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​Center Parcs ​Top tip: Booking via CenterParcs.fr is nearly always cheaper than CenterParcs.eu for exactly the same holiday (often more than €100 cheaper for a week in summer). Your browser will translate CenterParcs.fr to English if you don't speak French! The UK is listed as 'Royaume-Uni' on the booking form. Read more.

Which Center Parcs In France Is Best? (2025)

The seven Center Parcs in France offer a busy, family-friendly holiday in good quality accommodation. Each park has dozens of activities, including swimming pools and places to eat.

But which is the best Center Parcs in France?

If you want the short answer, we think that Le Bois Aux Daims or Les Trois Forêts should be top of your list.

However, Les Bois-Francs, Le Lac d'Ailette and Les Hauts Des Bruyeres are usually the cheapest Center Parcs in France.

Also, Les Villages Nature Paris is definitely worth considering if you like the idea of also visiting Disneyland Paris as the resort is next door to the theme park. Meanwhile, Le Lac d'Ailette is the nearest to the UK for most people. Les Landes de Gascogne is the newest Center Parcs resort in France. It opened in summer 2022. 
Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims
Le Bois Aux Daims is a good value French Center Parcs resort
Lazy river at Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts in France
Les Trois Forêts is another good choice, based on value for money and facilities
For our full comparison we looked at factors including customer reviews, travel time from the UK, prices at different times of year, location and onsite activities.  

Which Center Parcs in France is nearest to the UK?

Six of the seven Center Parcs in France are in the Northern half of the country, meaning that they are all relatively easy to reach by car from the UK.

You can reach France via various ferries from Portsmouth, Plymouth, Harwich and other places.

For simplicity we’ve listed the driving time from the 35-minute Eurotunnel/Le Shuttle, which goes from Folkestone to Calais. 

From nearest to furthest from Calais: So, if your priority is getting to a Center Parcs before the children have driven you to despair, then it might be worth looking at Le Lac d'Ailette.

The longest drive by far is Les Landes de Gascogne, which is the newest Center Parcs in France. It's in South West France and is a whole seven hours further than Le Lac d'Ailette.

We've also worked out the travel time for those who prefer to fly. We added together the flight time from a London airport, plus the transfer time by car. Of course, this doesn’t include the time it takes to check in, wait for your bags, find your hire car etc.

From nearest to furthest by plane from a London airport:
  • Les Villages Nature Paris – 1hr 20m flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport  + 40m drive = 2 hours
  • Le Bois Aux Daims to – 1hr 25m to Poitiers Airport + 1hr = 2hr 25m
  • Les Trois Forêts – 1hr 35 m to Strasbourg Airport + 1hr 5m = 2hr 40m
  • Le Lac d'Ailette – 1hr 20m to Paris CDG Airport + 1hr 25m = 2hr 45m
  • Les Hauts Des Bruyeres – 1hr 20m to Paris CDG Airport + 1hr 25m = 2hr 45m
  • Les Landes de Gascogne – 1hr 45m to Bordeaux Airport + 1hr 25m = 3hr 10m
  • Les Bois-Francs – 1hr 20m to Paris CDG Airport + 2hr = 3hr 20m
​
So, if you plan to fly then Les Villages Nature Paris is the closest French Center Parcs from the UK. However, the most notable difference compared to driving is that Les Trois Forêts and Le Bois Aux Daims are two of the quicker options rather than two of the longest journeys. Les Landes de Gascogne is also a much more reasonable journey by plane than it is by car.
Center Parcs Le La d'Ailette
Center Parcs Le Lac d'Ailette is the closest for most people coming from the UK...
Center Parcs Les Villages Nature Paris
...whilst Les Villages Nature Paris is also quite close

Which Center Parcs village in France gets the best reviews?

According to average reviews, Le Bois Aux Daims is the best Center Parcs in France. It scores 4/5 on TripAdvisor and on Google Reviews.

