10 best caravan holiday parks in France - 2019

Visiting a French holiday park isn't actually all that difficult, particularly if you're in the South East of England near to one of the main ferry ports or the Eurotunnel at Dover. 

France has some very large caravan holiday parks with several swimming pools and a busy programme of activities for children. There are also plenty of quieter ones for those who can't think of anything worse than endless kids' clubs and splash parks.

You'll find an abundance of choice around Brittany but there are some other good ones in other parts of France, such as the Dordogne, Vendee, Normandy, Brittany and Corsica.

Prices are broadly similar to UK holiday parks, though bear in mind that the exchange rate may change, and you'll need to pay for a ferry or flights. To give you a very rough idea, during August, you can expect to pay about £175 to £450 to take a car across via the Eurotunnel or about £350 - £650 to take a car from Portsmouth to Caen with four passengers (those are very, very rough return prices which will be affected by when you book, what day and time you travel and whether you have trailers etc).

We've picked out 10 of the best holiday parks in France by looking at reviews, facilities and locations. For a rough price comparison we looked for the cheapest accommodation for a family of four for a week in August 2019. 

1. Le Ranolien Campsite, Brittany (six swimming pools, coastal location, great reviews)

**Winner: best value holiday park**

Le Ranolien is a big and busy holiday park with plenty to do onsite. It's in Brittany so you can get across the water in about six hours from Plymouth and then it's another 1hr 20m in the car. You could fly to Brest (heehee) but the car is the simpler option for most people.

The park itself has (count 'em) six swimming pools, some indoor and some outdoor. The nearby coastline is rockier than Sylvester Stallone but is nice for a walk.

Other time-filling entertainments include badminton, crazy golf, volleyball, table tennis, adventure playgrounds, discos, a creperie and pizzeria.

You'll also find it referred to as 'Yelloh! Village Le Ranolien' with most reviews giving it a very impressive 9/10

Price: £863 for a family of four staying for a week in August 2019 in a 'classic' static home/caravan.

2. La Garangeoire Campsite, Vendee (large park, several swimming pools, near beach)

Flying may be your best bet for La Garangeoire on France's west coast, unless you have a high tolerance for impatient children and long ferry crossings. 

A flight from London to Nantes is about 90 minutes and then it's just over an hour to the holiday park. Meanwhile, a ferry from Portsmouth is 11 hours and then you've got a 3 hour drive. Eurotunnel is quicker than the ferry, but it's a 7 hour drive in France.

Once you've finally arrived you'll be treated to a holiday park with very good reviews (9/10 mostly) and an abundance of onsite facilities. There are five swimming pools to splash around in (mostly outdoors) as well as a 'lagoon pool' next to a beach. 

Other options include kids' clubs, horse riding, playgrounds, cycling, archery, pedalos, table tennis and fishing. The local area is the Vendee which has a good choice of beaches.

Price: £1113 for a  week in a four person 'Vista' 2 bedroom static home/caravan in August 2019.

3. Château le Brevedent, Normandy (small park with outdoor pool, pretty surroundings)

Château le Brevedent is an idyllic looking holiday park, with a twee French chateau overlooking the outdoor pool. It's not a massive site but it punches above its weight in terms of facilities.

Admittedly there's no indoor pool, but it's got a restaurant and bar, kids' club in high season, games room, table tennis, playgrounds, badminton and fishing.

It's only open from May to September, so hopefully you won't miss the lack of an indoor pool. The beach at Trouville Sur Mer is about half an hour's drive away.

As it's in Normandy, it's relatively easy to get to by car from the UK. Options include a six hour ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, followed by an hour's drive. If you prefer the Eurotunnel, it's a three hour drive from Calais. 

Reviews are generally around 4.5/5. 
​
Price: £1141 for a week for a family of four in August 2019 staying in a two bedroom mobile home.

4. La Plage Campsite, Brittany - (beach access, two swimming pools and slides)

La Plage Campsite is another good quality caravan holiday park competing for your attention in Brittany.  Don't be put off by the word 'campsite', it's got proper accommodation which won't fall over in the wind.

It ticks a lot of boxes for me despite not being massive, with easy walking access to the beach, waterslides, two outdoor swimming pools, kids' clubs in peak season, a restaurant (just off site, but overlooks the sea), tennis courts, table tennis, boules, crazy golf and a playground. 

If you want to bring the car, it's a 9 hour ferry from Portsmouth followed by a 2hr 30m car drive from St Malo. If you fly, it's 90 minutes from London to Rennes and then two hours in the car.

There are static homes, or you can camp. Dogs are allowed at this one too.

Price: £1022 for a week in an 'Esprit' mobile home for a family of four in August 2019.

5. Village Les Mouettes​, Brittany (20 minutes from the ferry, swimming pools)

The swimming pools and water park are probably the trump card at Village Les Mouettes in Brittany. There are outdoor pools with slides and flumes, as well as an indoor pool for younger children (presumably they're more likely to complain about being cold). There's also a jacuzzi and sauna for grown ups and you can even book in for a facial if you aren't too busy stopping the children from splashing strangers.

If you don't want to spend the whole week in your trunks, there are plenty of other options on what is a fairly large site. Highlights include a restaurant and two bars, a programme of activities (karaoke, quizzes etc), table tennis, basketball, boules (the French love a bit of boules), volleyball, pony rides, crazy golf and a couple of playgrounds. 

If you get around to leaving the site, the nearest beach is about a mile away. 

