites now offer aquatic areas worthy of theme parks: in just a few years, the concept of a campsite swimming pool has changed dramatically. From a single pool for young and old alike, we've moved on to creations that sometimes border on the "pharaonic", where each pool and each area corresponds to an age or a use. Thanks to a great deal of investment and imagination, today's campsite aquatic areas rival each other in creativity. To facilitate the integration of such aquatic facilities into the landscape, and above all to make the technical side less visible, campsites are calling on the services of architects and landscapers who have no hesitation in blending flowerbeds and palm trees into luxuriant vegetation. The big trend is to set the scene, with decorations that are each crazier than the last, reminiscent of faraway lands, the cinema or even ancient legends. Some play the pirate ship card, ready to take on the waves, while others transport you to the gentle tranquillity of paradise islands.
The different types of water park
Campsites offer a variety of water parks to meet the needs and preferences of campers.
Family water parks: These parks are designed to cater for families with children of all ages. They usually offer a range of child-friendly facilities such as shallow pools, interactive water games, moderate slides and water play areas.
Thrill-seeking water parks: These parks often target an older audience and offer a range of thrill-seeking attractions, such as giant slides, buoy rides, free-fall descents, wave pools and more. They are designed to give thrill-seekers an adrenalin rush.
Themed water parks: Some campsites create water parks with specific themes to offer campers an immersive experience. For example, a tropical water park might feature waterfalls, palm trees and exotic decorations, while a pirate water park might include boat-shaped slides and themed waterfalls.
Wellness water parks: These parks focus on relaxation and wellbeing. They usually feature heated pools, whirlpools, waterfalls, massage jets, saunas, steam rooms and other wellness facilities so that campers can relax and recharge their batteries.
Multi-activity water parks: These parks offer a variety of water activities to suit all tastes, including swimming pools, fun slides, children's play areas, water sports grounds (volleyball, water polo, etc.), flowing rivers, relaxation areas, etc.
Eco-friendly water parks: Some campsites are turning to eco-friendly water parks that focus on sustainability and the use of environmentally-friendly technologies, such as natural filtration systems, recycled materials and environmentally-friendly water management practices.
Outdoor or indoor pools?
The indoor pools are housed in enclosed structures, allowing campers to swim and enjoy themselves even in inclement weather. They are heated and can be used all year round, offering a water-based leisure option whatever the weather. It's also an important argument for off-season camping. In other words, swimming in water at over 25° when the weather's bad and outside temperatures are barely above 10° is particularly enjoyable! What's more, some large, straight shelters or huge rotundas open up when the weather is fine, turning into giant solariums.
Outdoor swimming pools are located outside and are open during the hottest months of the year, generally from May to September, depending on the region. They offer campers the chance to cool off and enjoy the sunshine on sunny days.
Water slides and other water games?
Slides and water games are often popular attractions at campsites, especially with families with children. These facilities add a fun and refreshing dimension to the camping experience. The waterslide has become a staple at campsites. They come in all shapes and sizes, from tube slides to loop slides. Slides for the little ones, others for the grown-ups, quiet ones and scary ones! The current trend, mainly to ensure the peace and quiet of bathers, is for slides to be installed in dedicated areas, with more and more often separate entrances from the main pool.
Discover rivers against the current
Counter-current rivers are one of the trendy pieces of equipment that have been included in many projects in recent years. The principle is simple: a water circuit into which nozzles inject water at relatively high pressure. Children can sit on small inflatable buoys or boats and let themselves be carried along by the current. Older children who want to keep fit can swim against the current to build up their legs and back muscles. Some campsites have also installed wave generators to liven up the pools.
Take advantage of the campsite's balneotherapy and spa facilities
Because an aquatic area is also a place to relax, some campsites have incorporated balneotherapy areas. These may include benches, seats or corridors into which nozzles inject bubbles that massage the bather to varying degrees - a real treat! In some cases, one or more spas have been built into the beaches or installed in individual shelters or as part of the décor.
