French Municipal Campsites -costs

Some of the municipal sites we liked have closed and some have been privatised,  but of the ones which remain the going rate for car, caravan, EHU and two adults is not likely to be less than €20 a night this year at many sites.
It will vary of course depending on the popularity of the location, so look at websites for a few municipal sites you know and check out what they are charging this year - but electricity  will always be an add on to the published list price.

Ray, when are you planning to travel as prices do differ across the season. We were last away Sept 2023 and this year it will be June 2024, so out of high season. Using ACSI we have/will be paying typically Euro 15-19 per night on non municipal sites, so you should expect a euro or two less.

Colin

Ray

Even if you do purchase a new Club's European Campsites handbook (are they still available?) I would treat mentions of Municipal Campsite with some caution and do a second check online. As ET has pointed out some have been sold off and others converted to motorhome Aires. Worth also following up Colin's suggestion of the ACSI book as that is refreshed every year so you can be sure the sites listed will be available. 

David

Thank you. yes I expect some changes to the places we have stayed in the past so we will have to check those out before we travel. I am hoping a new Handbook will help depending on when the latest is printed. 

Hi, yes we are are planning to go in June. ACSI is on my list to update. Those prices are better than I expected . cheers.

Hi David, Not sure about the handbooks. I could search some of our old haunts out and then check online.  Are there any specific websites that you would recommend that focus on the municipal or smaller sites. 

Ray

Our tour included 5 municipals last September / October and they ranged in cost from £14 to £22 a night, inclusive of electric. They still represent extremely good value.

I really wouldn't bother buying the new CAMC book as it will most definitely be out of date.

We go to France twice a year and the number of municipal sites that close each year is getting worse. Some become Aires own by the Camping Car Parks group, some are taken over and run privately, some are in the Acsi scheme and some sadly closed for ever.

The Acsi book is all you really need but if you are happy to use an App then the Searchforsites one is excellent, it's about £5 a year for lots of very good reviews, suggestions etc and is very easy to use. It's our go to when away. 

As to price you can still get the odd site at 14€ but 18€ is more the average these days. Some of the more popular and 'posh' sites are 21€ still excellent value for money given what you get on a French site. 

We sometimes book the first and last night sites depending on what time we travel and from which port. 

Ferries, at the moment the Newhaven to Dieppe ferry is excellent value for money, if you are over a certain age do the booking direct with them as you get 20% discount. 

Hope this helps.

The ACSI company has a separate list on line called Great Little Campsites which you can look at. They are sites with fewer than 50 pitches, so not at all comparable with CLs. but certainly some in there that we liked.

 The universal list of almost every site in France is CampingFrance.com and it’s possible to pick small sites from that list if small size is particularly what you want.

But the ACSI Camping Card which has already been mentioned will undercut most sites if your priority is simply low season price .

Ray

Because Municipal Campsites are run by the various local authorities I am not sure you will find a single website. There used to be books listing them, perhaps try Vicarious Books.  What you could do, if wanting to return to a previously visited campsite is to look it up on Google Maps. They often highlight if it has been closed but if it is still open they list the contact details. Another option might be the UKCampsite website. They have extensive reviews of European campsites and if there are fairly recent ones they may be useful. 

David