Another plus point is that it's easy to get to, as long as you don't mind a few hours on a ferry. You can get from Plymouth to Roscoff in 6 to 8 hours and then it's only 20 minutes in the car to the holiday park.

Price: £1350 for a week in August 2019 for a family of four. It's actually a three bedroom static home, so good value if you're travelling with a larger group.

6. La Baie Campsite, Brittany (small park, outdoor swimming pools)

La Baie Campsite's location is its best feature, with two sandy beaches within walking distance. 

The park is relatively small, but it does have a couple of outdoor swimming pools. There are various sports on offer, including basketball, badminton and the obligatory boules. There are also a couple of playgrounds and you can hire bikes for doing a bit of local exploring. 

Again, don't get put off by the word 'campsite' - the site has a plenty of static homes for hire. 

Customer reviews are very positive, averaging 4.5/5 on most sites that we looked at.

It's not quite as easy to get to as some French holiday parks. Most people go for a 9 hour ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo, followed by a 2hr 30m drive. If that sounds too much then the alternative is a 90 minute flight from London to Rennes and then two hours in the car.

​Price: £915 for a week for a family of four in August 2019

7. ​Sole di Sari Campsite, Corsica (simple park for exploring, great scenery)

I'm sure it was just me that didn't actually know Corsica is a region of France. 

The Sole di Sari holiday park makes our top 10 mostly on location, as it combines beaches, forests and mountains (e.g. Monte Cinto). The park is quite a small one, but there is somewhere for a swim, as well as table tennis, a kids' club, a playground and somewhere to eat onsite during the high season.

It's a couple of hours flight from London, and you will probably want to hire a car to get exploring. The local area has things like watersports to try out.

When we checked, reviews were averaging between 8 and 9 out of 10.

Price: £961 for a week in August 2019 in a two bedroom 'Vista' static home/caravan for a family of four.

8. Les Ranchisses Campsite, Ardeche (swimming pools, canoeing and spa)

Brace yourself for a long car journey if you go for Les Ranchisses in the south of France. You'll need to drive for 9  hours from the Eurotunnel at Calais. Alternatively, you can fly to Lyon or Montpellier and then drive for a couple of hours.

The park is relatively small but it has lots onsite including three outdoor swimming pools and a covered pool in the 'wellness centre'. There are also spa type things on offer, such as a jacuzzi and massage which you'll pay extra for. 

During the summer months there are kids' clubs on offer and the site also has places you can eat. Other things to do include tennis, table tennis, boules (of course), three playgrounds and volleyball.

I guess the main downside is that you're a long way from the coastline, but the South of France does tend to get better weather at least. You can also try out canoeing at  Les Ranchisses.

Reviews average 4.5/5 on most sites, including Trip Advisor. Again, they have plenty of static homes to hire, despite being called a 'Campsite'.

Price: £1001 for a week in a 'Vista' static home, for two adults and two children.

9. Le Paradis Campsite, Dordogne (riverside park, strong reviews, mid-sized facilities)

We dithered for ages before picking out Le Paradis Campsite in the  Dordogne for our top 10, because there are several holiday parks in the region which get decent reviews. 

This one  ticks most boxes for what we look for in a holiday park. 

It's not huge, but it's got swimming pools, tennis, boules, table tennis and volleyball onsite. There's also bike hire and somewhere to eat. 

Sure, it's a long, long way from the beach but it is near to the River Vézère where you can show off your canoeing skills. 

Overall, reviews are around 9/10.

Bergerac airport is about 90 minutes from the UK and then you need to drive about an hour.  Driving all the way from the UK involves an 11 hour ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo and then a 7 hour drive. 

Price: £957 for a week staying in a two bedroom 'Esprit' caravan/mobile home for a family of four in August 2019.

10. Campsite l'Ardéchois, South France (outdoor pools, mountains nearby, safari tents)

Campsite l'Ardéchois is a bit of a curveball, as they actually have safari tents instead of caravans. We've included it because of the consistently strong reviews and because we optimistically hope it will be sunny enough in Southern France for glamping.

The site isn't by the sea and it isn't a huge site, but it's in a pretty spot surrounded by tree lined mountains and reviews were averaging 4.5/5 on most sites when we checked.

There's no indoor swimming pool, but it does have a couple of outdoor pools and some guests swim in the nearby River Glueyre. There are a few other activities onsite, including table tennis and boules. You can also try kayaking and canoeing locally, or hire bikes.

Accommodation includes chalets, caravans and camping.

You can fly from the UK in about an hour (and then there's a 90 minute drive). If you go for the Eurotunnel, there's a drive of nearly 10 hours from Calais.

​Price: £1160 for a week in a safari tent for a family of four in August 2019.

Price comparison of 10 of France's best caravan holiday parks

For our price comparison we looked for the cheapest week available in August 2019 for a family of four, in the cheapest accommodation available. We did notice quite a lot of variation in pricing throughout August, with the end of the month generally being cheaper than the start.​​
  1. Le Ranolien Campsite - £863 **Winner: best value holiday park**
  2. La Baie Campsite - £915
  3. Le Paradis Campsite - £957
  4. Sole di Sari Campsite, Corsica - £961
  5. Les Ranchisses - £1001
  6. La Plage Campsite - £1022
  7. La Garangeoire Campsite - £1113
  8. Château le Brevedent - £1141
  9. Campsite l'Ardéchois, South France  - £1160
  10. Village Les Mouettes​ - £1350

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Holiday-Park-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer: All the information on this page is accurate, as far as we know. However, facilities at holiday parks change so please check with the park before booking.