Les Trois Forêts gets the second-best reviews overall (3.5/5 on TripAdvisor, 3.9/5 on Google Reviews)

In third place are Les Hauts Des Bruyeres and Les Landes de Gascogne (the newest Center Parcs). Both score 3.5/5 on TripAdvisor and just under 4/5 on Google reviews.
​
Les Bois-Francs, is the lowest scoring with reviewers, with an average of 3/5 on TripAdvisor or 3.4/5 on Google reviews. Le Lac d'Ailette and the Center Parcs at Disneyland Paris both get slightly better scores on Google Reviews, but both only score 3/5 on TripAdvisor.

​So, the four Center Parcs with the best reviews also happen to be three of the furthest from the UK. The question is whether you are willing to drive a bit further based on customer reviews.

Here's the full ranking, in order with the average as a percentage:

  1. Le Bois Aux Daims - 4/5 on Google Reviews + 4/5 on TripAdvisor = 80%
  2. Les Trois Forêts - 3.9/5 + 3.5/5 = 74%
  3. Les Landes de Gascogne - 3.9/5 + 3.5/5 = 74% (the newest Center Parcs in France)
  4. Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - 3.7/5 + 3.5/5 = 72%
  5. Le Lac d'Ailette - 3.7/5 + 3/5 = 67% (nearest to the UK)
  6. Les Villages Nature Paris - 3.6/5 + 3/5 = 66% (next door to Disneyland Paris)
  7. Les Bois-Francs - 3.4/5 + 3/5 = 64%​

This may a good moment to mention that some of the Belgian Center Parcs get better review scores and are a similar driving distance from the UK (e.g. Center Parcs Vossemeren and Center Parcs Erperheide). Read our full guide to Center Parcs in Belgium.
Center Parcs Les Trois Forets
Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts scores well with reviewers
Lazy river at Center Parcs Les Landes de Gascogne
Center Parcs Les Landes de Gascogne is the newest Center Parcs resort in France

Which Centerparcs in France is cheapest?

Now, here’s where it gets interesting…

For a rough price comparison we looked at three different sets of holiday dates at seven Center Parcs in France.

We searched for a week in early August 2025, a week in October 2025 and a week over Easter 2025. We looked for the basic price for a family of four in the cheapest accommodation available  on CenterParcs.fr. For some reason, that is usually cheaper than booking the same holiday on CenterParcs.eu.

We didn’t include the cost of activities, which can be quite a bit over the course of a week at Center Parcs. We converted the price from Euros to Pounds Sterling based on the exchange rate at the time.

We found that Le Lac d'Ailette, Les Hauts Des Bruyeres and Les Bois-Francs were usually amongst the cheapest. Les Villages Nature Paris (the one by Disneyland Paris) and Les Landes de Gascogne were amongst the most expensive options.

The two French Center Parcs with the best reviews - Les Trois Forêts and Le Bois Aux Daims – were usually somewhere around the middle of the price comparison.

For those who enjoy staring at numbers as much as me, here’s the full results from our (limited) price comparison.

Prices for a week in August 2025 for four people from cheapest to most expensive
  1. Les Bois-Francs - £1310
  2. Le Lac d'Ailette - £1445
  3. Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - £1499
  4. Les Trois Forêts - £1526
  5. Le Bois Aux Daims - £1680
  6. Les Villages Nature Paris - £1687
  7. Les Landes de Gascogne - £1909

Prices for a week over Easter 2025 for four people from cheapest to most expensive:
  1. Les Bois-Francs - £1216
  2. Le Lac d'Ailette - £1223
  3. Les Trois Forêts - £1277
  4. Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - £1479
  5. Le Bois Aux Daims - £1580
  6. Les Villages Nature Paris - £1580
  7. Les Landes de Gascogne - £1768

Prices for a week in early October 2025 for four people from cheapest to most expensive:
  1. Les Bois-Francs - £524
  2. Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - £544
  3. Le Lac d'Ailette - £544
  4. Le Bois Aux Daims - £564
  5. Les Landes de Gascogne - £564​
  6. Les Trois Forêts - £645​
  7. Les Villages Nature Paris - £746

​Searches carried out in October 2024.