Don't forget the little ones!
Over the last few years, this type of facility has become so popular that almost all new projects have included one. In simple terms, the aqua play area is increasingly replacing the traditional paddling pool as a "peaceful space" where toddlers can get to grips with water without any risk (no water depth). But with games and workshops for all ages, it's also the perfect place for all ages to mingle safely, from babies to pre-teens and beyond.
Aquagym and swimming lessons in the campsite's water park
These are aquagym classes when organised by qualified instructors, and muscle-building sessions when not. In both cases, the principle is much the same: work out while enjoying the feeling of weightlessness and lightness that water provides. Holidays, when you're more relaxed and have more time, can be a good time to learn to swim. That's why more and more campsites are including swimming lessons in their entertainment programmes. These can be group or individual, and are taught by lifeguards.
What about pool safety?
Swimming pools, water parks and SPAs at campsites are subject to draconian safety measures. Find out about all the requirements to ensure your safety while you relax and enjoy your time in the water.
Our selection of the most beautiful 5-star campsites with water park in France
Campsite with water park in Brittany
Campsite with water park in Finistère
Les Mouettes campsite in Carantec
Ideally located and entirely family-friendly, this 5-star campsite is set on the seafront in a magnificent 14-hectare green estate with an exceptional view over the Bay of Morlaix. At the heart of the estate is an incredible infrastructure: heated pools, tropical river, giant slides, Blue Lagoon and incredible vegetation made up of palm trees and other exotic plants. In addition to a fitness and wellness area, the splendid relaxation area includes an indoor swimming pool with a whirlpool and a paddling pool reserved for young children.
Campsite with water park in Morbihan
Domaine d'Inly campsite in Pénestin
Just a few kilometres from the beaches and the ocean, set in 16 hectares of magnificent wooded and green grounds, the 5-star Domaine d'Inly campsite in Pénestin welcomes you for an exceptional stay on the Morbihan coast. The campsite is famous for its aquatic area. Spacious, with over 5000 m², it offers holidaymakers a covered, heated area with whirlpool baths, a running river, 6 slides and hydromassage benches. Outside, you'll find a wild river, a wave pool and waterslides.
Campsite with water park in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Campsite with water park in Gironde
La Côte d'Argent campsite in Hourtin
The 5-star La Côte d'Argent campsite is set on a superb 20-hectare site in the heart of a majestic pine forest, 300 m from the beach, with a huge water park surrounded by trees. In addition to its exotic setting, enjoy this fully heated 5000 m² pool complex, with 2 pools, 9 slides, jacuzzis and an indoor swimming pool! For the little ones, there's a paddling pool, a "children's island" and the Aqua'Pirates.
Campsite with water park in the Landes
Village Resort & Spa Le Vieux-Port in Messanges
Nestling in a 30-hectare pine forest with direct access to one of the Atlantic Ocean's immense fine sand beaches, Camping Village Resort & Spa Le Vieux Port invites you to stay in a unique complex on the Landes coast. You can have endless fun with the surfing machine: the Vieux Port Surfing Wave, unique in a 5-star campsite in France. In addition to the wave simulator: four temperate outdoor pools, a heated indoor pool, 11 slides, a giant Aquasplash for the little ones, not forgetting the jacuzzis with their tropical atmosphere!
Resort & Spa La Rive in Biscarosse
Facing the lake at Cazaux-Sanguinet, the 5-star La Rive campsite opens its doors to you for a dream holiday in the Landes. The campsite's huge Aquarive Park water park features an indoor heated swimming pool, wave pools, waterfalls, whirlpools and rivers. The outdoor pool area now has a 103-metre-long river! With "la ruée vers l'eau", children can enjoy the slides and other games in this water theme park. Meanwhile, relax around the covered lagoon or in the Spa and unwind under the tropical dome.
