Best Aires in France
There are almost 4,000 aires in France & obviously with this number of places, their
quality can vary enormously, not only in their location but also in quality of facilities, price,
ambience, etc. Many times I have visited different aires only to find that they were either
dirty, expensive, noisy, had broken service points or were in an unpleasant location. I
therefore wanted to produce a guide that would allow people to avoid staying in what
may be a dirty, noisy car park aire with no shade & instead stay at an aire in
hopefully a more pleasant, quieter environment.
I have been managing this French aires website since 2006 & in selecting the
“Best Aires” I have not only used my own judgement & experience but have taken into account the opinions of various motorhomers / “camping-caristes” who have visited these aires over a period of time.
Our guide 'The Best Aires in France, 2021/ 22' has 547 of what I consider to be the best aires, below are a selection of some of these aires. The guide also includes 67 aires that were former campsites that have now been converted to aires - offering campsite facilities for the price & convenience of an aire.
Surzur in Morbihan, Brittany
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The aire is in a nice location, a former municipal camping, which is 600m north of the town centre. Parking is in a large wooded area with good shade & lit at night, 17 of the pitches are on hard standing & 25 on grass with some larger spaces for long vehicles. Access is via automatic barrier. AireServices borne with platform drain, electric hook-ups, laundrette & rubbish bin.
REVIEW: Very enjoyable place, quiet, well laid out & maintained with large spaces separated by hedges each with ehu & access to a free laundrette with tourist info. Close to the Gulf de Morbihan with a supermarket, boulangerie, pharmacy, butcher & Poste in town. Play area & sports ground within 200m. Voted "Aire of the Year 2019".
GPS: N47.58313 W02.63285
Montsalvy in Cantal. Auvergne
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The aire here is in the small tarmac parking area on the western edge of the village, behind the village hall, with individual spaces separated by hedges/ grass verges, slightly sloping with no shade. The car park is next to open countryside with an easy to access Raclet service point, drainage grid & adjacent WC block (suitable for handicapped).
REVIEW: A well equipped aire with spaces having good privacy & a modern WC block (cleaned daily) that also has a hot shower (for 1€), toilet & sinks with a boules pitch adjacent. Montsalvy is a very pretty medieval fortified village with shops near to the parking. The church here is worth a visit, built on the foundations of the old fortified walls with an 18th C tower. Voted “Aire of the Year 2018”.
GPS: N44.70785 E02.49666
Chamboulive in Correze, Limousin
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The aire is located in the grounds of the former municipal campsite alongside a minor road & next to a newly created fishing lake, 1km south of the village centre. Spaces are on grass accessed by a tarmac track, shaded by trees but no lighting. AireServices borne with a platform drain & separate ehu’s.
REVIEW: A pleasant former campsite, converted to an aire, a bit remote from the village but quiet. Picnic tables, fishing lake adjacent, very reasonable 12 hours of electric for 2€. Shops in village; superette, boulangerie, butcher, café/ tabac, restaurant & pharmacy. 3 marked walks around village.
GPS: N45.42267 E01.71642
Capdenac-Gare in Lot, Midi-Pyr.
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The aire is managed by CampingCarPark & is situated next to the river in a large grass parking area, 300m from the centre of the town. Most of the level spaces benefit from shade from the trees & all have 6A ehu’s & wifi. Access via automatic barrier, CCP card required. Euro-Relais service point with drainage platform, toilets, sinks & showers (only open July/ Aug).
REVIEW: A pleasant aire, quiet & shaded, with good modern facilities, play area, fishing, next to the Lot yet only a short walk into town where there are restaurants/ shops & an InterMarche supermarket. Near to Capdenac le Haut, an interesting fortified village with panoramic views, one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France” that also has a nice overnight parking area.
GPS: N44.57308 E02.07305
Froncles, Haute-Marne, Ch-Ardenne
An aire located on the side of the canal, next to a boat mooring area on the northern edge of Froncles, where there are spaces on tarmac backing onto grass areas & overlooking the canal – some shade & lit at night. The aire has separate ehu’s (2 posts with 4 sockets), toilets, showers, a laundry room as well as an artisanal service point with drainage platform.
REVIEW: A quiet, modern & well looked after aire next to the Marne canal. The aire has all the amenities, fees are payable at the Clevacances office (closes at 6pm). There are picnic tables, grass areas & a play area. The aire is about 400m from the town centre where there are shops; superette, boulangeries, tabac, newsagent, pharmacy, Poste, bank & restaurants.
GPS: N48.30003 E05.15198
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Charmes in Vosges, Lorraine
This popular aire is located alongside the canal with spaces on grass, a little shade under small trees, lighting, accessed off a tarmac road & about 250m from the town centre. Many spaces have ehu’s & there is a shower block/ WC adjacent. Artisanal borne with a large platform drain. Access via automatic barrier.
REVIEW: A pleasant aire next to a canal in a green location, quiet although it can get very busy, & next to the waters edge with wifi & 6A electric. Close to the town centre where there are restaurants & some shops. Grass parking can be boggy in wet weather.
GPS: N48.20739 E05.83909
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Jarnages in Creuse, Limousin
Situated next to the village tennis courts & overlooking a large lake, the parking is on a small tarmac car park or adjacent large grass areas, lighting, a little shade & about 400m to the centre of the village. Euro-Relais service point with drainage grid.
REVIEW: A very nice location next to a pretty lake & only ½ km to the village, quite peaceful but not much shade. Shops in village are: boulangerie, bar/tabac/newsagent, epicerie, bank, Poste & a restaurant.
GPS: N46.18419 E02.08105
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Le Pouliguen in Loire-Atlantique
This aire is located at the entrance to the town campsite “Le Clein” where there are 26 level spaces on grass accessed by a tarmac track & shaded by small trees. The aire is within 200m of the town centre & 250m from the beach. Access is via an automatic barrier (open 7am - 11pm) controlled by a credit card machine that issues a code. AireServices service point with drainage platform, ehu’s & toilet block.
REVIEW: A well maintained & well located aire within short walks of both the town centre & its beach. Quiet spot with some shade & has access to the campsites toilets/ showers plus wifi, there is also a laundrette & play area. Price includes services but there are only 12 ehu’s (6A) for 26 spaces, also the spaces are only 7.5m in length so not really suitable for long vehicles. Good selection of shops/ restaurants within short walk. Campsite is open 20/03 – 04/ 10 & has 128 spaces.
GPS: N47.27198 W02.43285
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Mareuil in Marne, Champ-Ard.
The village lies on the Marne river & its canal, while the aire is the next to & overlooking the canal with parking on tarmac shaded by tall trees, 200m from the village centre. Artisanal borne with a drainage grid, jetons from Casino superette.
REVIEW: A quiet position next to the canal with shaded spaces facing the water, a restaurant adjacent & lovely walks along the towpath. The aire is popular in summer & the canal is good for angling, whilst the village has a couple of eating places, a few shops & wine cellars.
GPS: N49.04525 E04.03485