These prices are for the cheapest accommodation. You might like to read our full guide to accommodation grades at Center Parcs Europe, if you have a lot of time to spare or are struggling to sleep...
Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs
Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs is one of the cheapest resorts in France

Which Center Parcs in France has the best facilities?

Whichever Center Parcs you choose, you’ll find a good choice of activities. Many of them cost extra, but there are dozens of things to do.

There is some variation in the number of activities on offer, according to the official website:​
  1. Les Trois Forêts - 133 activities
  2. Le Bois Aux Daims - 131 activities​
  3. Les Bois-Francs - 113 activities
  4. Les Landes de Gascogne - 115 activities
  5. ​Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - 111 activities​
  6. Le Lac d'Ailette - 110 activities​
  7. Les Villages Nature Paris - 84 activities

In some comparisons we’ve done (such as our comparison of German Center Parcs) we’ve found big variations in the number of activities on offer. However, in France, there’s a good consistency with six of the parks offering between 110 and 133 activities, according to the official website.

The exception is Les Villages Nature Paris but that is the resort near to Disneyland Paris so during a week's holiday you will probably spend a few days off site anyway. Les Landes de Gascogne is a smaller park and only opened in 2022 but still has a good range of activities.

With a little bit of digging, we can also find out how many of the activities listed above are free (i.e. included in the cost of your holiday). From most to least:
  1. Les Trois Forêts - 40 free activities
  2. Les Landes de Gascogne - 39 free activities
  3. Le Lac d'Ailette - 37 free activities
  4. Le Bois Aux Daims - 36 free activities
  5. Les Bois-Francs - 34 free activities
  6. ​Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - 31 free activities
  7. Les Villages Nature Paris - 29 free activities

You'll notice that there is barely any difference in the number of free activities at each Center Parcs in France. Therefore, the number of activities is less of a factor if you just plan to do the free things.

It is also worth mentioning that there is some duplication on the Center Parcs website. For example, various activities within the 'Aqua Mundo' are listed as separate 'included' activities - such as the 'wild river' 'outdoor pool' 'wave pool' and 'children's pool'. 
Playground at Les Bois Aux Daims
Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims has a good range of free activities

Which Center Parcs in France has the best swimming pool/waterpark?

If you’ve been to a Center Parcs before, you’ll know that the waterpark is one of the main attractions. In the UK they are called the ‘Subtropical Paradise’ whilst in Europe they are usually called 'Aqua Mundo' (which translates as water world, if you’re interested) or sometimes 'Aqualagon'.

With a bit of searching, you can find reviews of the waterparks at Center Parcs in France.

According to reviewers, the Aqua Mundo waterpark at Center Parcs Villages Nature Paris near Disneyland Paris and the waterpark at Le Bois Aux Daims are both excellent. Le Bois Aux Daims scores 4.4/5 on Google Reviews whilst Center Parcs Villages Nature Paris isn't far behind on 4.3/5.

The Aqua Mundo at Le Bois Aux Daims has a wild river (known as rapids in the UK), a wave pool, two flumes with two-seater and three-seater boats as well as a large splash park with slides and buckets that dump water on your head.
​
The waterpark at Les Bois-Francs is the lowest rated with an average customer review of 4/5.

The water parks at the other three Center Parcs in France (Le Lac d'Ailette, Les Trois Forêts and Les Hauts de Bruyères) all score a very respectable scores of 4.1/5 or 4.2/5.

