FRANCE
FRANCE is a country of endless charm, offering something for every traveler. In the south, Montpellier captivates with its historic streets, lively squares, and proximity to the Mediterranean coast, perfect for soaking up the sun and savoring local delicacies. Disneyland Paris, near the capital, is a magical escape where families can enjoy thrilling rides, enchanting parades, and meet beloved characters. To the north, the iconic Mont Saint-Michel rises dramatically from the sea, a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage site blending medieval history and stunning natural beauty. From cultural gems to unforgettable adventures, France is a destination that delights at every turn.
Our Very French Road Trip - Montpellier
This was our first PROPER road trip in the van and actually it wasn't meant to be that way. We had this trip planned before we got the van so we had our campsite in the South Of France booked and paid for so it wasn't possible to change it but we made the best of it and actually it worked out.
We went for around a week and a half (due to school starting on a Friday and not a Tuesday which was super annoying).
We took the ferry (never again) which was horrible, I seem to suffer with vertigo these days so that crossing over is just not something I would be rushing to do again BUT it is cheap - well cheaper than the shuttle so check prices of both before you go as you never know.
This is the trip where we popped into Luxembourg for 24 hours. After we left there we headed back into France and travelled through the Alps to our Park 4 Nite spot which was at the side of a winding road in a place called Grenoble - it was crazy just pulling up, popping the roof and sleeping in the carpark. The next day we headed off on a hours drive to a place called Le Lac De Monteynard which is an EPIC 180m long bridge suspended 93 yards above a river of turquoise water. The hike down there was lush but the hike back up, that was a challenge but worth it.
The South - A further drive on of another 3 hours from leaving Le Lac De Monteynard through winding mountains with the view of the river was really spectacular and something we will never forget. Some of the roads were VERY narrow, and I must admit it was a bit squeaky bum time driving them but we made it haha and we are here to tell the tale.
We headed to the south of France to our Campsite in Montpellier for the next 7 days. We stayed in a place called Californie Plage which was a big campsite right on the Med and honestly it was fabulous. We didn't really know what to expect as we had never camped like this before and we had the van and it was our first proper camping experience.
Our pitch was a great size, the only issue for us is that it was on dry dusty mud so it was just everywhere all the time and we couldn't keep our windbreak up but location wise, we were a short walk to the showers, toilets, sinks and all the entertainment. The campsite had a small shingle beach so we could take the paddle boards down there and go paddling along the shoreline to another little beach that had a really cool rock formation with loads of crabs and fish.
We spent our days at the pool or the beach and our evenings playing cards, drinking a few beers and hanging out at the entertainment playing bingo and watching the animation team. It was lovely just chilling out for a week, time just went so quick. We had no reason to leave the campsite only to go food shopping or walk down the road to the fruit stall at the side of the road to get some fresh watermelon and peaches and home brew wine - which was incredible. They give it to you in empty water bottles and its brewed right there at the side of the road so its so strong - good though.
Making Our Way Back Home - As we now had the van for this trip we hadn't actually planned to stay at that campsite for the full 7 days that we had booked in fact we had planned to go to Andorra and then into Spain to go to San Sebastian and then up to Dune Du Pilat just outside of Bordeaux but the weather was shocking over that with with electrical thunderstorms and Dune Du Pilat had been closed because of wild fires so we changed our plans completely, we decided to stay the full 7 days at Californie Plage. On our way back up to the north we made a little detour so we drove through the Millau village, over the Millau Bridge and then back through the village (all so we could go over the bridge). The bridge itself is pretty spectacular - if you ever get the chance to go over it, pay the toll and do it. That day we drove around 7 hours which was around 700km. We stopped at another wild camping spot, again it was great. Little quiet carpark at the side of a really quiet road that has a river running along it - it was located in a place called Poitiers.
Our final stop was near Le Mont Saint-Michel in a cute campsite called Camping Haliotis which had lovely grass pitches with EHU, a nice swimming pool, however, it was freezing but didn't stop Jax and Oli getting in it. There was also farm animals walking around and a bouncy castle that appeared to just always be inflated. Unfortunately when we arrived I was really sick, in fact I was sick in the van on the way to the campsite (literally inside the van omg) I must had picked up some sort of stomach bug as it wasn't a one off sickness I had it for around 24 hours. Anyway once that had settled we went to Mont Saint-Michel and it was stunning, like nothing I have ever seen. We would highly recommend going if you have never been before.
Thankfully I was ok for the boat ride home, but by this time Oli was feeling pretty ropey so I think overall we were glad to be going home, but shame our adventures ended like that.
