As French nobleman and military leader Monsieur de La Palice might have said, leaving whenever you like means being completely free to choose when to go. So it's no longer a question of high season or low season, but just as the fancy takes you.
Can a campsite stay open all year round?
Yes, a campsite can remain open all year round, but this depends on its classification and local authorisations. Some campsites, particularly in tourist or mountain areas, remain open to welcome permanent or seasonal residents, as well as tourists who want to discover the French regions in all seasons. However, they must comply with safety and winter reception standards.
The advantages of year-round campsites
Freedom to choose where to go for your stay on a campsite open all year round: in March, in October...
Choosing a campsite which is open all year round, wherever it is located, means you can break free from the season's "Great migrations" and explore a region, a city or a popular tourist attraction anywhere in France. It also means you can get reasonably priced accommodation during your break or at the very least for a far better price than by using traditional "permanent" hotels.
Let's take Paris as an example. Instead of looking for hotels or rentals which are exorbitant for the closest ones and relatively far away for the more affordable ones, why not try the campsite? There is a campsite in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne right in the middle of the 16th arrondissement in Paris - the Camping de Paris Bois de Boulogne (Huttopia). This four star campsite, and all the services that go with it, can serve as a 'base camp' for exploring the capital. A shuttle drops you off at the Porte Maillot station, from where you can get the bus or the metro to anywhere in the capital. The same goes for Bordeaux with the Village du Lac situated in Bruges, less than half an hour away from the city centre by public transport. Fancy exploring the 'Pink City' of Toulouse and getting lost for a day in the Cité de l’Espace (Space City)? You could stay in a few campsites there as well. It is the same in every region in France, from the Atlantic Coast to Mont Saint Michel and the Côte d’Azur, and in inland France, too, with 2 to 5* campsites of all sizes with every level of service.
Freedom of price, for a less expensive stay than in high season, for both rentals and pitches
Going on a camping holiday whenever you like also means possibly great prices and, in any case, lower prices than you would get during the low or the high season. The downside is that the level of services offered will not necessarily be the same as in spring and more so in summer. That said, if you have decided to explore Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux or any other major tourist destination, you don't necessarily need to have a water park or a restaurant... Don't forget to check whether the pool is heated before booking your low-season campsite holiday, as many campsites open and heat their water park - or at least their indoor pool - throughout the season. And if you're on a family holiday with very young children, if the mini-club isn't necessarily open in the off-season, you can always make the most of the children's play areas!
Specific case of campsites open in winter
When you think of winter camping, you think of skiing and mountaineering. If that's the case for you, you should know that there are around 200 snow campsites in France, specifically adapted for stays in very cold weather.
Snow caravanning or not, campsites open in winter must comply with a number of safety and reception standards. In particular, they must offer cold-weather mobile homes or well-insulated chalets with efficient heating. The roads must be cleared of snow for the safety of residents. Water and electricity must be adapted to the cold, and essential services such as lighting and road maintenance must be provided, for example in the event of frost or snow.
Some seasonal campsites close in winter because of these technical and regulatory constraints.
Where and how can I find a campsite open all year round in France?
There are around 1060 campsites open all year round in France. To provide you with this list of campsites, we have based ourselves on the campsites that have declared to us that they are open from 01 January to 31 December for bare pitches and/or rental accommodation. Please note, however, that some campsites will be open all year round for one or other type of accommodation, so you'll need to check on the campsite page whether it matches your requirements.
List of campsites open all year round by region: Brittany, South West, Côte d'Azur...
To find your year-round campsite in the main French regions, by the sea, in the countryside or in the mountains, for a week or a weekend:
Campsites open all year round in Auvergne-Rhône-Alps
Campsites open all year round in Burgundy-Franche-comté
Campsites open all year round in Brittany
Campsites open all year round in Centre
Campsites open all year round in Corsica
Campsites open all year round in Great East of France
Campsites open all year round in Hauts de France
Campsites open all year round in Ile-de-France
Campsites open all year round in Normandy
Campsites open all year round in New-Aquitaine
Campsites open all year round in Occitanie
Campsites open all year round in Pays de la loire
Campsites open all year round in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Most of these campsites - from 1 star to 5 stars - accept pets. What's more, just under half of them have a swimming pool and sometimes even a water park!
Is it possible to live on a campsite all year round, in a mobile home, bungalow or caravan?
In France, Parcs Résidentiels de Loisirs (PRLs) allow you to rent a plot of land all year round and set up your own accommodation. However, such accommodation is considered to be a mobile leisure home rather than a permanent dwelling. This means that you cannot live there permanently and must have a real principal residence. Find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of buying a mobile home on a campsite.
To make your choice, you can consult the list of all the campsites offering the possibility of having a second home on a campsite. We're not talking here about renting a mobile home all year round, as you might do with a flat or detached house, but about renting a pitch and buying a mobile home, caravan or bungalow. But beware: demand is very high and not all campsites have pitches available for mobile homes. So you'll need to contact the campsites to check whether they have any free plots, and whether they sell mobile homes. What's more, some of these campsites are not always open all year round, so you'll need to respect their opening dates.