Here's the full run-down of the swimming pools at the French Center Parcs from highest to lowest rated:

  1. Aqua Mundo at Le Bois Aux Daims - 4.4/5
  2. Aqua Mundo at Les Villages Nature Paris - 4.3/5
  3. Aqua Mundo at Les Trois Forêts - 4.2/5
  4. ​Aqua Mundo at Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - 4.2/5
  5. Aqua Mundo at Le Lac d'Ailette - 4.1/5
  6. Aqua Mundo at Les Bois-Francs - 4/5​

We couldn't find enough reviews of the Aqua Mundo at Les Landes de Gascogne to include it in our comparison. It is a very new resort that only opened in 2022.
Aqua Mundo at Center Parcs Les Bois Aux Daims
The swimming pool at Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims is very popular with visitors

Which is the largest Center Parcs in France?

There is a notable difference in the size of the different Center Parcs resorts in France. That isn’t really the case in the UK, where they are all built to a fairly similar scale.

I wouldn’t obsess over how many hectares a resort has (or indeed how big a hectare is). However, it does give a general idea of how much there is to explore.

If you’re planning a fortnight’s holiday, then I would lean towards a larger resort to keep it interesting. For a short break you might prefer a smaller site that you can quickly get familiar with.

From largest to smallest:
​
  1. Les Trois Forêts - 435 hectares
  2. Les Bois-Francs - 300 hectares
  3. Le Bois Aux Daims - 260 hectares
  4. Le Lac d'Ailette - 224 hectares
  5. Les Landes de Gascogne - 130 hectares
  6. Les Villages Nature Paris - 120 hectares
  7. ​Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - 110 hectares

So, Les Trois Forêts is the largest Center Parcs in France by far whilst three resorts are smaller, including two of the newest resorts – Les Villages Nature Paris and Les Landes de Gascogne.

(These figures may not be 100% accurate, as there are different numbers quoted online. Some resorts have large lakes which are included in the figures. It's also worth noting that Center Parcs describes Les Hauts Des Bruyeres as 'France's second-largest Center Parcs' despite it covering the smallest area on the list above!).
High ropes at Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts
Center Parcs Les Trois Forêts covers the largest area of the seven resorts

Which Center Parcs in France has the best weather?

There isn't a huge difference in climate at the seven Center Parcs in France. You can expect weather that is slightly better than southern England, with warm but not unbearably hot summers and rain at the exact moment that you leave the lodge.

We looked at the average temperature for August and ranked them from hottest to coolest:
​
  1. Les Landes de Gascogne - 21 Celsius​
  2. Les Villages Nature Paris - 20 Celsius
  3. ​Les Hauts Des Bruyeres - 20 Celsius
  4. Les Trois Forêts - 20 Celsius
  5. Les Bois-Francs - 20 Celsius
  6. Le Bois Aux Daims - 20 Celsius
  7. Le Lac d'Ailette - 19 Celsius

Unsurprisingly, the warmest Center Parcs resort in France is the one that is furthest south (Les Landes de Gascogne) and the coolest is the one further north (Le Lac d'Ailette). Is it worth enduring several hours in the car for a couple of extra degrees of warmth? I'll leave that up to you!

We also looked at rainfall for each of the Center Parcs resorts in France and found there was barely any difference between them. They all have between 109 and 116 rainy days per year. That doesn't mean it rains all day, just that there is some rain.

Les Trois Forêts is the driest Center Parcs in France, but I wouldn't get too excited as it's such as a small difference.

In case you are curious, the average temperature at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is 17 Celsius - so a fair bit colder than the French resorts. It gets 125 rainy days, so slightly more rain.
Lodge at Center Parcs Les Landes de Gascogne in summer
Les Landes de Gascogne gets slightly warmer weather than other Center Parcs - but there's not much in it