Disneyland Paris
This trip was a very long time coming. We tried to book Disney days before Lockdown and I am so glad we didn't as Jax was far too young, he literally wouldn't have cared and we wouldn't have been able to go on any of the rides, so I am glad we swerved it then.
Instead we saved and booked to take Jax for his 6th Birthday as a surprise (we went in the Easter Half Term 2023) and it was brilliant. Instead of the ferry which mentioned before with our summer trip to France we got the Euro Tunnel it was more expensive but it only took 35 minutes to get to Calais from Folkestone which was so much better than the ferry crossing. Once in Calais we got on the Toll road and headed towards Paris. I had booked us a night at a campsite called Capfun Le Village Parisien. This was a great campsite much like our one in Montpellier the year before - it had everything great swimming pools, water slides, club house etc. We wanted somewhere like this for the night so we could chill before a heavy few days in the park so we popped to Lidl to do some food shopping and then hit the pools for a couple hours.
The next morning we headed to the Disney Park. You can take your van and camp actually at Disney, it is VERY basic, literally just a carpark and nothing else. There was meant to be toilets and showers but they were no where to be seen, I think they had been knocked down so if you are taking your van you need to make sure you take a toilet tent with you otherwise its around a 1km walk to entrance to go to the toilet (we didn't have a toilet tent, we will next time).
We had 2 incredible days in the park, lots of walking, lots of magic, lots of fun and lots of incredible rides. Jax hated every ride we went on pretty much, but he tried them all and we were so proud of him for trying every single one of them.
Disney Top Tips - Disney is a great place, it is busy yes, VERY busy, but I wouldn't expect it to be quiet. But you can plan your trip with our help so here are our Top Tips
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Download the Disney App - do this in advance and make sure you take some time to look at the map. There are 2 parks at Disney, you can go between the 2 as often as you like, however, you won't want to spend all day doing this as you will lose so much time.
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Plan your day - do this as best as you can. The app tells you how long the ride queue times are - figure out which rides have the longest time throughout the day (usually Crush's Coaster and Spider-Man WEB Adventure) so if these are 2 rides you want to go on you will either want to hit them early like first thing or late last thing. Everything else has a relatively quick queue time
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Don't bother paying to secure your seats for shows - we did this for The Lion King and honestly it wasn't worth it. We were recommended to book them before we went so we did but other than allowing us to queue in a different place to everyone else we weren't better off for paying. You just have to turn up earlier to make sure you get in on that showing
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Take your lunch in with you. Bags are not checked for food and drink so you are better off taking your food and drink into the park for the day and if you're hungry then either getting snacks or eating at Colonel Hathi's Outpost as you can get a Pizza (in the shape of Mickey Mouse), a side and a drink for €16 or Lasagne, a side and drink for €15. Beers are extra at €7.50 a pint, but overall that place is pretty good value for money. I would also assume that you won't be going back to the van (if you are staying your van) - we thought we would go back for dinner, but honestly by the time we would have left the park, walked the 1km back to the van, cooked dinner, walked the 1km back to the park we would have lost 2-3 hours and it really wasn't worth losing that time for us.
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If you are taking little legs with you probably 7 and under we would 100% recommend taking some kind of pushchair with you. We haven't had Jax in a buggy for a long time, he is a brilliant walker and rarely complains but 2 days walking 20km a day is A LOT for the little legs. Disney do rental pushchairs which I believe is €20 a day. We were lucky enough to find one abandoned outside the park on the way back to the van park so we took it with us and saved ourselves €20. We had no issues getting it in the park the next day (despite the little tag on the buggy not having our details on, no one is checking). Jax was very grateful to have a buggy on our second day, he even slept in it which was awesome as he really needed it.
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If you are coming by Camper Van Disney have a carpark (as explained above) where you can spend the night there in your van - it isn't cheap at €40 a night - when you enter Disney you tell them you want to stay in the camper van park and they will charge your for ONE NIGHT ONLY. You are then expected to figure out where you pay for additional nights, however, this is not policed so if you are like us and live life on the edge and want to risk it, I wouldn't bother paying for a second night. €40 to park your van in a carpark is ludicrous especially as there are no toilets and no showers and no other basic facilities either. We didn't bother paying for our 2nd night and nothing came of it. No one flagged us or stopped us when we left (no one is monitoring vans leaving).
If we’ve inspired you, how about treating us to an ice cream? Jax is an absolute ice cream lover, and we’d be so grateful. Plus, it would help us save a little for our next adventure—talk about a win-win! Thank you for being part of our journey!