Campsite with water park in Charente-Maritime
Camping Sequoia Parc in Saint-Just-Luzac
Close to the Ile d'Oléron, you will be staying in a 46-hectare park full of flowers at the foot of a magnificent château. Located in the centre of the complex, the 2,000 m² swimming area includes 4 swimming pools, 3 of which are heated, a lagoon river with giant buoys, an aqualudic area for children, a multi-track slide, a covered and heated swimming pool... And for a moment of pure relaxation, the Sequoia Parc campsite offers a spa with sauna, whirlpool bath, hammam, sensory shower, solarium...
Campsite with water park in Occitanie
Campsite with water park in Hérault
Les Sablons campsite at Portiragnes-Plage
Located in Portiragnes in the Hérault department, this 5-star campsite offers holidaymakers direct access to the beach via a signposted pathway that runs alongside the dunes. This 5-star campsite has an aquatic area heated to 26°C, with slippery slopes, jacuzzi and a 25-metre semi-Olympic pool (with lanes reserved for experienced swimmers). Water games include space-gliss and pentagliss. For relaxation, there's a balneotherapy area reserved entirely for adults, with jacuzzi, anatomical bench, etc.
Camping Californie Plage in Vias
Located by the sea, 10 minutes from the seaside resort of Vias Plage and 700 m from the Canal du Midi. Young and old, whether you're a thrill-seeker or prefer the peace and quiet, you'll love this pirate-themed water park! You'll enjoy a large pool of clear, temperate water and a superb massage corridor with whirlpool baths to relax in. Accessible from an impressive castle tower, a fast slide will give you amazing sliding sensations.
Campsite with water park in Pyrénées-Orientales
Le Floride and l'Embouchure at Barcarès
Set in a wooded environment, the Pyrénées Orientales invites you to visit its huge aquatic area, comprising a heated indoor pool, a Californian pool and a heated children's pool. There's also a waterslide, three Pentaglisses and a giant Jacuzzi. Around the pool is a heated underwater beach, where you can enjoy aquagym sessions and evening entertainment.
The Mediterranean sun at Saint-Cyprien
Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Landes forest at Biscarrosse, this campsite, much loved by holidaymakers for its beautiful beaches and pine forests, offers a gigantic water park of over 6,500 m², a paradise for children (and their parents!). You'll find a heated indoor wave pool, 4 outdoor slides and the 103-metre-long heated "Rivière Sauvage" (wild river), where you can experience the thrill of the big rapids!
Le Brasilia campsite in Canet en Roussillon
An exceptional location: right on the water between the river and the port, the Brasilia park opens directly onto the Mediterranean. With a surface area of over 6,000 m² made up of two sections with atmospheres that are as different as they are complementary, the water park is one of the largest in the south of France. The campsite's water park is decorated in tropical colours with rocks and waterfalls. Relax in the shade of palm and coconut trees on the beaches around the lagoons.
Campsite with water park in Pays de la Loire
Campsite with water park in Vendée
Les Brunelles campsite at Longeville-sur-Mer
In the heart of a charming seaside resort and set in 13 hectares of paradise, this 5-star campsite offers you a magnificent, fully heated 2140 m² water park with paddling pool, slides, wave pool and wild river. And a full range of services designed to revitalise the body and soothe the mind. Judge for yourself: private wellness area for a total escape with hydromassage tables, jacuzzi, sauna, hammam, Nordic bucket and salt grotto.
Campsite with water park in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Campsite with water park in the Var
Domaine du Colombier in Fréjus
Between Cannes and Saint-Tropez, in the heart of the Côte d'Azur, in Fréjus and 4.5 km from the fine sandy beaches, discover a 5-star campsite. The main aquatic area forms a 3600 m² lagoon with underwater beaches and relaxation islands. A real alternative to the beaches of the Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël bay, relax in the heated pools with waterslides, massaging currents, paddling pools and whirlpools. The balneotherapy area is perfect for your well-being. A Zen centre with aquagym, fitness, jacuzzis and massages.
Find all the campsites with water parks in our theme "Campsites with water parks".