Other notable differences between the seven Center Parcs in France

  • As mentioned, Les Villages Nature Paris is a joint venture with Disneyland Paris which opened in 2017. It takes about 15 minutes by car to get to the theme parks, or there's a shuttle that you can pay for which takes 25 minutes.
  • Le Bois Aux Daims is one of newest Center Parcs, having opened in 2015. Les Trois Forêts opened in 2010, whilst Le Lac d'Ailette opened in 2007.
  • The oldest Center Parcs in France are Les Bois-Francs and Les Hauts Des Bruyeres, which both opened in the 1980s and 1990s (they are also the two cheapest parks in most cases in our price comparison).​
  • Les Landes de Gascogne is the newest Center Parcs in France. Its first customers arrived in May 2022.
  • Les Haut Des Bruyeres has been going through a 'reinvention', which ran from 2020-2024. Upgrades have included updating hundreds of VIP Cottages, Premium Cottages and Comfort Cottages. They also renovated the Deep Nature Spa in 2022 and are improving various other communal areas. We may see a big jump up in its review scores as a result.
Center Parcs Les Hauts Des Bruyeres lounge
Les Hauts Des Bruyeres is an older Center Parcs resort - but it's had a refurbishment recently

Conclusion – which is the best Center Parcs in France?

All seven Center Parcs have something going for them, but I would personally go for Le Bois Aux Daims or perhaps Les Trois Forêts if it's cheapest for the week you want to visit.

They have a similar number of activities, get good reviews for their waterparks and are a similar driving distance from Calais. Both are two of the quickest to reach if you are flying.

They're also both quite new parks, having been built in the noughties. The waterpark ('Aqua Mundo') at Le Bois Aux Daims gets slightly better reviews than the pool at Les Trois Forêts and the overall review score for Le Bois Aux Daims is slightly better.

However, if you have children wearing princess dresses or singing along to The Lion King soundtrack in the car, then you might prefer Les Villages Nature Paris, which offers the facilities of CenterParcs with only a short daily journey to Disneyland Paris. It also has the advantage of offering the joint best waterparks of the six French Center Parcs, according to customer reviews.

If you're looking for a cheap Center Parcs in France, I'd look at Les Hauts Des Bruyeres as it is similarly priced to Les Bois-Francs but gets slightly better reviews.

​Le Lac d'Ailette is somewhere in the middle in most of our comparisons, but it's main plus point is that it is the nearest to the UK for most people.

Les Landes de Gascogne has good points and bad points, but I wouldn't immediately leap to book it. It is the newest and warmest Center Parcs resort in France and early reviews are generally positive. However, it's the furthest from the UK, it is more expensive than most Center Parcs and it has fewer activities than all of the other Center Parcs in France.
Waterslide at Center Parcs Le Bois Aux Daims
Le Bois Aux Daims is our choice for the best value Center Parcs in France

Which are the best cheap alternatives to Center Parcs?

There are plenty of alternatives to Center Parcs if you want a family-friendly holiday in France. You’ll find a top 10 in our guide to French holiday parks, but highlights include:
  • Domaine des Ormes Campsite covers a similar size to a UK Center Parcs resort. It's not a campsite, despite the name and it has plenty of lodges/static homes for hire. The main attraction is the 'dome aquatic complex' which opened in 2019 and is a similar sort of thing to a Center Parcs swimming pool. Reviews average 4/5.​
Eurocamp Domaine des Ormes Campsite in Brittany
Domaine des Ormes Campsite in Brittany is a good alternative to Center Parcs in France...
Swimming at Eurocamp Domaine des Ormes Campsite
...and it scores 4/5 from reviewers, which is similar to the highest scoring French Center Parcs
  • Village Les Mouettes in Brittany has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, pony rides, playgrounds and places to eat onsite.
Village Les Mouettes in Brittany outdoor swimming pool
Village Les Mouettes in Brittany has an excellent choice of swimming pools...
Village Les Mouettes in Brittany outdoor swimming pool
...and it's only 20 minutes drive from the ferry which you can catch from Plymouth
  • ​​La Garangeoire Campsite in Vendee on the west coast has several swimming pools, horse riding and beach access
Swimming pool at ​​La Garangeoire Campsite in Vendee
​​La Garangeoire Campsite is a 7 hour drive from Calais but it gets excellent reviews...
Accommodation at ​​La Garangeoire Campsite in Vendee
...and has plenty of these lodges for hire

Other guides from the Holiday Park Guru

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.